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Five Minutes with Anna
Are you a pantser or a plotter?
I'm definitely a pantser. I tried outlining a plot once and then found the whole process of writing the book incredibly boring as I already knew exactly what was going to happen in excruciating detail. Unfortunately my boredom translated to what I put down on the page. I find the things that emerge organically as I write the story are by far my best ideas. If things are going well, my characters take over the story and tell me where they want to go. Generally into more trouble which certainly helps the plot to keep unraveling!
How does this help you write?
It means I'm discovering the story with the reader so anything I find exciting or humorous or unexpected, hopefully they will too. Although obviously, I know there's going to be a happy ending and I almost always have a vague road map in my mind of what scenes will go where. The problem with being a pantser is that sometimes I'll imagine wonderful scenes and then by the time I get to them, they don't belong any more. But as I said before, generally what I've come up with through the organic process of writing the book is better and certainly less contrived than my original idea, anyway.
What do you do when you have writer's block?
I've been blocked a couple of times in my life - badly, I mean, not just one of those days when you can't put pen to paper to save yourself. Each time it was because something awful was happening in my life outside my writing and I just didn't have the headspace to give to my story/characters. When it happened, I thought I'd never be able to write again but somehow the crisis passes and you can do it again. Big relief! For smaller blocks, if I'm having one of those days where I just can't write, I've learnt to be kind to myself and not force it. This is probably a luxury only the unpublished experience! And generally the next day, I have a great time. Sometimes, you've come to a stop just because you need a break or because your subconscious wants a bit more time to work on an issue - I find those short blocks often come before a big scene. So I've learnt that they're actually a positive rather than a negative thing.
Who's your favorite author?
Dorothy Dunnett, especially with her Lymond Chronicles. Those books are so rich and complex and Francis Crawford, the central character, is the ultimate tortured hero. I can't think of another character who is as compelling as he is. For romance, my favorite authors are Laura Kinsale and Loretta Chase, both of whom write historicals.
What was the first romance you ever read?
I was a very talkative child - anyone who knows me will find that hard to believe. Anyway, I used to drive my poor mother wild when she couldn't keep me occupied with a book. This particular evening when I was eight - I remember it well - I'd read everything suitable to my age in the house and in desperation poor old Mum pulled out a Mills & Boon from the back of a cupboard and shoved it into my hands. Certainly shut me up! And a good romance continues to shut me up to this day! It was A Touch of Silk by Joyce Dingwell, about a nurse who went to Hong Kong to look after the Portuguese hero's daughter. I still remember the senhor/senor thing. Mind you, back in those days, you could give an eight-year-old a Mills & Boon. They might have kissed on the last page. I can't remember.
What keeps you going through the mid-novel slump?
Luckily, I generally have plenty of plot for my stories (sometimes far too much!). But I often find myself disheartened or disenchanted with a manuscript about halfway through, even if the story is working quite well to that point. I've worked out it's a fear thing. By a couple of hundred pages in, I'm starting to look at the big picture of having to turn this baby into something readable and it absolutely terrifies me, whereas in the earlier stages, I kid myself I'm only fiddling with an idea to see where it goes. Anyway, I've found that if I stop looking at "I have to finish this whole book by Christmas", or whatever, and just say to myself, "I'll write five or ten pages today," I can cope. And often what happens is that I'll soon remember what excited me about the idea in the first place and I'll be raring to go again. And doing the small steps approach means I'll eventually get to a scene I really enjoy writing and that spurs me on - hopefully - to the finish.
This article first appeared in Hearts Talk, the newsletter of Romance Writers of Australia, in September 2005