Ask the Author: Matt Stanley
Answered Questions (8)
Matt Stanley
Ripsaw lighthouse, created by me for my novel I AM THE SEA. I chose the books for the library and I chose the furnishings to suit me. The place is just waiting.
Matt Stanley
Saul Bellow's ADVENTURES OF AUGIE MARCH; Thomas Pynchon's AGAINST THE DAY; William Faulkner's LIGHT IN AUGUST; and Vladmir Nabokov's LOLITA for the fifth time.
Matt Stanley
I have answered this question on Amazon and in different places. In short: the experiences of 20 years ago when I was traveling in Greece.
Matt Stanley
Living and writing are the same thing for me. Life supplies plenty of material. Reading good books is also necessary fuel.
Matt Stanley
Nothing. Sometimes you just have to live. That's where the inspiration is.
Matt Stanley
Two things. First, learn how to write. Many people begin a novel before they understand the basics of narrative or dialogue or description. It's better to begin with shorter practice pieces. If you start a novel before you are ready, you risk reinforcing your mistakes. Second, learn about structure. A novel or a short story is a complex structure – not just 'writing'. If a piece has no structure, it is unreadable (or just boring).
Matt Stanley
The writing process is like meditation. During the hours that I write, nothing else exists – not time or sounds or relationships or any other ideas. Writing is a refuge and a higher plane.
Matt Stanley
I've never had writer's block. I think that when people talk about block, they're really talking about a lack of process or preparation. If you have developed an approach to writing, you'll always be able to write. It's one aspect of being a professional. Personally, I never sit down to write anything unless I have an idea of what I want to say, how I want to say it and who is going to read it.
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