Ask the Author: Wanda Kay Knight
Answered Questions (6)
Wanda Kay Knight
In order to finish a book, you have to spend amazing amounts of time writing, maintaining self-discipline, and believing in your project; but all the while, you do not know if all those hours and all that self-discipline is going to end with someone else picking up your work and enjoying it. I suppose I think it is essential to find a reason to keep writing and loving the work in spite of the doubt that creeps in and/or in spite of the fact that there are not guarantees of commercial reward. Find a reason to make the time worth it even if financial rewards are not guaranteed. Find a reason, a purpose, a motivation that makes the time, dedication, and energy powerful enough to keep you writing until you are finished.
Wanda Kay Knight
Writing gives you a chance to say something that you need to say--a way to send some ideas and words out there--somewhere. And, all along you get to wish and hope that those words will find a lovely place to flower and flourish and perhaps to even matter to someone else who just might need or want those words that needed to send.
Wanda Kay Knight
I have to admit that I am not an organized person—not at all. I keep my house clean and I like things tidy, but my car is a mess and I tend to get caught up in my everything else instead of doing what I need to do. Then, I become a furious rush of activity and make everything appear like it was clean and sparkling all along.
Now, the truth is that I feel really good when all my tasks and goals are finished. I love it when my house is clean. I love it when I have finished enough exercise to keep myself from feeling guilty. And once I get started, I have a hard time stopping.
Well, it’s the same with writing. Once I get myself to sit down and write, I have a hard time putting it down. I love it. I come away from a writing session or even a writing marathon with a sense of relief and excitement that I have accomplished a goal. And furthermore, if I could just stay awake all night and keep writing, I would do it (until the next morning when I have to start the process of getting started all over again).
For any others out there like me, I have one suggestion that seems to work. The one thing that kept me consistently writing was meeting with a group of would-be authors once a week with the specific goal that we have to read something—just a page or so—but something each week. After we read, we accept some criticism, listen to the others, and come back in one week prepared to it all over again.
Sometimes in those weeks between meetings, I would only get a couple of pages finished. Other times, the story would take over and I would write furiously and get pages and pages done. But, that once a week meeting really did force me to do something each week, and that was enough to build on until I finished. I found that I needed to be held accountable once a week—every other week did not work.
And, if you hate meetings (as I do), and avoid them at all costs; you should know that for some reason, this particular type of meeting with a few other people constructed around a defined goal was quite pleasant with just the right amount of motivation.
And so, as I begin the process of writing book two, I know that it is once again time to find a couple more would-be authors and once again meet once a week. For me, it is bonding, creative, and motivating experience, and without it, book two just might not get written for a long, long time.
Now, the truth is that I feel really good when all my tasks and goals are finished. I love it when my house is clean. I love it when I have finished enough exercise to keep myself from feeling guilty. And once I get started, I have a hard time stopping.
Well, it’s the same with writing. Once I get myself to sit down and write, I have a hard time putting it down. I love it. I come away from a writing session or even a writing marathon with a sense of relief and excitement that I have accomplished a goal. And furthermore, if I could just stay awake all night and keep writing, I would do it (until the next morning when I have to start the process of getting started all over again).
For any others out there like me, I have one suggestion that seems to work. The one thing that kept me consistently writing was meeting with a group of would-be authors once a week with the specific goal that we have to read something—just a page or so—but something each week. After we read, we accept some criticism, listen to the others, and come back in one week prepared to it all over again.
Sometimes in those weeks between meetings, I would only get a couple of pages finished. Other times, the story would take over and I would write furiously and get pages and pages done. But, that once a week meeting really did force me to do something each week, and that was enough to build on until I finished. I found that I needed to be held accountable once a week—every other week did not work.
And, if you hate meetings (as I do), and avoid them at all costs; you should know that for some reason, this particular type of meeting with a few other people constructed around a defined goal was quite pleasant with just the right amount of motivation.
And so, as I begin the process of writing book two, I know that it is once again time to find a couple more would-be authors and once again meet once a week. For me, it is bonding, creative, and motivating experience, and without it, book two just might not get written for a long, long time.
Wanda Kay Knight
I have always wanted to write an allegorical tale for young people—because those types of stories mattered to me when I was young—and they still do. I also wanted to consider some of my own questions about life and the journeys we take as well as the consequences of the paths we choose. You know, those question like what happens if we make the wrong choice when we are making important decisions? What happens when we decide to get lazy and take the easy way out? What happens when we misunderstand the purpose of a certain path?
Now, quite frankly, I am not a philosopher and certainly don’t have the answers to those questions. I’m just a person who wonders how in the world I got from Point A to Point C without passing through Point B when my intension was to go in another direction altogether.
So, in an effort to consider these questions, ideas, and mishaps, I took eight cousins on a journey. Now, I don’t think the story line is an obvious allegory—it is my hope that it is simply an easy to read tale of magic and adventure—but, for me, while I was writing—I was also considering the impact of the journeys we take and the paths we choose.
Now, quite frankly, I am not a philosopher and certainly don’t have the answers to those questions. I’m just a person who wonders how in the world I got from Point A to Point C without passing through Point B when my intension was to go in another direction altogether.
So, in an effort to consider these questions, ideas, and mishaps, I took eight cousins on a journey. Now, I don’t think the story line is an obvious allegory—it is my hope that it is simply an easy to read tale of magic and adventure—but, for me, while I was writing—I was also considering the impact of the journeys we take and the paths we choose.
Wanda Kay Knight
I have spent this summer getting The Peacock Door out. For example, I have been going around to local bookstores, creating posters and bookmarkers for advertising purposes, and doing various and sundry things in preparation of the school year. Once school starts, I plan to visit classrooms, present the book and give short presentations.
However, as of right now, I feel that I have finished that part of my work and I am finally ready to get started writing again. I plan on writing a sequel. The second one will be, The Emerald Door. Wish me luck!
However, as of right now, I feel that I have finished that part of my work and I am finally ready to get started writing again. I plan on writing a sequel. The second one will be, The Emerald Door. Wish me luck!
Wanda Kay Knight
First of all, when I was young, there were a few books that showed me valuable insights. For example, when I read A Wrinkle in Time, I learned about the strength of love when Meg fought to get Charles Wallace back from the It. Lots of books left valuable imprints on me. And I always knew that I also wanted to write something for another young person.
As an adult, I wrestled with the age-old questions concerning the paths we take in life and how do we know when we are making the right decisions. Like the rest of humanity, I wrestled with understanding the purpose of the time we spend here in this sojourn of life and what things ultimately matter.
The combination of those memories, ideas, and experiences is what inspired me to write The Peacock Door.
As an adult, I wrestled with the age-old questions concerning the paths we take in life and how do we know when we are making the right decisions. Like the rest of humanity, I wrestled with understanding the purpose of the time we spend here in this sojourn of life and what things ultimately matter.
The combination of those memories, ideas, and experiences is what inspired me to write The Peacock Door.
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