Inside the Mind - A-M Mawhiney

I first started writing at age eight but I stopped after high school and didn’t write creatively until the first lockdown in 2020. I needed to find a place of hope and realized I would need to formulate a place of hope through creative writing.

Fugitive Rifts is about four very different teens who meet in their last year of school: an elite basketball player, a privileged underachiever, a brainiac geek who just recently became re-housed, and a brilliant, brooding artist. Initially a few sparks fly but overtime as they get to know each other they find they have more in common than they’d originally. thought. They each face challenges that are life-changing. Then one disappears leaving the others shattered. This is a coming of age story and also much more than this. Fugitive Rifts explores social and environmental issues of our times and the ways the four characters, over a number of years, change not only other peoples’ lives, but also transform their community and even the world.

I am a panster so the first characters development happens through actions and dialogue in the opening scene. Then I go for long walks and think about each main character, their personality, their inner thoughts, and hopes and dreams. I think about what challenges they have and how they respond to these and gradually layer in complexities through their innermost thoughts, actions, and dialogue. I focus less on the superficial appearance and more on their true character. In revisions I layer in more details until I am satisfied they are three dimensional. I rely on the editing and early reader stages to have feedback and then will add in more details where and when needed.

I make up at 6:30, and am writing after breakfast usually by 8 am. Sometimes I pause to walk after a few hours, grab a bite to eat and get back to my laptop. I have days when I write into the evening and others when I need space to create mentally before I get back to actual writing. And, like many writers, I may on occasion wake up in the middle of the night and write down some thoughts. When I am writing I may write every day until I decide I need time away. I am fortunate to have a partner who respects my intense process, and supports me by preparing meals.

For me, the most rewarding part of being an Indie author is the freedom to write my stories my way. I read a lot, and find many plots are predictable and follow the same pace and structure. I strive to write unique stories that don’t necessarily fit the structure and form that traditional authors adhere to.

While writing Fugitive Rifts I had envisioned an event that in the real world would claim many lives. I wasn’t able to bring myself to write about the carnage but it was essential to what happens next. I decided that I would not be able to complete the story and took the summer of 2024 off, at our cabin on an island. Then one morning I woke up with a solution and started writing again, creating a scene that was, I think, some of my best writing. Readers have told me that section brought them to tears. Without this sudden inspiration there would be no Fugitive Rifts.

I am pretty much old school. I write on a laptop, do research on my IPad, and rely on people — the editors, designers, proofreaders, etc. to help me refine my “final” draft.

Just start. Sit down at your writing spot, open your notepad/computer/dictating app and start with a first sentence. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just write and then pause and ask what happens next. And keep going. Take breaks, go for walks, and stay with the story you want to tell. Don’t worry about perfection. You will be going through drafts many more times than you can imagine!

I have watched other, very skilled promoters to see what they do, I have read a lot of guides, and use social media almost every day. I attend seminars on promoting, and use almost every opportunity to talk about my books. And I have made sales in odd situations, like in a clothing shop, at my dentist’s, in a restaurant etc just by having a casual conversation and a copy of the book at hand. I have learned a lot from my Promotions Specialist at Friesen Press. Without him, I doubt I would have any idea how to promote. But I also measure my progress not just by sales but by the amazing Indie network of authors whom I have met (mainly virtually) and realize people are noticing what I say and do as an author. Book promotion is a challenge, I believe, for most Indie authors and there are so many scammers it is difficult to know whom to trust. But I have learned so much and will continue to develop innovative promotion strategies.

I am having several launch events over the next few months and am toying with some unfinished storytelling about one of the minor characters in Fugitive Rifts. I am mulling about writing her life before she enters the times of Fugitive Rifts as a middle aged woman. Knowing her, this will be an enormous writing challenge.