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<\/h2>\nA native Floridian, C. L. Sidell grew up playing with toads in the rain and indulging in horror stories. She holds a master of arts in both English and library & information science, moderates two creative writing groups, and reviews books for the Florida Library Youth Program. When she\u2019s not busy working, she\u2019s usually looking for ways to spoil her house full of pets or stopping traffic to rescue animals. She dreams of traveling the world and hopes to someday revisit New Zealand. Her work has appeared\u00a0in\u00a034 Orchard<\/i>,\u00a050 Haikus<\/i>,\u00a0Horror Magazine<\/i>,\u00a0Quarantine Quanta<\/i>,\u00a0The Scribe<\/i>, and\u00a0Triangle Writers Magazine<\/i>.\u00a0Her debut novel Repetition<\/i> was published in June of 2020.<\/p>\n
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I do most of my writing in what I would call the den area. The room is perfect for writing\u2014it has a wall with built-in shelves and space for me to house my laptop. One of the reasons I enjoy writing here (aside from the fact that I can look up at any time and see books!) is that there\u2019s lots of natural light\u2014there are windows and a set of double-doors leading out to the back porch. But I also spend a lot of time here because this is an open area of the house where my birds can see me and the dogs and cats can be near me if they want to be.<\/p>\n
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I write more short stories and poems than I do novels, so my process for writing longer works is still evolving. My first novel, Repetition<\/i>, was originally going to be a short story. After I started writing, however, I realized that the events leading up to the pivotal scene were expanding and multiplying. The original draft (it went through two major revisions over the years) definitely falls into the \u201cpantsing\u201d category. But I was writing every day, so the characters and scenes were always fresh in my mind.<\/p>\n
I decided to write my second novel (not yet published) in January of 2019. For this one, I invested much more forethought. I decided in advance how many words the book should have as well as the projected number of chapters. Then I started working out the protagonist\u2019s character as well as the supporting cast. This included physical traits, characters traits, hobbies, etc. After I had the characters figured out, I started plotting potential events for each chapter. (This is a middle grade fantasy work, so I felt pressured to keep the book fast-paced from the start.) Once I began writing, I did find that some that some scenes unfolded quite differently from what I\u2019d first imagined while others got replaced with different events altogether. I\u2019m glad I took the time to pre-plot though because this helped me keep the story on track and the book ended the way I\u2019d originally intended.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m currently in the baby stages of writing a third novel\u2014another adult mystery\/horror\u2014and I\u2019m pretty much sticking with this system. So far, it\u2019s working!<\/p>\n
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Without question! I remember creating my first \u201cbook\u201d in the first grade. I believe it was about bears and ice cream? My teacher laminated it and had it spiral bound. And I\u2019m pretty certain my mom still has it stored in a plastic bin somewhere\u2026<\/p>\n
I continued to think of myself as a \u201cwriter\u201d as I grew older. I even had dreams of becoming the next Stephen King. (A common fantasy among horror writers, I\u2019m sure.) But oddly enough, I wrote very little in the way of prose. As a teenager I did write lots of poetry, but it was mostly as a form of emotional release\u2014I didn\u2019t study the craft or put too much thought into what I was putting to paper.<\/p>\n
I spent much more time immersing myself in books\u2014usually suspense or horror. It wasn\u2019t until I entered my third year of college that I began to seriously tackle writing. And I haven\u2019t stopped weaving stories since.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I\u2019m hoping you mean constructive criticism?<\/p>\n As a writer, I think one of the worst mistakes we can make is to think that something we have written is as good as it can be. Because this is rarely the case.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019ve belonged to a writing group for five years now, and I can honestly say it\u2019s the best decision I\u2019ve ever made. I treasure constructive critical feedback from other writers. A thoughtful writing group will let you know when you might need to expand on a scene, clarify action, change your dialogue, reorder sections, rework clunky writing, provide more descriptions, etc. Regardless of whether or not you agree with a particular comment\/suggestion, you\u2019re able to \u201csee\u201d your work from another person\u2019s perspective. I consider this invaluable during the writing process.<\/p>\n But if someone\u2019s response isn\u2019t constructive? It\u2019s just critical?<\/p>\n When this happens, I try to remind myself that no story will please every reader. Sometimes a reader will react negatively to what you\u2019ve written simply because your story isn\u2019t a genre they enjoy. That\u2019s on the reader, not the writer.<\/p>\n So I do think it\u2019s important to identify where the criticism is coming from and if it\u2019s relevant to the craft.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n My current work is a middle grade fantasy adventure (sprinkled with humor!) that explores the power of creativity and also carries a positive underlying message about what being a family really means. The protagonist\u2014eleven-year-old Azalee\u2014finds a magic whistle that transports her to Wonderland. What starts off as a brief excursion soon turns into an adventure when the Queen of Spades steals the whistle and offers Azalee an ultimatum: Find and return the queen\u2019s missing Jabberwock or remain stuck in Wonderland forever.<\/p>\n Azalee is such an endearing character! She treasures her friends, enjoys solving puzzles, and she\u2019s excited at the prospect of becoming a big sister. Though she doubts her creative abilities, she\u2019s still willing to work hard to produce quality work when the occasion calls for it. She\u2019s fearless\u2014who else would go after a Jabberwork? And she has a good heart; she will protect those around her, even if it means that she\u2019ll have to sacrifice her own happiness. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n At this stage, I believe the novel only needs some minor tweaking. I\u2019m hoping to find a home for it soon, as I believe children will enjoy Azalee\u2019s stubborn and selfless spirit, the quirky characters she interacts with, and the various situations she encounters during her time in Wonderland.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As an avid fan of horror films, my initial inclination is to shout: \u201cYES!\u201d<\/p>\n I would be incredibly honored to see Repetition<\/i> adapted to the big screen. But, in the wrong hands, the story could easily fall into cheesy territory which would \u2013 frankly speaking \u2013 make me cringe. In my opinion, a lot of horror films today focus so strongly on gore and scare factors that the scripts themselves don\u2019t receive the attention they deserve.<\/p>\n Though I often refer to Repetition<\/i> as horror, I\u2019m really shortchanging it by giving it that label. You might call it a mystery, a thriller, even women\u2019s fiction\u2014with a little bit of chills and blood tossed in the mix. A major component of the story focuses on how Marche copes with her recent trauma. She\u2019s lost her husband\u2014her best friend\u2014and is trying to figure out how to survive without him. And a big part of this involves learning how to become a strong single parent to her five-year-old daughter. She also has a strained relationship with her younger sister that she\u2019s eventually going to have to address. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n So yes\u2014I would love to see Repetition<\/i> made into a film\u2026 as long as the director would be willing to take the time to explore the psychological complexities of Marche\u2019s character. Marche really is the heart of the story\u2014the ghosts are just there to give you shivers.<\/p>\n4. How do you handle criticism?<\/b><\/h3>\n
5. Tell me about your current work. Tell me about your main character.<\/b><\/h3>\n
6. Would you want your book made into a film?<\/b><\/h3>\n