Ask the Author: Judith Rook
Answered Questions (5)
Judith Rook
There are mornings when I get up and go immediately to my desk, before my eyes are completely open, and begin to write. About an hour later, and after perhaps a thousand new words, I'll surface and have a cup of coffee. That's probably as close to inspiration as I get, but I don't think it's the sort of inspiration that Milton was looking for at the beginning of "Paradise Lost". Perhaps one day, when a great theme emerges in my writer's mind, I'll have a great inspirational experience, but until then it's mainly a question of motivation.
I am always mentally prepared to write; that is, I'm constantly motivated. But sometimes I have to coax the creative energy along a little and I do that by making myself as comfortable as possible at my desk. Everything is neatly arranged, the cup of tea or coffee is in its place, and the cat has settled on her corner of the laptop keyboard or writing notebook. After that, the words begin to flow and we're off and running..
I am always mentally prepared to write; that is, I'm constantly motivated. But sometimes I have to coax the creative energy along a little and I do that by making myself as comfortable as possible at my desk. Everything is neatly arranged, the cup of tea or coffee is in its place, and the cat has settled on her corner of the laptop keyboard or writing notebook. After that, the words begin to flow and we're off and running..
Judith Rook
"Man of Two Planets" is the second book in the "Circe" series. Although it extends the storyline which was begun in "Planet Woman" it can also be read as a 'stand-alone' book.
In the first book I included the fact that, after one thousand years of settlement, the humans who live on the planet Circe have become slightly different from other humans. As I wrote the first book this sub-plot matured in my imagination and it has now extended itself in "Man of Two Planets".
However, although the same experience is taking me onwards I will probably end this particular storyline at the end of the thrid book.
In the first book I included the fact that, after one thousand years of settlement, the humans who live on the planet Circe have become slightly different from other humans. As I wrote the first book this sub-plot matured in my imagination and it has now extended itself in "Man of Two Planets".
However, although the same experience is taking me onwards I will probably end this particular storyline at the end of the thrid book.
Judith Rook
I understand "aspiring writers" to mean people who want to connect seriously with an audience and feel driven to spend quite a lot of time writing.
If you have become that sort of person then my first advice is: don't think that the second or third draft is the final one. Even if you've come to the end of what you are convinced is the completed short story or novel, put it on one side for two weeks while you do something else then come back to it. You will be surprised.
Be in contact with other writers whenever you have the opportunity. If you join a writer's group (I am a member of two) you may find that it is little more than a pleasant social get-together. If that is the case, don't waste your time. Leave. A writer needs to be in touch with people who are writing seriously, no matter what the level of technical skill may be.
If you have become that sort of person then my first advice is: don't think that the second or third draft is the final one. Even if you've come to the end of what you are convinced is the completed short story or novel, put it on one side for two weeks while you do something else then come back to it. You will be surprised.
Be in contact with other writers whenever you have the opportunity. If you join a writer's group (I am a member of two) you may find that it is little more than a pleasant social get-together. If that is the case, don't waste your time. Leave. A writer needs to be in touch with people who are writing seriously, no matter what the level of technical skill may be.
Judith Rook
At the beginning of August 2015 I am finishing my erotic fantasy/romance "The Three ways of Desire". I began writing it in response to a challenge that I probably would be unable to write a book with erotic adventures as part of the plot development. I think I have managed to do just that, but because my creative imagination likes to live in the fantasy/sci-fi worlds, the plot and action take place in a world that I have created.
The book began to build from a point in "Man of Two Planets". It was a "what if this were to happen . . .?" moment and I decided that it would happen, but in a different book.
So I created a new plot and new characters and again I have ended with a strong and hopefully memorable female character.
"The Three Ways of Desire" will be epublished in the middle of September 2015. It is already available on pre-release on "Smashwords".
The book began to build from a point in "Man of Two Planets". It was a "what if this were to happen . . .?" moment and I decided that it would happen, but in a different book.
So I created a new plot and new characters and again I have ended with a strong and hopefully memorable female character.
"The Three Ways of Desire" will be epublished in the middle of September 2015. It is already available on pre-release on "Smashwords".
Judith Rook
If by 'writer's block' we are talking about those times when the mind cannot engage in a work in progress, when the ideas are not there, or when they move in a circular manner, I generally deal with that by doing a bit of editing. Editing turns my attention to technique and angles it away from direct creativity. After an hour or so of editing the creative energy usually returns.
If we are talking about those times when it seems absolutely impossible to get down to writing, when the mind reacts against the very thought of writing, then I think I would handle that by reading. Not something new but something that refreshes me, like "The Wind in the Willows". The second type of writer's block hasn't happened to me, thank goodness, and I hope it never does.
I attend a weekly writers' group and I've heard that if you're forced away from writing, through a stay in hospital, for example, or a family crisis, it is very hard to get back to the writing routine. I can't imagine a day when I don't write anything. The very thought makes me shiver.
If we are talking about those times when it seems absolutely impossible to get down to writing, when the mind reacts against the very thought of writing, then I think I would handle that by reading. Not something new but something that refreshes me, like "The Wind in the Willows". The second type of writer's block hasn't happened to me, thank goodness, and I hope it never does.
I attend a weekly writers' group and I've heard that if you're forced away from writing, through a stay in hospital, for example, or a family crisis, it is very hard to get back to the writing routine. I can't imagine a day when I don't write anything. The very thought makes me shiver.
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