Interview with:D. Ann Nadeau [danadeau]
WRITING
 | What did you first read? How did you begin to write? Who were the first to read what you wrote? I started reading at a very young age. I remember Carolyn Keene stories, but the most influential writer for me was John Steinbeck.
My teachers first read my stories and I started in 5th grade. |
| What is your favorite genre? Can you provide a link to a site where we can read some of your work or learn something about it? Not yet. I am working on a website. |
| What is your creative process like? What happens before sitting down to write? I get panicky before I write. I get very scared. I have to do a crossword puzzle or watch TV or meditate or pray before I can begin. Once I do, I'm usually okay. |
| What type of reading inspires you to write? Usually literary fiction, but anything that is a slice of life. Character driven. |
| What do you think are the basic ingredients of a story? Whatever makes a person feel or think. Conflict of course, but the truly good stories are the ones that take you on a ride. The 'voice' that you trust. The 'voice' that takes your hand and you don't want to let go. |
| What voice do you find most to your liking: first person or third person? First person. |
| What well known writers do you admire most? A lot of them. I was blown away by Follett's Pillars of the Earth. The depth and scope was phenomenal. |
| What is required for a character to be believable? How do you create yours? A character has to be layered. The bad guy can't be all bad. There has to be a back story that makes him relateable.
I like characters that are flawed. They don't always choose the right thing even when they know what it is and what the conssequences of their choices are.
I like to create characters that tell the reader what they are thinking or feeling from little movements. A woman can show rage or sensuality just by the way she butters her toast. |
| Are you equally good at telling stories orally? Yes. Maybe better in some ways. It doesn't scare me so much. I have an acting/stand-up background, so oral story-telling comes naturally to me.
Also, when I was very young, I made up stories to calm my sister because we were frightened by our circumstances. |
| Deep down inside, who do you write for? Probably me. The little girl that lives inside of me and was always too scared to tell anyone that I had a secret desire to be a writer. |
| Is writing a form of personal therapy? Are internal conflicts a creative force? Sometimes. Often, it is just about telling a story. Entertainment. But once in a while, I'll be in the middle of a scene and realize it is much more than that. |
| Does reader feed-back help you? If the reader is someone whose writing I respect. |
| Do you participate in competitions? Have you received any awards? Yes. I have received a few. I am in the process right now of preparing a piece for a competition. |
| Do you share rough drafts of your writings with someone whose opinion you trust? Yes. Like readers, it has to be someone whose writing I trust. Friends and/or family are biased. They aren't good critics. |
| Do you believe you have already found "your voice" or is that something one is always searching for? No. I am struggling with that right now. |
| What discipline do you impose on yourself regarding schedules, goals, etc.? I'm not very disciplined. I commit to three hours a day, but too often life gets in the way. Mostly, I get in the way. |
| What do you surround yourself with in your work area in order to help your concentrate? I love classical music. I also have a collage with lots of photos from happy moments in my life - family, friends, pets. I like to be surrounded with my books and art work as well. |
| Do you write on a computer? Do you print frequently? Do you correct on paper? What is your process? Computer. Cut and paste. |
| What sites do you frequent on-line to share experiences or information? It depends on what I need. Most times, I just type in a phrase pertinent to the subject and search sites. I just found Personal History that is good for details about artifacts. |
| What has been your experience with publishers? Some good. Some bad. I have more contact with agents and editors than publishers. |
| What are you working on now? A novel. |
| What do you recommend I do with all those things I wrote years ago but have never been able to bring myself to show anyone? Re-read them. Edit them. Put them in some sort of order, like a journal. Submit works to appropiate sources. If nothing happens, you still have a great journal to inspire your children/grandchildren. |
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D. Ann Nadeau
Irvine - USA
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