Ask the Author: Rod Williams
Answered Questions (6)
Rod Williams
I'm lucky. I haven't had writer's block for the past twenty years; my bigger problem is making time for my writing. Everybody's different, but my one piece of advice for folks suffering from writer's block is to let the story (or poem, or essay) cool off for a while, get out of the house, and go somewhere to hear other people talking. Go to a bar, or a church, or a club, or a city council meeting, or whatever. And listen. People love to talk and tell stories, and by getting out of your own head for a while, you can pick up new plotlines, speech cadences, colorful anecdotes, points-of-view, etc. Writing itself is a mostly solitary endeavor, but we don't write in a vacuum. If you're dealing with writer's block, you probably just need a bit of recharging.
Rod Williams
The best thing about being a writer, for me, is that rarest of times when I get into "the zone" and can write effortlessly, poetically, profoundly, comically for two or three pages (never for much more) without struggling over word choices or character consistencies or run-on sentences (like this one). That's freedom, that's synchronicity, that's Nirvana, that's call-it-what-you-will. I'm creating my own little universe and everything's flowing without me having to worry about the "craft" of it all. I'm doing it, not over-thinking it. I imagine it's the same feeling an a top basketball player might have when he just "can't miss," or when a baseball player gets hot. You ride the feeling as long as you can, without fretting over the fundamentals.
Rod Williams
Just write. I'm amazed by how many people "want to write" or "have a million ideas" or have that best-seller simmering in the back of the brain, but never set the words down on paper. There's no mystery. If you want to be in better shape, eat right and exercise. If you want to be a better tennis player, get out there and practice. You're an aspiring writer? Start typing. It's that easy and that hard. All the rest (book promotion, establishing an online presence, finding a killer agent) may be important, but secondary.
Rod Williams
Right now I'm finishing up a short story collection that will be published by Mouseprints Publishing in Spring, 2015. I'm also actively working on the last sixty or so pages of a second novel, "The Light Don't Shine No More," which I hope to complete and publish before the end of 2015.
Rod Williams
Coming up with story ideas is no problem-- I've been fascinated with the power of storytelling since I was a kid. Getting inspired to actually write my stories down is the challenge, with all the real-life duties and distractions out there. I've gotten better at self-motivation by telling myself that writing has as much value in my life as nearly everything else. I'm a champion procrastinator, and it's too easy for me to think that mowing the lawn or cleaning the bathroom or balancing the checkbook is more important than the act of writing. It's not. Once I get past the guilt of not doing what I'm "supposed to do," the stories come easily.
Rod Williams
The ideas for writing my novel "An Americana Singer for the Twenty-First Century" came from a variety of sources, including: (1) the economic meltdown of 2008, (2) my love of music in general, and a relatively recent obsession with modern folk music, and (3) asking myself "Where are the Woody Guthries of today?" Also, I liked my main character, John, a disillusioned older guy who, in spite of so much negative news to the contrary, still wants to believe in America and its people.
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