The Scariest Part of Writing a Book

 

Halloween is almost upon us, and with it comes the familiar appearance of ghosts, goblins, witches, werewolves, vampires, and other creatures of the night. These are the things that make ordinary people shiver from fright. But authors? Oh, we know a different kind of fear.

Authors have stared for hours into the horrifying emptiness of a blank page. We have lost our way in tangled plots with no clear exit. We have been haunted by characters who refuse to cooperate. And we have been tormented by story endings that wickedly deny us a satisfying conclusion.

And then there is the most dreadful experience of all: rereading yesterday's brilliant writing only to discover that it transformed into complete rubbish overnight.

Forget haunted houses. Try spending six months writing a novel, only to discover a plot hole big enough to swallow the entire cast! Now that is frightening.

Allow me to introduce you to a few of the horrors that lurk in the shadows of an author's life.

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The Curse of the Blank Page

There is nothing quite so intimidating as a blank page staring back at you. The glaring whiteness. The complete emptiness. It mocks you.

With a whirlwind of inspiration swirling in your head, you sit down at the computer, fingers poised over the keyboard, ready to create a masterpiece. At that very moment, every clever idea vanishes into thin air.

You type a sentence. Delete it. Type another. Delete that one too. After an hour of intense concentration, you manage to produce two words: Chapter One.

Congratulations. You are officially a writer.

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The Characters Who Refuse to Behave

You conceive your own unique characters. You name them. You give them personalities, histories, ambitions, and carefully planned futures. You are their creator—the supreme authority over their fictional universe.

Or so you think.

Somewhere around chapter seven, your obedient heroine develops an attitude. Your villain decides he would rather be misunderstood than be seen as entirely evil. Two characters who were never supposed to fall in love cannot keep their eyes off each other. And the character you planned to kill in chapter twelve? He refuses to die.

You argue. You threaten. You remind them who is in charge.

They laugh.

At some point, you surrender and rewrite the outline.

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The Plot Hole from Transylvania

Halfway through typing the initial manuscript, a horrifying realization strikes.

Your hero could not possibly have witnessed the murder because he was locked in a dungeon three hundred miles away. Your heroine somehow knows a secret that nobody ever told her. And the magical sword destroyed in chapter four has somehow mysteriously reappeared in chapter nineteen.

You stare at the screen in disbelief.

How did this happen? Someone must have sabotaged your manuscript while you were sleeping. Unfortunately, you are the only suspect.

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The Nightmare of Endless Revisions

Some people believe writing a book involves sitting at a computer, typing the story from beginning to end, and then happily sending it off to be published.

If only.

Writing the first draft is merely the beginning. Next come the revisions. Then more revisions. Then revisions of the revisions. You rearrange paragraphs, rewrite dialogue, eliminate unnecessary scenes, and hunt down adjectives that have multiplied like gremlins after midnight.

Eventually, you reach the point where you have read the same chapter so many times that the words no longer resemble English. So you declare the manuscript finished. Done. No more.

Three days later, you open it again because apparently writers enjoy suffering.

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The Ghost of Deleted Chapters

Every author has a graveyard. Mine is filled with discarded scenes, abandoned conversations, beautiful descriptions that served absolutely no purpose, and entire chapters that simply did not belong in the finished story.

Some were removed without remorse. Others required a painful farewell.

You spend hours crafting a scene you adore, only to realize it contributes nothing to the plot.

"But it's so beautifully written!" you protest.

Your inner editor folds its arms.

"But the dialogue is perfect!"

Your inner editor frowns and shakes its head.

"But I worked on it for THREE WHOLE DAYS!"

Your inner editor points rigidly at the delete key.

Somewhere, a tiny violin (or perhaps an old pipe organ) begins to play.

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The Terrifying Moment You Press Publish

You survived the blank page, the rebellious characters, the monstrous plot holes, and the seemingly endless torture of revisions. Your book is now finished. Edited. Formatted. Ready for readers across the world. All that is left is to press the button that makes it available for purchase.

Suddenly, your imagination becomes your worst enemy.

What if nobody likes it? What if somebody discovers a typo on page two? What if readers hate your favorite character? What if they love the villain more than the hero? What if your mom reads that one scene?

Your finger hovers over the SUBMIT button.

You consider changing your name to Danielle Evangelina Blackmont. Instead, you close your eyes, summon up the courage, and click.

There. You did it.

Now comes the truly terrifying part—waiting for reviews.

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The Sequel That Lurks in the Shadows

At last, your book is published. You lean back in your chair, breathe a sigh of relief, and congratulate yourself on surviving another literary adventure. You imagine a few peaceful weeks without deadlines, plot complications, or imaginary people demanding your attention. Then, just as you drift off to sleep, a new character appears in your mind:

"Hello," the creature says. "I have a story to tell you."

You pull the covers up over your head. "Go away."

"But it's a marvelous story."

You squeeze your eyes shut.

"Just one chapter," the creature insists as his features start to take shape.

And somewhere in the darkness, your next novel begins.

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Why I Keep Returning to the Haunted Writing Desk

Despite the frustrations, sleepless nights, and occasional desire to throw a laptop out the window, I would not trade the experience of being an author for any other vocation.

There is magic in creating new characters who never before existed. It is a wonderful delight when their personalities become real and they begin to interact with you. To watch their stories unfold is incredibly exciting, and there is real satisfaction in solving every stubborn story problem that comes along. I feel genuine joy at finally finding the right words, the right phrases, to express my ideas.

Yes, writing is exhausting. It is maddening, unpredictable, and occasionally frightening. But it is an adventure I willingly choose again and again.

So this Halloween, while the rest of the world worries about ghosts, monsters, and things that go bump in the night, I will be sitting at my desk, bravely facing a far more frightening creature—my unfinished manuscript. And if you happen to hear a bloodcurdling scream tear from my office, do not worry. I probably just discovered another plot hole.

Happy Halloween, and happy reading everyone!

—Richelle E. Goodrich

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A question for my readers: 

Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of your favorite stories?

Moving From Tennessee to Ohio

Big changes are happening at my house. My husband found work in Ohio, which means we are preparing to leave Tennessee to move north within the next couple of months. I am choosing to think of it as an adventure. It is certainly a chance to visit a new area of the world I have not yet seen.

For now, however, we are in that peculiar stage of moving where we technically still live in our house but most of our belongings do not. They are packed in cardboard boxes and piled high in the garage, presumably discussing among themselves which box contains the one item I will desperately need tomorrow. (I knew I shouldn’t have packed all my notebooks.)

Over the past several weeks, I have sorted, boxed, sold a few items on Marketplace, scrubbed, dusted, and mopped every inch of the house to get it ready to sell. I have cleaned places that never saw daylight until now. Moving is an enormous, arduous, expensive, unrewarding job—one that seems to create new tasks for every one completed. Because of this, my writing was put on hold while my husband and I concentrated on preparing the house.

Now that nearly everything we own is boxed and mostly waiting for the house to sell, I have finally started writing again. My office is empty excepting a desk, chair, and mini-fridge, so every little sound echoes off the bare walls. Even the tapping of my keyboard resounds extra loudly.

Honestly, as eerily as the echoes mix with the periodic hissing of the air-conditioner, I should be writing a ghost story.

It is strange for me to sit in an empty room with bare walls. I am used to being immersed in enchanting, sentimental objects—paintings, books, statues, collectibles, knick-knacks—that feed my imagination. While creating fictional worlds, my real world is completely dismantled and packed away. It feels like living between chapters. Tennessee is the chapter coming to a close while Ohio is the chapter waiting to begin a new story. Right now, I am stuck in an awkward space between the two—surrounded by boxes, cleaning supplies, and every disposable paper product a person needs to function throughout a day.

I am both excited and sad about this move, although there is still plenty to do before the actual day arrives. For now, I just pray that the right buyer comes along soon. And while my husband and I wait, I shall be in my echoing office writing again... and trying not to imagine every creak in this mostly-empty house as a ghost enquiring when the next chapter will be finished.

Reflections on a Decade of Words (and Mild Chaos)

 

A Year’s End and a Cup of Questionable Cocoa

As this year stumbles toward its grand finale—tripping over scattered rolls of wrapping paper and presents that could more easily be shoved into gift bags—I find myself sitting quietly with a mug of cocoa that may or may not still be warm. It’s early. Very early. The kind of early where a person begins to ponder important questions like Why am I awake? and Did I actually accomplish anything this year? This past decade? Or did I just perpetually reorganize my website?

But then the memories drift in, floating like dust motes that cleverly avoid vacuum cleaners. And I realize that… yes, I did accomplish things. Quite a few things, actually.

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Words That Wandered Off Without Permission

When I first started publishing, I had no idea that some of my shortest lines—tiny thoughts scribbled in the margins of my brain and my notebook—would wander off into the world and find homes in places I never expected. Quotes I first scribbled on post-its became lines in my books and somehow ended up taped to the desks of strangers. Some of my quotes were taped into scrapbooks, displayed on classroom walls, printed in magazines, and shared online by people who had no idea I was often venting or healing from what sparked my thoughts and adages.

But nothing has delighted me quite so much as hearing, “I needed your words today.”
It has been humbling. And a little surreal. Like watching your kids go out into the world and manage themselves independently as kind, decent, responsible adults.

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Books, Books, and a Few More Books

Somewhere in the midst of my writing journey, I managed to publish multiple books—fantasy adventures, reflective collections, poetry, and other stories that insisted on being written. Each book release has been a bit like sending a fragile little paper boat into a giant ocean. Miraculously, none of them sank. Even more miraculously, people read them. Voluntarily. Thank you.

When readers tell me a character speaks to them or a line offers real comfort—well, those are the moments that fuel me more than any amount of caffeine (and that is saying something).

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Lessons Learned (Most of Them the Hard Way)

This past decade taught me discipline.
Which is a polite way of saying: I can write on days when the creative spark is dead and buried and refusing resurrection.

It taught me revision and patience. (Some manuscripts I have revised so many times they should be awarded frequent flyer miles.)

It taught me to trust my voice, even when that voice occasionally mutters “This paragraph is awful” or “No one will ever read this,” which, ironically, is often when someone emails to tell me it was their favorite part.

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The Not-So-Solitary Writing Life

Despite the stereotype of writers living in dark rooms surrounded by stacks of books, sentimental possessions, and empty mugs (okay, fine, that part is kinda true), I have been incredibly lucky to be part of a creative community. I have met readers who share their hearts. I have met writers who share their wisdom. I have met people who ask, “When is the next book coming out?”—which is both the greatest compliment and the scariest question ever.

Storytelling may happen in solitude, but I have learned that being a storyteller is wonderfully crowded.

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Gratitude, Giggles, and New Pages Ahead

As I wrap up 2025 and try not to devour the last of the chocolate covered gummy bears, I feel immensely grateful. Grateful for characters who whisper their stories at three in the morning, for readers who embrace my stories (and don’t complain too much about my cliffhangers), grateful for a husband who supports me wholeheartedly, and grateful for the unpredictable ink-stained path that has somehow carried me through a full decade.

I pray that 2026 and the next ten years will bring me creative ideas, new manuscripts, leaps of faith—and a faster laptop. But for now, I am so very thankful for the time and opportunity to craft my own stories.

Here’s to another year of quiet wonder, beautiful words, healing laughter, and the special magic that happens when a book finds its perfect reader.

—Richelle E. Goodrich

My Favorite Things - Author Interview

Richelle, readers have asked a few questions about your favorite things. Thank you for agreeing to answer some of these fun and curious questions.

Of course! It is my pleasure.

Let's start with a simple one: What is your favorite color?
Pink first―a soft pastel pink―and then hazel green. Pink wins out over green.

Why is that?
Because pink is pretty and feminine. I like feminine things,the whole "pretty in pink" image. I like green because my eyes are green, and I have always been pleased with my eye color.


What is your favorite movie?
That is a tough question because I love movies. I will say either Enchanted or Shrek is my favorite movie. I adore the Enchanted story and the actors who starred in the movie. Shrek is just awesome, including all of the sequels. They make me laugh every time. But I also like Tangled, Trolls, Aladdin, and Moana. I enjoy feel-good cartoons. Honestly, I LOVE cartoons; I always have. 

I also enjoy almost any film or tv series with "star" in the title, like Star Trek―love, love, love the new Strange New Worlds Star Trek series with Captain Pike. I am a fan of Star Wars and Stargate as well. And the Avengers, especially the original Avengers. There will never be a group of Avenger heros to top the original gang. I love the new episodes of Star Wars and Marvel stories they have on Disney now. Those have been fun to watch. I also like Avatar, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit as well as Pirates of the Caribbean, Alice in Wonderland, and First Knight. Sean Connery was my heartthrob when I was young. He and Richard Dean Anderson and Johnny Depp. 


What about your favorite music artist?
Hands down, Rascal Flatts. But as a teenager, I used to listen to Sting almost exclusively. Funny how our tastes change. I also enjoy Jon McLaughlin, Rachel Platten, Justin Timberlake, Forest Blakk, Ed Sheeran, Meghan Trainor, Billy Joel, and the Pentatonix. All of these artists have some excellent music out. And I love listening to anything sung by Idina Menzel. Her voice is captivating! 


Do you have a favorite song?
That is an impossible question too, with an ever-changing answer. Give me a list of Rascal Flatts songs and I'll mark them off for you. I really like Bless the Broken Road and Unstoppable and The Day Before You and I Won't Let Go and Where You Are and Feels Like Today and so on and so on. But I also like If You Love Her by Forest Blakk, Better Place by Rachel Platten, So Close by Jon McLaughlin, The Prayer by Pentatonix, Made You Look by Meghan Trainor, and so many other amazing songs I can't even think of at the moment.


How about books and authors?  Which are your best-loved books? 
My favorite book of all time is Les Miserables written by Victor Hugo. He was a master storyteller and a wizard with words. I love how meticulously he describes settings and characters, and how he stirs up deep emotions in readers. Hugo is a genius.  My other favorite authors include C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, masters of fantasy.  The Lord of the Rings is my absolute best-loved saga of all time.  And I appreciated the disturbing truth in The Screwtape Letters.  That book hit a nerve.

Other favorite books include Rumpelstiltskin and all the old fairytales by the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, Charles Perrault and George MacDonald.  I also adore Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. 

I enjoy Charles Dickens' writing.  He has vibrant personality in his narrative voice.  It is bright and distinctively him.  It was a treat to read A Christmas Carol after watching the hundreds of movies based on the book.  And Oliver Twist―wow!  The model for a classic work. I like reading Shel Silverstein's poetry because his work is creative and fun. I could list hundreds of good books because there are so many. We're spoiled as readers these days. 


If you had a free day to yourself and a choice of doing anything at all, what would you do? 
Easy.  I would curl up in the corner of my sofa with a hot cup of cocoa and work on another book.  I love writing, whether it is poetry or a developing story.  Writing has become my beloved obsession.


Okay, Richelle, here's a string of random questions.  Ready?
Hit it.


What is your magical number?
Ten.  Followed closely by seven and seventeen.


What is your preferred flower?
Lily. Especially a large-petal lily in the shade of pink or maroon.


Your favorite animal?
Cats!  Big, crazy, playful cats.


Favored comic strip?
Ziggy.  I know he's old, but he was everything good, innocent, and adorable.


Your pick of animated characters?
You are probably thinking I will say Shrek, but Winnie the Pooh is my absolute favorite animated character. He and Eeyore. 


Most impressive of all mythical creatures?
Colossal, scaly-skinned, fire-breathing dragons!


Who is your all-time favorite superhero?
It used to be Thor, but Captain America won my heart as Avengers progressed.  I like the whole medieval image and the idea of immortality, but I respect the leadership abilities of Captain America and the fact that he was doggedly firm in standing up for his beliefs, his standards, and his friends. That to me is what a real hero does. 

My other favorite superhero is Wonder Woman because I love the Greek mythology behind her origin and goddess status and, well seriously, who wouldn't want to be her?

What supernatural power would you want for yourself as a superhero?
Definitely healing powers.  It would be rewarding to have the ability to heal diseases and illnesses.


What's your favorite food?
Fresh, hot, homemade bread slathered in butter and strawberry preserves.  Yummmm! 


Sweetest dessert?
Soft chocolate chip cookies with walnuts and hot fudge sundaes and bittersweet dark chocolate.  It is hard to choose between the three, so I just put them all together. Honestly, if I had to choose, it would be ice cream. Either a hot fudge sundae or peanut butter and chocolate ice cream.


What is your preferred restaurant to frequent?
Wendy's was my favorite as a child for fast food. I recently discovered Braum's since moving down south, and they have ice cream to go with their fast food, so that is a huge plus in my book! For a nicer dinner, I enjoy any good Mexican or Italian restaurant. 


Your favorite holiday?
My birthday, of course!  Actually, Christmas is my favorite holiday.  I have a tradition of unpacking my many copies of A Christmas Carol―a collection that continues to grow―and then I watch the many different versions of Scrooge throughout the month of  December.  It is my crazy tradition―one that makes my family groan.  They can probably recite the entire movie from beginning to end now.


Do you have a best-loved sport?
To play, it would be volleyball.  To watch―football.  Football is never boring.


Besides writing, what else do you like to do for fun?
Go to the movies and eat popcorn. Gotta have popcorn. I also like to strum on the guitar or play the piano. I am not great at it, but playing music is enjoyable. Playing a little pool or bowling a few games is also fun for me―again, not that I'm good at either one. 


Do you have a preference in perfumes?
No, but I do have a favorite incense or two.  I love the smell of eucalyptus and myrrh.  You can get them as essential oils.  The smells are unusual; earthy, warm, spicy, exotic, and totally intoxicating.  I love sniffing at myrrh because the fragrance is a rare experience.  To me, it is sort of mystical.  I dab a little oil on my ears or on my neck sometimes just to catch the smell throughout the day.  


Do you have a treasured quote?
Oh dear, many!  I love good quotes.  My favorite quote changes depending on the day and what is happening in my life at the time.  One that has stuck with me consistently was written by Henry David Thoreau.

"If you have built your castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be.  Now put foundations under them."

That quote is a motivator for me, one that urges me to keep on with my dreams regardless of how improbable the likelihood is of reaching them.


I know you have a few quotes of your own.  What's your favorite personal quote?

“Don't ever give up.
 Don't ever give in.
 Don't ever stop trying.
 Don't ever sell out.
 And if you find yourself succumbing to one of the above for a brief moment, pick yourself up, brush yourself off, whisper a prayer, and start where you left off. But never, ever, ever give up.”  

Words I live by.
 

That is inspiring.  Any other words of advice for fellow writers?
Yes. Please do not take this the wrong way, but my best advice is this: Don't listen to anyone. I actually mean it. Do not change your writing to please the world, because you cannot please the whole world. Do not be swayed by those who would take over your ambitions and see your zeal for writing slowly fade. Write what makes you happy―just you. Your story should come from the heart and be written in your words. Your writing should be your own distinct, compiled treasure. Only then will your work be a worthwhile endeavor. In the end, there will be those who value it. I actually wrote a quote that is appropriate here...

"No matter what you write, no matter how meticulous and painstaking the creation process, someone is going to laugh, scorn, and dissect your work with criticism while another quietly falls in love with it."

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My Quotes in Pictures

     While on a curious stroll through the internet (a virtual walk guided by Google) I was tickled to find a number of my original quotes posted on websites, tweeted via Twitter, Facebooked, and pinned on Pinterest.
     My words have been framed over beautiful scenes that effectively emphasize the spirit of each quote, revealing the marrow of each passage's meaning. As an author, I am pleased. As a human being whose life experiences inspired me to summarize these truths, I am deeply touched. I thought I would share a few visually enriched quotes I stumbled across; they are marvelous!

Whatever Made You Want To Write A Book?

"Richelle, whatever made you want to write a book?"

That's a good question. One I've been asked more than once. And if the answer were as simple as "Just because", I would end right here. But my personal motivation came from a mix of circumstances perfectly intertwined. Honestly, it is a miracle I ever made an attempt to put a lengthy story on paper.

Picture this...

It was one week before Christmas 2006, and I was sitting at my computer filling out Christmas cards. It is tradition to include a short family letter with the card, nothing big, just a line or two highlighting the accomplishments of each family member. The house was eerily quiet that afternoon with my husband at work and my three boys gone for Christmas break. I missed my children terribly. Painfully even. My thoughts were bogged with concerns for them. Are they okay? Are their needs being met? Are they safe? Are they happy? Do they miss me?  But to worry over your babies is normal for any caring mother. That's what I kept telling myself after whispering the hundred-and-twenty-seventh prayer for their well-being.

I realized all the worrying was doing me no good, but when your life revolves around your children for so many years, what do you do when they are gone? I needed something.  A hobby or... well, something.

I finished jotting down the yearly accomplishments for all my kids and my husband, which left mine for last. It wasn't that I was saving the best for the finale or that I was humbly mentioning my family's achievements before my own... no... the truth was, I just plain could not think of anything impressive to write about myself. What had I done in the past year?

Well, I had worked both outside and inside the home. I had made 1,100 meals, if not more. I had washed 2,000 sink loads of dishes, if not more. I had laundered, folded, and put away 600 loads of clothes (say it with me now, if not more.)  I had mopped floors, vacuumed carpets, changed sheets, scrubbed toilets, washed mirrors and windows and screens. I had weeded and re-weeded the garden, mowed the lawn, and given haircuts to my family. I had driven kids to and from school, scouts, mutual, karate, track, and whatever other functions they needed to attend. I had tucked my boys into bed with 365 nighttime prayers and bedtime reading. I had done all the regular, runaround, expected, mommy/housewife stuff.

But the question that troubled me was "What had I accomplished outside of chores?"  What personal achievement could I make note of in our Christmas letter?

I could think of nothing. That realization made me slump even further in my chair. Already moping about missing my boys, my spirits sank low realizing I had done nothing extraordinary in ages.

Did I mention that this was twenty years after my high school graduation? Oh yes, that too was on my mind. Twenty years! Where in the world had the time gone? What happened to all those amazing things I was going to do once I left home after high school? Where were the talents I once utilized in my youth? I no longer sketched or painted or danced or sang or played piano or performed in theatrical plays. My talents had been set aside for years. Neglected. Abandoned. How had that happened?

So there I sat, bemoaning lost years and the fact that happily-ever-afters don't come in happily-every-days when a sudden whisper of inspiration hit. A simple but powerful thought.

"If for the past twenty years you had written just one sentence a day, you would have composed a novel by now."

Don't ask me where it came from, but the idea was like a slap in the face, both admonishing and inspiring. 

Could I write a sentence a day? Yes! Easily! I could jot down a sentence in a matter of seconds!  But what was there to write about? I mean, you need an idea for a story, right?

The fact that I was brooding over high school memories took me back to the days when I used to finish classroom assignments so quickly that a good chunk of time was left to idle away. And what did I usually do with that time? How had I spent all those free moments in class?  Quietly drawing and daydreaming.

I had my favorite fantasies too, those I revisited and expanded on over time. One beloved adventure starred a young girl destined to rule a small world that thrived in another part of the galaxy. This was the story I never forgot. Truth be told, it was a daydream I sometimes entertained as an adult. Especially when I needed a healthy escape from reality.

In that moment of what I consider divine inspiration, I determined to write a book. A novel. The story of my favorite daydream. The account of Queen Eena of Harrowbeth.

I vowed that in twenty years from December 2006, I would at least be able to say I had written a novel, even if it meant doing so one sentence per day. I started typing those first few words at that very moment.

There is more humor to this tale than you might realize.  For you see, if you had asked me five minutes prior to my epiphany if I would ever attempt to write a novel, I would have laughed aloud (probably snorted) and exclaimed "Are you crazy? Do you have any idea how impossibly challenging it would be to write an entire novel? It would take like for-e-ver!"

You should also know that I earned my college degrees in mathematics and natural science.  Never touched English literature.

Also, there is a tiny bit of truth I should probably confess: for the majority of my life I had a passionate distaste for writing. 

Are you laughing yet?  Okay, how about this...

Honest, true story.

In high school, my worst subject (not that I didn't earn high enough marks in the class) and the one area of study I groaned about the most was English. I hated writing assignments. Hated them. I think the reason why I hated them so much was because no "correct answer" existed.  Not like in mathematics where 2 + 2 = 4, no arguments.  But for English classes, I could scribble out a paper that one teacher stamped with a big, beautiful "A" while another instructor branded the same paper with a scarlet "C".  Writing became a matter of trying to please some disinterested adult whose expectations you could hardly guess. Not to mention the fact that the subject matter I was forced to write about was usually depressing and utterly boring.

And so I loathed writing.

I remember the day clearly when as a teenager I stood up from the kitchen table to stretch my stiff muscles. I was working on an English paper, and as I rose to my feet I made a firm, bold statement meant for any ears in the house. "I hate English, and I hate writing, but knowing my luck I'll probably grow up to be some stupid writer."

Well said, foolish teenager. Little did I know the twisted ironies of life.

And so, many many years later, pushing forty years of age, I sat at my computer and determined to accomplish a feat I deemed highly challenging. I figured it would take years, but the odd thing was, it didn't seem so impossible when I looked at the goal as a mere few sentences compounded daily. The more I wrote, the more I found myself craving free time to add additional paragraphs. I discovered an enormous difference in my frame of mind when it came to composing a work meant to please only me versus struggling with a composition meant to impress others. 

It is actually freeing.

And sweetly delicious.

And unbelievably addictive!

So I will eat crow and admit... I do love writing. 

No, no, I'm far from being a Victor Hugo or a Charles Dickens, but I profit by as much joy from the journey as I'm sure they did.  And it pleases me. I hope that for some readers out there, my stories prove entertaining enough to please you as well.  So, that is my answer to your question, "Whatever made you want to write a book?"

Books, Blogs, & Bits Interviews Me

The following is an interview of yours truly arranged by Books, Blogs, and Bits: A site to share and highlight books, authors, and other interesting stuff. I enjoyed this interview a great deal and have posted it here for your reading pleasure.

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Books, Blogs, and Bits

is proud to present:

Richelle E. Goodrich

Richelle E. Goodrich lives in Washington with her husband and three boys somewhere in a compromise between country and city living. She has two BA degrees and possesses a wide range of interests in the creative arts. Her love for writing emerged later in life, first manifesting itself through children’s books geared at entertaining her boys. Eena, The Dawn and Rescue and Eena, The Return of a Queen (the beginning adventures in the Harrowbethian Saga) are Richelle’s first novel-length achievements. This author will tell you that the greatest thrill of writing is to hear what readers have to say about the characters living within her enchanted pages.

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BB & B: I love this quote of yours, 

“Courage to me is doing something daring, no matter how afraid, insecure, intimidated, alone, unworthy, incapable, ridiculed or whatever other paralyzing emotion you might feel. Courage is taking action… no matter what. So you’re afraid? Be afraid. Be scared silly to the point you’re trembling and nauseous, but do it anyway!” -Smile Anyway

Can you tell us about this quote and what brought out these words of encouragement?

Richelle: Yes, I certainly can. For the most part, my quotes have been inspired by personal experiences and some unpleasant trials. At times, however, they’ve resulted from a keen fascination for observing and evaluating human behavior. I like to ‘people watch’, perhaps because I never cease to be amazed by the actions of others.

The quote you mention regarding courage came to me when I was facing a difficult challenge that resulted in taking a stand for what I heartily wanted despite strenuous opposition. I’m no super hero, I’ll admit. I cringe at the mere mention of anxiety, fear, and confrontation. But I’ve learned that courage isn’t reserved for the brave and daring only. Courage means taking action, period. And even a timid personality can do that—albeit trembling the entire time.

 
BB & B: I love fantasy and magic in my books and you definitely capture these elements so beautifully in your stories. What inspires you when in the creation of your characters and the world they live in?

Richelle: I’m a daydreamer to the very core. There are a thousand stories swirling in my head constantly, sort of like an inner library where I slip a book off the shelf almost daily for the purpose of entertaining an untiring brain. If only I could write—had the time to write—all the adventures and fantasies that play on my mental viewscreen. I have my favorites memorized, and I tweak their stories often, hoping someday to jot them down on paper. I’ve always been this way, passing the time in another world, pretending to be some extraordinary character. I have to laugh because I actually wrote a quote inspired by this truth:

“I live in two unique worlds, traveling between both with just the opening or closing of my eyes.”
~Richelle E. Goodrich

That’s me. What inspires these stories—the characters and the worlds they come from? Well... what doesn’t inspire them? In other words, just about anything can act as inspiration for me, depending upon what I’m thinking about at the moment. A mangled tree once inspired an entire book, including the type of life that dominated a fantasy world. A touching scene from a movie was what sparked the idea for my book, Dandelions.
Art seems to be a strong stimulation when it comes to sparking stories in my imagination. I believe that’s because art is so highly interpretive, which means I must draw on my own creativity to evaluate it. And once the creativity starts to flow, quite frankly there’s no stopping what develops from it.




BB & B: To what extent do your characters remind you of yourself or someone you know?

Richelle: I’m smiling at this question. I am a firm believer that there is absolutely a portion of the personality of a writer in the main character(s) he/she creates. My characters are not exactly as I am, but they most certainly do possess solid elements of ‘me-ness’ in them. They must, because it’s me imagining how they would react and respond and reply to presented stimuli. And all I have to go on is what exists within my experience; experience that has made me, me.

BB & B: If you had to pick just one story or one character of yours. Which or who would it be and why?

Richelle: Hmmmm. Pick one for what purpose? Do you want the character that entertains me the most? Or the one I most relate to? Or the one that I enjoyed creating most? Okay, let’s see…
The character that entertains me most is probably Kira the Mishmorat from my stories in the Harrowbethian Saga or "Eena" books. Kira’s personality is nervy, edgy, and spirited—traits I normally repress. She speaks at will, behaves boldly, is a striking beauty and an alluring nymph. I love how she is.

The character that I most relate to would be Annabelle Fancher in Dandelions. Not because I have ever experienced the abusive life she unfortunately endures, but because she and I both are dreamers and avid people watchers. Despite Annabelle’s youth, she makes very astute observations about her peers and many adults.

The character I most enjoyed creating would be Eena, hands down. That’s because she is me. I am her. At least that’s the way I always imagined it when I use to daydream about Eena and her other-world adventures as a high school student bored to death in class.




BB & B: Here’s another quote from Smile Anyway

, “A daily dose of daydreaming heals the heart, soothes the soul, and strengthens the imagination.” 

I just love your quotes. They’re inspiring and full of wisdom. I can see that you are about positivity and living up to your true calling and not giving up. Can you share with us your tips for staying positive and keeping on course? I think this can be especially challenging for those of us in the creative field.

Richelle: There are three things that help fuel my drive to succeed. The first is an easy and simple habit; I do at least one thing daily to get me nearer to my goal. On a busy day, that might mean writing just one sentence in a developing manuscript. On a lazy day I might read for research purposes or scribble out an entry on my author blog. The point is that I not allow myself to become stagnant. Doing nothing achieves nothing, therefore I take at least one step toward my goal every day, despite how tiny the step.

Next, I’ve come to realize that where dreams are concerned I have only two choices—give up or keep going. If I were to give up, that would translate into sheer failure, and I do NOT want to fail. Therefore, I’ve no other choice but to keep going, to keep striving towards those dreams.

The last habit I rely upon most heavily. I pray. I explain to my Heavenly Father what I wish to achieve, and I ask Him for inspiration, guidance, and His hand in making it possible. And I believe assuredly that He can and will help me.

BB & B: Do you have any works in progress? What can fans expect from you in the near future?

Richelle: Yes, as a matter of fact; I’m excited about this one! I’ve begun a new YA book staring a genius boy-gifted girl duo. They’re coerced by an old Mayan priest into opposing phantom villains who must be stopped at all costs or else… (Wait a minute. I probably shouldn’t give the entire story away.) Anyhow, I hope to have this work completed by the end of the year.

BB & B: Do you have any closing words you’d like to share?

Richelle: Sure, how about a quote to inspire? This one is from my recently released book, Smile Anyway:

“Never give up.
It’s like breathing—once you quit, your flame dies letting total darkness extinguish every last gasp of hope. You can’t do that. You must continue taking in even the shallowest of breaths, continue putting forth even the smallest of efforts to sustain your dreams. Don’t ever, ever, ever give up.”
― Richelle E. Goodrich

Thank you Richelle for your time! Beautiful words indeed!
To get to know more about Richelle and her great works, please visit the links below:

Richelle’s Websites:
The Writing’s of Richelle E. Goodrich
American Author & Novelist, Richelle E. Goodrich
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