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| KC French picture (above) |
KC French is here with me to discuss her writing and her process. KC was born in Valencia, California. From a young age she was obsessed with books and found that stories provided places for her to escape to.
K.C.,What have you written?
K.C.,What have you written?
My works include: Cupid the Untold Myth: The Fall of Reinastre. It is a trilogy. I am currently working on Book 2 and also on a separate series about a retelling of a fairy tale in a dystopian society. 
Tell us about your writing process and the way you brainstorm story ideas.
When beginning a story, I generally take an idea I have and pitch it to my husband first. I like to get his feedback and see what his thoughts are. Sometimes he will help me outline the story so that I can see the bigger picture. Next, I find a song that inspires me to write. Whether it’s for outlining or beginning to type it out, I have to have a song playing on repeat that helps my writing to flow. I don’t always stick to the same song either. Sometimes the song helps me to write several chapters and other times it helps me to write a few pages. It varies and can be incredibly frustrating when it stops helping. When I hit a writers block I generally have to talk with my husband and see where I should go with the story. I have had a block happen before that lasted for a few months. I am very lucky that my husband is so supportive. He helps calm my anxieties and get through the blocks as best as possible. I am disabled and my hands don’t work properly. My husband will sit down and type up what I say in order to help my story move along. He’s pretty amazing like that.
Ideas come to me in the strangest ways. I once had an idea hit me when I walked in front of a car and looked at their head lights. Another one came to me when I was telling my husband about a conspiracy theory I had read. The idea had nothing to do with the theory either.
When I brainstorm, I will watch movies, read books, and look up subjects on Pinterest to help me. When inspiration strikes, I will speak the ideas into the notes section of my phone and work on it at a later time. The book series I am currently working on was an idea I thought up for a school assignment. I was in a Myth and Folklore class in high school and we had to write a short story creating our own myth. At the time, I was obsessed with Greek and Roman Mythology and anything about Cupid/Eros. I wrote my story about him and a forgotten myth. And sadly, that’s where the story died. I was told by so many people that I would never make it as a writer and to give up on that dream. I listened to them and believed their harsh words.
16 years later I told my sister about that short story assignment and she encouraged me to resurrect it and to turn it into a book. So I did. And 3 years later, I found out I was being published! I decided to keep moving forward with my dreams and have never looked back.
What is your favorite motivational phrase?
I’m not sure if I have any motivational phrases that help me. I will say that reading stories about Einstein, Oprah, Jackie Chan, George Lucas, etc and how people told them they would never make it and to give up on their dreams has helped to motivate me. I was told that being disabled meant I would never become anything. I was told I was a burden, useless, & up against millions of people all wanting to be writers.
But there came a point that I decided to use those labels as wings and propel myself into flight. I decide my destiny, not anybody else. So, my hands don’t work. My brain fails me all the time. My legs give out and I lay on the floor feeling powerless. But I always get back up and find a way to make things happen. Cupid started out as me speaking notes into an email that I would send myself. Once I had the money for a laptop, my husband helped me to copy and paste those notes onto a word document. I never gave up and never allowed anything to stop me from making it happen.
What writer pushed you to think differently about your life?
Mitch Albom, the author of Tuesday’s with Morrie, is probably one of my favorite authors. I was so inspired by his work and everything that Morrie had to say, that it changed my outlook on life. I can’t recommend his work enough. He’s absolutely brilliant!
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
It’s difficult for me to get out of bed every day because of my disability. I’m exhausted and in a great deal of pain. I have Sjogrens Syndrome and with that comes Rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. Staying in bed though is never an option for me. I force myself to get up and take care of my kids. They are 5 & 6. They are my reason for fighting against my body every day so that I can keep going.
Last question, what do your fans mean to you?
My fans mean everything to me. I enjoy creating worlds for them to escape to. I listen to their thoughts and opinions on my work and welcome constructive criticism. I’ve seen too often authors cut their fans down or ignore their feedback. I think doing that destroys not only the world you created for them, but theirs as well. I appreciate my fans devotion and everything they do for me. They are amazing!
Contact KC at the links below:
Social Media links:
Facebook: https://m.facebook.
Twitter: @kcfrenchwriter
Website: www.kcfrench.com
Readers, please comment below.
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