A Questioner

'Valley of Shadows' survey

Some of my writing friends have put together a survey of their latest book. I thought, "what a brilliant idea." So decided to have a go. They chose to leave out certain questions, I may well do the same, but anyway here goes.

Valley of Shadows

1] What's your word count? = 70,645

2] How long until you finish? = How long is a piece of string. Seriously though, I am finished, bar the editing process.

3] If finished, how long did it take you? = I guess in all, around three years.

4] Do you have an outline? = Not as such. I generally have a good idea of the story, where it's going, and how it will end. I do make a list of characters with their with their distinguishing features. Mind you, that often changes as the stories progresses. But on the whole, I like to write like a mad thing, and follow my imagination.

6] How many words do you write a day? = I suppose, a thousand, maybe more.

7] What was your greatest word count for one day? = About 5,000.

9] What inspired you to write?  =You will think this strange, and it's certainly sad. But it was the death of my sister.

10] Does your novel have a theme song? = Not really, but if it did, it would be 'The Lord's my Shepherd.'

12] Which character is most like you? = I guess there is some of me in Cyella.

13] Which character would you most likely be friends with? = That would have to be Mary.

15] Who is your favourite character? = Sunrise.

16] Have your characters done something completely unexpected? = Not really, everything they experience is unexpected.

17] Have you based any of your novel on personal experience? = My whole novel was born out of the tragic death of my younger sister.

18] What is the best line? = The wide path panders to mankind's incessant desire to reach their destination as quickly as possible. no matter the consequences.

28] Summarize your novel in under fifteen words. = What Cyella faced in the valley, messed with her mind.

29] Do you love all your characters? = Goodness, no! some of them are awful.

32] Describe your main character in three words. = Plucky, Strong Willed, Sensitive.

35] How many romantic relationships take place in your novel? = Two.

36] Are there any explosions? = No

45] Who has pets in the novel, and what are they? = The Mistress, and Remstiss the Necromancer both have black cats.

46] Are there Angels, demons, or any religious references? = No Angel, but yes, to the other two.

51] Is there humour? = A little, yes.

52] Is there tragedy? = Yes, I'm afraid so.

57] Has your novel provided insight about your life? = In some ways I guess it has. Probably because I buried my grief over the death of my sister within its pages.

59] Has your novel inspired anyone? = From what I have heard, yes.

68] How would you react if your novel was erased entirely? = You don't want to know, and nor do I! But, such an horrendous idea is not likely, as it is backed up all over the place.

71] What advice would you give a fellow writer? = Stay committed. Make it as good as is humanly possible. And don't allow rejections to put you off. Stay confident, and keep believing in yourself.

72] Describe the ending in three words. = Romantic, Positive, Victorious.

75] Was it worth it? = You bet it was!!