Ask the Author: Börkur Sigurbjörnsson
Answered Questions (2)
Börkur Sigurbjörnsson
I get inspired by the buzzing life around me.
It is very rare for me to find the writing spirit while sitting at my desk. I have lived in a wide range of houses and apartments, in six countries and across two continents. Everywhere I am, I get most of my inspiration from outside of the walls of the places I call home.
I've had some of my best ideas while walking along the canals of Amsterdam, in the hills of Tibidabo, along the Thames, in the mountains of Iceland and while floating in the ocean off the coast of Uruguay.
My most fluent writing also takes place outside the home. I write in the squares of Barcelona, in London pubs and in cafés when in Reykjavík and Montevideo.
Planes, trains and buses are also among my favorite environments where I find it easy generate prose. Movement gets my stories going.
Most of the time I bring the characters with me to the place of writing, but sometimes I grab them from the scene, from the next table or as they make their way across the square in front of me.
But, despite the abundant external influence, the core of my inspiration comes from within, from my own memories and experiences, fueled by my own feelings.
It is very rare for me to find the writing spirit while sitting at my desk. I have lived in a wide range of houses and apartments, in six countries and across two continents. Everywhere I am, I get most of my inspiration from outside of the walls of the places I call home.
I've had some of my best ideas while walking along the canals of Amsterdam, in the hills of Tibidabo, along the Thames, in the mountains of Iceland and while floating in the ocean off the coast of Uruguay.
My most fluent writing also takes place outside the home. I write in the squares of Barcelona, in London pubs and in cafés when in Reykjavík and Montevideo.
Planes, trains and buses are also among my favorite environments where I find it easy generate prose. Movement gets my stories going.
Most of the time I bring the characters with me to the place of writing, but sometimes I grab them from the scene, from the next table or as they make their way across the square in front of me.
But, despite the abundant external influence, the core of my inspiration comes from within, from my own memories and experiences, fueled by my own feelings.
Börkur Sigurbjörnsson
Any aspiring writer should start with becoming a perspiring writer.
Write! Write a lot. Write different things. Write ideas. Write dialogs. Write scenario descriptions. Write fictional characters' CVs. Write! An aspiring writer should focus on quantity rather than quality. Keep it simple. Keep it coming.
An aspiring soccer player does not start with analyzing the best game strategy to adopt when playing against a defensive team. An aspiring soccer player just starts kicking a ball around.
As an aspiring writer you should start kicking words around. Kick ideas. Kick dialogs. Kick scenario descriptions. Kick fictional characters.
Gradually, by writing extensively, you will gain a steady pen control. You will get a feel for your prose.
Then, take a step back and think about strategy. Think about plots. Think about style. Read a book or five on writing. Read Stephen King's On Writing. Read Stein on Writing. Look back at your texts through the eyes of those titans. Spot what you did right. Spot where you could improve.
With this experience under your belt you should be able to take the next step. Transform yourself form an aspiring writer to an accomplished writer.
Write! Write a lot. Write different things. Write ideas. Write dialogs. Write scenario descriptions. Write fictional characters' CVs. Write! An aspiring writer should focus on quantity rather than quality. Keep it simple. Keep it coming.
An aspiring soccer player does not start with analyzing the best game strategy to adopt when playing against a defensive team. An aspiring soccer player just starts kicking a ball around.
As an aspiring writer you should start kicking words around. Kick ideas. Kick dialogs. Kick scenario descriptions. Kick fictional characters.
Gradually, by writing extensively, you will gain a steady pen control. You will get a feel for your prose.
Then, take a step back and think about strategy. Think about plots. Think about style. Read a book or five on writing. Read Stephen King's On Writing. Read Stein on Writing. Look back at your texts through the eyes of those titans. Spot what you did right. Spot where you could improve.
With this experience under your belt you should be able to take the next step. Transform yourself form an aspiring writer to an accomplished writer.
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