AMP - Give us an example of when the magic happened in one of your stories.  It could be a phrase, a character, a paragraph, a scene, a location, etc. 

Susan - Magic happened in Spider Brains when the Ryder’s come over for dinner. Now, this is magic of the emotive kind. Not literal magic. This magic happens when so much has gone wrong and then, suddenly, there’s that sparkle in the dark that gives us hope. The scene is with Matthew Ryder and Susie Speider. They’re in the kitchen eating so that Susie doesn’t have to sit in the dining area with the dead mounted deer head (a deer she calls “Moose”). Susie just wants the Ryder’s to leave and Matthew doesn’t understand this at all.

Bonus:  

AMP - Did you know right then when it happened?  

SW - No. I never really know what’s coming in the way of interaction between characters. I usually know the next scene I have to write but sometimes the story is so organic that I won’t even know that until it happens.

AP - How did you know it was magical, did it feel right, is that how you knew?  Or did someone point it out? 

SW - Parts of the characters’ interaction broke my heart. I usually write through those scenes allowing them to play out. When I went back to read it, I had so many emotions stirring that I sort of knew it worked… at least for me. And all I could hope was that it would work for my readers too.

AP - What draft/revision did it happen?

SW - The first draft.

AP - Was it while you were doing something other than writing, when it came to you?

SW- No. I wrote Spider Brains straight through. Actually, that’s not true. I started the story in August but was on book tour for Drowning and had to pause. Then the holidays bowled me under and I finished Spider Brains in February. But if I deleted those times I didn’t write because of other work and holidays, I wrote this story straight through.

AP - Were you listening to Music? Or was it quiet?

SW -It’s always quiet at our home. We have cats and dogs and birds and our house sits on five acres of wooded land that abuts a wildlife pond. The serenity (allowing for barking and hissing every now and again) creates a superb environment to create.

Please include the Title, the book cover (if possible) and links to your website/blogs.

Title:  SPIDER BRAINS

Susan’s Website:  www.susanwingate.com

Susan’s Amazon Bookstore:  astore.amazon.com/theoffwebo03e-20

Susan’s Facebook Page:  www.facebook.com/authorsusanwingate

Susan’s Twitter Page:  www.twitter.com/susanwingate

Give us an example of when the magic happened in one of your stories.  It could be a phrase, a character, a paragraph, a scene, a location, etc.

Bonus:
Did you know right then when it happened?
How did you know it was magical, did it feel right, is that how you knew?  Or did someone point it out?
What draft/revision did it happen?
Was it while you were doing something other than writing? Were you listening to Music? Or was it quiet?


When the Magic Happened

by Terry Persun

This is always a difficult thing to talk about, since I’m usually excited when I start a novel, which is pretty magical in itself. I get up early in the morning, can’t wait to sit at my computer, and start exploring along with a character who has been building in my mind for (often) months or years. It’s amazing that one day I just wake up with the overwhelming urge to explore a life like that.

As I think of the magic, I know it happens with every book just to get started. Then, more often than not the magic happens several times while writing the novel—keeping me interested and moving forward. I specifically remember—this is what we’re talking about—the beginning of Doublesight. I saw the crows in the trees for a long time and when I wrote about them, something I can’t explain grabbed hold of me and I was with them. I can still smell the forest, feel the breeze, if I close my eyes.

That particular novel had a lot of magic in it. Every time I wrote about one of the doublesight shape shifting, I could feel the sensations as I wrote them. I don’t know if the reader gets the same experience that I did, but I do know that when I’m that close to the writing, it tends to work.

Since Doublesight is a fantasy novel, there were times when I found I was creating a passage that involved things that I’d never experienced first hand, that appeared to be coming completely from my subconscious, or from a place where the story was actually happening while I wrote, a place where I could watch it from my remote place in front of my computer. If that’s not magical, I don’t know what is. Writing itself has magic in it for me.

Did I know magic was happening at the moment it happened, probably not. It’s often not until later that I realize that I was in some sort of trance as I wrote. And it doesn’t happen every morning, but when it does…heaven. Luckily, though, I’m almost always sitting at my computer working on a book when it comes through me.

Such magic happens when it happens, sometimes during the initial writing, sometimes during one of the many rewrites, and sometimes during a final proofing. There is no rhyme or reason to magic. I find if I show up every day, though, that there’s a great chance of it coming more often and staying for longer periods of time.

As for your last question about listening to music: I never listen to music while I’m working. I need the space to be quiet, without words, without sounds, and as separate from others as I can get. That’s not always the case for every type of writing that I do, but most often that’s how I like it when I’m working on a novel.

I might add that since those moments were so prevalent while writing Doublesight, that’s probably why I wrote a second Doublesight novel, then a third, and am planning a fourth. There’s something about shape shifting, about shamanism, about magic that interests me, and I plan to explore it down all its pathways.


Terry Persun writes in many genres, including historical fiction, mainstream, literary, and science fiction/fantasy. He is a Pushcart nominee. His latest poetry collection is “And Now This”. His novel, “Cathedral of Dreams” is a ForeWord magazine Book of the Year finalist in the science fiction category, and his novel “Sweet Song” won a Silver IPPY Award. His latest science fiction thriller is, “Revision 7: DNA”, and his latest fantasy is “Doublesight”. Terry’s website or you can find him on Amazon.

When the Magic Happened.
Give us an example of when the magic happened in one of your stories.  It could be a phrase, a character, a paragraph, a scene, a location, etc.

Bonus:
Did you know right then when it happened?

How did you know it was magical, did it feel right, is that how you knew?  Or did someone point it out?

What draft/revision did it happen?

Was it while you were doing something other than writing? Were you listening to Music? Or was it quiet?

JARED MCVAY
As I think back, there have been a lot of magic moments for me when a short story came together, but when I finally began to try my hand at writing a novel, is when I realized I truly wanted to be a full time writer.I was feeling very good about my story of The Legend of Joe, Willy and Red, but when I finished the chicken house scene and I had to stop and wipe the tears out of my eyes from laughing so hard, I knew I had something special going on.

This happened on the first draft, which surprised me a great deal. Sometimes, especially after a lot of platitudes, I feel like I have been given this special gift. I don't need music or any other outside influence when I write, other than to allow my mind to run free and transfer all those thoughts to my fingertips. I like fresh air and usually have a window open, so I hear the wind, birds singing and sirens over on the main drag, but none of that influences me or distracts me. I can even hold a conversation with someone and the words just keep flowing. Story-wise I make very few changes from the first draft, nor do I do any special preparation  before sitting down to write - other than turn on that little switch in my head. I guess I'm very fortunate... I've never had writer's block or a lack of subjects to write about.

Jared McVay
www.jaredmcvay.com
Read Jared's blog

Actor, Writer, Storyteller
Novels, Children's Books