Ask the Author: Bill Lascher
Answered Questions (7)
Bill Lascher
This isn't from a book, but Julie Delpy's and Ethan Hawke's characters Celine and Jesse from Richard Linklater's "Before" series. There's just something so honest, so identifiable about them as they move through their lives, particularly in "Before Sunrise" as they plunge into the whirlwind of one night together.
Bill Lascher
This is a wonderful question, but a difficult one to answer. I suppose the obvious answer -- in terms of Eve of a Hundred Midnights, at least -- is Melville Jacoby's Corona 4 typewriter. To be sure, that machine and another I own, a Royal Arrow, are great vehicles for getting thoughts on paper. They were particularly useful in my last two apartments, where I had nice porches that were well-suited for sitting outside on nice days to type without worrying about battery life or glare or other computer-related concerns.
However, my favorite writing resource is the Oxford American Writer's Thesauraus, 2nd Edition. I first learned of this from a guest speaker who visited my graduate journalism program. It seems like such a pedestrian tool, and one might think any thesaurus might help. What I value in this volume, though, is the hunt for precisely the right word that it consistently inspires. There are a great deal of word histories and explainers of where to choose the proper term. Often, these suggestions are provided by noted writers themselves. I've been known at times to just get lost in wandering through this thesaurus, and often it's in that getting lost that I find ways to refresh my writing.
However, my favorite writing resource is the Oxford American Writer's Thesauraus, 2nd Edition. I first learned of this from a guest speaker who visited my graduate journalism program. It seems like such a pedestrian tool, and one might think any thesaurus might help. What I value in this volume, though, is the hunt for precisely the right word that it consistently inspires. There are a great deal of word histories and explainers of where to choose the proper term. Often, these suggestions are provided by noted writers themselves. I've been known at times to just get lost in wandering through this thesaurus, and often it's in that getting lost that I find ways to refresh my writing.
Bill Lascher
When I was in my mid-twenties just starting my career as a professional journalist my grandmother was in the middle of a big move. As she cleared out years worth of her belongings, she found a closet full of material she'd nearly forgotten about. In the rush of memories that came to her, she thought about me and my passion for journalism. The next time I saw her she gave me a gift, a heavy, weather-beaten brown box with two metal latches. When I opened it, I discovered a portable typewriter, a 1930 Corona. My grandmother told me it used to belong to her cousin, the war correspondent, and she wanted me to have it. I was floored because I either didn't know she'd had a war correspondent cousin, or I'd forgotten. This cousin was Melville Jacoby, the subject of my book, Eve of a Hundred Midnights, and it was through talking about him with my grandmother over the ensuing years that I realized I needed to share his story with the rest of the world.
Bill Lascher
Deadlines. Deadlines. Deadlines. Did I say deadlines?
Bill Lascher
Don't get so obsessed with the rules of what you should write or what will sell. One piece of advice often given to new writers is to "just write," but I think that's evasive pablum. Don't pressure yourself. Write when you have something to write.
However, one great piece of common advice that I don't take often enough: read. Read as much as possible. Go to libraries. Explore what's on the shelf near the books you're interested in (this works better for nonfiction when books are classified by subject, not simply author) so you can go on tangents you don't expect. On that note, welcome tangents. Welcome exploration. The broader your experience of the world, the more material upon which you will be able to draw.
However, one great piece of common advice that I don't take often enough: read. Read as much as possible. Go to libraries. Explore what's on the shelf near the books you're interested in (this works better for nonfiction when books are classified by subject, not simply author) so you can go on tangents you don't expect. On that note, welcome tangents. Welcome exploration. The broader your experience of the world, the more material upon which you will be able to draw.
Bill Lascher
Easily the ability to continue to learn about and explore as many new subjects as I'm willing to approach. It's like constantly being in school, and by school I mean the best parts of school, the opportunity to satisfy my curiosity about topics I'm writing about or subjects related to my writing.
Bill Lascher
If I'm really struggling and I'm on deadline, I walk around the block. There's nothing more conducive to just taking in the world outside a home I've probably spent too much time in when working on something. If I have multiple projects going, I might also switch to work another one; somehow, that tricks my brain into wanting to think about the original one I was working on.
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