Ask the Author: Horton Deakins
Answered Questions (5)
Horton Deakins
If the creative juices dry up, I simply return to reviewing and improving my existing passages. Often that provides the spark I need to keep going. I always start with that, anyway, reading first silently and then rereading out loud. I've found more problems by reading aloud than any other way. Often it's not spelling or grammar but the voice of the speaker that is amiss. It might be that the character is doing something as simple as speaking with contractions when that character never does that anywhere else. But more to the point of writer's block, I never solve it by daydreaming in front of the computer. If daydreaming ever works for me, it's in the shower or while I'm driving--circumstances where I can't write anything down.
Horton Deakins
I'd say it's the opportunity to express your creative side. Music, dancing, and painting are other ways, and perhaps you excel at them all. But remember the saying: What's the difference between a pot roast and a [insert creative person here] ? The answer is that a pot roast can feed a family of four. It's very difficult to make a living at writing--much more difficult than just a few years ago. Just look at how J. K. Rowling got her start. She sent an unsolicited manuscript to an agent, the screener read it and then recommended it to the agent (if I remember the story correctly). That just doesn't happen anymore.
Horton Deakins
Don't just dive in; study the process first. Know your grammar and spelling before you decide to get creative and break the rules. Have a goal, and know what your audience is. Are you writing for yourself, or do you expect to interest a large audience? If you expect to sell your book, research the genre's popularity. For instance, if you want to peddle your sci-fi to an agent, there are very few agents who will consider that genre. Keep in mind that it is a cutthroat business, and if you can't deal with getting your feelings hurt, then perhaps it's not for you. An be prepared to paper your wall with rejection notices from your query letters before you get a bite.
Horton Deakins
My first inspirations came from listing to audio books on my long commute to my office. It wasn't so much that some of the popular authors inspired me, but I felt more of a challenge to write better books than they did. That's really saying more about my critique of some of their writings than what I created. I'll let others decide whether I succeeded.
Horton Deakins
I've been fascinated by time travel for as long as I can remember. It seems silly now, but when I was young, wild horses couldn't have dragged me away from a weekly episode of "Time Tunnel." It just seemed inevitable that that would be what I would write about.
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