Have you ever wondered what it is like to become an author? Karen Parnell, the author of Risk Assessment: Murder lives in Stratford-Upon-Avon with her three cats and is trained in Health and Safety and Local Government, she also has a passion for theatre. Karen is a first time author and believes that these are the things you didn't know about being an author.
Karen Parnell
I start off with a number of ideas about characters and plots. I let them rattle around to form a greater substance and better characteristics long before I pick up a pen or go near a computer.
When I have a clear idea about my story and characters I will pick up a reporters notepad and pretend that each of the twenty pages I am writing is a chapter. I will then write notes about what happens in each chapter and to whom as well as any 'colour' or splashes of wit to add in as I go along.
My cats feature in any work that I have created. To my mind there is no story that cannot be improved by the presence of one or more cats.
I pick up on the personality traits and foibles of people I have met. These traits are transferred to create my characters.
The setting the scene behind the characters is important. After all if you were in a pub you would not just focus on the people you are talking to, you would also note the surroundings.
Sometimes it helps me just to sit in front of the computer. I might not be feeling inspiration but just one small thought can lead to the next sentence and then the next two paragraphs will flow from that.
It is important to write about what I know, as Oscar Wilde said, it is also a lot easier to write about something that you have a lot of information about which you can draw on. This is why I chose to bring my health and safety training to life.
There is no point in writing for other people. It takes a lot of time to write a book and will only work if you take pleasure in what you are writing. I always write for myself primarily and I find it is important to be proud of what I have creation. I lived with my characters for nearly a year in writing my book and was quite sad to leave them behind when I had finished.
People think that when writing a book all you need is just the beginning middle and end. When I was writing my book I thought that it was important to ensure each chapter has a clear beginning, middle and ending and is therefore a short story in itself.
Risk Assessment: Murder is about how a group of flawed people, with seemingly nothing in common combine to advantage their positions following a series of events. After what initially appeared to be a workplace accident it is in fact the beginning of a lucrative adventure. For more information about Karen's fantastic book please visit: http://www.austinmacauley.com/book/risk-assessment-murder.