Ask the Author: Christian Cook
Answered Questions (2)
Christian Cook
The most recent book I am working on is an old idea that's been churning over and evolving for a long time. But I generally find that I lose track of the original inspiration for most projects and, in some ways, I feel that is part of the process.
What often happens is that I will start off with a tiny spark of something: a situation; a character; a snippet of dialogue; a seemingly impossible question. At some point in the editing process, I will notice that one element is really not working for the piece and it often turns out to be the first thing that inspired the concept.
Just like a plant in a garden, the original seed often vanishes from view. It some ways it feels like you haven't written the book you were supposed to write and yet you cannot take that seed off elsewhere and do something new with it because it is spent.
What often happens is that I will start off with a tiny spark of something: a situation; a character; a snippet of dialogue; a seemingly impossible question. At some point in the editing process, I will notice that one element is really not working for the piece and it often turns out to be the first thing that inspired the concept.
Just like a plant in a garden, the original seed often vanishes from view. It some ways it feels like you haven't written the book you were supposed to write and yet you cannot take that seed off elsewhere and do something new with it because it is spent.
Christian Cook
For the last year, I have been employing a new 'fight fire with fire' approach. If I get stuck in a rut that feels like it is taking hold then I put the current project to one side and write about the moment of writer's block itself. To fully embrace the feeling of not being able to write by writing about it turns the problem inside out and it implodes. Several performance poetry pieces have come out of this technique.
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