Patrick Higgins
Since all writers are different, we all have different styles and techniques. As for me, I do not write in chronological order. In fact, very seldom do I start writing chapter one first. What works best for me is just to keep writing, without worrying too much about formatting or editing, or about trying to make chapter 4 fit into chapter 1.
The hardest part for me is that I tend to overwrite. When I finish writing the bulk of a story, I envision a huge block of ice before me which needs sculpting. The shortening of the text is me taking a chainsaw and sculpting the block of ice until it becomes a beautiful sculpture, or in book jargon, a story worthy of being introduced to the marketplace. Believe me when I say, deleting parts that I work so hard to include in a story is no easy task! It can be just as grueling as writing the story itself.
The key is to keep writing. Everything else will get sorted out in the end. And while it’s beneficial to read the works of other authors—it’s even good to be compared to them—from a creativity standpoint, it’s vital that your readers are always convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that what they are reading is distinctly you, and no one else! In short, your work must be uniquely your own!
The hardest part for me is that I tend to overwrite. When I finish writing the bulk of a story, I envision a huge block of ice before me which needs sculpting. The shortening of the text is me taking a chainsaw and sculpting the block of ice until it becomes a beautiful sculpture, or in book jargon, a story worthy of being introduced to the marketplace. Believe me when I say, deleting parts that I work so hard to include in a story is no easy task! It can be just as grueling as writing the story itself.
The key is to keep writing. Everything else will get sorted out in the end. And while it’s beneficial to read the works of other authors—it’s even good to be compared to them—from a creativity standpoint, it’s vital that your readers are always convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that what they are reading is distinctly you, and no one else! In short, your work must be uniquely your own!
More Answered Questions
Jessica
asked
Patrick Higgins:
When will Chaos 7 be published? Do you have a timeline for when the rest of the series will be finished? Is it odd for you that some of the things you wrote about in the books are now common place? Face masks, and the economy being pumped with cash to try and 'balance' things out for example.
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