You're a wife and mother of three, so it must be difficult to find time to write. Do you have a set writing schedule?

Yes, I do. My work schedule isn't much different than anyone else who works a normal 9 to 5. After I see my husband and children off to work and school I go to work in my office. I usually work for about 8 hours daily, give or take lunch. And at night, after the children are tucked in, I'll squeeze an hour or so in if needed.

What is your favorite part about writing? Your least?

My absolute favorite part is when the characters take on a life of their own. Once that occurs it's as if they write the story themselves. I'm just the vehicle.

My least favorite part...getting stuck, and/or piecing a story back together after the characters take over and the story strays from the outline. That's my least favorite because it's hard to determine when and where the story got off track. The small details are easy to miss.

What influences as you grew up (or presently) have a bearing on your work?

I believe that being an only child influenced my writing. Because I didn't have siblings to talk to, or vent to, I wrote everything down. Instead of having "real" make-believe friends, I created them on paper and wrote about them.

My mother also influenced me, and still does. Today, my children influence me the most because they're still innocent enough to ask why things occur and people do what they do. Their questions don't allow me to turn a deaf ear on the world, or see things the way that adults are accustomed to seeing. I, like them, am very observant.

When you sit down to begin a new work, how much of it do you already have? i.e., just an idea, a beginning and ending, or a full plot?

It all depends on the story. Some I've had in my head for years and know completely; those don't require much planning. Others I sketch out in a make-shift outline that isn't worthy of anyone else's eyes. In all of them, however, there is at least one thing that I don't know in advance. I, too, like to be surprised.

What are you working on now?

I've just completed my third novel (yet to be titled), and I'm working on two more simultaneously. It's a dangerous process, I know, but both stories are fighting to be written first. I'll let you know which one wins.

What would you like your readers to come away with from your books?

The themes. My books all have a message in them, something to learn from, something positive that can be taken from something negative, or vice versa. To me it's not always the story but what's behind the story, or inside of it.

Do you have a favorite writing book?

Sol Stein's, On Writing

Do you have a favorite quote?

"Make it a rule of life never to regret and never to look back. Regret is an appalling waste of energy; you can't build on it; it's only good for wallowing in."

-Katherine Mansfield

Are there writing courses you'd recommend to new writers?

Courses can be iffy. While some may benefit from a workshop, others may not. The same holds true for writers' groups. However, I'll always recommend English and grammar classes, and books on writing.

What advice would you impart to new writers?

One has to study the craft to survive in this business because there are some really great writers out there. Don't just read, but read the works of the good writers as often as you can; that's what one should want to emulate—good writing, and, of course, write daily.

And never—I mean never—let your friends or relatives read your work. If you do, don't listen to what they say because they'll tell you something is great when it's not. Find a reader who'll chop it up and then shred it. You'll not only develop the thick skin that is needed for constructive criticism, but you'll gain a friend that you can trust.

Lastly, never give up.

Page 2 of 2

Diane Domingo is the owner of Bookshelf Editing Services and is also a regular contributor and editor to WritersBreak.com. Diane can be contacted at editor-dd@earthlink.net.