Ask the Author: Taylor Ramage
Answered Questions (4)
Taylor Ramage
Most of the time, there is no inspiration. It's largely about discipline and sitting down to make some progress.
But when I write, I have a really sick Pandora station I listen to that plays monastic chanting, classical music, anime soundtracks, video game music, and more.
But when I write, I have a really sick Pandora station I listen to that plays monastic chanting, classical music, anime soundtracks, video game music, and more.
Taylor Ramage
I'm working on a novel about a girl who returns to her hometown during Holy Week and faces the friendships/relationship she fractured when she left after her best friend's death.
Taylor Ramage
Drop the word "aspiring" if you're serious about finishing your stuff and making a career of being an author. This is great advice I read on Kristen Lamb's blog years ago and have since been owning it. It's all about getting into a certain mindset of taking yourself and your work seriously to do what you need to do to get it out there.
My other piece of advice is to survey all of your ideas and choose one that you know you can finish and get out there. Publishing something will help change your mindset from "aspiring" to "author." This is how I've queued my writing projects. I've started with the smaller ones and am gradually building up to the bigger ones that have really occupied a lot of space in my head and heart.
This isn't to say that you should rush to publish something. You still want to make sure it's the best version of that project. However, there is something to be said about picking something small and putting in the work to get it out there and have something to sell under your name.
My other piece of advice is to survey all of your ideas and choose one that you know you can finish and get out there. Publishing something will help change your mindset from "aspiring" to "author." This is how I've queued my writing projects. I've started with the smaller ones and am gradually building up to the bigger ones that have really occupied a lot of space in my head and heart.
This isn't to say that you should rush to publish something. You still want to make sure it's the best version of that project. However, there is something to be said about picking something small and putting in the work to get it out there and have something to sell under your name.
Taylor Ramage
I discovered blackout poetry in 2010 and experimented with the form all through college. It's always been a fun, quick thing to do on the side. As I got more comfortable with it, I decided it'd be neat to make a collection of blackout poems from the same book. Since I'm interested in theology and familiar with searching for public domain materials for my day job, I searched for a theology book, picked a random one, and went to town.
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