Meet the Author: David Lowbridge

Hello my name is David and I’m an aspiring author. I found this post incredibly difficult to write without it sounding as if I was a member of an addiction support group. However I think that analogy that suits me well, writing and being an author is an addiction for me. As with all obsessions there is a certain need that the act satisfies us with; for me that need is to entertain readers.

Writing is something that I have wanted to do since school. My favourite assignments were always creative writing. However I tended to find the constraints in which we were given too restraining. What I really wanted to do at the time was to write science fiction, not modern day love stories based on “Romeo and Juliet”. I always thought that stipulating those restrictions was not a particularly good exercise for developing fiction writing. There was no advice on character creation, dialogue or plot lines. Yet despite the lack of direction; when I was thirteen we had an assignment to write a six part ghost story. I remember the buzz I felt when my classmates wanted to hear the latest instalments of my story; hanging on to every twist and turn woven into my series.

When I think about what makes a good story, I think of ones that have moved me. They all employ one emotion as the central figure in which all the events of the story are driven by. It doesn’t mean that other emotions are left by the wayside. A good writer will take the reader on a rollercoaster ride of emotions; the whole spectrum coming into play one time or another. However at the end of the book you can often find one emotion that has driven the story forward.

That’s how I want my stories to be.

When I first started out; I wrote a full novel. When I looked back at it a few months ago during editing, I realised that I was missing that crucial element. Sure there was a story, one in which I hope to re-write in the long run, but the story at the time was missing any long term emotional drive for the characters.

Then I came across a magazine looking for submissions for Halloween stories. Having enjoyed writing my ghost story at school; I decided to give it a go. Instead of concentrating on the haunted or the haunting, I focused on the emotion and developed a story around that. When I finished I showed it to my wife and she agreed that it was my best writing to date.

I am very fortunate that I have a very supportive family and excellent friends who I can talk to.

My family not only endure my obsession but encourage me especially as they are avid readers and I can discuss story ideas with them on which they will share their thoughts. Sometimes I get the answer that I want and that is when I reward myself with a little jump for joy, other times they give me the harsh truth. But that is what is so important. A supportive family tells you when you are going to make a mistake. Sometimes tough love is what everyone needs.

Friends have been an important part of my process. When I first started getting serious about writing, I had no idea about kindles, self publishing, marketing or anything that goes with it. By making friends and listening to their advice and experiences, I was able to move my career as a writer in the right direction.

And the fact that I can rely on both friends and family to give me an honest opinion is priceless. My wife told me that one of my stories nearly made her cry and another reader admitted that she was looking over her shoulder after reading one. It’s these kinds’ of responses that I crave.

Yet they’ve also told me when there were plot holes. As a writer you cannot put a price on that honesty and support.

As I look forward to the future of my writing career; I am happy that I have the full resources I need to continue creating emotional, engaging and searching stories to entertain my readers.

About the Author:

David Lowbridge is a fantasy, supernatural, and science fiction author and reviewer from the United Kingdom. In August 2012, he set up The Indie Ebook Review Site to review books from indie authors and publish marketing advice. Away from reviewing, David is about to release Ghost Haunts, a collection of short ghost stories. He looks after a zoo of animals, including two rabbits, two guinea pigs, two fish tanks, and a Leopold Gecko named Steph.

Connect with the Author

http://indieebookreview.blogspot.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/D-J-Lowbridge/196076050528509
http://www.goodreads.com/DJLowbridge