Ask the Author: D. Alyce Domain
Answered Questions (7)
D. Alyce Domain
I would travel to Frank Herbert's planet Arrakis aka 'Dune'...and I would bring my digital camera. Two things I want to do, taste the spice and get a snap shot of the worms.
D. Alyce Domain
Hi,
Sure, I have a few pearls of wisdom for you...
First thing, before you actually start writing your story/book, do extensive pre-writing preparation.
1. Do Character Biographies for all the major players in your story. This helps you define their personality better...you, as the writer, get to know them. This way you can write about them more effectively. Have you ever read a book/series...where the character's personality changed? Or he/she seemed to be doing stuff that was "out of character" for that person? Doing Character Bios can help prevent this. It also helps create a more believable, and multi-layered character...(Bios should include likes, dislikes, fears, background, looks/appearance, clothing, quirks, political views, etc, anything that might effect their behavior in the story)
2. Also I would do a plot outline...and/or a timeline of events. This will help you with pacing...keeping it even so you can create a story that unfolds naturally....like peeling an banana (bad analogy, but you know what I mean.) You don't want the action or plot elements to bunch together so all the good stuff happens too soon...or too late. This will cause some readers to lose interest. (Readers are a fickle bunch.)
Also, I got a book recommendation for you...It really helped me write better stylistically. Its all about common errors made by beginning writers. Its called "The First Five Pages" By Noah Lukeman. Its principle aim is to help aspiring writers avoid amateurish mistakes that drastically lower their chances with the traditional publishing companies, but no worries, the knowledge is universal. It applies to your writing even if you're going the indie self-publishing route, like me. Whether you're working with a publishing company (or plan to) or you're doing the self-Pub thing, you want your book/short story/novella or whatever to be written well and to appeal to the reader. Seriously, its uncanny, some of the things he wrote in this book are the exact reasons I (as a reader) sometimes put a book down and never finish it. The book is easy reading and not terrible long, so give it a glance.
Hope my advice helps!
D. Alyce Domain
Sure, I have a few pearls of wisdom for you...
First thing, before you actually start writing your story/book, do extensive pre-writing preparation.
1. Do Character Biographies for all the major players in your story. This helps you define their personality better...you, as the writer, get to know them. This way you can write about them more effectively. Have you ever read a book/series...where the character's personality changed? Or he/she seemed to be doing stuff that was "out of character" for that person? Doing Character Bios can help prevent this. It also helps create a more believable, and multi-layered character...(Bios should include likes, dislikes, fears, background, looks/appearance, clothing, quirks, political views, etc, anything that might effect their behavior in the story)
2. Also I would do a plot outline...and/or a timeline of events. This will help you with pacing...keeping it even so you can create a story that unfolds naturally....like peeling an banana (bad analogy, but you know what I mean.) You don't want the action or plot elements to bunch together so all the good stuff happens too soon...or too late. This will cause some readers to lose interest. (Readers are a fickle bunch.)
Also, I got a book recommendation for you...It really helped me write better stylistically. Its all about common errors made by beginning writers. Its called "The First Five Pages" By Noah Lukeman. Its principle aim is to help aspiring writers avoid amateurish mistakes that drastically lower their chances with the traditional publishing companies, but no worries, the knowledge is universal. It applies to your writing even if you're going the indie self-publishing route, like me. Whether you're working with a publishing company (or plan to) or you're doing the self-Pub thing, you want your book/short story/novella or whatever to be written well and to appeal to the reader. Seriously, its uncanny, some of the things he wrote in this book are the exact reasons I (as a reader) sometimes put a book down and never finish it. The book is easy reading and not terrible long, so give it a glance.
Hope my advice helps!
D. Alyce Domain
D. Alyce Domain
Not sure I should admit this...lol...But, I started writing out of frustration. I was in college and totally hooked on daytime soaps, and every time I got attached to a character or a super-couple, one of the actors would leave or the writers would decide to “go a different way”. The result…death, divorce, or a damaged character. I got into writing fan-fiction to “fix” some of the mess that Daytime writers did to my favorite heroes, heroines and couples.
D. Alyce Domain
-Don’t give up.
-Have confidence.
-Use the internet as a reference guide, no need to re-invent the wheel.
-Ask for help when you need it. I tried to re-format my own novel. I still have nightmares about the 30minutes I spent doing this before I gave up and hired a professional.
-Have confidence.
-Use the internet as a reference guide, no need to re-invent the wheel.
-Ask for help when you need it. I tried to re-format my own novel. I still have nightmares about the 30minutes I spent doing this before I gave up and hired a professional.
D. Alyce Domain
Badly. I generally just wait it out. I try to write thru it, and I get frustrated...and usually have to delete a bunch of drivel I've written. Nothing really helps, so like I said, I usually have to wait it out. While I'm waiting sometimes I start on something else or something new.
D. Alyce Domain
Well, Dominic’s Nemesis was born of my love of Gothic novels and dark paranormal romance. I like Gothic stories but there’s not a lot of good Gothic romance out there. Most of the really good ones were written by classic authors who are deceased. Phantom of the Opera, Rebecca, The Count of Monte Cristo, Jane Eyre (and anything written by Poe). The modern Gothics are hit & miss…they’re also few and far in between. So I figured I’d write my own. Right about this time, paranormals were coming into their own…and I saw them as lesser Gothics. (No insult intended) What I mean is that they have many of the same elements, but paranormals usually have better endings…the hero is always redeemable, the couple always end up together, and the bad guy gets his at the end. In Gothics things sometimes end gloomy. (which honestly, I don’t mind, but it can get depressing after awhile.) So, I decided to write a kinda genre bender that has all the good elements of 3 romantic sub-genres (Paranormal, Gothic, Historical) and Dominic’s Nemesis was born.
D. Alyce Domain
Two things...
1. An African-American Romantic Comedy novel. Technically, its done, but I am editing it for typos, content, plot & logic.
2. Working on plot summary and book outline of the 2nd book in The Ambrosi Legacy series and sequel to Dominic's Nemesis.
1. An African-American Romantic Comedy novel. Technically, its done, but I am editing it for typos, content, plot & logic.
2. Working on plot summary and book outline of the 2nd book in The Ambrosi Legacy series and sequel to Dominic's Nemesis.
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