Ask the Author: C.H. Armstrong
Answered Questions (6)
C.H. Armstrong
Oh gosh...great question.
Without a doubt, my all-time favorite character in literature is Atticus Finch. I love that he has to make some tough decisions, and standing up for "right" puts him in the crossfire of those who would rather "follow" than "lead."
I don't know that I've been influenced so much by the characters as an author, but certainly as a human being. I love the characters in Harper Lee's masterpiece, and certainly Atticus Finch's strong sense of right and fair has influenced me as a human being. :)
Without a doubt, my all-time favorite character in literature is Atticus Finch. I love that he has to make some tough decisions, and standing up for "right" puts him in the crossfire of those who would rather "follow" than "lead."
I don't know that I've been influenced so much by the characters as an author, but certainly as a human being. I love the characters in Harper Lee's masterpiece, and certainly Atticus Finch's strong sense of right and fair has influenced me as a human being. :)
C.H. Armstrong
I really should, but I don't. When I have something in my head, I literally drop everything to write and that's all I do. On other days, I don't have much to say, and so I go about my normal life. They say a writer should write every day, and I do write ever day; but not necessarily anything structured. Sometimes it's just opinion pieces or whatnot. Other days, it's part of a manuscript I'm working on.
C.H. Armstrong
If I'm working on a work in progress and can't think through to discover what should happen next, I just walk away. I close the computer and give my brain time to just "be." Invariably, it seems, the characters don't like to be ignored and they start talking to me and the story starts to come back. Sometimes that happens relatively quickly, and other times it takes a day or two. But eventually they get tired of being ignored and start shouting out the next stage of the book.
Does that sound weird? Sounds almost like I have multiple personalities or schizophrenia. :)
Does that sound weird? Sounds almost like I have multiple personalities or schizophrenia. :)
C.H. Armstrong
I can only share the best advice that was given to me, which was this: Don't worry about WHAT you're writing. When you have a story in your head -- even bits and pieces of a story -- sit down and just start writing. Sometimes the characters take on a life of their own and spiral beyond your control. There's always time to worry about how it looks when you go back and edit. But for the "now," just start writing.
C.H. Armstrong
I recently finished a Young Adult novel about a high school senior who is homeless with her family. At this time I'm still searching for a place it can call home. My current work in progress is still in the early stages, but will be an adult fiction (maybe new adult fiction) about a man who inherits the raising of his toddler niece after the death of his younger sister. I'm just loving how it's coming together, but it's too soon to say more.
C.H. Armstrong
My new novel, The Edge of Nowhere, was inspired by my own family's struggles during the 1930s Oklahoma Dust Bowl. Like the main character in this book (Victoria) who was widowed in her 20s with a blended family of 12 children, my grandmother was also widowed in her 20s during this time with a combined 14 children.
Many of the actual scenes depicted within the book are actually taken from family anecdotes. I don't want to give anything away, but -- in one particular case -- a child contracts a very deadly illness and overcomes it. That child was, in real life, my own father. By all rights he should've died, but he lived to tell the tale and is now almost 84.
If you read the book and are interested, shoot me an email and I'll tell you which scenes were completely fiction, and which ones were based upon actual events. The answers may surprise you!
Many of the actual scenes depicted within the book are actually taken from family anecdotes. I don't want to give anything away, but -- in one particular case -- a child contracts a very deadly illness and overcomes it. That child was, in real life, my own father. By all rights he should've died, but he lived to tell the tale and is now almost 84.
If you read the book and are interested, shoot me an email and I'll tell you which scenes were completely fiction, and which ones were based upon actual events. The answers may surprise you!
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