Toni
asked
Melanie Summers:
I'm so thrilled whenever I read your books! I'm curious, have you ever had writer's block? If so, how did you overcome it?
Melanie Summers
Hi Toni!
I am SO sorry for the tardy reply. I rarely log into Goodreads on account of it terrifying me. Thank you so much for your question, and your kind words about my books! It means the world to me (especially the word 'thrilled'! Eeek! I'm excited).
As to writer's block, I would say yes, from time to time. I am almost never at a loss for story ideas (in fact, I always have several just waiting for me to have time to write them). I do, however, get stumped while I'm writing sometimes, and I'm not sure what direction a story should go. This is almost exclusively for one of the following reasons:
1) I need to do more research - about the character's career, the location, or some other aspect of the story because I'm missing necessary information to make the story realistic. Somehow research manages to get me out of most holes I dig for myself. For example, in my current work in progress, I needed to look up 'how to use a spear gun,' and when I watched a video on it, it gave me a great idea (the character has to use it improperly in order to move the story forward).
2) There is something wrong with what I've written already. This happens when my characters lack motivation, don't have clear goals, the stakes aren't obvious, or they do something that is 'out of character' for them. I know it has happened when I find myself avoiding my desk and doing things like cleaning the house or weeding during my writing time. That's my signal that I have to go back to the start and figure out why the story isn't working. I fix it and can move on again.
After 11 years of writing, I've learned to recognize the signs of writer's block quicker and know how to deal with it. Following my gut is always the answer. When I ignore that little voice in the back of my mind telling me something is wrong, it leads to procrastinating, and even worse, writing more of what isn't working so that I have to go back and fix a lot more pages.
I hope that answers your question! Feel free to reach out at mjsummersbooks@gmail.com anytime. I see my emails much faster.
All the best to you and yours,
Melanie
I am SO sorry for the tardy reply. I rarely log into Goodreads on account of it terrifying me. Thank you so much for your question, and your kind words about my books! It means the world to me (especially the word 'thrilled'! Eeek! I'm excited).
As to writer's block, I would say yes, from time to time. I am almost never at a loss for story ideas (in fact, I always have several just waiting for me to have time to write them). I do, however, get stumped while I'm writing sometimes, and I'm not sure what direction a story should go. This is almost exclusively for one of the following reasons:
1) I need to do more research - about the character's career, the location, or some other aspect of the story because I'm missing necessary information to make the story realistic. Somehow research manages to get me out of most holes I dig for myself. For example, in my current work in progress, I needed to look up 'how to use a spear gun,' and when I watched a video on it, it gave me a great idea (the character has to use it improperly in order to move the story forward).
2) There is something wrong with what I've written already. This happens when my characters lack motivation, don't have clear goals, the stakes aren't obvious, or they do something that is 'out of character' for them. I know it has happened when I find myself avoiding my desk and doing things like cleaning the house or weeding during my writing time. That's my signal that I have to go back to the start and figure out why the story isn't working. I fix it and can move on again.
After 11 years of writing, I've learned to recognize the signs of writer's block quicker and know how to deal with it. Following my gut is always the answer. When I ignore that little voice in the back of my mind telling me something is wrong, it leads to procrastinating, and even worse, writing more of what isn't working so that I have to go back and fix a lot more pages.
I hope that answers your question! Feel free to reach out at mjsummersbooks@gmail.com anytime. I see my emails much faster.
All the best to you and yours,
Melanie
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