Ask the Author: K. Ritz
Answered Questions (7)
K. Ritz
Thank you so much for your kind comments, and for the extended review that you posted. I've been working on my next book, Escape to Evald - Back from the Dead, which will not be in the form of a journal. I've been told the title is terrible, and maybe it is. I'm never sure if what I'm writing is interesting or simply stupid. Sheever plays a major role in the next book, and some of the unresolved questions from his journal will be explained, though more will likely arise.
What I appreciated most about your review was the fact you realized that it was not necessary to remember every name mentioned, or every detail about the various cultures. If something is of import, I'll zip in a reminder. Otherwise, just go with the flow.
Thank you again for telling me that you loved Sheever's Journal. Knowing that some people enjoyed the book encourages me to continue writing.
What I appreciated most about your review was the fact you realized that it was not necessary to remember every name mentioned, or every detail about the various cultures. If something is of import, I'll zip in a reminder. Otherwise, just go with the flow.
Thank you again for telling me that you loved Sheever's Journal. Knowing that some people enjoyed the book encourages me to continue writing.
K. Ritz
I’ve suffered from writer’s block. Unravelling the cause can allow fresh words to flow – sometimes. If the problem lies in the story, the block may be evidence that I’ve strayed from the plot and need to rethink where I’m headed. Am I forcing characters to do something they would never do? Have I stumbled off the path and landed in a thicket of doubts? Imagining the scene from a different point of view can help me find my way. Sometimes.
During one case of writer’s block, my character was standing outside a house he had purchased for a woman decades ago. Why was he there? He had been exiled from that city and only recently returned. He had other business to attend. Yet he stood outside that house, in the dark, as unable to move on as I was. So, I wrote that he questioned himself about being there, just as I was also questioning why he was there. Then let him go up the steps to the porch and knock on the door. The woman he had known was not there, but a scene evolved in which he interacted with a young man. After writing that scene, I was able to continue on with the original plan for that chapter. Several chapters later, to my surprise, I realized that the young man was my main character’s son. Sometimes, just writing anything can defeat a block. Tell yourself that you and always delete it later and keep writing.
Blocks that rise from what’s happening in the real world are more difficult for me to overcome. I lived in Seattle when I first began writing and was lucky enough to join a small group of writers. Every Wednesday, the four of us would meet and read, discuss and edit each other’s manuscripts. It was marvelous. But it ended for me when I moved to the east coast.
I kept in contact with one of the writers in the group – with what’s now considered “snail mail”. A hint of how long ago I moved from west to east. We exchanged letters regularly, but without the Wednesday deadline for new manuscript, it was easy to forgo working on my novel and become involved in everyday distractions. More disciplined than I, she sent me her manuscripts which I was happy to edit. She also nagged me to keep writing. Eventually, her persistence worked. Over the years, email was a more efficient way to send manuscripts to each other. We could return edited versions in a day. I owe her for pushing me into finishing my first book, Sheever’s Journal, Diary of a Poison Master.
My latest encounter with writer’s block occurred in January. I was working on a second novel, a continuation of the story, though in a more traditional format, with Sheever as one of the characters. My friend’s third book had just been listed on Amazon. She and I texted each other, both of us excited by her accomplishment. I ordered a copy of her book. She wanted to read the chapter I was fussing with, chapter 20, for I had told her that I wasn’t sure if I had gone “off the rails” or not. The only way I could figure out how to write the scene was to be in the point of view of several characters, and I was concerned that a reader might be confused. This was a Friday. She emailed me an edit of the partial chapter on Saturday, told me not to worry, said everything was clear. On Sunday, she died. Chapter 20 remains unfinished.
Can I move past this block? It’s the end of May and I haven’t yet.
During one case of writer’s block, my character was standing outside a house he had purchased for a woman decades ago. Why was he there? He had been exiled from that city and only recently returned. He had other business to attend. Yet he stood outside that house, in the dark, as unable to move on as I was. So, I wrote that he questioned himself about being there, just as I was also questioning why he was there. Then let him go up the steps to the porch and knock on the door. The woman he had known was not there, but a scene evolved in which he interacted with a young man. After writing that scene, I was able to continue on with the original plan for that chapter. Several chapters later, to my surprise, I realized that the young man was my main character’s son. Sometimes, just writing anything can defeat a block. Tell yourself that you and always delete it later and keep writing.
Blocks that rise from what’s happening in the real world are more difficult for me to overcome. I lived in Seattle when I first began writing and was lucky enough to join a small group of writers. Every Wednesday, the four of us would meet and read, discuss and edit each other’s manuscripts. It was marvelous. But it ended for me when I moved to the east coast.
I kept in contact with one of the writers in the group – with what’s now considered “snail mail”. A hint of how long ago I moved from west to east. We exchanged letters regularly, but without the Wednesday deadline for new manuscript, it was easy to forgo working on my novel and become involved in everyday distractions. More disciplined than I, she sent me her manuscripts which I was happy to edit. She also nagged me to keep writing. Eventually, her persistence worked. Over the years, email was a more efficient way to send manuscripts to each other. We could return edited versions in a day. I owe her for pushing me into finishing my first book, Sheever’s Journal, Diary of a Poison Master.
My latest encounter with writer’s block occurred in January. I was working on a second novel, a continuation of the story, though in a more traditional format, with Sheever as one of the characters. My friend’s third book had just been listed on Amazon. She and I texted each other, both of us excited by her accomplishment. I ordered a copy of her book. She wanted to read the chapter I was fussing with, chapter 20, for I had told her that I wasn’t sure if I had gone “off the rails” or not. The only way I could figure out how to write the scene was to be in the point of view of several characters, and I was concerned that a reader might be confused. This was a Friday. She emailed me an edit of the partial chapter on Saturday, told me not to worry, said everything was clear. On Sunday, she died. Chapter 20 remains unfinished.
Can I move past this block? It’s the end of May and I haven’t yet.
K. Ritz
Anna dreamed that she awoke from a dream, feeling uneasy, sure someone was in her dark bedroom, and when she turned on the bedside lamp, her fears were confirmed, for a masked man was there, poised above her, a knife in his grasp. Startled by the dream, Anna woke in her dark bedroom, feeling uneasy, and reached for the bedside lamp.
K. Ritz
Write things down. Doesn’t need to be on paper. Typing is as good as writing with paper and pen – better for me because my handwriting is terrible. Just write down your thoughts. Don’t expect a first draft to be perfect. It’s a lump of clay that needs to be molded. Or rough pieces of wood that you hammered into the shape of a coffee table. It still needs to be sanded and stained and sanded again and polished before you can set a vase of flowers on top of it and admire their reflection. Sounds like work, and it is. If you don’t write down those first thoughts, however, what you have is only a dream.
K. Ritz
For me, the best thing about being a writer is having an excuse to let my imagination run wild. Having an imaginary world and its people alive in my head is both wonderful and a curse. On the plus side: I am never alone. On the negative side: I am never alone. They wake me up in the night, insisting I write something down that they believe I’ll forget. They chatter loudly to each other during the day, distracting me when I’m trying to navigate in the real world.
Writing stories is a form of insanity. I hope there is no cure.
Writing stories is a form of insanity. I hope there is no cure.
K. Ritz
I am currently working on the next book in the series, Escape to Evald. It is not in journal form, but Sheever does play a vital role in the story.
K. Ritz
Sheever is a character in a complex story that will require several books to complete. He was supposed to have a small role. The more I learned about him, however, the more I became convinced he deserved a book of his own. Through the format of a journal, he writes about his experiences in the present, and also reveals his past, why and how he became a poison master.
Sheever’s Journal, Diary of a Poison Master is designed to stand alone. It’s not the end of the story, however, merely the beginning. Some of the people he writes about in his journal will be only in this book. Other people he mentions will be part of the larger story. My advice to readers: Please don’t fret about remembering every fracking person or detail. Just go with the flow. Trust me. I will remind a reader of anything of importance.
Sheever’s Journal, Diary of a Poison Master is designed to stand alone. It’s not the end of the story, however, merely the beginning. Some of the people he writes about in his journal will be only in this book. Other people he mentions will be part of the larger story. My advice to readers: Please don’t fret about remembering every fracking person or detail. Just go with the flow. Trust me. I will remind a reader of anything of importance.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more