Ask the Author: David L. Thompson
Answered Questions (5)
David L. Thompson
The best way I have found to deal with writer's block is to sit down with my draft and start reading it from the beginning. If the story has good bones, then I will re-engage with the plot and the characters. Once re-engaged, I will want to push them just a little bit further and make their lives just a little bit more difficult. To do this, I lay out a scene or two, not much beyond that. I just need to get started. Once I have those scenes in mind, I make a cup of coffee and get to work. Usually, that's enough.
David L. Thompson
The best thing about being a writer is watching the idea for a story come to life. First, there is an idea. It's a vague idea along the lines of 'What if somebody decided to do this?' Then, characters begin to form and take on personalities, and those personalities drive the characters to do wonderful and/or terrible things. It's fascinating when a character of mine, someone I want to despise, turns into someone I grudgingly admire. And I'll sneak in a 'second best thing' - which is when someone I don't know loves what I have written and tells me so. That's amazing.
David L. Thompson
Keep at it! Write daily if you can - it helps to keep the plot and the voices of your characters fresh in your mind. I also look at a novel as a series of scenes - I keep a scene list, which tracks (very high level) what happens in the scene along with when and where. It helps me keep the oversight of the story and on occasion, I choose to move a scene from one point in the story to another point when it is obvious that the move will make the story flow better.
David L. Thompson
I am currently working on the sequel to Dark Harvest. It seems that peace in the Middle East, even when it brings prosperity to all, is not acceptable to some. Decades of war have created hatreds that are hard to extinguish and the drums of battle are sounding again. Will we never learn?
David L. Thompson
Big answer - by watching the news and seeing the things that are going on around the world each and every day.
Small answer - put on the coffee pot. The act of making a cup of coffee and the smell of it brewing is a trigger that tells me that it's time to get down to do some writing!
Small answer - put on the coffee pot. The act of making a cup of coffee and the smell of it brewing is a trigger that tells me that it's time to get down to do some writing!
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