Ask the Author: Jaques Smit
Answered Questions (6)
Jaques Smit
I have many ways that I manage myself. I can't say that I really have writer's block. I either have a lack of motivation/focus, too many ideas that I haven't given priority, or a creative challenge that requires a solution I haven't yet thought of.
1. Lack of motivation/focus - I put myself in a room, set a 2 hour timer that I'm not allowed to do anything but stair at the wall or write, then I start by reading the last related chapter I wrote out loud. If I haven't written anything related, or finished reading, I start writing anything, it doesn't matter if it is trash, I just write it anyway. When I'm done, I read it again, and then I decide if I want to rewrite it or keep it.
2. Too many ideas that I haven't given priority, or a creative challenge that requires a solution I haven't yet thought of. For these two I have the same solution. I read the work out loud, ask myself, what is the most important thing to focus on? I don't answer the question, I just go for a walk in the bush. When I come back, my default mode network has done the job, and I simply sit down and start writing.
1. Lack of motivation/focus - I put myself in a room, set a 2 hour timer that I'm not allowed to do anything but stair at the wall or write, then I start by reading the last related chapter I wrote out loud. If I haven't written anything related, or finished reading, I start writing anything, it doesn't matter if it is trash, I just write it anyway. When I'm done, I read it again, and then I decide if I want to rewrite it or keep it.
2. Too many ideas that I haven't given priority, or a creative challenge that requires a solution I haven't yet thought of. For these two I have the same solution. I read the work out loud, ask myself, what is the most important thing to focus on? I don't answer the question, I just go for a walk in the bush. When I come back, my default mode network has done the job, and I simply sit down and start writing.
Jaques Smit
Creating your own worlds and seeing them become alive. It is an amazing privilege to have access to someone else's mind and for them to allow you to create pictures in there. I do my best to take that responsibility seriously, and cut some veggies into the mince.
Jaques Smit
Creativity is a matter of effort not talent. Read, write, edit and reflect everyday. At first your work will be a poor imitation of things you read, but the more you read, write and edit, the more reference you mind will have and so the more creative your work will become. Remember, you don't get better from experience, you get better from reflecting on experience.
Jaques Smit
Verdant Heart. I am editing the second book in the Tearing the Darkveil series.
Jaques Smit
I make myself bored, and then I turn that boredom into work, and then that work turns in to creativity.
Jaques Smit
I played a lot of DnD in my college years. And I wanted to try DMing, so I crafted my own world. As I was developing the backstory for the world, I got this idea for gods that have to keep corruption from spilling over into their beautiful creation, and that using too much of their power directly in that world would make it easier for the corruption to leak in. As with all myths, a godly being must sacrifice themselves at some point, and that was Belmung. While it made for an interesting world I wanted to write about, my first attempt revolved around Belmung's revival. I didn't like the result, but one character, the boy thief, stuck in my mind. So, I set out to craft Birger's story, and that gave life to The Eye of Winter.
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