Ask the Author: H.P. Holo
Answered Questions (5)
H.P. Holo
Cry, usually. But once that's done, I usually push forward, going in whatever random direction my pen takes me. It may not feel particularly productive at first, but often I find that after a few hundred words, a solution presents itself - and very often it's a solution that I hadn't even considered to begin with!
H.P. Holo
JUST WRITE. It doesn't matter how bad you think it is, or whether you don't have anything in particular to write about. If there's a story inside you begging to be told, then it will find its way out. Sometimes it just takes a little more work and revision than you'd expect.
Inversely, though the idea-generation stage and free-writing process might be fun, there comes a point where you have to sit down and organize your thoughts, especially if you're writing a longer work like a novel. Letting a story chart its own course is a fun experience, but in the long run, it's not very efficient if you actually want to produce a finished work.
The trick is finding the balance of planning and free-writing that works for you. It's different for every author, but both are essential.
Inversely, though the idea-generation stage and free-writing process might be fun, there comes a point where you have to sit down and organize your thoughts, especially if you're writing a longer work like a novel. Letting a story chart its own course is a fun experience, but in the long run, it's not very efficient if you actually want to produce a finished work.
The trick is finding the balance of planning and free-writing that works for you. It's different for every author, but both are essential.
H.P. Holo
The most immediate novel-length project is the sequel to The Wizard's Way, titled The Wizard's Circus. At some point, though, I'd like to distract myself with novellas or short story collections about some of the characters and ideas that I won't have space to explore in the main storyline - Lysa Bright's backstory, Ellid's adventures abroad, Pentalion's pre-butler adventures, etc.
H.P. Holo
I love animation, and my stories play out like animated movies in my head, so I usually start my writing days by watching clips from animated films on YouTube. They don't even have to be finished clips - even pencil tests will do it! There's just something about watching the illusion of life created through drawn lines that inspires me to create the illusion of life through written words.
However, in general, I also read books that are similar in spirit to what I'm trying to accomplish with my current project. During the writing of The Wizard's Way, I read a lot of Gail Carriger, the Delilah Dirk comics, and other adventure comedies.
However, in general, I also read books that are similar in spirit to what I'm trying to accomplish with my current project. During the writing of The Wizard's Way, I read a lot of Gail Carriger, the Delilah Dirk comics, and other adventure comedies.
H.P. Holo
Most of my ideas come from a combination of coffee and staying up too late watching bad movies. Combine that with all the Victorian literature classes that I was taking at the time of the book's inception, and you have The Wizard's Way.*
*The original version at least. The finished version is actually so different from the first one that I could write a book from my original notes and you wouldn't even realize they're the same story! Perhaps I'll do that one day.
*The original version at least. The finished version is actually so different from the first one that I could write a book from my original notes and you wouldn't even realize they're the same story! Perhaps I'll do that one day.
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