Writers' Rituals – CJ Lyons
The Mysterious Writing Habits of Crime Writers From Around the World
Are writers obsessive-compulsive? Overly superstitious? Or do habits and rituals provide security for writers who never know where the next idea, or the words to write it, will come from?
Searching for clues to the secrets of writing, Suite 101 has an exclusive interview with CJ Lyons, who writes The Angels of Mercy series.
How much research and plotting do you do before you're ready to write a book?
I tend to collect snippets of plot ideas (guess you'd call that research, lol!) all along, filing newspaper clippings and journal articles so I can find them when I need them. But when I actually sit down to start a new book, usually all I know are the main characters and a rough idea of the theme driving them through their emotional arc. You know, the primal basis on an emotional level of the book, like denial or betrayal or revenge. Then, I just plunge in and see where they take me.
After the first draft is when I do most of my research. Now that I know the plot, I can focus on ways to enhance it via realistic details and research helps me to add those.
What hours do you devote to your writing and what time of day do you prefer to write?
Most of my writing gets done in the morning, but I don't have a set schedule. After seventeen years of practicing medicine and living by a rigid schedule, it's very freeing to write for as long as I want, when I want.
Do you take breaks, and if so, what do you do during them?
I like to get outside and walk in the fresh air. That really clears my mind. Sometimes I'll take a break and watch a movie that resonates with the theme of the book -- for my current work-in-progress, I've been forging my way through my Frank Capra collection, trying to capture the essence of his everyman heroes fighting the system.
Where do you write?
Usually on my laptop lounging on the couch or a chair. I'm not tied to any one area. I can't write in public, though. I have to be alone.
What do you write with?
Now that I have deadlines, it's usually directly onto the computer. But I used to write large chunks and most of the first draft by pen in cheap notebooks I could carry with me anywhere I went.
...and why is that your preference?
I finally found a writing program called Scrivener that thinks like I do -- so I can write out of order without cutting and pasting or without tearing pages out of the notebook and re-arranging them. It's very free-floating, which is perfect for me since I write in scenes and don't write in order.
Describe what you like to keep within arm's reach while you're writing.
Glass of water, mood music (it varies according to which character I'm writing) and if I'm on deadline and want to treat myself, some red licorice and pistachios.
Describe the things you can see when you look up from your writing.
My view is of several centuries old live oaks (they stay green all year round), a large magnolia tree, spanish moss and lots of blue sky. Very inspiring--even though my books are set in Pittsburgh, PA!
What was the first thing you wrote which was published?
LIFELINES, my first medical suspense novel was published by Berkley in March, 2008. It was quite exciting, not only because it was my debut, but also because it is such a different book from any out there: medical suspense with thriller pacing told solely from the point of view of the women who work in Pittsburgh's Angels of Mercy's ER.
What is your latest book?
WARNING SIGNS, the second in the series came out in January, 2009 and URGENT CARE, the third, will be released in November, 2009.
Find out more about CJ Lyons and her books here.
Read about Peter May, Jane Finnis, Ruth Dudley Edwards and many other Writers' Rituals
Warning Signs by CJ Lyons
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