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How long have you been a writer?
I can’t remember a time
when I didn’t enjoy writing. My first memory of writing a specific
story was a homework assignment I did for my brother. (Yes, I did his
homework. It was just that one time. I swear!) I was in fourth grade
and he was in third. The story was about a boy who got the power of
invisibility and how he goes to see a movie for free and eats all the
popcorn and candy he wants without having to pay for it. I thought it
was award-winning material, my brother got a good grade, so everyone
came out of that one a winner.
On a more serious note, I
fully committed myself to my writing in 2002. It was at that point I
started holding myself accountable to writing something every day. I
used a weekly planner to keep track of how many words I wrote per
writing session. It was also at that point I stopped trying to write
‘around’ what I loved to read so much. I started making the focus of my
stories the character interaction and the romance. Once I started doing
that I knew I was doing what I was supposed to be doing with my life,
which was writing romance novels. I’ve never looked back.
How did you get started?
As I mentioned above,
I’ve always loved writing. In junior high school I used to make writing
notes to my friends an epic event. When I did, they would always tell
me they loved reading them. (That might have had something to do with
the fact that almost everything I wrote was completely fabricated
bull*%#t designed to make them laugh. I don’t know, it’s just a theory.
) Anyway, their enjoyment was a huge high for me. That style of writing
carried on to an annual Christmas Letter I created for a cousin and her
husband. (again, all snarky, sarcastic crap) They always seemed to enjoy
reading them, which again boosted my writing ego. Somewhere among all
of that I had my first serious break-up, but instead of moping (well, in
addition to, anyway) I decided to channel all of that anger, hurt, and
sadness into a fictitious story rather than a bunch of endless journal
entries about how I was feeling. Truthfully, that’s where it really all
began for me. I never did get that story published, but I’m still very
proud of it for a host of personal reasons. The rest, as they say, is
history.
How do you get your ideas?
I don’t get ideas so much
as I get characters. The idea of a particular man or woman will come to
me very specifically and tell me who he or she is. That person will
stay in my head for a couple of days and slowly show me the world he or
she lives in along with the other people who populate that world. I try
to get all of that important information down on paper before it leaves
me. Nine out of ten times I’m already in the middle of writing something
else, so I know it could be awhile before I start writing his or her
story.
Other times eventual
heroes or heroines are sub characters in the story I’m working on at
that time. In the case of Cain Hawkins (Falling: An Erotic Love
Story available in January 2008 from Loose Id) I knew his entire
story by the time I’d finished writing Demon Moon. I knew
exactly who and what he was, I knew he was meant to be with Luke, and I
knew how they were going to get to their happy ending. By the time I’d
finished writing Cain and Luke’s story I knew the three stories that
would follow in the town of Quinten, Montana, ending the series of
related books with Caleb Hawkins’ story. With luck, enough of you nice
folks will like Demon Moon and Falling, and Loose Id will
want to publish all of them. (Fingers crossed!)
Do you like writing sex scenes?
I like writing them just
as much as I like writing any other part of a story. The trick is to
try your damnedest not to be repetitive, and that can sometimes be a
challenge. More important for me, however, is to always try to have
something else important happening in that scene beyond the sex. What I
care about the most in a romance novel –and this is true in any genre I
read, erotic romance included –is the characters, how they interact, and
how often they interact with each other throughout the book. Every book
on my keeper shelf has two characters that I absolutely fell in
love with, not necessarily some high concept story that was well written
and executed beautifully. So, now that I’ve rambled completely off
point, the answer is yes, I do like writing sex scenes. They always
allow me an avenue to reveal a piece of one character’s heart and soul
to the other in a completely vulnerable and intimate way.
Will you set more stories in
Quinten, Montana?
I hope so. I have ideas
for at least five more stories set in the fictional town of Quinten.
I won't write them back-to-back, as I did for the first five, but
I love that town and its residents, and I'm not ready to leave it
yet. Up next in that series of related books, I'm going to try my
hand at a ménage, and hook up Deputy Jace Maxwell, that sweetie
Sarah, and cowboy Jasper Simmons. Wish me luck! I'll keep you updated
on my progress or a contract on the
coming soon page of my website.
I’m a writer. Any tips for me?
The first piece of advice
is a simple one, but one that can be the toughest to implement. It is
this: write every day. That can be difficult, especially if you have a
full or part time job, a family that needs you, etc. But here’s the
thing. You can have the greatest idea in the world or the most
wonderful couple ever imagined toiling around in your head, but if you
never put it to paper (or computer file) it doesn’t mean squat. You
don’t have to be perfect, and you will not be psyched to write every day
(just because you love it doesn’t mean you feel like doing it every
single day) but you do have to do it. If you don’t, you will never
become comfortable with the process and you’ll never get better.
I would also recommend
that you join an organization that supports writers. For me, the best
move I ever made was joining RWA. (Romance Writers of America) It not
only gave me inside information to the business, but when I was ready to
have my work judged and get feedback RWA offered a complete listing of
contests open to what I was writing. Be aware though, the feedback
isn’t always kind. Just like in any other profession there are critics
that are wonderfully helpful and supportive in their critiques, while
still being honest about where your story needs work, and there are
people whose notes are harder to receive because they are written in a
condescending, mean-spirited way. If you’re ready, go for it --but be
prepared. Make sure you’re ready to have strangers judge your work. I
found that I was ready to handle it, and that gave me a sense that I was
ready for the next step –submissions.
Well, one quick thing
before submissions. Write what you love to read, and know the criteria
for getting a story of that type published. Word count is hugely
important, and don’ t think you’re going to be the exception to that
rule. They cap off at about 120,000 these days, and that is considered
on the high end. About four years ago (before I joined RWA and learned
these things) I cluelessly wrote a fantasy romance that ended up being
230,000 words. It encompassed three complete romances into one big
story. I just had no idea when I was writing it that there was no way
anyone was going to publish it, no matter how good it was. Nothing is
ever an accident or a mistake though, and I ended up learning a ton of
good stuff while writing that book. It has some great scenes and
wonderful moments that I’m very proud of, so who knows, maybe one day
I’ll put it up on my site for people to read for free. No professional
editing, grammar warts, constantly shifting POV’s, everything left in.
We’ll see.
Finally, when you’re
ready, send out your work. If you’re so afraid of rejection (and yes,
it does hurt) that you never send your stories out, you’ll never have
any shot of being published, at all. This is also where an organization
like RWA can be a huge help. They’re always interviewing publishers,
agents, and editors, and you just might come across an interview with
one for submission requests that fit right in with what you just
finished writing. Make it a point to visit publisher’s websites, read
their submission guidelines as well, and try to follow and respect their
submission format and guideline requests.
The single most important
piece of advice in anything, and this most definitely includes writing,
is to love what you do. I love writing. I love telling the stories of
how my characters meet and fall in love. My goal and greatest dream is
to one day be able to earn a living with my writing. If for some reason
the universe doesn’t have that in store for me, I always make sure I
love what I write, just in case I’m the only one who ever ends up
reading it.
Best of
luck in everything you do.
Cameron
Dane
P.S. If I didn't answer your question, submit
it, and I'll do my best to update this page regularly.
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