Friday's Guest - Tricia Mc Gill - Panster or Pl;otter #MFRWauthor #writing #panster or plotter

1.      Are you a panster or a plotter or perhaps a bit of both?

I’m a panster for sure. I gave up plotting too deeply years ago when it hit me that my characters wanted to take over the story and I realised there was little point in trying to persuade them to do otherwise. It works out better that way for me. My dreams often help me out of a tricky situation too when I come to a semi halt in a story. This was the case in my latest book Laurel’s Gift. I awoke about 3 am from the most vivid dream which told me exactly what path to take next. My dreams have helped me over many a hurdle as well as getting me started on a new story.

2.      Which comes first - characters or plot for you?

Definitely the characters. Unless I have them and their personalities all worked out before I start I have nowhere to go as noted above.

3.      What are you working on now? Is this a book in a current series or something totally new?

This next book is one that started life as a novella but is crying out to be extended into a full length novel. It is a reincarnation story about lovers through time. Because I have always believed in reincarnation this belief has carried though into a couple of my time-travels. Only the other night I dreamed of myself living a parallel life that was so clear and precise in its details that I am convinced I have lived before and will come back again someday—perhaps next time when earth people are settled on another planet.

4.      Do you have some kind of object or place that figures in most of your books? I use gems a lot, hospitals and caves.

Not so much an object but dogs, cats and horses have featured in most of my books and they usually have some quirk that sets them apart. In Amethyst she has a cat that goes everywhere more or less with her and likes to sit in the basket in front of her bicycle. In my latest release, Laurel’s Gift, there are a pair of cats that are not so much weird but perhaps think they are humans, plus a dear King Charles spaniel. Lani owns a horse in A Dream for Lani, which sets the course of the story as she is looking for a property to buy with room for her horse and so meets the hero of the piece, a real estate agent. Oh, and she also owns a small poodle.

5.      Do you write every day or just when the spirit hits?

I try to write every day when I am working on a book even if it’s only a few passages.