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Beth Andrews |
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Beth’s 18Q |
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The Eighteen Questions |
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18Q |
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1. Did you choose the writing profession or did it choose you? Would anyone in their right mind choose to be a writer? Writing is a gift, or maybe a curse. It’s an addiction . .. . an obsession. It’s part of who and what I am.
2. What is your background? (education, work, etc.) I have a high-school education, plus certificates in accounting and in novel writing, earned in night school and by correspondence. I’ve worked in a furniture store, music store, alternative health clinic, and now part-time in a health food store. My first job, however, was probably the most valuable for my writing. I worked as sub-editor at a local newspaper, where I learned how to cut stories to the bone without killing the patient.
3. When did you ‘know’ you were a writer? I always had a fairly active imagination, and as a child I used to entertain my friends by telling ghost stories. Once I learned to read, writing just seemed the next logical step.
4. How would you describe your style of writing? It depends on what I’m writing, but generally I’d say it’s terse, somewhat old-fashioned (possibly because much of what I write is historical fiction) and with a large dose of ironic humor.
5. What is your writing process? I’m someone who plays with an idea in my head for months before I ever put a line on paper. By the time I do, I generally have a pretty good idea of exactly where the story is going—though it’s definitely not carved in stone. I make a list of characters and their basic traits, write a brief synopsis, and then sit down at my keyboard and get busy. I do only two or three re-writes, mainly because I’m lazy, but also because I usually have another book in mind and want to get on with it.
6. What was your path to publication? I had no problem publishing a few poems early on. Getting short stories published was harder. It took about six years—and several false starts--before my first novel made it into print with a small but established royalty-paying publisher in London , England . I still have several completed manuscripts which nobody will publish, either for love or money!
7. What is your favorite self-marketing idea? I don’t like marketing myself. I’d much rather just market my books, but that seems to be impossible. Since my books are hardbacks geared toward the library trade, I send postcards to libraries (and a few bookstores) in the areas where a particular novel is set.. Usually they’re eager to promote anything with a local angle. Beyond that, I just try to get as many reviews as I can muster, and hope that most of them will be positive.
8. What are the biggest surprises you’ve encountered as a writer? I think what surprised me most was how little most published writers actually earn; and also, how important Word Count is in getting published! Every publisher has a fairly narrow range, and if you write more or fewer words, don’t even bother.
9. How do you inspire yourself? What are your sources of creativity? My greatest inspiration usually comes from reading, though I try to avoid too much fiction—especially in the genre in which I’m currently working. It may sound trite, but The Bible is a great prod for the imagination, as well as inspiring a few titles. I also find music (especially classical music) helps to get me in the mood for certain scenes.
10. What is your proudest writer moment? Receiving my first (and, thus far, only) fan letter—from a “housebound” (i.e. shut-in) lady in England who wanted to thank my publisher for the pleasure one of my books had brought her. It was humbling to think that this total stranger on the other side of the Atlantic had been so affected by something I wrote.
11.. What’s the best advice you were given about writing? Write what you LOVE!
12. What is your most embarrassing writer moment? There’s so much to choose from . . . . Probably when I interviewed a well-known mystery writer in the hope of selling the piece to a magazine. The writer responded to my question with a series of somewhat flippant one-line answers which would never have been enough for the magazine’s word requirements. Treating the matter as a joke, I told her that I’d try to “make something” out of such a terse interview. Needless to say, that was a Big Mistake. The writer was offended, and broke off all communication. The mutual friend who had introduced us was equally offended, and I haven’t heard from her since! It was a hard lesson to learn, and I’m still trying to scrape the egg off my face.
13. What business challenges have you faced as a writer? How to actually make money from writing! Most of us would starve if writing was our only source of income.
14. What is your writer life philosophy? I endorse Samuel Johnson’s view that the chief end of literature is to help the reader “better to enjoy life or better to endure it.” That’s what I strive to do. I also assume that if I don’t enjoy writing a book, few people will enjoy reading it. If I ever stop enjoying my work, I’ll probably just stop writing.
15. When you’re not writing what do you do for fun? Of course I love to read, enjoy music, the beach (I live in the Bahamas, after all), water gardening. I travel whenever I can, though it's not so much fun these days.
16. Who do you like to read? My favorite authors are Jane Austen (to whom my writing is often compared), C. S. Lewis, G. K. Chesterton, Georgette Heyer, and Agatha Christie.
17. What’s your advice for new writers? Write because you truly want to—even because you HAVE to. Don’t expect to be another Stephen King or J. K. Rowling. If you achieve financial success, be thankful; but don’t count on it. If possible, find an agent with a proven track record. (I’m still looking).
18. What are you currently working on? I’m in the planning stage of my third historical mystery novel; but I’m also contemplating a screenplay, if I can ever get up the courage to give it a shot. |
