Ask the Author: Alysia Constantine
Answered Questions (6)
Alysia Constantine
If we're talking about SWEET, then I got the idea from collaborations with friends, and also from my experience as a pastry chef. If we're talking about the project I'm working on now, which takes place in the circus and freak show, I've always been interested in freak shows. As someone who has studied disability history and theory, as someone who is disabled, I'm really interested in that history. There's a great book of history and theory edited by Rosemary Garland Thomson called FREAKERY; that's provided a lot of inspiration for me.
Alysia Constantine
Reading. Everything--good, bad, novels, poetry, theory, anything. The more I read, the more I think in terms of writing.
Alysia Constantine
I'm writing a new novel that takes place in the circus and side show. I would say more, but I don't know much more than that, except it starts with one character's parents disappearing midair during a trapeze act.
Alysia Constantine
Read. Lots. It helps to inspire, to motivate, and to stretch you. Plus, it strikes me as rather self-indulgent to write without reading what other people are writing. There's always going to be writers who do something you can't do, from whom you can absorb and learn.
I would also suggest that there's no such thing as an "aspiring" writer--there are people who write and people who don't. So, write.
I would also suggest that there's no such thing as an "aspiring" writer--there are people who write and people who don't. So, write.
Alysia Constantine
I've never thought about it as a great thing; it's just a thing I've always done. I suppose the best thing is finishing something and feeling good about it, even if I only feel good for a day or so.
Alysia Constantine
I write in the wee hours of the night, so there are fewer distractions. For me, writer's block usually comes at a moment when I'm struggling over how to write something--it's resistance and exhaustion. My solution is to stop for a while, give myself a break and do something else for a few days, something without any writing involved, until the desire to write again builds itself up to an urgency. Usually, reading something good gets me going again. Sometimes, it's taken months. I've never found a great solution.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more