Goodreads asked Amy Ephron:

How do you get inspired to write?

Amy Ephron It's a funny thing about writing a book -- sometimes in the best cases, usually -- the book takes on a life of its own. And it engages you in a way that's difficult to disengage from. The world they're set in, the time period, the characters are always in your head, even when you're not physically writing. And the lens through which you see the world is skewed sometimes to how your character might react to it. And the book itself, the work itself, in the best cases becomes inspirational. (And sometimes you just have to sit down, sans inspiration, and do the work and then push it so that it's at least an attempt at a personal best.) But if you ever get really stuck -- and this has only happened to me once or twice -- you can actually skip ahead, if you know what's coming and write that chapter and then go back, so you don't waste any time. Note to self: On deadline.

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