Ask the Author: Caitlin O'Connell
Answered Questions (7)
Caitlin O'Connell
My favorite fictional couple is Aragorn and Arwen in Lord of the Rings. I can't help it. I'm a romantic. And I loved how, against all odds, they drew strength from thinking about each other and I thought their dreams and visions were very compelling. I often find myself quoting Arwen to my husband--"and it is a good dream..."
Caitlin O'Connell
Writer's block can be triggered by a lot of things. I am learning to recognize the triggers and try to either avoid them or anticipate them with additional tools to work through it. Arranging the desk just so, or avoiding the noise pollution in your head of opening the newspaper, for example. Whatever it is that ruins that meditative process of connecting your mind to the page.
When preventative measures have failed, I find physical exercise is an excellent tool to stave off a bout of writer's block that might be percolating or fully ensconced. Jogging in particular, swimming also good. Another thing that has helped a lot is to switch gears and do another piece of work or write an exercise in a different genre. Free writing can unstick the fingers and the mind.
I find having several different writing projects to work on in several different genres can help me keep writing by switching gears when I get stuck...kind of like the gears on a bicycle. Switch to a really low gear and keep spinning until you are confident enough to switch to a higher gear with a little more of a challenging writing task.
Recognize the triggers and work on developing the tools to break free! And the sooner the better because it can be a very dark and damaging place!
When preventative measures have failed, I find physical exercise is an excellent tool to stave off a bout of writer's block that might be percolating or fully ensconced. Jogging in particular, swimming also good. Another thing that has helped a lot is to switch gears and do another piece of work or write an exercise in a different genre. Free writing can unstick the fingers and the mind.
I find having several different writing projects to work on in several different genres can help me keep writing by switching gears when I get stuck...kind of like the gears on a bicycle. Switch to a really low gear and keep spinning until you are confident enough to switch to a higher gear with a little more of a challenging writing task.
Recognize the triggers and work on developing the tools to break free! And the sooner the better because it can be a very dark and damaging place!
Caitlin O'Connell
I love the creative process. I love when a character takes a hold of the pen and writes themselves. It doesn't always happen and granted when it does happen, the character might have to be reigned in here and there, but there is a freedom to writing as an abstract form that is truly transcendent. And because the themes of my writing tend to have an underlying cause, it's all the more rewarding when these themes resonate with an audience. In addition, since my goal is to convey science in an engaging way to the general public, it is all the more rewarding for me as a scientist to broaden my reach.
Caitlin O'Connell
The best advice I can give to aspiring writers is to write, write, write and then find a way to expose your writing to others, brace yourself for criticism, learn and write some more. Think about writing as you do about any kind of exercise such as jogging, or playing a musical instrument. You get better with practice, even if you are just doing scales. It is through writing that you become a better writer! Persistence and perseverance are the only way to success!
Caitlin O'Connell
I am currently working on a middle grade science fiction project and a middle grade fiction project designed to teach kids fundamentals in a very unconventional way. I'm also working on the next in the Catherine Sohon series which has been a fun process!
Caitlin O'Connell
I've always been interested in writing fiction, but the opportunity to write nonfiction came first so I jumped on it. I got interested in nonfiction as a scientist because I realized that scientists need to be able to present their work as a narrative that anyone could understand. And the narrative form of telling science turned out to be quite an interesting challenge and actually taught me how to be a better observer. I set myself the personal challenge of making my science more engaging and found that mantra to be very important and successful. I ended up teaching narrative science writing for Stanford and the NYT which was quite a rewarding process. Now more than ever, it is imperative to convey the importance of science to the general public and the more tools that scientists can acquire to become better communicators, the better off we will be as a nation and global community.
Caitlin O'Connell
While investigating the ivory trade in China in 2000, I was struck by how much illegal ivory was entering the country from Africa. I was also saddened by the booming illegal wildlife trade that paralleled the burgeoning middle class in China at the time. I was also extremely impressed with Chinese nationals that were trying to make a difference in a sometimes seemingly hopeless situation. WHITE GOLD was inspired by that experience and I hope that the story inspires the message that any one person can make a difference in the elephant crisis!
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