A February 2006 interview with Rebecca Bloomer, author of Mae-be Roses.

I haven’t always wanted to be ‘a writer’ but I have always written. Whenever life got to be too much or I didn’t feel good I would write. From a very young age I wrote stories and poetry trying to figure out exactly where I stood on issues, events and just every day happenings in my life. Becoming a writer happened when I took the time to submit to a publisher. LOL…and still when people ask me “What do you do?” LOL…I say “I’m a teacher!”

Do you have any advice for young writers?

Yes, keep writing. Writing improves with practise. Oh and learn to take criticism. As a professional writer, your editor will be both your best friend and your worst critic. Only when you take someone else’s advice, hear what they’re reading as opposed to what you feel you’ve written…will your writing improve. While this sounds very easy; even after several books I still feel my heart sink when I see an editors red pen all over my work!

If you weren't a writer, what would you be?

LOL…a lunatic! As I said earlier, writing is an integral part of who I am. What would I do with all my characters if I didn’t write them out?

Are you working on anything now?

Yes, I’m working on a science-fantasy trilogy called Eudaimonia. You can read the blurb on my website. I’m about three-quarters of the way through and I’m really loving it!

What is your working environment like?

LOL…variable. I have a laptop so somedays I write while lying in bed, others I sit down under a tree in the back yard and others I spend on the beach. Mostly where I write depends on my mood. One thing that is always the same though, is the quiet. I can’t write if I’m being interrupted every two minutes or if there is noise in the background. I need to be alone with the words in my head.

What is your working style?

I always have the entire story in my head before I start writing…especially the end. I always know my characters inside-out and most often have the major pieces of dialogue before I begin. Without all that I would be scrounging for words.

Do you believe in outlining?

Despite knowing the story, I outline every chapter in point form just to make sure I stick with the program. I don’t, however, have a story outline written down.

What is your goal as a writer?

I want never to run out of stories.
I want always to speak to the hearts of my readers.
I want to make a difference to somebody’s world or point-of-view

What person or person(s) has/have helped you the most in your career?

Apart from my editors, my friend Ann. When my family won’t leave me alone for long enough to get much work done, I ring her with an SOS. She lets me use her house in Sydney where I can see the water from her veranda and have enough quiet to get stacks of work done.

What's the best piece of advice you ever had on writing?

Show don’t tell. I shouldn’t need to tell someone how my characters are feeling, shouldn’t need to name an emotion. Readers should know what my characters are thinking and feeling by what my character does or says.

How much of your writing is based on your own experience as a child or teenager?

LOL…some is my own life and some are the stories my friends sit around and tell about their childhoods. Even more interesting to me though, are the stories my students tell me about what they do on weekends or how they feel about certain issues. If they like my stories or ideas, then I know I’m on the right track.

Do you prefer to write longhand, on a typewriter, or on a computer?

Ohhh computer, every time. I love my delete key. Better still, I love being able to ‘undelete’. I write longhand when I’m having trouble with a piece though. Somehow there seems to be a more intimate link between brain and paper when my fingers are holding a pencil. So if a character is giving me trouble…I write them out!