Goodreads asked Zara Keane:

How do you deal with writer’s block?

Zara Keane Up until a couple of years ago, my answer to this question would have been "badly". If I sat down at my computer and the words didn't flow, much weeping, gnashing, and self-doubt ensued.

There’s nothing like a deadline—not to mention a deadline for an editor you’re paying—to knock that myth on the head!

Seriously, though, I don’t believe in writer’s block any more than I do in the magical muse. The one and only thing that’s gotten me to finish a story is the good old arse-in-chair routine. Sometimes, the words flow. Other times, writing a page of coherent text is torture. Unless you’re one of the fortunate few whose first draft doesn’t suck, you’ll be seeing that manuscript a few times before you hit “publish”. Accept that your first couple of drafts will be rough, embrace rewrites, and set yourself an end date for the final version.

flag