Ask the Author: S.V. Leonard

“Ask me a question.” S.V. Leonard

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S.V. Leonard I was watching a reality TV show one summer and it came to me. The pitch came to me in a flash and then I did some brainstorming and the story came to life.
S.V. Leonard I treat writing like a job. I work full time so I only have the weekends to write so every Saturday and Sunday I sit and my computer and I write, I don't have the luxury of waiting for inspiration.
S.V. Leonard I've never experienced writer's block in the traditional sense but it is a very personal thing so I can't speak for everyone but I think writer's block can be seen as several things. Lack of ideas; lack of energy to write; or sitting in front of the computer not being able to continue with your story.

Lack of ideas: I'd say take a break and fill your creative well. Watch TV, read all different types of books, read the newspaper. Eventually, ideas will come.

Lack of energy to write: if this is the case time for a day off.

Not being able to write even though you have an idea that you've started: maybe something isn't working and you need to revisit your plan.

S.V. Leonard My advice for any aspiring writer is quite a simple one: get a basic understanding of plot structure and once you have a basic idea of your plot, get writing. Some writers will want to spend more time plotting than others but at some point you have to start writing because you can't get a book published without actually finished a book.

When I first started writing I had no idea what I was doing but I had an idea for a story and I just started writing. After several weeks of writing, I realised I was at 20,000 words and realised what I had written was probably terrible. So I did what any good millennial would and looked on YouTube. I was immensely lucky to find videos by a traditional published author who talked about everything to do with writing and publishing. I wouldn’t have known anything about the process without her.

I'd also say that aspiring writers should learn everything they can about the industry and how to break into it. There is so much information available on the internet so do your research. I'm an audio learner hence why my go-to method of learning is YouTube.
S.V. Leonard I'm currently writing another crime novel, it's a modern twist on the amateur sleuth. It's been a really fun book to write and I can't wait for readers to read it.

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