Ask the Author: Rory Margraf
Answered Questions (6)
Rory Margraf
I learned this from Harlan Ellison's thoughts on writing. Whenever you're in the middle of a strong flow of writing, that is the point to stop and take a break. You'll always be able to return to that moment. If you wait until your over the peak and back into the valley to stop, you'll never be able to start again with such momentum. Another thing that helps is simply reading another book that I've read so many times before, or a new book that's been sitting on my shelf. New ideas and images merge with what's already in my head and allow me to start again, feeling refreshed.
Rory Margraf
I genuinely enjoy creating worlds and characters that I can immerse myself in as I write. Even if I'm the only one who reads it, there's something incredibly satisfying in that. As I mentioned, I tend to ramble quite a bit in daily conversations. Writing has always been a means of focusing my ideas and thoughts into a condensed, but accessible form for others to enjoy on their own while I can sit quietly. If one person says they enjoyed it, no matter the number of people who did not, that's all it takes for me to know I've done a good job. That's a feeling of satisfaction and fulfillment that cannot be matched.
Rory Margraf
I can only offer the advice that was given to me by another writer when I asked the same question. "I don't like the term 'aspiring writer', as it suggests that you haven't yet begun to write. So long as you are writing, you are a writer. Keep writing, no matter what, and you'll one day find a reader. That's all it takes."
Rory Margraf
I contribute articles to a number of publications, so my day-to-day writing is often a short piece for immediate publication. Long term, I'm presently working a novel that has been begging to be finished for some time now. I have also begun a sequel to "I Know My Rights", which will focus on voluntary consent in a free society, both in terms of simple economics and social interaction.
Rory Margraf
I'm what my family calls a "rambling man;" I go off on tangents and long-winded anecdotes without warning. Writing has allowed me to put these thoughts down in a coherent form and allows people to read it at their leisure, rather than having me talk their ear off. When ever I start to ramble, either to another person, or to myself in the car or pacing in my living room, I stop and start to put my thoughts down on paper. Sometimes, it becomes a full piece immediately, while other times it's only a few thoughts that I can revisit and expand.
Rory Margraf
My most recent work, "I Know My Rights: A Children's Guide to the Bill of Rights and Individual Liberty" was inspired by an article I wrote for the Foundation for Economic Education. In the article, I told a story of how I was stopped by the authorities as a teenager, questioned, and even emptied my pockets on request, simply because I did not know I could decline. Afterwards, I was scolded by my mother for not invoking the Fourth Amendment and refusing consent. After reading the article multiple times, and looking at current polling data, I realized that not only do children typically not know their rights, but many adults do not either. As soon as the article came out, I set to work the very next day and wrote the first draft of "I Know My Rights."
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