Ask the Author: G.L. Williams
Answered Questions (6)
G.L. Williams
Real life is better than fiction, right? I spent a part of 2011 into 2012 in homelessness. It was a rough period of my life, sleeping in rental cars while trying to make sure my two kids were taken care of. I worked long hours to try to get into housing I could afford, and it seemed like everything kept taking my money away. When an apartment was finally available with an approval, I had to sacrifice my job to take it. Doing that resulted in me going a very long time without another job. I fell into depression, and struggled mentally. Writing again became my way out. It began with some research on the Amazons of Greek mythology and Biblical studies on the primordial and ancient world. Then, a story began to form and I wrote, filling several binders with notes and conducting more research. Eventually, I had an outline for one book and began to write it. Then, the story quickly expanded. One book became two, then three. I finally landed a business management position and soon found myself putting my writing away again to sit for another twenty years in bankers boxes. A few years later, an accident left my back ruined and I was taken out of work by doctors. I spent the next year trying to get better and hoping to return to work, but found that I wasn't getting better, only worse. I found myself fighting depression again, but this time, I had encouragement that would come in the form of a woman who knew about my writing. Agreeing that everything happens for a reason, I pulled out the old notes and set up a home office, and began to write. Those three books became eight. Before long, I ended up with an origin story unlike anything anyone has ever read. I found a model, photographed her, designed the book cover from the images taken, designed the book layout, constructed it and published it on Amazon. It's been a struggle, battling pain and constantly trying to stay focused, knowing I will never be the same and can never go back to the work I've done for the past twenty four years of my life, but I can use the skills and talents that I have gained over my lifetime to do what I can with what I have. Writing for me, is all I have left.
G.L. Williams
Because my overactive mind never shuts off, I am constantly writing notes in my notebooks or on my notes app on my smartphone. Ideas come to me all day, and often in the middle of the night. It's not unusual for me to launch out of bed at 3am and quickly write down notes from something I dreamed or thought of. I literally have hundreds of book ideas lined up and ready to go with accompanying notes. I can tell stories for the rest of my life and still not scratch the surface of what I have sitting around. I can't wait to share them with the rest of the world.
G.L. Williams
I just published my debut novel, Sympatheia, which in itself is the first book of a (so far) 8 book series that seems to keep growing larger. I am now working on Pantheon Oblivion, the second book of the series while marketing and promoting the first book. It's a struggle to juggle but I am determined to make it work.
G.L. Williams
When I first started writing, I enjoyed the reactions of others who read my work. I loved that I was able to connect to them in that way. Later on, when I began to write novels, I became discouraged by the success of others writing material that seemed vastly different than my own. My best advice for an aspiring writer is, never give up. Don't abandon your own voice, don't compromise, and be yourself. Much like a horse with blinders on, you have to eliminate all the outside noise and concentrate on your own emotion and feeling and let that convey into your work. Don't let anything distract you, and keep pushing.
G.L. Williams
I love that being a writer allows you the unlimited ability to create worlds, universes, people and lives. It is the ultimate expression of creation and art. There is music, there is visual art, but writing allows you to take a clean sheet of paper and make an entire universe out of it. In that universe, you can express emotions, you can drive the reader to engage and feel what you are communicating through your writing. It's an incredible extension of one's soul that allows you to connect to others in ways only literature can.
G.L. Williams
I have to get into the story, and when I am faced with writer's block, that can be quite difficult. So, for inspiration, I go out and immerse myself around people. I drive. I walk. I sit and listen to others. I carry notebooks by the pound, so I am always writing down ideas. I now have so many ideas that when I do find myself stumped, I can just go through my currently stuffed filing cabinet full of notes and rather quickly, something comes out of it. My mind doesn't turn off for a moment, so I've discovered that usually when I do find myself with a case of writer's block, it is because I am distracted by other things. Eliminating those distractions clears my mind to be free to create.
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