Author Bio:
I’m alive and well in Ottawa, Ontario, at least for now. It’s been over twenty years since I first began writing and it’s still a thrill and a challenge. Originally from the west coast of Canada, I moved east in 1979, so I’m now an old-timer of the east.
Someday I’m hoping to travel a bit and look forward to many more years of writing and communicating with people.
What inspires you to write?
Everything under the sun and moon and Uranus is fair game as far as I’m concerned. I love travel writing and history, which often give me great ideas. I never read a history book without coming up with a story, not that I always proceed with it. There’s lots of research in writing and you have to be able to sustain your own interest, if you wish to sustain the readers. So if I find I don’t want to do anymore reading on, say, ancient Greece, then there won’t be a story about it.
Nature is also inspiring but of course, the most inspiring thing is people.
Tell us about your writing process.
I think I combine the two ways although more of a seat-of-the-pants. I often know how my story is going to end before I begin writing, that and the start. Sometimes the character just pops into my head and sometimes it’s the story which comes.
I find the computer works well with this method because you can write the parts you have in your mind instead of the old way, which is to start at the beginning and work your way through. On the computer, you can put down your ideas and sentences as they come and move them around where you need them.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I try to get their voice in my head. Sometimes I’ve tried ‘acting’ it out but that doesn’t work too well with me. It’s the word use of my characters that comes through the strongest when I’m typing away, afterward, I can apply other techniques to the character, like emotional response and personal tics.
It can also be a challenge to let a character be shown through another character’s eyes. That way, I visualize what the MC sees the other character do, which also gives me a chance to reveal more about my main character.
What advice would you give other writers?
Never give up. Keep your dream, in some way, you will succeed with it.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
At first I had my heart set on traditional publishers, meaning physical books and magazines. Then I began seeing other authors that I’d worked with giving critiques, being published digitally. So I sent my manuscript in to a digital publisher and got published.
And I’ve also published in e-zines.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
It’s open to whatever kind of technology comes along.
What do you use?
Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer
What genres do you write?
Horror, History, Literary, Tween, Picture Books
What formats are your books in?
eBook
Website(s)
Link To Madeleine McLaughlin Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5401156.Madeleine_McLaughlin
https://www.facebook.com/madeleinewriter?ref=hl
https://twitter.com/Madoxane
