I hate editing. I love to write but editing is the lump of brussel sprouts on your plate that your mother makes you eat before you can have dessert. I hate brussel sprouts and I hate editing. I don’t like admitting to myself that a character or a sub-plot just isn’t going to work. Sometimes I have to “kill” a character with a promise that I will revive him or her in another story. In the end, though, editing makes the story stronger and more believable. For me, it is the necessary evil of writing; it is discipline and order that must find a balance with your creativity.
Monthly Archives: January 2014
Inspiration…
As I sit wrapped up in an afghan on my sofa, listening to the mercury dropping by the second, I find solace in researching the setting for my new book. I can feel the warm South Carolina air on my skin as I look at this picture…spring will come and with it, hopefully, a new story to share.
Don’t Abuse the Muse
Anne Stuart is one of my absolute favorite authors and now I know why. Here’s her take on why we write (quote borrowed from Allison Kent’s blog):
“My New Year’s resolution is to focus on the book and forget all the crap that surrounds the writing business. To lose myself in a story, and not give a damn if it makes any lists, has a good sell-through, gets glowing reviews on Amazon, pleases my editors, hell, even pleases my readers. I want to love what I’m writing so much that none of the rest of it matters, and if I don’t, I won’t write it. Life’s too short to abuse the muse.”
The Happiest Day
The Happiest Day holds a really special place in my heart. I tried writing this book many times over the years and couldn’t make the characters fit together. I tried writing Peter from so many different angles but was never happy with the result. I finally settled on creating a man who was driven to protect those he loved but never really believed that he deserved the same in return. Sometimes characters just walk right up to you and say, “Take me, I’m yours!” and others flit around on the outskirts of your mind, playing hard to get.
Because of Dylan
Sometimes people ask me if the characters in my books are based on real people. In the case of Because of Dylan, not only the setting, but the story and the characters are all drawn from people and places I know. I won’t reveal too much, but the setting is based on a small town in which I lived for a few years and the character of Will Masters on someone very close to my heart. I hope you enjoy!
Wait for Me
Check out my first book on Amazon.com. Publishing your first novel is like dropping your first-born off for his first day of school. You hope that everyone likes him and realizes how special he is. I hope you fall in love with my first-born!
“Almost everything comes from nothing.” Henry F. Amiel
Sandy Huth 