Ask the Author: Susan Quilty
Answered Questions (1)
Susan Quilty
I don't like the term "writer's block." There are times in any story where I need to walk away before I can write more. For me, that's just part of the process. There are days when the story flows and days when it stagnates.
When I hit a point where the ideas (or words) aren't flowing freely, I know it's time to take a break. I've learned from experience: Whatever idea has me stuck will work itself out with time, but it's unlikely to respond to force.
However, walking away doesn't mean that I stop writing completely.
I typically have multiple books (or other writing projects) in the works. If I feel stuck on one story, I can switch to another for a while. Usually, that means setting aside my dominant project to work on the outline or rough drafts of another.
The first four chapters of Healers and Thieves were written during a break from To the Left of Death. Some scattered scenes from To the Left of Death were written during a break from The Insistence of Memory. And so on...
The key, for me, is to trust that the tricky idea will sort itself out.
Besides working on other projects, I also give myself plenty of time to quietly sketch, knit, meditate, etc. I know the story is churning somewhere deep in my mind. Those quiet activities are a great invitation for those thoughts to break through with the Aha! moment that gets me back to work.
When I hit a point where the ideas (or words) aren't flowing freely, I know it's time to take a break. I've learned from experience: Whatever idea has me stuck will work itself out with time, but it's unlikely to respond to force.
However, walking away doesn't mean that I stop writing completely.
I typically have multiple books (or other writing projects) in the works. If I feel stuck on one story, I can switch to another for a while. Usually, that means setting aside my dominant project to work on the outline or rough drafts of another.
The first four chapters of Healers and Thieves were written during a break from To the Left of Death. Some scattered scenes from To the Left of Death were written during a break from The Insistence of Memory. And so on...
The key, for me, is to trust that the tricky idea will sort itself out.
Besides working on other projects, I also give myself plenty of time to quietly sketch, knit, meditate, etc. I know the story is churning somewhere deep in my mind. Those quiet activities are a great invitation for those thoughts to break through with the Aha! moment that gets me back to work.
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