Ask the Author: Trisha Messmer
Answered Questions (5)
Trisha Messmer
When a reader tells me they loved what I wrote and why they loved it! Feedback is so affirming and edifying. I love when a reader says they really related to or empathized with a character. It tells me my character(s) came alive for them.
Trisha Messmer
This is a tough question. I think every author has a different way of dealing with this issue. For me, I take a break, even if it's just 30 minutes. I'll find something good to read (there's never a shortage in my TBR pile). I listen to music, especially if I'm struggling for an idea for a new book. Then I try to put some words on a page.
Trisha Messmer
Don't give up. Keep writing. The first few things you write might not be good enough for publishing, but keep trying. Read a lot in the genre you write. Get a "feel" for how it flows, the language used, the character arcs. Read books about writing and honing your craft. Study grammar and punctuation (or hire a good editor). You'll be surprised how your writing will progress, until one day you'll have something worthy of publication.
Trisha Messmer
Currently, I'm working on an "epic" love story that's a modern retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion (which is my favorite Jane Austen novel, BTW). It's a story that spans over thirteen years. It's also my first book written in first person point of view, but I grew to really love writing the main male character who's British. Lots and lots of research on that. ;-)
Trisha Messmer
Music is my number one inspiration for my books. I'll hear a particular song and start imagining how the words might fit a character or a situation. For example, the song Evermore from the live-action Beauty and the Beast really helped my block in writing The Eyre Liszt. That song, especially the lyrics, really captured the main male character of the story and brought everything together perfectly.
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