Umbrr asked Katherine Arden:

What was it like writing the trilogy? Was it a systematic progression from start to finish or did inspiration come to you in waves and you would take advantage of it? Something in between?

Katherine Arden It was a lot of fits and starts and backtracking honestly. I'd have an idea for how I wanted the series to progress, and then I'd realize that my idea wasn't going to work AT ALL (or my editor would point out same) and then I'd delete and try again. Smoothly planned and brilliantly executed it was not. More a lot of swearing and writing in pajamas with madwoman hair. But we are making it to the end now and that is something.

I love inspiration as much as the next girl. But waiting for it to strike is a bit of a dangerous game. For my money, the best way to write a book is to sit down every morning, get the words written no matter what else is going on. If the fickle inspiration fairy appears and sprinkles magic dust that is fantastic, but the words have to get written regardless. Even if they're terrible and you have to backtrack and try again a million times, which I did :)

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