I also want to say thank you for your words of encouragement about chapter 7. I got through it (finally) but it certainly was true advice. :)
I'm glad it helped!
What are some of the advantages of working on a computer at home (or homeish)? Are there some thing that you can do that you couldn't do if you were working at a traditional job?
I love being able to work near my family, with all my animals around me (I have three dogs and four cats). I love being able to get up and walk to my computer and start working, all without fully waking up. I can wear whatever I want! Pajamas all day!
How do you manage your time- how do you decide when you're going to work,
and how long do you usually work for?
I kind of work all the time. I have another job, and I write for 2 hours before my 12 hour shifts, and on my days off I write almost all day. I can sometimes write for 10 hours at a time, but I rarely write at night.
Do you hold any other jobs? Is it hard to manage to work two jobs at once? Even though one is at home?
It IS really hard to manage two jobs -- I answer 911 fire/medical for a large Bay Area county, and I work long hours at that job. And then when I'm home, I write so much that people complain I never see them anymore. But maybe someday I'll be able to support myself with just the writing money, which is why I'm doing so much of it now.
Do you use any special software or hardware? If so, what are they?
I love Scrivener -- it's a program in which to write novels or screenplays on the Mac. I also love Mac Freedom. It's a tool that keeps you off the internet for whatever time you set. I like to kick myself off the internet for 45 minutes, and then come up for email/Twitter breaks for 15 minutes. I get a lot done this way.
Do you enjoy working at home/on a computer? Why or why not?
I love it. I wish I could do it all the time. My home is my favorite place in the world, and I feel like I never have enough time there.
Are there any tips you'd give someone who wanted to work from home?
Find something that you love to do. If you love it, and if you're passionate about it, the method of making a living at it will come to you, I'm convinced.
Is there any advice you could give people (specifically young people- teens and kids) who want to become authors?
Read, write, read, write. But I think reading is the most important thing. You should read everything you can, everything you love, and keep pouring it in your brain. Write often, but don't worry about if it's good or not -- you can always edit later. Just keep writing. And when you're stumped, reach for the book again.
How did you get the idea for your book?
I was participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), and I needed an idea, fast. I love romance, and I love knitting, so I decided to combine both in a novel about a knitter and sheep rancher. I'd advise every person interested in writing to give NaNo a try. It's liberating to write that fast.
What genres are your favorite to read? To write?
I love best to read and write romance -- there's nothing more fun and magical than two people falling in love -- but I also love reading and writing memoir/creative nonfiction as well.
Did you base any of your characters off of real people?
No, I don't, but each character displays a different side of myself. If there's a terrible, awful character, it says more about the sides of me that I don't like than it does about anyone else.
Did you ever “talk” with your characters?
I've interviewed them on paper before -- asking them questions, and then writing the answer as if they're writing it. It's fun and you can learn a lot that way.
Does it ever get boring working at home/on a computer?
Never. And if it does, I can just write something else.
Do you ever get distracted when working at home/on a computer?
That's the hardest part. I love Twitter, and I love reading my friends' blogs, so I have to be really diligent when writing that I keep my nose down and JUST WRITE. When I'm done with my 2000 words for the day, then I can mess around getting distracted by the internet, or cleaning the house, or TV.
I hope this helped! Let me know if you have any other questions, or if I need to clarify anything. And you -- keep on writing! How exciting!
best,
Rachael
______
Rachael's book is called
How to Knit a Love Song, and you can find it
here.
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