She asked me 4 questions about writing, and I will do my best to answer!
Please visit her website at www.connilyncossette.com. Then, click on her blog.
Watch her. You will be seeing her books soon. Many wonderful things are happening in her world with writing. The glorious thing lately is that she is now agented with Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Literary Agency. Trust me, this is A.BIG.DEAL.!
www.stevelaube.com
A literary agency full of integrity and genuine love of the written word.
Maybe the word "working" should be replaced with "learning." I am learning a whole bunch. Every writer (Ok, maybe just me) starts out thinking they have the next best seller, and it is just a matter of time before everyone else knows it too! I entered a writing contest. Notably, The Frasier Contest with My Book Therapy. www.mybooktherapy.com. The judges give great feedback. An excellent way to get critiques. By the way, I am not on the best seller list. I looked!
I am asking the big What if question with my story these days. The story question is woven throughout the novel. You need a good question or quite frankly, your story is going to be a real yawner for your readers.
I am working on the craft of writing. I feel like I am back in college, but this is way more fun. I will never watch a movie the same way again...EVER! (Thank you www.susanmaywarren.com.) I look for the inciting incident, the lie, the black moment. It's all in there! I look for it in books too. I "dog ear" and underline constantly. (No, not the ones from the library!) I am immensely enjoying the journey of writing. Ultimately, the goal would be to have a manuscript worthy of representation by the Steve Laube agency. Just saying!
How does your work differ from others in its genre?
Hmmmm....I write women's fiction. It's about getting my characters from point A to B to C. Learning and changing along the way. Every woman has a story, including me. Writers write with their own unique voice. Personally, I am all about leaving a better legacy than the generation before. To quote CS Lewis..."each generation is taught by an earlier generation-none can give to another what he does not possess himself." It is possible to "have life and have it more abundantly." John 10:10. I will say here that my favorite favorite author of all in the whole wide world is Robin Jones Gunn. www.robingunn.com
I can only wish to write as good as she does.
How does your writing process work?
I, like many writers, have a full time job outside of writing. I work in a dental office. It is all about time management. I try to write at least an hour every night during the week, and hopefully many hours on the weekend. I am finding that a regular scheduled time works the best. There are many authors that I admire. They adhere to their writing schedules and accomplish much. One I really admire, and leads by example is Lisa Jordan. She is on staff with My Book Therapy. It is worth repeating...she leads by example. www.lisajordanbooks.com.
My kiddos are older now, and I have a very understanding amazing husband, so I have a bit more time now than I used to. I will say that before I start to write, I sit at my computer and listen to a song. Usually it is "My Desire" by Jeremy Camp. It is my desire to be used by God in any way He chooses. My longing is through words.
I also belong to a wonderful group of writers. www.acfwminnesotanice.com.
I am privileged to be connected with such talented authors.
Why do you write what you do?
Anyone who knows me knows I love England. The land of queens and kings. Fairytales. I love that land across the pond. Did Princess Diana ever ask "Am I enough?" I think maybe she did. I think a lot of women ask that. Including me. I want readers to know that Jesus came to give us life...and we can live that life abundantly. (John 10:10)
You can learn more about me at www.gailhelgeson.com.
Check out these websites I gave for more information on these authors and about writing in general.
Blessings.
Thanks Gail, for your sweet words! And thank you for participating in the blog hop! I too feel like I am back in college. With all the craft books I've read over the past five years, the conferences and classes attended, I think I deserve a plaque to go on the wall, at least!
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