Author Interview: Alledria Hurt
Author of "Dreamless"
Here is yet another amazing author I interviewed about their approach to storytelling. Check her out. You can find out even more about her at her website, www.alledriahurt.com.
What inspires your writing?
This is a monster of the week question, truthfully. I like to just let stuff wander around in my brain bumping into other things until a collision interesting enough to garner more attention happens. I take in a lot of input, via various channels, and it all interacts on some level. Then something will catch my attention, kinda like a fraying thread and I’ll pull on it to see whether it leads anywhere. If it does, huzzah. If not, it’s also a huzzah cause it kept me occupied for a little bit.
What is your process of developing characters?
I don’t so much develop characters as I steal bits of humanity from people I know and reassemble them Dr. Frankenstein style into someone different. Of course, there is always a dash of myself in there somewhere, but more often than not, I’ve stolen a large portion of this character from someone I have met.
Did you start with a story outline or did you make it up as you went along?
Depends on the project. Sometimes I know from the beginning how this whole thing is going to turn out. Other times, such as in the case of my Fate Circle Saga series, I wrote the first book with the understanding it was going to be a standalone; then it wasn’t. I got to the end of book 2 and realized “well crap, still not finished” and wrote book 3. By contrast, the original three books of “She Becomes Death” were pretty plotted and fleshed out before I started book one.
This has also been affected by where I am in my writing journey. The older I get, the more likely I am to actually have put some serious thought into where this is going before I start. Less time to just toddle around. Though I have to admit the toddling is a necessary bit of fun.
How much research did you need for your latest story?
To be fair, I don’t usually research until after the story is written. I have a fully fleshed plot and characters before I do a lick of real research. So much of what I write about is outright improbable that too much research would only highlight how improbable it is and why would I go out of my way to pull my reader out of the story?
What researching methods did you use?
When I do research, I tend to start on Wikipedia for a generalized overview and some cogent sources followed by a trip to my local library website where I will then see how many of those sources are accessible without my having to buy them. I am not against buying research books. I am however against buying single use anything when I can share it with someone else. Hence the library.
What are some of your methods for handling worldbuilding and establishing a believable and immersive setting in your stories?
Cribbing from history is a time honored way to do it; followed closely by making it up and keeping a list of important details as one goes. All of us have been immersed in culture, even if we don’t necessarily think of it as such. It’s like water to the fish, it just is; however, that means we are also unwittingly aware of when things are ‘off’ in regards to how a culture is presented. Stereotypes, in my mind, are shorthand but over-reliance on them is lazy. If the stereotyped character is the only one of their kind in your book, do better.
Did you draw on personal experience?
In which book? This is another monster of the week question for me. Everything is a part of my personal experience in some way. While yes, I have never given up my voice in hopes of uniting with my true love (Dragon Prince), but I know what sacrifice for love is and means, so technically yes. I’ve known what it is like for a formerly safe place to turn hostile (Shelter). Etc. It is also using some part of my personal experience, just not necessarily in the way immediately apparent.
How did you publish?
As of this writing, I have self-pubbed quite a few times, with a few small press publications as well.
Why did you do it that way?
Honestly to see if I could. My first short story collection came out in 2014 (Objects: Stories of Things), now a decade ago, and it was literally me going “why not?”. Much like I wrote my first novel essentially on a whim and a dare, my publishing journey started by me going “why not me” and then proceeding to do what I pleased.
What advice would you have for writers looking to publish the way you published?
Have the audacity. Assume you can succeed. Even if you don’t succeed in a traditional way, you will have succeeded by the mere reality of the attempt.
Who did your cover and marketing?
I’ve had multiple cover designers at this point and I generally do my own marketing, poor as it is.
What are some of the methods you have used to generate interest in your book?
To be fair, I don’t do much marketing. I need to learn to do more; however, that is something I am still learning. Yes, I’m over 10+ books in and I don’t know how to do marketing properly.
Did you use beta readers? How did you secure them?
No, I don’t currently use beta readers. I do occasionally publish snippets to my writing group.
How many revisions did it take to get a publishable book?
Define publishable. Technically anything is publishable; however, not all things are profitable to publish. I’ve had books go through as few as two rounds revisions and one that went through seven rounds of revisions. I cannot say I can tell the difference between them.
What aspect of the book writing process did you find the most challenging?
Editing. Mostly because I LOVE to create. The creation process is AWESOME. The editing part is harder to motivate myself to do. Not to say I won’t, just harder to motivate me to do.
What are you writing now?
Currently in-between projects, not quite sure what’s next. There’s been a lot going on life-wise that has made me getting anything done writing-wise somewhat difficult.
What is your advice to other writers?
Enjoy the process and don’t go it alone. Going it alone almost guarantees burnout. As does hating the process.
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