Ask the Author: C.P. Cabaniss
Answered Questions (4)
C.P. Cabaniss
I think you should be able to comment on the question you asked. :)
C.P. Cabaniss
Hi, Stephanie! I really like poetry, so I try to read some on occasion. I believe I saw one of your videos on YouTube where you mentioned it. :)
C.P. Cabaniss
When I'm not reading I most often think about horses and writing. Horses have been a large part of my life for many years, so I tend to daydream about riding. I also watch a lot of videos from various competitions around the world. It can be quite addictive.
Writing is something that I never really stop thinking about. I loved writing long before I loved reading and that love has remained constant in my life. So I often think about writing and have gotten in the habit of actually doing the writing, which is a good thing.
The best thing about being a horse person and a writer is that the two are so intertwined for me. My horses have always sparked my creativity, whether I'm working on a horse related story or not, and I get most of my best ideas while at the barn.
Writing is something that I never really stop thinking about. I loved writing long before I loved reading and that love has remained constant in my life. So I often think about writing and have gotten in the habit of actually doing the writing, which is a good thing.
The best thing about being a horse person and a writer is that the two are so intertwined for me. My horses have always sparked my creativity, whether I'm working on a horse related story or not, and I get most of my best ideas while at the barn.
C.P. Cabaniss
Write a lot and read a lot. To be a writer you need to be a reader. The more you read, the better your own writing will become. Take notes as you go, highlighting what you think does or does not work in telling a story, and allow all of this to shape your writing. If you particularly like the way one writer develops characters, try to pinpoint what in their writing makes the characters so great. Same thing for world building or any other aspect of a book that you find particularly good. Dig in until you discover what, exactly, speaks to you in the way that writer develops their story.
But don't just read. You need to write as well. Get your ideas down on paper. An idea in your mind is great, but it can never truly develop. It's only through writing that you can really discover the story you want to tell. So write. And don't worry about what someone else might think about your writing. Nothing is perfect, not everyone likes the same things, and as long as you're happy it doesn't matter what someone else might think. Take advice from other writers and readers, but don't let that advice dictate the direction your writing takes. This is your story, tell it how you think it should be told.
But don't just read. You need to write as well. Get your ideas down on paper. An idea in your mind is great, but it can never truly develop. It's only through writing that you can really discover the story you want to tell. So write. And don't worry about what someone else might think about your writing. Nothing is perfect, not everyone likes the same things, and as long as you're happy it doesn't matter what someone else might think. Take advice from other writers and readers, but don't let that advice dictate the direction your writing takes. This is your story, tell it how you think it should be told.
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