Action Pulp!

By Adam Messer

“I always say if you’re having writer’s block, you’re not letting your characters lead. You’re writing the story, not them. And that sounds strange and weird because it is you writing the story… but the world belongs to those people living it.” – Vallorie Neal Wood.

Vallorie Neal Wood is a mystery writer and professor who writes the script, but follows the characters lead to solve the case.

Please introduce yourself.

My name is Vallorie Neal Wood. I have always loved writing stories. I fancied myself as a writer long before I ever seriously called myself that. When I was younger, I had favorite TV shows that I would ‘rewrite’ after watching, and include my own made-up character who showed up in all my episode ‘rewrites.’ Most of the TV shows I watched were spy shows, and so as I grew older, I tended toward those type stories. When I was sixteen, I started my first spy novel. It remains a favorite of mine because it grew as I grew. I finished it later in life and it took on a very adult theme but remained in the spy genre. I tend to reflect more about the psyche of the spy in my stories than actual assignments though they are significant. Usually they are spies trying to walk away from the secrecy of it all. 

I also have been a professor for the past 20 years, teaching script-writing and media production. I also worked with my producer husband for as long on his Cable TV program in Atlanta where I was director and editor. I have done a variety of short documentaries and such but not so much anymore. Those were great years and memories. 

What genres do you write and why?

My genre would be mystery/action/suspense. They are specifically espionage stories, murder mysteries, and the others I would categorize as mystery/drama.

What is your earliest memory of reading?

Nine years old. I LOVED Mary Roberts Rhinehart because I could never figure out her ‘whodunits’! I have a younger brother who tells me the only thing he remembers about me at home was that I always had a book in my hand.

When did you know you wanted to write? How did it happen?

I believe I was born to be a writer. It took me years to declare that, and to believe it, but my husband used to tell me that. And yes, I have written lots of stories and lots of times when I had no audience. But I have always known I wanted to write, to be a writer. It really happened with my first novel I started at 16. The title changed names by the end but it grew as I grew. It was the most unique experience I’ve ever had with any of my stories. I think because I really came to understand how characters ‘take over’ the story, how they talk to you, how they even say, “I would never say that line…” and if that doesn’t make you sit up and think… I was driven to finish that story and it sat on the back burner for years before I actually finished it up and published it. My other stories grew from that same desire to write, to tell a good story. I call it Fiction Land and I say it’s a great place to hang out.

What’s one of your favorite scenes in one of your books?

That’s a hard question! To pick one favorite scene… I have so many from each of my books! People will ask, which is your favorite book? That is like asking which is my favorite child…I can only reply each is my favorite for this or that reason…

But if I have to choose, then one scene that comes to mind would be when the reporter in my story, “Royston,” tells the detective the name of the suicide victim in a twenty-year-old case she’s trying to find out more about. She has no idea of the relationship between the victim and the detective; the detective has no idea the victim ever committed suicide. His reaction truly pivots the story.

What makes a good character? A bad one?

A good character, of course, we care about. He may have flaws and we love him/her even more for it. We have to know they’re human, infallible, but that we can trust them. We want to help the good character, and we want to see them overcome all the obstacles that have kept them from moving forward or stymied in some way.

A bad character… you got to really not like him. He can’t be trusted. Don’t turn your back on him/her, and they are very ruthless types. They have to scare you a little bit. That’s where the distrust comes in.

What moves the story for you?

The twists and turns. But to get there, I have to care about the characters and about the world they exist in. I sometimes don’t always know how they’re going to get down the road. This is when you have to trust your characters to lead the story. I always say if you’re having writer’s block, you’re not letting your characters lead. You’re writing the story, not them. And that sounds strange and weird because it is you writing the story… but the world belongs to those people living it. And you have to pay attention to everything, from where they came from, who they are in that present universe, and how is it going to change them.

What is your favorite book and why?

Does this mean out of my own stories, or a book by another author? 

I think one of the most intense books I’ve ever read is “This Present Darkness.” Frank Peretti. That remains a story that I think about even years later about reading it. How he wove the natural world with the supernatural world was phenomenal. I loved another book he did later because right in the middle of the story, Peretti brings in a total surprise… A character from a previous story who was great in that other one, and he enters that universe of that story. That was so super cool. 

As for my own…. each one has a reason why it could be a favorite. Why? because of the history of the story, or where the idea came from, or simply because it brought bits and pieces of my own life into it, sort of.

What do you want to say to your audience?

I get a lot of great feedback from my readers, and I have those who have read everything I’ve put out, and they are the ones who keep me moving forward to write and finish the next one… When people say ‘oh I haven’t read any good books in a long time,’ I always reply ‘you haven’t read mine.’ I think I have a writing style that readers from the feedback seem to really enjoy. They say they love the way I tell the story and they ‘never see it coming.’ That’s a great compliment. Or to hear I read this story in one day, or I couldn’t put it down until I got to the end. My favorite is a reader who contacted me Christmas morning and said, “Imagine me telling my family there is no Christmas dinner till I find out what happened between these two characters!”

What advice do you have for new writers?

You want to write? Just start doing it. Write what you got, what you’ve imagined. Even if you don’t have the whole story, start writing. The characters will help you–they will want to! But remember it’s easy to start…the hard part is to get to the finish and The End. Then to re-read it and make sure it says what you want it to say. Make sure you’ve corrected the mistakes in spelling, etc. It distracts the reader to figure out what’s wrong with a word…you want them focused on the story. And especially if you self-publish (though I’ve seen misspelled words in traditionally published novels), you want people to appreciate you took the time. Self-publishing doesn’t mean you just throw it out there. That’s not writing, and that hurts the rest of those trying to make it a profession. And oh yes, obstacles in real life will hit you to try to slow you down writing, and actually steal your time. But know you can overcome that. Life is tough, yes, and you got to go through it, but if you really want that story to get done, you got to work on through the anxiety of life. It’s really all about the story…

Do you have anything else you would like to add?

Thank you for the opportunity and I would love to sell every listener/reader a book. Or two, three…

I do have a sequel coming out for my book ‘Royston’ that I’m extremely excited about. I have to follow my own advice and not let life try to stop me. I’m almost to the finish line on the story, and it seems every obstacle and weight is hitting, but persevere. How bad do I want it, I have to keep saying. I am working toward getting one of my stories ready for a possible film production, so fingers crossed. I’d like to see that happen with all my books!

I also am considering a series of other stories with the same characters from Royston and the sequel.

Website:

http://www.amazon.com/author/vallorienealwood

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