This week: That Moment When... Edited by: Fyn  
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Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.~~Steven King
It’s none of their business that you have to learn how to write. Let them think you were born that way.~~Ernest Hemingway
Just write every day of your life. Read intensely. Then see what happens. Most of my friends who are put on that diet have very pleasant careers.~~Ray Bradbury
Every writer I know has trouble writing.~~Joseph Heller
The scariest moment is always just before you start. After that, things can only get better.~~Stephen King
There are three rules for writing the novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.~~W. Somerset Maugham
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A writer friend of mine LOVES that moment when she types 'The End.' Her favorite moment! Never mind that the hard work is just beginning! She just loves that euphoria! I know she isn't alone in experiencing that. And the feelings of accomplishment and hurdles leapt are indeed fine ones.
So, perhaps I am the oddball. (Shouldn't surprise me! LOL) For me it starts with that glimmer of an idea. That one that rapidly morphs into the visualization of not only that book but the two to follow it!
Still, not yet that 'favorite' feeling. Then there's the research stage - which, TBH, I absolutely love. The digging, the delving, the formulating, the finding that 'just right' name for characters, divining their histories, families, friends, and getting to the point where I can see them for who they are and who they will be by book's end. I'll know if they are clock-watchers or chronically late. Are they just seeking out a living or fairly comfortable. Checking out locations, becoming familiar with the map of their surroundings. Creating their 'world.' Finding the home they live in. What they do and where they work. Naming their places of business. Getting all this info(and more) down in my notebooks.
What are their families like? Favorite colors, foods and, yes, books. (and why!) What does the insides of their living spaces look like? What is their past history--good, bad, traumatic, exciting, boring, and/or fulfilling. Do they have spouses, exes, boyfriends, or kids? Pets?
This stage takes me several months. Not an outliner. (me, that is!) But by the time I write that first sentence, I know these people as well (or better!) than I do my best friends. I know their ages, birthdays, pet peeves, secrets, and dreams. I know what they eat (or don't) for breakfast, and how they drink their coffee or tea. I know if they dust regularly or collect fairy dust. I'll know if they make their beds every morning, and if their closet resembles a fancy boutique or a disaster area awaiting condemnation! I'll know if they have 'jobs' or work their passions.
I'll have discovered their fortes and their fears. I'll have a good idea of the adventures that await them and have researched whatever they might do that I don't know a lot about.
Currently, I've also had to do research on the Fates, Greek mythology, and a slew of other things including Father Time, antique clocks, (in facts all sorts of different types of clocks), weaving, and my characters' openness to exploring things outside their comfort zones.
In other words, they have left my mind, jumped into the world, and become real! I can see Pen, Tiffany, and Ciaren as clear as day. They are peering over my shoulder and want me to say 'hi!' for them!
I am almost ready. They certainly are, and are pushing and shoving at me to start their stories. Their first lines are just waiting to be written, and as soon as they are, I'll disappear down the rabbit hole and be down there for at least a few weeks before coming up for air. This is MY favorite part. The finally being able to jump in and let them share their adventures!
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Tadpole1  writes: Hi Fyn, That was a cool newsletter, and I had no idea that you were a teacher, but I guess that it makes sense.
LOL
H. C. Blakemore  says: For me, I love word play, especially in a fantasy genre. Part of my "style" uses common phrases in unique ways. For instance, a magical character of mine once gave someone a sincere smile. Well, she tried to give it to them—taking it off her face and holding it out. But she just got a weird look instead.
Here's an old quote relating to wordplay that I found. "Don't hate the wordplay, hate the game." — Socrates 420 BCE. And yes, it's absolutely a real quote that I found online, and I totally didn't just make it up on the spot or anything
Uh huh...lol
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For Authors: June 18, 2025 Issue [#13191]
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