Ask the Author: Daniel Connolly
Answered Questions (4)
Daniel Connolly
I'm really hard-pressed to answer this. Hmm. Well, to give a highbrow answer it's Orpheus and Eurydice - Orpheus goes down to the underworld to get his wife, which is a great act of devotion. Unfortunately it doesn't go well.
My pop culture answer is Ricky and Lucy from "I Love Lucy."
My pop culture answer is Ricky and Lucy from "I Love Lucy."
Daniel Connolly
Rather than wait for inspiration to write, I treat it like a job.
I took two leaves of absence from newspaper work to finish my book about children of immigrants, and during those leaves, no one was watching me. I could have slacked off and done nothing. So I played all kinds of psychological tricks on myself to make sure that I took it seriously. For instance, I rented an office and worked there, rather than trying to work from home. I put on formal office clothes - shirt and tie - even when I knew I'd be alone most of the day, writing. To hold myself accountable, I sent friends and family weekly updates on my progress. I wrote down what time I arrived in the office. I set timers so I worked in 90-minute blocks, with regular breaks.
All of these little tricks made me feel like I had a job - and they helped me move forward.
I took two leaves of absence from newspaper work to finish my book about children of immigrants, and during those leaves, no one was watching me. I could have slacked off and done nothing. So I played all kinds of psychological tricks on myself to make sure that I took it seriously. For instance, I rented an office and worked there, rather than trying to work from home. I put on formal office clothes - shirt and tie - even when I knew I'd be alone most of the day, writing. To hold myself accountable, I sent friends and family weekly updates on my progress. I wrote down what time I arrived in the office. I set timers so I worked in 90-minute blocks, with regular breaks.
All of these little tricks made me feel like I had a job - and they helped me move forward.
Daniel Connolly
Training can help you grow as a writer. For much of my career, people regarded me as a great reporter but a mediocre writer. Then I made a concentrated effort to get better at writing, and I did - with the help of classes, coaches and mentors. So one big piece of advice is to look for training, whether through a formal course, a writers' group, or something similar. Don't try to become a better writer all by yourself.
A passionate interest in your subject will take you a long way, too.
A passionate interest in your subject will take you a long way, too.
Daniel Connolly
I don't really have a problem with writer's block. I've always been able to sit down and write something - the only problem I've had is that what I write the first time isn't very good.
Since 2006, I have used a process that I adopted from the writing coach Chip Scanlan. I follow these steps.
First, I quickly write answers to these five questions.
-Why does it matter?
- What’s the point?
- Why is this story being told?
- What does it say about life, about the world, about the times we live in?
- What’s the story really about? (one word!)
With the answers to those five questions in mind, I use a word processor to write a first draft.
2) Then I print out the draft.
3) I read it out loud, word for word.
4) As I read, I mark problems in the text that I need to change, marking them physically on the printout.
5) I fix the problems one by one, revising in the word processor. Sometimes it's as simple as fixing a typo. Other times, I need to check a fact by conducting an interview.
6) Then I repeat those steps over and over, until I either hit my deadline or I'm satisfied with the work.
I do this whether I'm writing a 400-word article or a book.
I learned this process through an online course I took with Chip Scanlan himself, but I looked him up just now and I see that he's co-authored a textbook that you can check out:
http://www.amazon.com/News-Writing-Re...
Since 2006, I have used a process that I adopted from the writing coach Chip Scanlan. I follow these steps.
First, I quickly write answers to these five questions.
-Why does it matter?
- What’s the point?
- Why is this story being told?
- What does it say about life, about the world, about the times we live in?
- What’s the story really about? (one word!)
With the answers to those five questions in mind, I use a word processor to write a first draft.
2) Then I print out the draft.
3) I read it out loud, word for word.
4) As I read, I mark problems in the text that I need to change, marking them physically on the printout.
5) I fix the problems one by one, revising in the word processor. Sometimes it's as simple as fixing a typo. Other times, I need to check a fact by conducting an interview.
6) Then I repeat those steps over and over, until I either hit my deadline or I'm satisfied with the work.
I do this whether I'm writing a 400-word article or a book.
I learned this process through an online course I took with Chip Scanlan himself, but I looked him up just now and I see that he's co-authored a textbook that you can check out:
http://www.amazon.com/News-Writing-Re...
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