Ask the Author: Karl Wiegers
Answered Questions (5)
Karl Wiegers
1. You have to carve out the time in your life to be able to write. Books and articles don't write themselves. No matter how much you want to write, if you do not allocate the time it needs as a priority, it won't happen.
2. Enlist trusted friends and colleagues as pre-publication (or -posting, or -submitting) reviewers, the more critical the better. Sure, I love it when reviewers tell me how much they like something I wrote, but that doesn't help me make it better. My most valuable reviewers are also the ones whose feedback I most dread receiving, because I know I will feel slightly stupid and I will also have to do a lot of work to process their input. That input, painful though it may be, is enormously helpful.
3. Anytime you're re-reading something you wrote and some bit doesn't sound right or look right to you, trust your judgment and fix it. I used to tell myself, "Let's see what the reviewers think about that." The reviewers always hated it, so now whenever that little voice in my head warns me, I pay attention.
2. Enlist trusted friends and colleagues as pre-publication (or -posting, or -submitting) reviewers, the more critical the better. Sure, I love it when reviewers tell me how much they like something I wrote, but that doesn't help me make it better. My most valuable reviewers are also the ones whose feedback I most dread receiving, because I know I will feel slightly stupid and I will also have to do a lot of work to process their input. That input, painful though it may be, is enormously helpful.
3. Anytime you're re-reading something you wrote and some bit doesn't sound right or look right to you, trust your judgment and fix it. I used to tell myself, "Let's see what the reviewers think about that." The reviewers always hated it, so now whenever that little voice in my head warns me, I pay attention.
Karl Wiegers
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Karl Wiegers
I recently finished writing my first novel, "The Reconstruction." It's now being edited and I hope to have it published within a few months. It was terrific fun telling this story: devising a plot, inventing characters, writing dialogue, everything that goes into a novel, and all things I've never done before. It was also a great learning experience. Stay tuned for updates.
Karl Wiegers
I've never experienced writer's block, where I just didn't know where to start or what to say or how to get where I was headed. When I have dealt with a particularly challenging topic that I wasn't quite sure how to address, I arrange with some friend or colleague whose opinion I trust to review my drafts (brutally!) to help keep me on track and hone my message. But fortunately, I've never not known what to write next or been unable to get started.
Karl Wiegers
The best thing about being a writer is being able to share information that I find useful and interesting with others. It means a lot to me when readers tell me they found my books and articles helpful to them either in their job or in their life.
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