WHAT I LOVE ABOUT WRITING MY FAIRYTALES WITH BITE

1. Inventing my own characters who then take on a life of their own.
2. Inventing my own worlds, which seem, in my mind’s eye, as real to me as this one.
3. Writing dialogue especially between “sparky” characters or for those, like Eileen, for whom hypocrisy is something that happens to someone else.
4. Escaping this world for a while! Especially when the news is grim, this is a good idea.
5. Getting the first draft written down as then I’ve something to work on and improve.
6. Editing the first draft as whatever it is I’m working on will immediately improve as this is where I get rid of repetitions, stupid spelling or grammar errors and so on.
7. Is the joy of creating something that is uniquely mine, looking back at my work and genuinely being pleased with it.
8.  When a story comes together, especially if it’s one where I’ve taken ages to work it out.  I always do an outline.  When the outline flows, so does the story as a general rule but on some I find it’s like digging under the surface to find out what the real story is and when I have found that, I find that satisfying.  It’s as if I’ve not let something defeat me here.
9. When I receive acceptances or am shortlisted.  Doesn’t happen nearly often enough!
10. When I know I’ve fallen in love with my characters.