Ask the Author: Carol Gorman
Answered Questions (2)
Carol Gorman
I don't really believe in writer's block. I think generally when a writer says she's blocked, she's either saying, "I don't feel like writing," or "I can't figure out how to write this book" or "this scene." If you sit in front of your computer long enough, it will come.
One helpful strategy is to find a book that can model what you want to accomplish in your own story. Other writers can teach you a lot when you're stuck.
One helpful strategy is to find a book that can model what you want to accomplish in your own story. Other writers can teach you a lot when you're stuck.
Carol Gorman
My advice: read. But don't read quickly, just for story. When you read a terrific scene that makes you feel something (sadness, excitement, fear), go back and reread the scene. What did the writer do to create that feeling inside of you?
Did she quicken the pace in the scene with the runaway wheelchair on the steep hillside by shortening the sentences and the paragraphs to make your eye sweep down the page? Did he add sensory detail, so you joined the character, trembling inside the dark, spider-webby closet while the intruder trashed the room, searching for the treasure you had hidden in your pocket?
Your favorite writers can teach you a lot about writing. All you have to do is stop and examine their best scenes, pick them apart and decide what they did to create such an effective reading experience for you.
For writing tips, see my website: carolgorman.com
Did she quicken the pace in the scene with the runaway wheelchair on the steep hillside by shortening the sentences and the paragraphs to make your eye sweep down the page? Did he add sensory detail, so you joined the character, trembling inside the dark, spider-webby closet while the intruder trashed the room, searching for the treasure you had hidden in your pocket?
Your favorite writers can teach you a lot about writing. All you have to do is stop and examine their best scenes, pick them apart and decide what they did to create such an effective reading experience for you.
For writing tips, see my website: carolgorman.com
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