Ask the Author: Richard Yaxley
Answered Questions (6)
Richard Yaxley
A book is rarely (if ever) a single idea. My most recent novel, A Movement of Wings, was stimulated by a range of experiences and formed from a range of ideas. Probably the two most influential were; on a trek through the Bavarian Alps I saw a salamander scuttle onto an ancient glacier, which made me think about the unceasing nature of evolution. And; returning to my home state for a brief visit and realising how I'd spent more time away than there - so was it actually my home any more?
Richard Yaxley
I'm more compelled than inspired. This is what I love to do, so I do it. I think it's more about being open to new experiences, ideas and opportunities than being inspired. Writers see stories in the world; we tap into those, play with them, shape them, stamp them with our own method and style and send them out.
Richard Yaxley
I'm in the early planning stages of a new novel for children and young adults; thinking it through, getting to know the characters, finding the different threads of story.
Richard Yaxley
Read a lot. Read out of your usual genres and styles. Write every day. Keep what you write - never discard. Be prepared to get it wrong before you get it right. Persist. Persist. Persist.
Richard Yaxley
Creating. Recalibrating. Solving puzzles. Meeting characters. Finding places. Everything, really.
Richard Yaxley
I don't really believe in writer's block. If you're planning properly, then there should always be somewhere to go with your writing. That said, it's good to finish a day of writing with things still unsaid - so you can say them next time and restart the process.
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