Interview Joanie MacNeil

by

Kimberly Nee

1) Tell me about your upcoming book. What was the inspiration for it?

I wanted to write a story with a tortured hero and lots of angst. Those seemed to be the kinds of romances I was reading at the time. I wanted to write a strong hero with some kind of disability to overcome. My hero, David Meredith, an international best-selling author, is losing his sight and is in danger of becoming a recluse. Like David, my heroine, Alex, is also recovering from a relationship breakdown. By dealing resolutely with her own problems, the example she sets helps David find the strength to move on with his life. They both learn to trust again, and fall in love. But there are still many issues for each of them to work through before their story ends.

2) What is your writing schedule? Do you try to complete a certain number of pages per day, or do you just keep going until the well has run dry for the day? When does your muse strike, or are you always plotting, thinking up characters, new stories, etc?

My writing schedule is very spasmodic at the moment. I'm back working full time, and my current writing projects are assignments for a fantasy/sci fi course which I enrolled in, and only recently am I beginning to make progress with the assignments. Though I do have two unfinished contemporary romance novels, new ideas for those and other stories are bubbling in the background. As for my muse, well, sometimes it's there and sometimes it isn't. After a long period of writing intermittently, I am trying very hard lately to encourage the muse, keep it entertained and nourished.

3) Are you a plotter or a pantster?

I lean more towards being a pantster, though I tend to blend my writing methods. I have spent much time trying to find that 'perfect' method to write my stories. I've realized that writing, re-writing and re-writing is probably the method that works for me, given I'm not a committed plotter. In fact, my successes in life have been due to plodding my way to success, slowly but surely. J There's no right or wrong way to write a story, no easy way to write, and as an author, I am always learning.

I read somewhere that an author's writing style is as unique as a set of fingerprints. Even after having several novels published, I strive to make each story better than the previous one. In a way, I feel as if I'm still understanding and developing my writing style.

4) Where do you get inspiration for your stories? Do you always have an idea for a story brewing in the back of your head or do new ideas come once you've finished your current project?

Whenever I have an idea or two for a new story, I write them down for that time when I'm ready to begin a new project. I have quite a collection of ideas in my notebook. My overseas trips this year planted a few story seeds for me to work on when the time is right. Sometimes an idea for a current project pops into my mind out of the blue and that always inspires me. I know then I'm in touch with my muse.

I do like to work away from the computer at times. I find it’s sometimes helpful to write scraps of scenes in longhand and flesh them out when keying into the computer. It’s amazing what other ideas for my story pop into my mind during this process.

Each story and set of characters comes to me in different ways. Inspiration or story ideas come from locations, events, circumstances, surroundings, a snippet of conversation, a scene, or even a line of text.

5) How did you learn about Wings?

Probably on an email list, when Wings first came on the scene.

6) How would you describe yourself in terms of your writing. Think of words such as prolific, spasmodic, indifferent, excited, driven to succeed.-

Definitely spasmodic these days. I used to be prolific... once. Hopefully those days will return, especially if I want to develop all those story ideas tucked away in my notebook. I'm always excited about writing, even passionate sometimes, and yes, driven to succeed. When I first began to write, I felt that if I believed in myself, gave writing my best shot, didn’t treat it as a hobby, then I would be a published author. I reached my goal within the timeframe I set for myself.

7) Do you have a routine for writing--a certain time of the day when your muse is standing by?

I don’t have a writing routine at the moment. I write when I can and am trying to re-establish a regular writing habit. If I feel my muse is close, I like to encourage it and try to write at those times, or at least jot down some ideas. I’ve had several major changes in my life in recent months and am just now feeling more like writing. Writing the short assignments for my course has helped, and it has been a challenge as it’s a different genre.

8) What is something about you that others might not know?

I’m a fairly private person and don’t like talking about myself very much, though I have to say I’ve come out of my shell quite a bit in recent years. Different people know different things about me. I don't think anyone knows the full package. Then there are things I choose not to tell anyone.

9) Summarize your career as an author, like what inspired you, favorite author, favorite genre, whatever fires you up as a writer.

I began writing about ten or eleven years ago after completing a six week freelance writing course at evening college. I decided that freelance wasn’t for me, and through a series of coincidences, and as I was an avid reader of historical romances, I decided to try my hand writing short contemporary romance. I knew nothing about writing a novel, but managed to finish my very first book, which I of course sent to a publisher, and which of course was rejected. Knowing I could at least finish a book was a wonderful sense of achievement. It was after that, I finally connected with my local writing group, and an online critique group where I learned so much about writing romance.

My taste in reading is changing from short to longer contemporary stories, not always romance. I like books by Barbara Erskine, Tami Hoag, Sandra Brown, Sandra Marton and many others. At the moment I’m reading a book by Daniel Easterman which is set in Morocco in present time and during WWII, and is quite intriguing.

Things that inspire me:

Attending the Romance Writers of Australia conference every year is a major motivator and wonderful source of inspiration.

Reading a romance novel which really pushes my buttons.

Meeting with writer friends and discussing our current projects.

Hearing of the success of writer friends.

A good review of one of my novels. I know then that I’m on the right track, that I’m doing something right and achieving what I set out to do.

Of course, acceptance of my novels is also a great source of inspiration. J

10) What is your next project? Tell us a little bit about it.

I've got two contemporary romances on the go at the moment, though I’m concentrating on just one, which is set in the Australian outback. I have been working on it, on and off, for longer than I care to think about, and sometimes wonder if I’ll ever finish it! I'm also working on a time-travel which I've had in the back of my mind for several years. I have written the first chapter and am working on the synopsis as part of the fantasy/sci fi course. I'm also playing around with some ideas for a mature heroine story, then there are the story threads from my travels...

 Thanks for the interview, Joanie and good luck with your writing!