Writers' Rituals - Deborah Turrell Atkinson
The Mysterious Writing Habits of the World's Top Crime Writers
Oct 18, 2008
Searching for clues to the secrets of writing, Suite 101 has an exclusive interview with Deborah Turrell Atkinson, the author of The Storm Kayama mystery series, which take place in Hawai‘i.
Q: How much research and plotting do you do before you're ready to write a book?
A: A lot. My editor requires an outline, which has taught me a lot, but it’s HARD. Harder than writing the book. All the plot twists, the justification for nefarious deeds, have to be worked out. Kind of like a blue print for a house. I can deviate from the path, but I need to know why I’m on it and where it’s going to take me. And why—that’s very important, the why part. Research helps me with this process, and I love it—talking to experts in different fields: law, medicine, police work, forensics—you know.
Q: What hours do you devote to your writing and what time of day do you prefer to write?
A: I prefer the morning, as I’ve got mom duties toward late afternoon, and I try to write a certain amount every day.
Q: Do you take breaks, and if so, what do you do during them?
A: Yes, I take breaks to answer phone calls (catch up with the answering machine). I also go for a bike rides and walk the dog, which I need to do anyway, and it helps me if I’m stuck.
Q: Where do you write?
A: I finally have an office and my own desk. I love it, and it’s a mess, but I know where everything is.
Q: What do you write with?
A: Computer. I also carry little notebooks in my purse and whenever I’m walking or bike riding. Ideas come at unusual times.
Q: ...and why is that your preference?
A: Ultimately, the manuscript has to be on a computer file for submission. And once I got used it, working on the computer juiced my creativity. Plus, it’s easier to cut & paste, delete, delete, delete, revise, revise.
Q: Describe what you like to keep within arm's reach while you're writing.
A: My favorite reference books: Woe is I, by Patricia O’Connor, The Best Baby Name Book, by Bruce Lansky (for naming characters), Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Hawaiian Dictionary, by Pukui and Elbert, other Hawaiian reference books for mythology and history.
Q: Describe the things you can see when you look up from your writing.
A: Books lining the room, and the sliding glass door to the pool/lanai area, where our Lab puppy comes in for a nap or to check on whether I’m ready to walk or throw a ball.
Q: What was the first thing you wrote which was published?
A: Non-fiction articles in Island Scene Magazine.
Q: What is your latest book?
A: Pleasing the Dead will come out in February, 2009. Storm goes to Maui to help a new client open a dive shop, but encounters a prostitution ring run by Yakuza. As she struggles to discover who has finessed the murder of at least one child, she is forced to confront her own troubled ghosts, all before others die.
Deborah Turrell Atkinson was born in Columbus, Ohio and has lived in Honolulu for 30+ years. Find out more from her website.
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