About L. P. Donnelli:
Author of a new children’s ebook –Back-on-Track– 2014
L. P. Donnelli is a debut children’s author. He loves his father and late mother, his super partner, his lovely Chinese/German/Mexican dog, two geckos (one extremely squeaky) and his Russian wandering tortoise. He leads a boring double life of legal and financial work when he unfortunately cannot write.
He was first published at the age of twelve when he wrote for a specialist-angling magazine and later won a short story competition at school.
He drinks far too much coconut-water and loves writing different types of books, currently working on a fantasy and teen fiction book along with other children’s stories. For anyone who enjoys his book, he is a massively, stupendously grateful for all those who leave reviews.
What inspires you to write?
The greatest joy of writing is the act itself in many ways, the fact that you are creating people, worlds out of thin air from your finger tips is exhilarating, even if at times a beautiful agony. The sense of pride at the end of the process, after lots of editing and re-editing is immense also, to hold in your hands the finish product on a e-reader or otherwise makes it all worth while in every possible way, motivating you to the next project and thereafter. To know the hard work you had to put in, really feel it, and then see its net result is truly magical. This is what inspires me to continue the act of writing.
Tell us about your writing process.
I would say I am a hybrid writer. I carefully plan at times but then I throw myself into it also to see where it takes me. I find both can be equally as fruitful. Some times and idea will just grab you and you have to get it down, as quickly as possible before you get a chance to carefully plan it. Planning is a key requirement at some stage, but the approach to my writing is not always the same. I guess when there are those points where you think of a few possible directions that writing it out can help with planning it. I generally do a synopsis of the story, tracking the arcs of plot, character clashes, etc. I basic overview of what will happen in each chapter is something I will always do at some stage, even if not straight away for the reasons mentioned. To get the vomit draft out, you need to get it out. The massively important stage of editing can take care of the rest when you rewrite it. I think it important to have key rules but with writing you should always reinvent them and rip them up from time to time.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
Oh yes! I find I have some of the best conversations with my characters! I think you do have to get fully absorbed into them, under their skin, under their ink. Throwing questions at your character as in dialogue will tease out how certain characters will react to massively help when you placing them in scenes of your book I find. You need to know how they will adapt to situations. Of course you have to be careful of talking out loud to them, as it could result it one being certified, however an internal dialogue is fine, which is largely what I do to avoid this.
What advice would you give other writers?
Read, write, read, write, read, write. That is my formula at least. Reading is the birth-child and continued sustenance for any writer to live. You have to read as much, if not more than you write. You have to read as a reader and as a writer. You lose sight of what makes a great story if you only analyse his page with your writing hat on. You need to do both, for leisure also even if there a subconscious viewing on what makes the passage or book good.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
It was the ebook revolution that changed indie publishing forever that encouraged me to publish my book. Of course, most still strive to get accepted by a publishing house also, like myself, but there is something so inviting and pure about being able to connect with your readership at the click of the mouse in submitting your work. I decided that I wanted my first book published as ebook as I wanted to do it myself and learn how to do it. I guess we all want immediacy in everything we do. Publishers may not want a book, or not want it straight away, but we want to get it out there. I think it is brilliant that any author can do this like myself and then the reader will decide.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think it is a very exciting time. The Reader’s power continues to grow and grow, as it should. They are deciding what they like rather than this being set on trends as it sometimes has in the past. The future is bright, instant across all platforms for readers to determine what they like. The feel, smell and texture of books will always be magical and I can never see this disappearing; but ebooks will continue to grow and grow I think, as more people embrace modern technology to enable them to read them.
What genres do you write?: Children’s, science fiction, fantasy, thriller, sci phi.
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Link To L. P. Donnelli Page On Amazon
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