About Sally Ann Melia:
Sally Ann Melia is life-long Science Fiction fan. She was Star Wars as a child and has loved Space Opera fiction and tales of huge Galactic Empires such as Frank Herbert’s Dune series and Iain M. Banks Culture. Guy Erma and the Son of Empire is her first full-length novel to be published.
She lives in Farnham, Surrey with husband David, and has two children and 3 gerbils.
What inspires you to write?
I breathe – I write.
Even before I open my eyes I can see my characters and the see what they are doing, I can hear them talking and know what they are worried about. I have carried the story inside me for such a long time. I have to write it down.
There is no other passion for except this one.
Tell us about your writing process.
I like to write longhand , I get too distracted from using computers and do not touch type well.
I use dictation to transfer my books into computers. I am currently on my first draft of my second novel. I think there are at least two stages:
1) writing the story down
2) figuring about the best way to tell the story to your audience.
I have a background in performance storytelling and sometimes I like to visualise a fidgety audience in order to figure how to tell my story.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
i tend to listen to my characters and watch what they are doing.
What advice would you give other writers?
Editing is fun and can be very creative:
I like to think of three things when finalising the book:
1) The story arc of each character – this involves drawing rainbows for each character and writing the milestones of their journey in lots of different colours!
2) The basic 3 act structure – this involves drawing boxes, and adding explosions at the intersections – I like to think there is one THING at the end of each act that rocks all the characters into the next section. I add liltte summary/titles to the boxes and explosions – hey it works for me!
3) The 3 acts within each of the 3 acts – I like to break down each of the three acts into three acts, and sometimes I break down chapters, and even scenes.
4) Post it notes can be useful, when deciding on the final sequence of events
If I get stuck I ask the question – what part of the story am I telling? Why is this important to the plot?
5) The beginning and end of each chapter should feel natural, but with a sense of excitement compelling you forward..
After that you just go with the flow.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I decided to self-publish to begin with because I just wanted to hold the book in my hand as I had imagined it. This is not the right approach for everyone, but this project was so close to my heart I wanted to keep it all mine.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think it looks really positive. Lots more books being written and many more adventures to read and many more channels including kindle and mobiles.
I am glad to be a part of the revolution
What do you use?: Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer, Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: Science Fiction
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Sally Ann Melia Home Page Link
Link To Sally Ann Melia Page On Amazon
Link to Author Page on Smashwords
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