Ask the Author: Ashley Hoffman
Answered Questions (2)
Ashley Hoffman
There are two ways to write. One is to sit around and wait for inspiration to strike. The other is to sit down with the intention to write and let the words flow out of you and take on a life of their own.
I firmly believe the former is the reason, or the excuse, behind writer's block. Jolts of inspiration are rare and they often require a glass of wine (or two) and lots of free time for your mind to wander.
For me, I've found the best way to get inspired to write is to simply sit down and do it. Of course, this is much easier said than done. It's easy to get distracted and to suddenly do anything *other* than writing. But I've found that often, the story can just flow out of you if you let it. You just need to give it a channel to do so. And that's exactly how I wrote Nostrum.
I firmly believe the former is the reason, or the excuse, behind writer's block. Jolts of inspiration are rare and they often require a glass of wine (or two) and lots of free time for your mind to wander.
For me, I've found the best way to get inspired to write is to simply sit down and do it. Of course, this is much easier said than done. It's easy to get distracted and to suddenly do anything *other* than writing. But I've found that often, the story can just flow out of you if you let it. You just need to give it a channel to do so. And that's exactly how I wrote Nostrum.
Ashley Hoffman
Honestly, before I sat down to create this, I had no idea what I was going to write. All I had was a single scene in my head: a neighborhood where everyone is doing the exact same thing at the same time.
When I started writing Nostrum, I was going through a rough time personally. I've always suffered from a panic disorder which was diagnosed in college. I wrote this at a time when my anxiety was through the roof and all I wanted to do was escape.
I suppose that's where the story was born. I've always asked myself the question: what would the world look like if anxiety no longer existed? Nostrum is my answer to myself and to my readers.
When I started writing Nostrum, I was going through a rough time personally. I've always suffered from a panic disorder which was diagnosed in college. I wrote this at a time when my anxiety was through the roof and all I wanted to do was escape.
I suppose that's where the story was born. I've always asked myself the question: what would the world look like if anxiety no longer existed? Nostrum is my answer to myself and to my readers.
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