Hey all you readers and writers! Emma Michaels here to introduce our guest author of the day:
Courtney K. Walker
Hello Courtney and welcome to The Writers Voice!
What part of your first novel did you find hardest to write?
The ending. Many books start off really strong and then sort of fizzle out at the end. I wrote and re-wrote and edited the ending so many times, trying to get it just right. The initial ending really stunk (and I'll never ever say what it was!).
What scares you most?
About writing, or life in general? Loud noises scare me every day. With writing, I am scared of rejection and criticism, even though I know it’s a vital part of the process. I’m also scared of losing whatever it is that keeps me wanting to write every day. In life, I’m scared of uncertainty, of losing control, of not recognizing happiness while I have it in my hands.
Do you start writing when you have a plot mapped out or start plotting when you have started writing based off a spark of inspiration?
Inspiration is how I roll. I don’t even have a schedule for when I clean my house; I just attack whatever is bugging me at the moment, and before I know it six hours have gone by and I’m somewhere in the storage room organizing cans and boxes of cereal. With writing, I’ll often have a thought or a dream, and then I just go from there. It’s more fun that way…sort of like an adventure where you have no idea how long it will last or what you’ll come across along the way. I LOVE it! Of course, the problem comes when I’ve exhausted that initial energy and don’t know where to go next. THAT’s when the plotting comes into play.
Was there ever a moment when you wouldn’t trade what you do as an author for the world? What was that moment for you?
Absolutely. The moment when Claire and Daniel became real, when I realized that all I’d created in my head had found its way into the mind and heart of someone other than me.
Aspiring writers often hear, "Read what you want to write," "Hone your writing craft." and, above all else, "Be patient." What other advice would you give them?
All of the above. Also, for novelists: If you don’t love what you’re writing, STOP. And start all over. You write your best when it means something more to you than just trying to get to the finish line.
Is there rhyme and reason to how you choose character traits?
I know this makes no sense (which I guess means there isn’t a rhyme or reason), but it starts with a picture of them in my head, and then that character sort-of reveals themselves to me as the story progresses. That’s probably pretty typical for authors, I would imagine, or else it would all be too formulaic.
To all our readers out there, thank you for following The Writers Voice and happy reading!
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