Ask the Author: Michael Allen
Answered Questions (5)
Michael Allen
Most of the time, it's in the most annoying way. 'The Deeper Dark' came to me just as I was going to bed for the evening. I had my eyes closed and everything when the beginning and the end came to me. Then, some of the middle parts started to form. I had to force myself awake to take notes as fast I could so that I could get back to sleep.
When I woke up the next morning, I looked over those notes and a fire grew inside of me. I knew I had to put down everything else I was working on and concentrate on that book. So the short version is, ideas just pop into my head and I can't let them go. They grow until they get my undivided attention, and then I can't think about anything else until it's finished.
When I woke up the next morning, I looked over those notes and a fire grew inside of me. I knew I had to put down everything else I was working on and concentrate on that book. So the short version is, ideas just pop into my head and I can't let them go. They grow until they get my undivided attention, and then I can't think about anything else until it's finished.
Michael Allen
I just finished a thriller and I'm working on promoting it. What's up next is a conversion from a screenplay to a book. I wrote the screenplay a few years ago and it was optioned to a production company out in Hollywood. They secured most of the funding, but the investors were adamant about sharing the risk with other investors. So, my option ended when they were unable to secure those additional funds. Therefore, my screenplay will be my next book and hopefully, that will get the buzz going again.
Michael Allen
I have answered this question many times over the past couple of years. I always love answering it because I remember being in class when I went to college and many of the students were working on their first book. What I noticed was they were all having the same problem. If I knew then what I know now, I would have told them to get out of their own way.
Don’t question your work. I have heard some writers talk about editing the first chapter a hundred times and even the first paragraph over and over. Get out of your own way. Of course, you have to rewrite and edit. But, get it down first. Then, rewrite and edit. Then, there comes a time to let go and let the world see it. Don’t be afraid to do that. That’s what you’ve been doing this whole time, to get to that point. Don’t be afraid to take that step.
Don’t question your work. I have heard some writers talk about editing the first chapter a hundred times and even the first paragraph over and over. Get out of your own way. Of course, you have to rewrite and edit. But, get it down first. Then, rewrite and edit. Then, there comes a time to let go and let the world see it. Don’t be afraid to do that. That’s what you’ve been doing this whole time, to get to that point. Don’t be afraid to take that step.
Michael Allen
Reading what critics have to say about a certain author's work, I look at what they are actually saying. Sometimes, their criticism isn't about the writing itself, but about how it ended or how a certain character changed over time. My first thought is, "Then, write your own book if you don't like what you read."
And that is the greatest thing about being a writer. We can create worlds and people from our imagination. There are no rules with that. We can go anywhere and have them do anything. If a critic doesn't like how our story ended or the fact that the "boy meets girl" scenario didn't turn out to their liking, that criticism doesn't matter to me. It's my world. I created it my way and the characters are my puppets to play with.
And that is the greatest thing about being a writer. We can create worlds and people from our imagination. There are no rules with that. We can go anywhere and have them do anything. If a critic doesn't like how our story ended or the fact that the "boy meets girl" scenario didn't turn out to their liking, that criticism doesn't matter to me. It's my world. I created it my way and the characters are my puppets to play with.
Michael Allen
Most of the time, writer's block challenges us because we don't know where to go next. To combat that, forget about where to go next. Write any part of the book you can. Write that ending you envision. Write any scene that stands out in your mind. Keep writing different parts of the book that you may have imagined since you started dreaming up the book in the first place. You'll find yourself getting over writer's block real quick.
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