Ask the Author: Joseph Riden
Answered Questions (7)
Joseph Riden
Hi, Malcolm,
We are now connected via direct email. I want to fine-tune your quote a bit before sending it. I answered your email already this morning. Something I am curious about, are you British? And is your book written in British English? I don't see this as an issue, I am simply curious given some cues in your use of language,
More soon,
Joseph
We are now connected via direct email. I want to fine-tune your quote a bit before sending it. I answered your email already this morning. Something I am curious about, are you British? And is your book written in British English? I don't see this as an issue, I am simply curious given some cues in your use of language,
More soon,
Joseph
Joseph Riden
It completes me.
Joseph Riden
My first novel happened as I was writing short stories for practice; I didn't think I was ready to write a novel. Some of the stories aligned like stars pointing the way home for a lost mariner. They gave me the courage to try. Now, after eight months, the "final" draft out to a couple of beta readers. We shall see...
Joseph Riden
https://youtu.be/UU51N2s3B78
I have no advice better than this master who will make you a better writer in any genre.
I have no advice better than this master who will make you a better writer in any genre.
Joseph Riden
Inspiration is not what drives my writing. I'm a practicing, professional writer so I write every day with only very rare exceptions, whether I feel inspired or not. My work days are typically 12 hours with a couple short breaks. Most pros will say the same. When you write for a living, you can't afford to wait around until your Muses dial you in. So you learn to write well whether you're inspired or not. It's a job and a career -- and writing demands perfection. Some days, I do feel inspired and the mood is lighter and work moves along faster and easier. But every day the show must go on. When I do feel inspired, that comes from the work itself, just doing it well. If anything drives my work, it's the need to make a good living.
Joseph Riden
My take is, there is no such thing as so-called writer's block. There are only writers who are trying to write when they actually have something else they need to attend to. The remedy for not being able to write is to stop trying to write and become aware of what you really need to be doing; take care of that need; then get back to the writing. This works well for me so I hope you find it useful.
Joseph Riden
I've been wanting to chronicle some personal history from the late '80s in a creative nonfiction style that reads about like fiction but is entirely true. The book I'm working on is a set of short stories that tell the larger tale. Twelve of them and each can stand alone; love, adventure on the ocean, and lots of fishing off the southwest corner of the US.
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