Cecelia Dowdy has been an avid reader since she learned to string letters together to form words. One of her college professors tried to convince her to get an English degree since he felt she was a great writer. Years later, after receiving her BS in Finance, she took his advice, and started pursuing her literary career. She loves to read, write, and bake delicious desserts. Traveling is favorite hobby, and she's been to ten different countries—so far. She enjoys listening to old tunes with her husband on Saturday nights. They reside with their toddler son in Maryland.Plug time. What new book or project do you have coming out?
First Mates came out in 2005.
My [third] novel, John’s Quest, is coming out in March 2008.
How did you come up with this story? Was there a specific 'what if' moment?
I thought of the storyline because of my day job. I work for a non-profit physics organization. There are a lot of scientists at my job, and one day I wondered, since they were scientists, if they believed in God. I suppose that was my specific, ‘what if’ moment. John’s Quest is about a science professor who is an agnostic-he’s unsure if God exists.
Tell us about your publishing journey. How long had you been writing before you got a contract? How did you find out and what went through your mind?
I had been writing for five and a half years before I was offered a contract. I found out through an email! When I received my first book contract, all I could think was Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! I’m finally published!
Do you ever struggle with writer's block? If so, how do you overcome it?
Yes, I struggle with that a little bit. I usually put the project aside and start a new one. When I’m not actively working on a project, that’s when I’ll think of ways to fix my manuscript, getting over any roadblocks that may have occurred.
What is the most difficult part of writing for you (or was when you first started on your writing journey), i.e. plot, POV, characterization, etc? How did (or do) you overcome it?
POV! I had no concept of POV. I would head hop like crazy. Although I’d always been an avid reader, I guess I never realized the whole POV issue until I started writing novels. Another difficult part of writing was show, don’t tell. I usually tended to tell more than show, and that would bog the story down with a lot of narrative sentences.
To overcome these issues, I joined critique groups, and I also read books about the craft of writing. One book that really helped me out was Self Editing For Fiction Writers.
Where do you write? Do you have a dedicated office or a corner or nook in a room?
I have an office, and I used to write only in my office. Now that I have a toddler, it’s easier for me to write sitting in a living room chair with a laptop computer. I write like this because my toddler watches TV and if I’m in the same room, he won’t bother me. If I go upstairs to my office, he’ll find me, and tug my hand, begging me to come into the living room and sit with him while he watches his kiddy shows.
Do you have a word or page goal you set for each day?
Not really. I usually try and write at least 20 pages in a weekend, but I don’t always reach that goal.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Since I’m not a full-time writer, I get most of my writing done early in the morning and on weekends. A typical weekday I spend time commuting to work and working my day job. I usually write between five AM to six thirty AM each day. My hours on the weekend vary depending on other obligations (like family time.)
Take us through your process of writing a novel briefly—from conception to revision.
I start with the character sketches. Sometimes I may find a picture in a catalog or magazine that resembles the way the character looks in my mind. I go through a baby name book and a book of surnames to name both hero and heroine. I then go through a detailed questionnaire, where I answer questions about the characters’ backgrounds, occupations, goals, dreams, pet peeves, etc. When I’m doing this the internal conflict may become apparent. I can see how these two characters, based upon their backgrounds, would have a hard time having a long-lasting romantic relationship.
After the characters are developed, I do an outline of the story. The outline is very vague, and consists of about 18-20 sentences in numerical order in an Excel or Word document. Using the outline as a guide, I start writing the book! After I’m finished with the first draft, I go through and read the novel, do some editing, rewording, etc. I’ll usually go through three drafts before I consider the novel to be complete. Before I submit it to the publisher, I read through it aloud, just to be sure the sentences flow smoothly and sound natural.
Also, while I’m still in the draft mode, that’s when I’ll do research about any unique subjects in my novel. I start with Google, and sometimes I have contacted people in certain occupations to ask questions so that the story seems plausible.
What are some of your favorite books (not written by you)?
My goodness, I’ve read so many good books over the years that it’s hard to pinpoint all of them. I guess it’s easier for me to name some of my favorite authors than specific books. I love anything by Robin Lee Hatcher, Tracie Peterson, Janette Oake, Jacquelin Thomas, Sharon Ewell Foster, and Victoria Christopher Murray. I also like a few books by Frank Peretti, Ted Dekker, Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins….the list could go on and on, but those are the ones I like off the top of my head.
What’s the best writing advice you’ve heard?
Keep your day job. Really. When I attended my very first RWA conference in the mid-nineties, I met some authors for the first time. I had stars in my eyes as I asked their advice about making a living writing! I was floored when I discovered that writers are not very well compensated for their novels! I had dreams of quitting my day job, sitting at my house, penning novels all day. I was thinking I’d make enough money to get a nice house, with a swimming pool, and I’d be sitting out there with my laptop, and writing books. I guess I was really daydreaming when I thought like that!
What do you wish you’d known early in your career that might have saved you some time and/or frustration in writing? In publishing?
I wish I had studied the craft more and joined a critique group earlier than I had. I wrote alone for a few years, and I didn’t discover what I was doing wrong until I had been critiqued. I also wish I’d studied the craft of writing more before I whipped out so many pages of useless text. I have several unpublished novels sitting in my basement because I didn’t take the time to study what to do, how to place those words on the page, until I’d been writing for a few years. When I finally ‘got it’ it was like a light bulb went off in my head, and I could finally say, “Eureka!”
How much marketing do you do? What have you found that particularly works well for you?
Since my first book was only available through Crossings (Doubleday’s Christian Book Club) and Black Expressions (Doubleday’s African-American Book Club), there was not much marketing that I could do. The book was not in stores and in order to get the book, you had to be a member of one of those book clubs.
My second novel was a category romance, and I sent postcards to some churches, advertising my book. I also took out an ad in Romance Sells (RWA’s publication that’s distributed to book stores.) Since category romance is only on the shelf for a month, an author is limited in the amount of promotion she can do with such a limited timeframe.
Meanwhile, I try to be active online by doing a blog, and I also do drawings for free books to those who comment on my blog. I also take questions from unpublished authors who seek advice about writing. I publish the questions and answers on my blog, also. I also invite people to join my mailing list, and I use these contacts to promote my novel as the publication date draws near.
Do you have any parting words of advice?
If you want to publish a novel, you need to develop a thick skin, and don’t let rejections affect you. Also, attend writers’ conferences. Writers’ conferences are an awesome way to connect with other writers, editors, and agents.
I thought of the storyline because of my day job. I work for a non-profit physics organization. There are a lot of scientists at my job, and one day I wondered, since they were scientists, if they believed in God. I suppose that was my specific, ‘what if’ moment. John’s Quest is about a science professor who is an agnostic-he’s unsure if God exists.
Tell us about your publishing journey. How long had you been writing before you got a contract? How did you find out and what went through your mind?
I had been writing for five and a half years before I was offered a contract. I found out through an email! When I received my first book contract, all I could think was Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! I’m finally published!
Do you ever struggle with writer's block? If so, how do you overcome it?
Yes, I struggle with that a little bit. I usually put the project aside and start a new one. When I’m not actively working on a project, that’s when I’ll think of ways to fix my manuscript, getting over any roadblocks that may have occurred.
What is the most difficult part of writing for you (or was when you first started on your writing journey), i.e. plot, POV, characterization, etc? How did (or do) you overcome it?
POV! I had no concept of POV. I would head hop like crazy. Although I’d always been an avid reader, I guess I never realized the whole POV issue until I started writing novels. Another difficult part of writing was show, don’t tell. I usually tended to tell more than show, and that would bog the story down with a lot of narrative sentences.
To overcome these issues, I joined critique groups, and I also read books about the craft of writing. One book that really helped me out was Self Editing For Fiction Writers.
Where do you write? Do you have a dedicated office or a corner or nook in a room?
I have an office, and I used to write only in my office. Now that I have a toddler, it’s easier for me to write sitting in a living room chair with a laptop computer. I write like this because my toddler watches TV and if I’m in the same room, he won’t bother me. If I go upstairs to my office, he’ll find me, and tug my hand, begging me to come into the living room and sit with him while he watches his kiddy shows.
Do you have a word or page goal you set for each day?
Not really. I usually try and write at least 20 pages in a weekend, but I don’t always reach that goal.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Since I’m not a full-time writer, I get most of my writing done early in the morning and on weekends. A typical weekday I spend time commuting to work and working my day job. I usually write between five AM to six thirty AM each day. My hours on the weekend vary depending on other obligations (like family time.)
Take us through your process of writing a novel briefly—from conception to revision.
I start with the character sketches. Sometimes I may find a picture in a catalog or magazine that resembles the way the character looks in my mind. I go through a baby name book and a book of surnames to name both hero and heroine. I then go through a detailed questionnaire, where I answer questions about the characters’ backgrounds, occupations, goals, dreams, pet peeves, etc. When I’m doing this the internal conflict may become apparent. I can see how these two characters, based upon their backgrounds, would have a hard time having a long-lasting romantic relationship.
After the characters are developed, I do an outline of the story. The outline is very vague, and consists of about 18-20 sentences in numerical order in an Excel or Word document. Using the outline as a guide, I start writing the book! After I’m finished with the first draft, I go through and read the novel, do some editing, rewording, etc. I’ll usually go through three drafts before I consider the novel to be complete. Before I submit it to the publisher, I read through it aloud, just to be sure the sentences flow smoothly and sound natural.
Also, while I’m still in the draft mode, that’s when I’ll do research about any unique subjects in my novel. I start with Google, and sometimes I have contacted people in certain occupations to ask questions so that the story seems plausible.
What are some of your favorite books (not written by you)?
My goodness, I’ve read so many good books over the years that it’s hard to pinpoint all of them. I guess it’s easier for me to name some of my favorite authors than specific books. I love anything by Robin Lee Hatcher, Tracie Peterson, Janette Oake, Jacquelin Thomas, Sharon Ewell Foster, and Victoria Christopher Murray. I also like a few books by Frank Peretti, Ted Dekker, Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins….the list could go on and on, but those are the ones I like off the top of my head.
What’s the best writing advice you’ve heard?
Keep your day job. Really. When I attended my very first RWA conference in the mid-nineties, I met some authors for the first time. I had stars in my eyes as I asked their advice about making a living writing! I was floored when I discovered that writers are not very well compensated for their novels! I had dreams of quitting my day job, sitting at my house, penning novels all day. I was thinking I’d make enough money to get a nice house, with a swimming pool, and I’d be sitting out there with my laptop, and writing books. I guess I was really daydreaming when I thought like that!
What do you wish you’d known early in your career that might have saved you some time and/or frustration in writing? In publishing?
I wish I had studied the craft more and joined a critique group earlier than I had. I wrote alone for a few years, and I didn’t discover what I was doing wrong until I had been critiqued. I also wish I’d studied the craft of writing more before I whipped out so many pages of useless text. I have several unpublished novels sitting in my basement because I didn’t take the time to study what to do, how to place those words on the page, until I’d been writing for a few years. When I finally ‘got it’ it was like a light bulb went off in my head, and I could finally say, “Eureka!”
How much marketing do you do? What have you found that particularly works well for you?
Since my first book was only available through Crossings (Doubleday’s Christian Book Club) and Black Expressions (Doubleday’s African-American Book Club), there was not much marketing that I could do. The book was not in stores and in order to get the book, you had to be a member of one of those book clubs.
My second novel was a category romance, and I sent postcards to some churches, advertising my book. I also took out an ad in Romance Sells (RWA’s publication that’s distributed to book stores.) Since category romance is only on the shelf for a month, an author is limited in the amount of promotion she can do with such a limited timeframe.
Meanwhile, I try to be active online by doing a blog, and I also do drawings for free books to those who comment on my blog. I also take questions from unpublished authors who seek advice about writing. I publish the questions and answers on my blog, also. I also invite people to join my mailing list, and I use these contacts to promote my novel as the publication date draws near.
Do you have any parting words of advice?
If you want to publish a novel, you need to develop a thick skin, and don’t let rejections affect you. Also, attend writers’ conferences. Writers’ conferences are an awesome way to connect with other writers, editors, and agents.
Thanks for sharing your journey, Cecelia. I can sure relate to the POV thing. When I first started writing novels, I didn't even know the term! LOL I learned quickly, though. :o)
ReplyDeleteGreat interview. Good job Ana and Cecelia!
ReplyDeleteI love the parting words of Advice!
Thanks for interviewing me on your blog!
ReplyDelete