Ask the Author: F.D. Lee
Answered Questions (6)
F.D. Lee
Dreams, ideas, conversations, study (I am currently writing my PhD), reading other stories and thinking 'what if...', from being engaged politically. And sometimes I think the Terry Practchett inspiration particle just hits, and you have an idea from seemingly nowhere.
F.D. Lee
Keep writing! The first draft isn't supposed to be perfect, but it does need to be written. It's much easier to improve something that exists that perfect something that doesn't.
F.D. Lee
I'm sure almost everyone says the same thing, but for me the best thing about writing is the fact it makes me think. I love the freedom and creativity, of course, but when I am writing I find that I think about things completely differently. I relish becoming absorbed in a book as a reader, and as a writer the experience is, paradoxically, both heightened and deepened. Heightened because I am thinking about where the plot is where it is heading to, and how I want my readers to get there; deepened because I am immersed in the world, in the characters and their lives.
F.D. Lee
Sometimes I just let it happen. Usually it's because I need time to work through some issue regarding Plotting. Other times it can be useful to just put the characters into a completely random situation and see what happens, or to just write anything - it's much easier to correct something that exists than it is to worry over a blank page. Talking helps too. My brother Jon (who The Fairy's Tale is dedicated to) has been a fantastic critical friend, and has helped me out of a few tight spots!
F.D. Lee
The idea for The Fairy's Tale came from a general disquiet with the story of Cinderella, and a lot of classic romances. I love these books, but I do think (as I'm sure many people do) that there are some problems with the narratives. I also became interested in the concepts of habitus and capital, as explained by Bourdieu, and how narratives feed into this.
The whole thing swirled around in my head for ages, thinking about these stories and the way they influence our own narratives and the 'rules' we apply to certain situations. And then there was Bea, this downtrodden, angry cabbage fairy who wants to be more than what she (thinks) she is, and who doesn't realise she perpetuating the same oppression she suffers.
Gosh, that sounds so serious! I also wanted to write a funny book about what would happen if Cinderella didn't actually want a fairy godmother interfering in her life. There - lets stick with that answer!
The whole thing swirled around in my head for ages, thinking about these stories and the way they influence our own narratives and the 'rules' we apply to certain situations. And then there was Bea, this downtrodden, angry cabbage fairy who wants to be more than what she (thinks) she is, and who doesn't realise she perpetuating the same oppression she suffers.
Gosh, that sounds so serious! I also wanted to write a funny book about what would happen if Cinderella didn't actually want a fairy godmother interfering in her life. There - lets stick with that answer!
F.D. Lee
A couple of ideas. I am currently writing a chapter for an academic book on critical thinking, which is taking up a lot of my time. I'm also planning the next Pathways Tree book. I do also have an idea for a short novella, which I think I'll try and release before the end of the year. The novella will be a free kindle edition, and will feature a familiar face from The Fairy's Tale (if you can spot them!).
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