A Conversation With Jamie Kincaid
Do you have any writing rituals? If so, what are they?
I like to write with music in the background. I’m a lover of all kinds but for my writing, I want something that energizes me and inspires me as well as pulls on my emotions, usually that requires hard rock, anything from the good ole days, 1970’s to current.
What are the most important attributes to remaining sane as a writer?
Being true to yourself in your writing. Let the story unfold naturally without force, if you are trying to write something just to please the reader, your writing will suffer.
Are there any occupational hazards to being a writer?
My mind never stops. I am always writing notes for the next story. I can hear a line to a song, someone can say something or I may have had something have happened to me that will inspire my next tale. I have awakened up in the middle of the night just because I can’t sleep until I write down my thoughts.
Describe your Muse. How does she/he/it influence your writing process?
My beloved golden retriever, his presence comforts me and allows me to open up. He doesn’t judge me, he only gives me his support and loyalty…I write for myself with the hopes that the reader enjoys it as much as I did writing it. My golden gives me that security. He’s always by my side as I write.
How do you begin a new project? Are you a plotter (outliner) or a pantser (free-writer)?
Although I do write notes, I would still consider myself a pantser. The Kismet Series just flowed from me as though I had no control of the keys and it was done with no notes or outlines….my words come automatically as well as how I want the story to be told. And as it unfolds, it becomes aware to me how I want the story to continue, but I work best with few notes and just allow my imagination to come to life as my fingers hit the keyboard.
Do you write long-hand with pen/pencil and paper or do you write on a computer?
I write on a laptop. I do have a notebook but for the most part that is for convenience when I don’t have my laptop in front of me. My mind never stops and if I can’t get to my laptop immediately, I write down my ideas, and although I do keep my laptop with me, there are times when I can't have it , such as on a run, in my Jeep, etc, and for those reasons, I keep a notebook with me.
Do you write every day? What is your writing routine? How do you discipline yourself to keep at it?
I write something every day, whether it’s a few lines, a chapter or many chapters. It’s like breathing to me. I am also a marathoner and I get inspired to write when I’m on a long run, I’ll come back from running with a clear head and ideas for my story at hand or new story.
Have you ever tried writing outside of your “comfort zone”? If so, what were the results?
I can write almost anywhere without the inhibition of noise or even people. My comfort zone is allowing myself to let the story tell itself to me and that can happen wherever I am. I take my laptop with me everywhere just for this purpose.
What are your favorite writing and research tools?
I am a fan of history. I like to see how people lived before us and pull inspiration from them. I also love to explore cemeteries to read tombstones and from that I will gather names and take who they were in life and what may have taken from their life and bring together my own fictional story line. There are some great names and tales on the older tombstones, you just have to listen to what the dead are telling you. They still have a story to tell.
How many drafts does it usually take to bring your manuscript to “The End” and ready to submit to your editor?
I am constantly re-reading my story as I write it. I would have to say maybe two to three drafts and I am ready for submission, only because I am constantly reading my story to make sure it flows.
Are the names of the characters in your writing important? What about the titles? How do you choose them?
The names are extremely important to me and I choose them carefully. Family and friends are always a good inspiration but if it’s a unique name, sometimes I can gather an idea just from the name for a good story. Titles are very important, sometimes I know from the beginning and sometimes I have to wait until the story unfolds. There is no rhyme or reason for me to pick the title, I eventually just know what it will be.
To what extent is your fiction or poetry autobiographical?
Have you ever seen yourself as a character in one of your stories or poems and, has that been a help or a hindrance? The Kismet Series is purely fiction but it is based on the #11 which has affected my entire life. And although the characters and events did not happen to me, I took how the #11 affected me and turned it into this beautiful, yet somewhat tragic love story that hence has a supernatural element in it. To this day, the #11 is in my life.
Has a child, the family pet or another animal ever “eaten” your manuscript? If so, please, tell us that story!
Although I would love to tell a tale of this happening to me, I will hold back on my story line and not embellish it. I have been very fortunate that since my work is kept on my laptop, none of my work has been eaten….yet.
Who are your favorite authors? Please list a few and their titles, so we can go look for them at our local library!
John Steinbeck and The Grapes of Wrath, Travels with Charley, The Red Pony…just to name a few…and since my writing reflects a paranormal aspect to it as well as romance, I couldn’t forget Anne Rice and Stephen King. Nicholas Sparks is also a favorite of mine. Charles Dickens, Jane Austen. Ella Summers, her stories are a lot like mine, intertwining romance and ghosts.
Which three authors (alive or dead) would you most like invite to a dinner party and what would you like to talk about?
Stephen King, John Steinbeck and J.K. Rowling. Their writing is diverse yet tells beautiful tales of heartache, love, good and evil and the unknown…something that the world thrives on and the planet revolves around.
I’m a school teacher. What can you offer to help me prepare 6th graders to appreciate writing, now and for the rest of their lives?
Read, write, read, write! We are blessed with technology that there is no reason for any of us never to be able to read, whether it’s an actual hard copy of a book or opening up our kindle or laptop. Read as much and as often as possible and write. Whether it’s a personal journal or just random thoughts that you can put down occasionally. You’ll find yourself looking for the time to get away and be with your thoughts. To escape into your own little world or into another’s.
How do you react to a negative review of one of your manuscripts?
I realize that not everyone will like or enjoy what I write. If that was the case, there wouldn’t be the need for different genres or authors. I respect the opinion of others just as I hope they respect mine in my writing and opinions. Variety and spice are necessities in life.
Do you ever write naked?
No. I’m a tiny person, I would get cold.
What was your favorite scene or poem to write, and why was it so enjoyable?
My favorite poem would have to be a poem I wrote a year ago for my oldest son when he moved out. It dealt with time and how fast it can go and how much it gives to us.
What’s the hardest scene or poem you have ever written and why was it so hard to write?
There’s a scene in Karma, the second book in my Kismet Series, where I have to show the dark side of a beloved character. His demons were revealed and the perception of him to the reader I knew as soon as I wrote it would change or least make them question their loyalty to him. But after I wrote it, I felt amazing, knowing that just as in life, even in my stories, not everything is what it seems and that nobody walks this earth without their own personal demons that they carry and none of us are perfect. It made him in my eyes even more beautiful because it did make him human.
Do you ever use your writing as therapy, to either work out an issue, punish a perpetrator from your real life, or fantasize about what you could have done differently? If so, give us one example of how this manifested in your manuscript.
I most definitely use my writing as therapy, it helps immensely and whatever scenes I have used to manifest my emotions I will leave up to the reader to figure out.
Print books versus e-books; do you have a preference, and why?
I’m old school, I love print books. I love to feel the pages between my hands and although I see the convenience to e-books, I will always prefer a hard copy. Even the smell entices me, go into a library and you’ll know exactly what I mean.
Name a topic that you refuse to write about, and tell us, why won’t you write about that topic?
Politics. There are enough who tackle that topic. I don’t need too.
What is your best advice for beginning writers?
To write from your heart…. a quote that I made up when I began writing Kismet…”Your imagination is your greatest tool in writing, be guided by the unseen with no inhibitions, the greatest stories are told from the heart and made real by the mind and come to life by your hand.” You have to believe in yourself and don’t let others judge you. Write what you want and what you believe in.
What’s the worst advice you ever received from another writer?
To change the ending of Kindred Spirits…..never, ever would I change it. And once you read my Kismet Series, you’ll know why.
I like to write with music in the background. I’m a lover of all kinds but for my writing, I want something that energizes me and inspires me as well as pulls on my emotions, usually that requires hard rock, anything from the good ole days, 1970’s to current.
What are the most important attributes to remaining sane as a writer?
Being true to yourself in your writing. Let the story unfold naturally without force, if you are trying to write something just to please the reader, your writing will suffer.
Are there any occupational hazards to being a writer?
My mind never stops. I am always writing notes for the next story. I can hear a line to a song, someone can say something or I may have had something have happened to me that will inspire my next tale. I have awakened up in the middle of the night just because I can’t sleep until I write down my thoughts.
Describe your Muse. How does she/he/it influence your writing process?
My beloved golden retriever, his presence comforts me and allows me to open up. He doesn’t judge me, he only gives me his support and loyalty…I write for myself with the hopes that the reader enjoys it as much as I did writing it. My golden gives me that security. He’s always by my side as I write.
How do you begin a new project? Are you a plotter (outliner) or a pantser (free-writer)?
Although I do write notes, I would still consider myself a pantser. The Kismet Series just flowed from me as though I had no control of the keys and it was done with no notes or outlines….my words come automatically as well as how I want the story to be told. And as it unfolds, it becomes aware to me how I want the story to continue, but I work best with few notes and just allow my imagination to come to life as my fingers hit the keyboard.
Do you write long-hand with pen/pencil and paper or do you write on a computer?
I write on a laptop. I do have a notebook but for the most part that is for convenience when I don’t have my laptop in front of me. My mind never stops and if I can’t get to my laptop immediately, I write down my ideas, and although I do keep my laptop with me, there are times when I can't have it , such as on a run, in my Jeep, etc, and for those reasons, I keep a notebook with me.
Do you write every day? What is your writing routine? How do you discipline yourself to keep at it?
I write something every day, whether it’s a few lines, a chapter or many chapters. It’s like breathing to me. I am also a marathoner and I get inspired to write when I’m on a long run, I’ll come back from running with a clear head and ideas for my story at hand or new story.
Have you ever tried writing outside of your “comfort zone”? If so, what were the results?
I can write almost anywhere without the inhibition of noise or even people. My comfort zone is allowing myself to let the story tell itself to me and that can happen wherever I am. I take my laptop with me everywhere just for this purpose.
What are your favorite writing and research tools?
I am a fan of history. I like to see how people lived before us and pull inspiration from them. I also love to explore cemeteries to read tombstones and from that I will gather names and take who they were in life and what may have taken from their life and bring together my own fictional story line. There are some great names and tales on the older tombstones, you just have to listen to what the dead are telling you. They still have a story to tell.
How many drafts does it usually take to bring your manuscript to “The End” and ready to submit to your editor?
I am constantly re-reading my story as I write it. I would have to say maybe two to three drafts and I am ready for submission, only because I am constantly reading my story to make sure it flows.
Are the names of the characters in your writing important? What about the titles? How do you choose them?
The names are extremely important to me and I choose them carefully. Family and friends are always a good inspiration but if it’s a unique name, sometimes I can gather an idea just from the name for a good story. Titles are very important, sometimes I know from the beginning and sometimes I have to wait until the story unfolds. There is no rhyme or reason for me to pick the title, I eventually just know what it will be.
To what extent is your fiction or poetry autobiographical?
Have you ever seen yourself as a character in one of your stories or poems and, has that been a help or a hindrance? The Kismet Series is purely fiction but it is based on the #11 which has affected my entire life. And although the characters and events did not happen to me, I took how the #11 affected me and turned it into this beautiful, yet somewhat tragic love story that hence has a supernatural element in it. To this day, the #11 is in my life.
Has a child, the family pet or another animal ever “eaten” your manuscript? If so, please, tell us that story!
Although I would love to tell a tale of this happening to me, I will hold back on my story line and not embellish it. I have been very fortunate that since my work is kept on my laptop, none of my work has been eaten….yet.
Who are your favorite authors? Please list a few and their titles, so we can go look for them at our local library!
John Steinbeck and The Grapes of Wrath, Travels with Charley, The Red Pony…just to name a few…and since my writing reflects a paranormal aspect to it as well as romance, I couldn’t forget Anne Rice and Stephen King. Nicholas Sparks is also a favorite of mine. Charles Dickens, Jane Austen. Ella Summers, her stories are a lot like mine, intertwining romance and ghosts.
Which three authors (alive or dead) would you most like invite to a dinner party and what would you like to talk about?
Stephen King, John Steinbeck and J.K. Rowling. Their writing is diverse yet tells beautiful tales of heartache, love, good and evil and the unknown…something that the world thrives on and the planet revolves around.
I’m a school teacher. What can you offer to help me prepare 6th graders to appreciate writing, now and for the rest of their lives?
Read, write, read, write! We are blessed with technology that there is no reason for any of us never to be able to read, whether it’s an actual hard copy of a book or opening up our kindle or laptop. Read as much and as often as possible and write. Whether it’s a personal journal or just random thoughts that you can put down occasionally. You’ll find yourself looking for the time to get away and be with your thoughts. To escape into your own little world or into another’s.
How do you react to a negative review of one of your manuscripts?
I realize that not everyone will like or enjoy what I write. If that was the case, there wouldn’t be the need for different genres or authors. I respect the opinion of others just as I hope they respect mine in my writing and opinions. Variety and spice are necessities in life.
Do you ever write naked?
No. I’m a tiny person, I would get cold.
What was your favorite scene or poem to write, and why was it so enjoyable?
My favorite poem would have to be a poem I wrote a year ago for my oldest son when he moved out. It dealt with time and how fast it can go and how much it gives to us.
What’s the hardest scene or poem you have ever written and why was it so hard to write?
There’s a scene in Karma, the second book in my Kismet Series, where I have to show the dark side of a beloved character. His demons were revealed and the perception of him to the reader I knew as soon as I wrote it would change or least make them question their loyalty to him. But after I wrote it, I felt amazing, knowing that just as in life, even in my stories, not everything is what it seems and that nobody walks this earth without their own personal demons that they carry and none of us are perfect. It made him in my eyes even more beautiful because it did make him human.
Do you ever use your writing as therapy, to either work out an issue, punish a perpetrator from your real life, or fantasize about what you could have done differently? If so, give us one example of how this manifested in your manuscript.
I most definitely use my writing as therapy, it helps immensely and whatever scenes I have used to manifest my emotions I will leave up to the reader to figure out.
Print books versus e-books; do you have a preference, and why?
I’m old school, I love print books. I love to feel the pages between my hands and although I see the convenience to e-books, I will always prefer a hard copy. Even the smell entices me, go into a library and you’ll know exactly what I mean.
Name a topic that you refuse to write about, and tell us, why won’t you write about that topic?
Politics. There are enough who tackle that topic. I don’t need too.
What is your best advice for beginning writers?
To write from your heart…. a quote that I made up when I began writing Kismet…”Your imagination is your greatest tool in writing, be guided by the unseen with no inhibitions, the greatest stories are told from the heart and made real by the mind and come to life by your hand.” You have to believe in yourself and don’t let others judge you. Write what you want and what you believe in.
What’s the worst advice you ever received from another writer?
To change the ending of Kindred Spirits…..never, ever would I change it. And once you read my Kismet Series, you’ll know why.