TanjanTarinat
asked
Lisa See:
Hey Lisa! Thank you for great reading experiments. I used to write stories but I have been on a longer pause. I have asked you a question in past and your answer inspired me so I'm gonna try my luck and ask for your tip this time since I respect you. How do you keep up the motivation, how do you avoid letting the inspiration die? Do you have to encourage yourself to continue writing? Thank you for reading my message.
Lisa See
I think the single most important thing for writers and other artists is passion. We have to have passion. That’s what sustains us through what we can euphemistically call those “bumps in the road.” You have to have passion to decide to write a book. You have to have passion to edit a book. You have to have passion to go out on the road and promote it – sometimes for a week or so, sometimes for years. I’m still invited to talk solely about On Gold Mountain, and that book came out almost twenty years ago! So I’d better be passionate about it. I look at this passion kind of like I look at the difference between marriage and a one-night stand. Are you in it for the long haul – through thick and thin, illness and in health, and all that stuff? Or is this something you’re doing for momentary pleasure so that when the going gets rough, you’re out of there? When you’re in it for the long haul, you’re always motivated.
More Answered Questions
Jess Nather
asked
Lisa See:
Hi, Lisa! I absolutely love your books. Every one of them is so moving. I read Peony in Love in 2 days because I couldn't put it down! And Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is one of my top favorite books ever, period. Are you able to give us any hints on what you're working on now? ;) And do you have any tips on creating complex and unique characters for aspiring writers? Thanks! <3
Hye Jea
asked
Lisa See:
Hi Lisa, I have made it a goal of mine this year to read more books either written by a Korean author or about my people. What inspired you to write about The Island of Sea Women? I see you have Chinese heritage; would you write about periods that involve both China and Korea? I would love to see what you have coming out next.
Julieann
asked
Lisa See:
Have you seen the documentary "Above the Drowning Sea" about the Jews who fled Vienna in 1939 for Shanghai? It's the story, told both through the eyes of some of the survivors and with film clips from those days. The Chinese Counsel issued 30,000+ exit visas so that Jews could leave Vienna. Never mind that they didn't have any place to go, this was the only way they could escape. It's a wonderful film. Julie Martin
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