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Noodler of the
Month – Theresa Ragan
Q.
Tell us a little about your writing journey so far.
A.
Two words: Pure Hell. Just kidding. It’s been Heaven and
Hell mixed together. Over ten years ago, I read my first
romance and said, “Boy, that was fun. I want to write a
romance and give someone out there in the world that same fun
ride—an hour or two of escapism away from the tedious reality of a
long day at work, endless laundry and diaper changing.”
My life hasn’t been the same since. When I sell my first book,
which WILL happen because I’m never giving up, I think I’ll write a
book titled: How NOT to Sell a Book in Less Than a Decade,
since I’ve done everything the hard way.
Q.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received from another
author?
A.
Sit your butt in front of the computer every single day and write
something, hopefully a page or more. Never give up.
Believe in yourself. Don’t spend all day on the Internet.
Exercise. Learn the rules and then forget about them and
write. Conflict should be on every page. Keep restaurant
scenes with boring conversation to a minimum unless, of course,
someone is going to choke to death, then by all means, leave it in.
Q.
If you could spend an hour picking the brain of anyone, who would it
be?
A.
I would love to spend hours and hours talking with Susan E. Philips.
I love her books and I never miss any of her workshops at
conference. I think she’s fascinating and funny.
Q.
What do you feel is your best strength as a writer?
A.
Gosh. After writing my first two medieval time travels, I
thought my writing strength was in description. But after I
started writing contemporaries I really enjoyed writing dialogue,
but I get mixed reviews from contest judges so I’d have to say my
strength lies in coming up with story ideas. I don’t think I
could ever run out of ideas. I can look out the window and
watch my neighbor shovel dirt, and right away I know he’s just
buried a dead body. Ideas are everywhere!
Q.
Is there a type of book you’d love to write that you haven’t?
A.
Hmmm. One of the few joys of being unpublished is that I can
run with my muse. I’ve written two medieval time travels,
three contemporaries, two romantic suspense novels, and many
proposals. I might try writing a young adult book next, so I
guess the answer is no.
Q.
What, in your opinion, are the three writing books that no writer
should be without?
A.
Well, this will be answered in full once my book about How Not to
Sell in Less Than a Decade is published. Chapter Three
will list the 150 how-to books that I read and how they did nothing
to fast forward my ride to publication. If I had just spent
half that time writing… For now though, I would have to say no
writer should be without a really good dictionary, the kind that
tells you when each word first came into origin, a thesaurus, and a
book on grammar/style so that when you write the word lay, or lie,
or laid, or whatever, you’ll have a better shot at getting it right
the first time.
Q.
What is your writing process like?
A.
I used to write 40-page outlines, but those first two books took
years to write, despite knowing where I was going. Now I just
come up with an idea which happens to include a beginning, middle
and end. And then I start writing. Oooh, Oooh, I
just thought of another piece of great advice I received from an
author: “If you’re bored with a scene then more than likely the
reader will be bored too.” As soon as I start yawning, I throw
out the part that’s boring me to tears and steer the scene/story in
a different direction. My characters don’t tell me what to do.
I tell them. My best books are the books that I wrote straight
through, ten to fifteen pages a day, five days a week (can be done
if you can cut out e-mail, don’t answer the phone, and leave the
laundry and dusting for the weekend). After I finish a book, I
always go back and revise even though I’ve already revised as I go.
Then, when I think it’s ready, I set the book aside for a few days,
print it out in galley form and read it in one sitting, making final
adjustments. The more I write each day, the easier the process
becomes. At least for me.
Q.
Other than writing and reading, what other activities do you enjoy?
A.
I exercise almost every morning, but I’m not sure how much I enjoy
that, although I enjoy knowing that I did it after it’s done.
I take time to argue with my kids, and I enjoy making them feel
guilty for not helping me out enough with the dishes and laundry.
My husband and I have started dating recently. After twenty
years of marriage, it’s sort of fun. I enjoy playing the
piano, too.
Q.
What is your dream vacation?
A.
I went to Ireland with my sister a few years ago. We spent
eleven glorious days at the Cashel House Hotel in Connemara situated
on the West Coast of Ireland. We did a lot of hiking and
walking. We went shopping at Clifden and drove the car on the
beaches where horses ran loose and stuck their heads in the car
window, hoping for a carrot. It was fabulous, and I would love
to go back someday with my family.
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