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Taleweaver
Interview by Lariel 2000. Questions provided by Lariel, Kamouraskan and the Bardic Circle.
So, are you one of these people who was born with the innate desire to write or is it something that you just fancied having a go at?
I have always wanted to write. I can remember writing when I was in grade four, and ever since then. I only quit writing once for about six months, and only then because my ex-husband said we couldn’t keep any more of my stories. So I threw scads of my writing into the fire and refused to write more than a grocery list for six months.
What made you first want to get into writing?
I don’t remember anymore, but my family has always been rather interesting. I probably thought that someone, somewhere would be interested in the way I lived. I had such a funny family at times that I couldn’t help myself.
What was the first thing you ever wrote? Have you still got it, and would you ever let anyone read it?
I know I don’t have it, but I’m sure my mother likely would. I don’t think I’d be embarrassed by it. After all, I WAS only a kid.
Are you a pen and paper or keyboard and computer type writer? How do you like to write -do you do lots of preparation, and write draft upon draft, and show it to loads of people or doyou prefer to sit down, find the mood and just let it pour out?
Some stories have been written on pen and paper, and then transcribed an hour a day until it was done. (That was a long novella too!) These days though I only write on paper if I’m stuck waiting for someone. I write until the time has come to leave, and even then it’s still worked on with the help of technology. I used to get very bogged down in research, I was finding myself getting sidetracked and losing the drive of the story. I don’t do any more research for myself than I have to, but I do edit until the veins in my head stand out! Seriously, I find that I’m very critical of my own writing these days. But ‘the mood’ is getting harder and harder to capture. I need my writing music, my headphones and very few people around. But no matter how hard I try, I just haven’t been able to produce another one of the same quality as ‘A Thousand Shades of Feeling’.
What do you do to get yourself in the mood to write?
I have certain music that I call my ‘writing music’. Enya, Lorrena McKenitt, Gregorian Chant, The Dixie Chicks, Melissa Etheridge…I write better when I’m listening to any of them. I sit for awhile thinking about where I want the story to go, get a slushy beer out of the freezer, put on the music and just write. I don’t edit that day, I try and leave it for a day or two. Too much editing kills the mood as quickly as cold water kills an orgasm.
Where do you get your ideas and inspiration from?
Some of my ideas come from the news, others come from dreams. Some just seem to come from the universe. I have a variety of inspirations. A lot of my fan fiction comes from stories I’d like to see.
What is the kiss of death for you with regards to being able to write? What’s the easiest way to break your mood?
Distraction. If I try to write while the kids need me, or when someone pops in for a coffee I might just as well give up because what I write is garbage.
And how about your ‘office’? What sort of environment do you write best in? And what fluffy toys have you got lying around? (Be honest now!)
My office? Ha! Sorry… My computer sits beside the couch, most of my writing is done there. On top of the computer sits a dragon, a leopard Beanie baby and a dolphin. The comp is surrounded by paper, pens, notes, my story file and disks. There isn’t enough room to swing a cat, never mind my dog Freckles!
What do you find most enjoyable and rewarding about being a writer?
I enjoy the fan mail. I got an email from someone recently complimenting me on how much good I’ve done for them with my ‘Writer’s Wrench’ column. That was a small thrill. But there’s more to it than just praise. My focus recently has been on helping new writers improve their writing. If the only good I ever do for writing is to help someone improve their own technique, then I’m satisfied.
How much research and planning do you usually do?
I plan a little more these days. I actually attempt an outline now, I never used to. It used to choke me terribly. I research technique and style, and in the case of my mystery I research the actual investigative procedures. I think I’m a better writer because of it.
Which aspect of writing is least enjoyable or hardest?
The hardest part of writing for me is dialogue, throwing in the occasional red herring, editing and that blasted punctuation and grammar! Thank goodness for proofreaders. As for the other things, I have to edit and re-write with one element in mind. Dialogue one draft, and then I’ll focus on clues the next time I do a read through. It takes more time this way, but afterwards I’m assured I’ve done the best job I can. In the past nine months I have found the easiest part is the beginning. The first chapter is a breeze.
What’s your favourite type of story to write, and why?
That’s a hard one to answer. I enjoy writing children’s stories, I enjoy writing ‘Blood Drops and Alibis’ (my mystery-in-progress), I get a kick out of writing fantasy…can I claim everything? The why is easy. I get to share a story inside me, and if I can entertain, then I’ve done my job.
How closely linked to real life is your fiction/poetry? How much of you do you put into your work?
My older writing isn’t as linked to my real life as my current works. I used little elements before; a store I once frequented, people from my past…but my stories that have been written in the past year have many more elements of my life in them. I put so much ‘me’ into my stories because I think it lends some credibility to them. My dogs have shown up in my stories, my kids too. One day I’d like to write one with my friends in it, but I don’t want to get them mad at me!
What’s more important to you; the plot; the characters; the grammar; the dialogue, the sex?
They’re all equally important I think. Except for the sex. A great story need not have sex, but if the story is anything besides a PWP*, it needs a plot. I think I do the setting and characterization best, but you’d have to ask my readers for a truly un-biased viewpoint. I spend the most time on dialogue, because it doesn’t come easily to me.
*plot, what plot? ie a sex story
Do you have to understand your characters completely to write about them?
I’m one of those writers who has to be very well acquainted with my characters. If I’m not clear on who a main character is, then I can’t write them very well. I start by laying out a personality list and a physical characteristic chart. Once I’ve done that, and I can ‘see’ them standing in front of me, then I give them a history. I give them a family, I give them an education, and most of my characters have a medical history as well, even if I don’t use it in the story.
How do you make your characters ‘real’ to your readers?
I’ve been known to give one of my main characters a vice. One of them smokes cigarettes, one did drugs in her past, etc. These vices may not ever emerge in the story, but it all helps me to believe that the character is real. If I am almost convinced that Merlin is real, then she’ll come across that way to the reader as well. I try and remember that people aren’t going to connect with cardboard cut-outs, so I make my characters as credible and unique as I can. I try and have them speak the way the rest of us do. I give them their own personal pain and guilt, and conflict; we can’t forget that. The more original and memorable my characters are, the more they’re going to come across to a reader as being nearly breathing.
How do you deal with dry patches and writer’s block?
Good question. What shakes it loose for me is writing something else. After my first really good story was finished I was stuck. I didn’t know what else to write, I ended up writing something completely different. Usually that works for me. Changing my focus from something long to a short story, or from fan fiction to something completely original. I abhor dry patches. I need to be writing something; which is probably why I have so many stories on the go.
Why do you think people read your work?
I’ve been told that my stories are always a good read, so I suppose folks read my work to be entertained in an honest way.
How do readers generally respond to your stories?
I’ve gotten a few dozen letters of feedback over the past couple of years, I’m thrilled every time I get a letter. The feedback ranges from ‘Thanks for sharing’ to long essays about how my story touched them and they were able to heal from a similar traumatic event. I think this is great. I’d like to see more obviously, what writer wouldn’t? I think I would have gotten a little more “fan mail” if I plastered the net with my stories, and I haven’t. It’s still very hard to find for someone who doesn’t know where I put my writing.
How important is fan/reader/peer feedback to you?
It’s important to me, not for the ego-stroking, but for the confirmation that someone out there really is reading it. I can keep writing until my fingers fall off, but if I don’t get any reader feedback I won’t be assured that anyone is reading my work.
How fully do you involve your readers in your writing process (ie do you post stories in progress, do you change a story based on reader/peer feedback etc)
I invite feedback and when I get it, I’ve always tried to write back. It doesn’t matter if I know the author of the letter or not. I never really liked posting works in progress on the web because I know how cruel my muse is. She may be a horrible task-master for six months and then suddenly flit away for weeks! So I may have a dry spell that would seriously interrupt a story in progress. Lately though I am considering posting my murder mystery in progress and seeing how readers respond to it. I have never gone back and changed any parts of a story because of reader feedback. I have however changed a piece of fan fiction into an original piece. I think it works better this way, but not many folks realise I’ve done it.
What’s the worst thing anyone could ever say about you as a writer? Would this stop you from writing?
Well, I’ve had my articles on domestic abuse attacked, they said I didn’t know what I was talking about; even though I do. That bothered me, but it didn’t stop me; I wrote twice as much actually. If someone were to say that my characters were hollow, my settings weak and flimsy and the sporadic sex scenes repetitive…that would bother me. But I’m too stubborn to quit because of that. I’d just be more determined to do better by my stories next time around.
Do you think a writer should write for themselves, or for their audience?
I’ve always thought that a writer HAS to write for themselves. If that author has heard the siren song of pen and paper, they will be compelled to write the stories that are inside them. If they do that, they are writing for themselves. There are quite a few formulaic authors on the market today, and as much money as it may make, I don’t think it’s fair to themselves or their readers. To write by a formula wastes the talent we assume they were given by the universe. If they waste the talent…what’s the point?
Do you think a writer has responsibilities to his/her audience?
I believe that all writers have a responsibility to their audience. An author of children’s stories has a responsibility not to lie to her readers, but to educate and entertain. A fiction writer for the mature reader has a responsibility to avoid glamorising violence, death and the evil that mankind is capable of. I believe that my writing should keep those promises and go a little further. I have a responsibility to entertain in an intelligent way without talking down to my readers, whether they are children or adults.
What is the greatest compliment anyone could ever pay you as a writer?
If someone were to come up to me, ask me for my autograph and tell how my book changed them.
If you had to describe your writing to someone who had never read any of your work, what would you say?
I would tell them that much of it deals with women who fight back for their dignity and their pride. My writing most often deals with stalking and fear because I know so many who lives have been touched in similar ways. But not all of my stories have a happy ending. It is realistic, gritty, and it’s not the fables they may have grown up with. But it’s always honest.
Which of your stories do you like the most?
I really like a lot of my stories, both fan fiction and original fiction. I am proud of ‘A Thousand Shades of Feeling”, I think it’s probably my best original work. It’s a little dark, a little nerve-wracking but it’s a solidly written, moving piece I think. I rather like ‘A Day In The Day Care’ of all my fan fiction so far. It deals with Xena and Gabrielle if they had met as children, and it’s sweet while still retaining that whole best-friends feeling. Looking back I can honestly say that I enjoy quite a few of my stories.
Which do you think is the worst story you’ve written?
’And The Stars Fell Down’. It’s horrible. The dialogue is cheesy, there’s no plot…ugh!
What do you think are your strengths?
Setting, creating memorable characters, packing a story with punch and lacing it with emotion.
Give us a short excerpt from one of your stories that you think best represents your style...
This is from ‘45 Shades of Green and Gold’.
At the road, she paused for a moment and looked both left and right, trying to decide which way to go. There was nothing more inviting in either one direction or the other so she closed her eyes and let her heart listen to the wind. Her feet pivoted her body left, and she went with it. Finnula's long legs carried her along the lonely road and away from the inn; it was not long before her mind too was carried away. The soft breeze whisked her thoughts away to a time when life had been simple, before first blood had been spilled, before she'd run away and changed the course of her life forever. Before her shame. Lifting her eyes from the road, Finnula watched the countryside around her slip past. Long emerald grasses waved and nodded in the fields at the side of the road, seemingly agreeing with her assessment of her life. The mountains in the distance called out to her soul with their timelessness; they stood silent, beckoning and non-judgmental. Since returning to Ireland, she had walked everywhere she had gone. Not wanting to miss something by driving through the countryside, she had gone wherever her heart and legs had taken her. She was determined to bond with the land that had given her so much, and that she had spilled so much blood in. She had a lot to make up for, she admitted. Her life had taken her in directions that she had not expected, but fate alone could not be blamed. There was always some amount of personal responsibility in one's life. Especially where bloodshed was involved. And Finnula's life was steeped in blood.
Which is the most challenging thing you’ve written? Why did you decide to write it, and why was it so challenging?
I think that ‘Blood Drops and Alibis’ is the most challenging, because it MUST be accurate. There’s no faking, no creative license. I’ve got to get it right and I’ve got to deliver the best story I can. If I make a mistake, the readers will know. I decided to write a murder mystery at first to see if I could do it. Then I got into the challenge of writing and hiding the clues, writing and solving the crimes and I’m still having a lot of fun with it.
What’s the one thing you would change about your writing?
I would like to become more adept at writing dialogue, I’d like to create killer plots, and I’d really like to never have to search for the right words.
What’s your definition of good writing? What distinguishes a good writer from a capable writer? In your opinion, what’s more important - talent or technical ability?
Good writing is interesting, it’s error free, it’s varied, it moves us, and it has a message without hitting us over the head with it. A capable writer shows promise. They hint at a very good story, but never quite carry through with the unspoken promise to their reader. In my ability talent is the most important. One can learn technical ability, but talent you’re born with. Or not.
What or who has been the biggest single influence on your writing?
There has been no single influence. My writing is comprised of many layers. The biggest influences on my writing style are Stephen King, Patricia Cornwell, Anne McCaffery, and Piers Anthony. The biggest influence on my technique and voice have been my friends who proof read all that I post on The Circle. There is no single influence in my writing, it’s all much like baklava. Layer upon layer, upon layer. The whole is comprised of many layers.
What advice/tips would you give anyone wanting to try their hand at writing?
Pay attention to technique; always strive to make your writing the best it can be no matter what you write. Write about something that moves YOU, and it’ll move your readers. Don’t discuss the work in progress to death. Read everything. Read with an eye on the authors’ technique, watch how they manipulate the words and make you feel, pay attention to their voice, but never plagiarize. Read a wide variety of genres and authors. The best writers are also avid readers.
How do you see your writing career progressing?
I’d like to say that I see myself being wildly successful, but I can’t. I see myself one day getting my freelance career plodding along. I can see getting a few short stories published. I don’t have any grand plans for my writing career. I’m a cautious realist. I can have grandiose plans, but I know what I’m like. I’d like to be publishing other people’s works, primarily lesbian fiction, in about ten years. I can see myself teaching other writers. And if that’s all I do with my writing, I’ll be satisfied.
What would be the most fantastic thing that could happen to you as a writer?
It would be fantastic if I could sell my stories. It would be awesome if I ever got renowned enough that one day folks heard my name and said, “Oh yeah, she writes great stuff!” Ahhhhh, the stuff dreams are made of.
What sort of impact would you like your writing to have?
It occurred to me yesterday morning that some of what I write has a lot of stalking and serious matter involved. I think this is because stalking and domestic violence hasn’t been treated as seriously in fiction as it should be. I believe that I can change the way victims of domestic violence are viewed in fiction. I want the world to know that victims of domestic violence, both men and women, are not victims forever. I want to change someone’s viewpoint on stalking. I want someone involved in a bad relationship to be able to say “I can do that too, I can survive”. I want to change someone for the better.
What would you like to have carved on your tombstone?
Here lies Carolyn.
Wife, mother, writer, lover.
She made a difference to so many.
We’ll miss her.
