Writers' Rituals - Vicki Lane
The Mysterious Writing Habits of the World's Top Crime Writers
Feb 17, 2009
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 Vicki Lane author of The Elizabeth Goodweather Appalachian Mysteries.
How much research and plotting do you do before you’re ready to write a book?
My books are set in the present day, in a rural NC mountain county and on a farm much like my own. In a way, I’ve been doing ‘research’ for the past 30-some years as my protagonist, Elizabeth Goodweather, is a ‘transplant’ like me. My books also contain historical subplots and for these, I read books on the period and/or subjects I’m writing about, visit local libraries to read newspapers of the time period, visit houses and museums dealing with same. As for plotting, my editor requires a two page synopsis of the book, including the ending and how I got there. Fortunately, I’m free to depart from that map if I find a more promising byway.
What hours do you devote to your writing and what time of day do you prefer to write?
At the beginning of a book I tend to work mainly in the evening—say 7 till midnight. Toward the end of the book, I am often working most of the day.
Do you take breaks, and if so, what do you do during them?
My breaks are for things like fixing and eating meals, dealing with laundry, letting dogs in or out, walking around outside.
Where do you write?
I have a ‘workroom’—previously dedicated to sewing and painting (I’m also a quilter and used to paint) and along with an easel, a sewing machine, cutting table and stacks of fabric, there are lots of bookshelves full of reference books as well as some old favorites, a desktop computer, and a comfy chair and ottoman.
What do you write with?
I write on a laptop, sitting in the comfy chair with my feet up on the ottoman. Sitting at the desk for long periods of time gives me a cramp in my back.
...and why is that your preference?
Though I have written in longhand (several chapters on a flight back from England), I much prefer a computer for ease of revision. Also, when I write in longhand, the writing tends to become illegible. I can type much faster than I can write!
Describe what you like to keep within arm’s reach while you’re writing.
A cup of coffee or tea, water, chapstick, emeryboard, reference books, scrap paper, pen.
Describe the things you can see when you look up from your writing.
All those things I mentioned that are in my workroom, pictures I’ve painted, mostly of flowers, a hornets’ nest (unoccupied), a shed blacksnake’s skin, shells, a dog’s skull, plus out the window, a view of trees and mountains and sky.
What was the first thing you wrote which was published?
A friend and I co-authored a book on quilting - Community Quilts, published in 2000, by Kavaya and Skemp (my married name). My first fiction published was book one of The Elizabeth Goodweather Appalachian Mysteries -Signs in the Blood, Dell.
What is your latest book?
In a Dark Season (Dell 2008) Book four of The Elizabeth Goodweather Appalachian Mysteries and Romantic Times nominee for best Mystery/Suspense Contemporary Novel of 2008.
Find out more about Vicki Lane and her books here. Or follow her blog here.
Read about Peter May, Jane Finnis, Ruth Dudley Edwards and many other Writers' Rituals.
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