Holly Senecal
asked
Susan Mallery:
Hello Susan! I am one of your Bridesmaids for your new book and I am so thankful and excited about it! My question is: When you get writers block, or are having an off day and you have to meet a deadline, how do you get the creative juices going again?
Susan Mallery
Thank you so much for being a Bridesmaid, Holly! (Quick explanation for those of you who are wondering what the heck we're talking about.... I invited members of my mailing list to try out to be Bridesmaids for DAUGHTERS OF THE BRIDE. The 200 fabulous readers who were selected each agreed to hand out at least 10 excerpt booklets of DAUGHTERS OF THE BRIDE to people who like to read romance, and then I'll send them a signed hardcover copy of the book.)
To answer your question... I don't accept the premise of writer's block. :) As with every job, some days it's easy, and some days it's challenging, but the work must be done. I have a set number of pages that I must write every day in order to meet my deadline. If the writing is going well, and all my synapses are firing, I could be done with my pages by noon. When I'm struggling, I might be in my office until late in the evening. Those days are rare, thank goodness. I do a lot of prep work and plotting before I start writing, so I already know where the story is going. My writing days are just that--getting the words on paper. (Or more accurately, on screen.)
You might enjoy this video, in which Susan Elizabeth Phillips and I talk about nurturing creativity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrFOi...
When my writing is done for the day, my work is not. There are a lot of "businessy" things that come with being a writer, and I handle those after I've finished my pages for the day. Interview requests, endless debates about covers and (dear God) fonts and paper stock, speaking engagements.... And then there's also social media, which I love, but which is definitely a time suck. Facebook is my playground. I get so many great comments there that I can easily lose a couple hours just chit chatting with my readers.
To answer your question... I don't accept the premise of writer's block. :) As with every job, some days it's easy, and some days it's challenging, but the work must be done. I have a set number of pages that I must write every day in order to meet my deadline. If the writing is going well, and all my synapses are firing, I could be done with my pages by noon. When I'm struggling, I might be in my office until late in the evening. Those days are rare, thank goodness. I do a lot of prep work and plotting before I start writing, so I already know where the story is going. My writing days are just that--getting the words on paper. (Or more accurately, on screen.)
You might enjoy this video, in which Susan Elizabeth Phillips and I talk about nurturing creativity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrFOi...
When my writing is done for the day, my work is not. There are a lot of "businessy" things that come with being a writer, and I handle those after I've finished my pages for the day. Interview requests, endless debates about covers and (dear God) fonts and paper stock, speaking engagements.... And then there's also social media, which I love, but which is definitely a time suck. Facebook is my playground. I get so many great comments there that I can easily lose a couple hours just chit chatting with my readers.
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