Ask the Author: L.L. McKinney
Answered Questions (6)
L.L. McKinney
Don't stop. Keep going.
People will say you're wasting your time, to pursue something else, prepare for a "real" job. Keep going.
You might even try to talk yourself out of it, in the low places. Keep going.
When you get difficult feedback, when you get a rejection, when the words don't seem to be coming. Take a break if you must, but come back to it.
Find a support system. If you're lucky, that support will come from friends and family. It may not. I love my family, and they love me, but in the beginning they weren't 100% behind me on this. Find other writers, that's what I did, and help lift each other up. We have social media now, where it's easier to make those connections.
Don't stop. Keep going.
People will say you're wasting your time, to pursue something else, prepare for a "real" job. Keep going.
You might even try to talk yourself out of it, in the low places. Keep going.
When you get difficult feedback, when you get a rejection, when the words don't seem to be coming. Take a break if you must, but come back to it.
Find a support system. If you're lucky, that support will come from friends and family. It may not. I love my family, and they love me, but in the beginning they weren't 100% behind me on this. Find other writers, that's what I did, and help lift each other up. We have social media now, where it's easier to make those connections.
Don't stop. Keep going.
L.L. McKinney
Making stuff up for other geeks. Seriously, I'm a writer because I love this stuff. Swords, other worlds, magic portals, dragons, I soaked that stuff in as a kid. Still do. Now I get to create it.
Not only do I get to create it, but I get to add to it. There weren't--still aren't, relatively--many fantasy stories with black kids in them. I still loved those stories, but it would've been nice to see myself in them. Now, I get to write stories for other black and brown kids to see themselves in. Shway.
Not only do I get to create it, but I get to add to it. There weren't--still aren't, relatively--many fantasy stories with black kids in them. I still loved those stories, but it would've been nice to see myself in them. Now, I get to write stories for other black and brown kids to see themselves in. Shway.
L.L. McKinney
I have a routine that I follow. Say a prayer, make coffee in a certain cup, turn on a certain playlist, etc. Usually going through those motions lets my brain know it's time to get down to business. Even when I don't feel like writing, my mind is trained by the routine to get it done.
I also like to write away from home. I love writing in bookstores. Something about the atmosphere, the energy, really helps get things going. It helps being in a place where it all comes together. My laptop is where a book starts, the store is where it ends. The circle is complete.
I also like to write away from home. I love writing in bookstores. Something about the atmosphere, the energy, really helps get things going. It helps being in a place where it all comes together. My laptop is where a book starts, the store is where it ends. The circle is complete.
L.L. McKinney
Do something else. Watch TV/movies, read a book, listen to music, play video games. Something in those mediums usually sparks my want to write, cause they're all tied to my love of the fantastical.
If that doesn't work--it usually does, though--I'll write or edit something else. The characters in the first book get jealous and start talking again.
If that doesn't work--it usually does, though--I'll write or edit something else. The characters in the first book get jealous and start talking again.
L.L. McKinney
Honestly? I'm not sure. A lot of my book ideas crop up because I'll be minding my own business then suddenly think "wouldn't it be cool if..." and I fill in the blank.
A BLADE SO BLACK was pretty much "wouldn't it be cool if the characters in Wonderland were real people in this world? Like if the Mad Hatter was just a dude with the last name Hatta. He's not an actual Hatter but you get who he is cause he still kinda acts that way sometimes. And he owns a bar called the Looking Glass Pub or something cause that's cool, yeah? But why would they leave Wonderland? *Snaps fingers* MONSTERS!"
And there you have it.
A BLADE SO BLACK was pretty much "wouldn't it be cool if the characters in Wonderland were real people in this world? Like if the Mad Hatter was just a dude with the last name Hatta. He's not an actual Hatter but you get who he is cause he still kinda acts that way sometimes. And he owns a bar called the Looking Glass Pub or something cause that's cool, yeah? But why would they leave Wonderland? *Snaps fingers* MONSTERS!"
And there you have it.
L.L. McKinney
The sequel to A BLADE SO BLACK. Fun stuff, diving back into that world, with those characters.
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