Ask the Author: Anna Harrington
Answered Questions (3)
Anna Harrington
Hi, Cintia,
Oh, I'm so sorry. Writer's block is so terrible! What I do to break out of it is to approach writing as play--try writing in a new place, if I normally write on a computer then I try writing it out by hand, I will try writing a famous scene (from like a Jane Austen novel) from a weird POV like the cat in the room, or I completely switch genres and try something completely different just to get the brain juices flowing. And don't forget--nobody said you had to start at the beginning. I once heard that Margaret Mitchell wrote the last chapter of Gone with the Wind first. I'm not certain if that's true, but what a great way to try to shake things up. Whatever you do, don't give up! Just try new things, and if nothing else, you've had some great life experiences to write about eventually.
Oh, I'm so sorry. Writer's block is so terrible! What I do to break out of it is to approach writing as play--try writing in a new place, if I normally write on a computer then I try writing it out by hand, I will try writing a famous scene (from like a Jane Austen novel) from a weird POV like the cat in the room, or I completely switch genres and try something completely different just to get the brain juices flowing. And don't forget--nobody said you had to start at the beginning. I once heard that Margaret Mitchell wrote the last chapter of Gone with the Wind first. I'm not certain if that's true, but what a great way to try to shake things up. Whatever you do, don't give up! Just try new things, and if nothing else, you've had some great life experiences to write about eventually.
Anna Harrington
I am currently working on a novel tentatively titled Her Most Wicked Desire, the third book in the Capturing the Carlisles series, about the three older brothers to Josie Carlisle, who falls in love with Thomas Matteson, Marquess of Chesney and War Office spy, in How I Married a Marquess.
Anna Harrington
Write, write, write...not everything will be good, but all of it is a learning experience. Writers all need to practice more, take risks with their writing style, word choice, characters, etc. and push their comfort zones. Even if you don't end up publishing anything from these practice sessions and explorations, you've grown as a writer and added more tools to your arsenal. And read widely--everything and anything, not just in your own genre. Actively study what you read and notice what tools, tricks, styles, etc. the writers use, and use this metacognitive approach to analyze your own writing, as well.
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Sep 17, 2015 07:31AM · flag