Ask the Author: Alex O'Brien
Answered Questions (4)
Alex O'Brien
I get inspired by all facets of life. As a writer, it's good to always be watching and listening to the world around you. Images that I see, lines of dialogue that I hear, people that I meet can lead to ideas for stories, poems, or lyrics. I'm often inspired most by reading great works of literature, seeing amazing plays, and listening to classic albums. When I'm immersed in great words and music, I want to dive deeper into those worlds and create my own stories and songs. Stories can be discovered reading the newspaper and watching the news as well.
Alex O'Brien
The inspiration for The Playmaker, a book centred around girl's bantam hockey, came from my two kids and their experiences playing minor hockey from the ages of 3 to 18. The story is not the story of either of them, but I certainly drew from their experiences and my twenty years of watching them play and at times coaching them.
Alex O'Brien
For me the best thing about being a writer is that I get to live in a world of imagination, creativity, ideas, feelings, and wonder, all filled with fascinating characters, adventures, and settings. I love being able to create beautiful worlds, to reflect on what I've learned and know about life and human motivation, and to take what I've seen and experienced and shape it into something new and exciting. It's also nice to have a homemade lunch at home everyday!
Alex O'Brien
Fortunately, I don't suffer from writer's block very often. There's always some project that I want to work at. But there are days when the words don't come as quickly because I'm tired or have other things on my mind. I do my best to work through these periods. The best thing to do is to sit at your desk or table and keep on writing. And if the words to one project just aren't coming, work a little on another project. For me a walk or hike sometimes helps too, or listening to music.
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