Ask the Author: Cathleen Townsend
Answered Questions (6)
Cathleen Townsend
Mostly I ignore it and power on through. If that doesn't work, I talk to a beta friend, and we work at jiggling ideas loose. If you're stuck, sometimes it's a sign that something is wrong but you can't articulate it to yourself.
Or it could just be a sign that I'm tired, creatively. In that case, I write something, anything, even if it's junk. Then I go read something that's truly good.
Or it could just be a sign that I'm tired, creatively. In that case, I write something, anything, even if it's junk. Then I go read something that's truly good.
Cathleen Townsend
Being a writer is incredible. We get to create people and entire worlds. We can turn back the clock to right a mistake. We can do anything at all in our world as long as we make it entertaining. That's an awesome superpower.
Cathleen Townsend
Get feedback and support--and those don't always come from the same people. Find a group of people you can trust to tell you the truth, even if it hurts. Good beta readers are worth far more than their weight in gold. Not that most writers could afford to pay such an amount, but still. So the solution is to be a good beta reader in return.
And have a few people you can contact if you're really down about writing, and be prepared to return the favor. What we do can be very difficult emotionally.
Other than that, write as often as you can.
And have a few people you can contact if you're really down about writing, and be prepared to return the favor. What we do can be very difficult emotionally.
Other than that, write as often as you can.
Cathleen Townsend
I'm retelling Bellerophon--the real story of Pegasus, whose only connection to Perseus is that the latter cut his mother's head off.
Cathleen Townsend
Many of my stories are anger-driven, from a desire to see something put right. Other than that, sometimes I'm inspired by a character. Something in real life or another story will strike me, and I'll start changing the real players into characters for a story.
Settings can also work. Some settings nearly speak for themselves--simply wondering what it would be like to live in a particular place, and what the lives of the people would have been like. Anything that gets my mind going in a 'what if' kind of way can spark a tale.
Settings can also work. Some settings nearly speak for themselves--simply wondering what it would be like to live in a particular place, and what the lives of the people would have been like. Anything that gets my mind going in a 'what if' kind of way can spark a tale.
Cathleen Townsend
Dragon Hoard is a collection of short stories, so there were many ideas for the stories in it. For the book itself, I wanted a free sampler of my work. The tales are a similar style to the novels I've written, and one is a straight prequel to a later planned work. Think of it as a free hors d'oeuvre. :)
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