Writing Tips: Common Questions I Get Asked as an Author

Recently, I did an author Q&A video answering questions from fans on social media. The questions were:

What’s your writing process like? What is your ritual to prepare yourself to write?
How do you determine what details are and aren’t important when writing?
How do you get inspired in a busy and distracting world?
What inspired you to write Dance with the Devil?

If you’re interested in knowing my responses to these questions, you can watch the full author Q&A video below.

As for the rest of this blog, I’m going to answer some other questions I get asked often from beginning writers and curious fans. Let’s get started!

How can you be so patient while writing a novel?

Writing a novel might seem like a long and time-consuming work, and while that is 100% true, writing is also so much more than that. As an author, I don’t look at my work as if it’s a chore (at least not the majority of time); I look at it as if it’s a block of ice that I have to carve out until the real ice sculpture emerges.

In other words, I don’t look at the novel I’m working on and think, “How am I going to write 400 pages?” Because it’s impossible to write 400 pages in a few hours. Instead, I tell myself that for the next few hours, I will write a specific scene, a specific chapter, and a minimum number of pages. This way, writing a book doesn’t seem daunting. I’m only sitting down to write a few pages at a time, and over a couple of months, those pages will add up to a book.

Do you ever get writer’s block? How do you get unblocked?

Luckily, I haven’t had writer’s block these past few months, but, yes, I do get writer’s block. In fact, I had writer’s block for four years until a few

months ago. The reason? Well, I like to blame it on college stress, and there is a possibility that it was the stress that was causing me to be uncreative. However, I do also believe that it was mostly in my head. Since getting my mojo back and realizing that I am a professional writer, which means that I have to write even when the thoughts aren’t coming to me, I have been able to think more creatively even when the ideas quiet down.

The trick to getting unblocked, I’ve discovered, is to act like the professional writer that you are. Don’t tell yourself that thoughts aren’t coming to you. Sit down, think of an interesting idea, and then add more ideas to it. For instance, just now, I thought of a cool idea: A seventeen-year-old boy wants to be a rock star. Let me add more ideas to this simple idea: This boy runs away from home, drops out of school, and joins a band. There’s potential for a book here! Let’s add more ideas: Little does he know, the band he just joined is made out of extraterrestrials, and they’re out to take over the world. You see, all you need to do is just add an idea to an idea and start writing. The more ideas you create, the more you’ll start getting your inspiration back.

How can I get better at writing?

Practice makes perfect. Writing is a talent, and like all talents, you have to keep working on it to advance it. The more you write, the better you’ll get. Write every day, all year long. Write when on vacation. Write during spring break. Write during your lunch break. Write when your kids are asleep. Write any chance you get, and you’ll get better.

 

 

I hope these writing tips helped inspire you!

Do you have any questions on writing? Leave a comment below so I can get back to you!

You can also read a free preview of my book Dance with the Devil right here: