Ask the Author: Cecelia Isaac
Answered Questions (10)
Cecelia Isaac
I live across from a strip mall, and I've always thought about writing some kind of Rear Window homage. Instead of the intimate lives of neighbors, it would be about the strange, quirky, or sinister people who frequent the different stores.
Cecelia Isaac
I'm in grad school, so I read textbooks all summer :( but I have a lot of Helen Oyeyemi on my wish list.
Cecelia Isaac
Garth Nix's medieval Old Kingdom...I'm ready to be a magic-wielding knight, and I love that 1900s-Ancelstierre is just across the Wall.
Cecelia Isaac
Only one page left of this amazing book. Oh no -- a cliffhanger!!
Cecelia Isaac
One great piece of writing advice I got once was to not "save" your good ideas. So I usually just throw everything in! Secret tunnels under the city? Mapping by constellations? A golden gun? Crocodiles?? All of that went into DANA. Then those ideas built on each other and enriched the core plot, which is about a civil war over water in a desert city.
Cecelia Isaac
Usually by talking to people/observing the world around me. There's always a story idea floating around in my head and the outside world often acts as a catalyst, helping me connect disparate ideas into a full story, waiting to be written.
But I don't wait for inspiration to strike. I generally write on a schedule with a specific word count goal and self-made deadline. It's more important to put pen to paper than to wait for inspiration.
But I don't wait for inspiration to strike. I generally write on a schedule with a specific word count goal and self-made deadline. It's more important to put pen to paper than to wait for inspiration.
Cecelia Isaac
I have sent my second novel, DANA, out to beta readers! I finished another novel for Nanowrimo but have put it away for now. I am working on editing some short stories while I wait to get DANA back.
Cecelia Isaac
Keep writing. Sorry if you've heard that one before, but it's the most important one.
Cecelia Isaac
Staring into space and imaging witty characters and jaw-dropping plot twists...
...actually writing everything down is a little harder.
...actually writing everything down is a little harder.
Cecelia Isaac
I don't really get writer's block anymore, however, maybe it just feels that way since I have two solutions that always work for me. My first simple solution is just to outline more. Usually my writer's block comes from not knowing what I want. I find if I take a minute and think about my goals for the story, I can usually work out the kinks.
My second go-to is Write or Die. Write or Die is a program where you set a timer and start writing...and if you stop writing, the program starts deleting everything you just wrote. It's a great motivator to get you through a slump ;)
My second go-to is Write or Die. Write or Die is a program where you set a timer and start writing...and if you stop writing, the program starts deleting everything you just wrote. It's a great motivator to get you through a slump ;)
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