Ask the Author: Bec Lloyd
Answered Questions (5)
Bec Lloyd
Write for yourself, always, even if you think your book's purpose is to entertain or educate other people.
There's a vast difference in the way you write for yourself and the way you write for other people. Your tone changes, your words change - just like when your dad answers the phone in a voice he never uses anywhere else.
If you write for yourself, you will have a book you love at the end.
There's a vast difference in the way you write for yourself and the way you write for other people. Your tone changes, your words change - just like when your dad answers the phone in a voice he never uses anywhere else.
If you write for yourself, you will have a book you love at the end.
Bec Lloyd
I have been writing for a living for my whole adult life so this doesn't happen to me often, but when it does I've learned what to do: walk away.
I walk away from the keyboard and do things with my hands - cook, draw, sort laundry, pack the dishwasher, make someone else a cup of tea, feed the ducks (seriously: they're permanently starving), it doesn't matter what it is as long as it's not something using the writing part of your brain.
If you let your mind slip into autopilot while you do physical things, it's amazing how often the next idea or solution pops out all by itself in a little hallelujah moment.
On the other hand, the worst thing I can do if I'm blocked is kid myself that I should write to a word count or a time period. It will just be rubbish and I'll end up deleting it anyway.
I walk away from the keyboard and do things with my hands - cook, draw, sort laundry, pack the dishwasher, make someone else a cup of tea, feed the ducks (seriously: they're permanently starving), it doesn't matter what it is as long as it's not something using the writing part of your brain.
If you let your mind slip into autopilot while you do physical things, it's amazing how often the next idea or solution pops out all by itself in a little hallelujah moment.
On the other hand, the worst thing I can do if I'm blocked is kid myself that I should write to a word count or a time period. It will just be rubbish and I'll end up deleting it anyway.
Bec Lloyd
Two more books - I don't want to stop now.
One is a dedicated cookbook. So many people buying the mealbook say they wanted my recipes and while there are plenty in there from me and from some amazing home cooks, I feel like a 'proper' cookbook is in order. The way it comes together should be a lot of fun - keep an eye out on Facebook and here for updates and a chance to contribute!
The other book is very close to my heart. I'm not sure of the title yet, but the subtitle is definitely "Meals with, and for, and by, teenagers". So many of the books about parenting teens come from an attitude of the kids being a problem to be solved, but are they really? I absolutely love teenagers, for the same reason I love three year olds: I am drawn to highly independent and unreasonable people! So while my two remaining teenagers are still rolling their eyes at me across the dinner table, I'm going to look at family meals with teenagers from many different homes and take a positive approach to what's often a very negative discussion.
One is a dedicated cookbook. So many people buying the mealbook say they wanted my recipes and while there are plenty in there from me and from some amazing home cooks, I feel like a 'proper' cookbook is in order. The way it comes together should be a lot of fun - keep an eye out on Facebook and here for updates and a chance to contribute!
The other book is very close to my heart. I'm not sure of the title yet, but the subtitle is definitely "Meals with, and for, and by, teenagers". So many of the books about parenting teens come from an attitude of the kids being a problem to be solved, but are they really? I absolutely love teenagers, for the same reason I love three year olds: I am drawn to highly independent and unreasonable people! So while my two remaining teenagers are still rolling their eyes at me across the dinner table, I'm going to look at family meals with teenagers from many different homes and take a positive approach to what's often a very negative discussion.
Bec Lloyd
I'm inspired to write constantly - I have one of those popcorn brains where new ideas bounce in annoyingly and non-stop - but actually capturing the inspiration is another thing!
I'd love to say that I get up at 5am, meditate, then spend three hours writing every day as I look out my office window at the honeyeaters and water dragons outside. In reality, I write in snatches around family and work responsibilities, and since I run my own business, neither of those things ever ends.
When I was close to my original 40,000 word target I forced myself to set aside all other work for a couple of days and did nothing but write and write and write. That's how I ended up with 55,000 words instead...
Given a choice, I do love sitting at a long table in a wifi-connected cafe with a fresh coffee though, particularly One Block Back at Moffatt Beach because they have powerpoints too if the laptop runs low. A large portion of The Flawsome Family Mealbook was written at tables rather than at my desk and that seems appropriate.
I'd love to say that I get up at 5am, meditate, then spend three hours writing every day as I look out my office window at the honeyeaters and water dragons outside. In reality, I write in snatches around family and work responsibilities, and since I run my own business, neither of those things ever ends.
When I was close to my original 40,000 word target I forced myself to set aside all other work for a couple of days and did nothing but write and write and write. That's how I ended up with 55,000 words instead...
Given a choice, I do love sitting at a long table in a wifi-connected cafe with a fresh coffee though, particularly One Block Back at Moffatt Beach because they have powerpoints too if the laptop runs low. A large portion of The Flawsome Family Mealbook was written at tables rather than at my desk and that seems appropriate.
Bec Lloyd
I was on the phone to a friend - another mother - and telling her about this ridiculous story I'd seen on a big parenting website with the headline claiming children who ate fish were better sleepers. It sparked quite a rant from me about these poorly researched, clickbait stories and the extra pressure they put on families. "As if there's one right way anyway," I remember saying. And then, "I could write a book about all the ways we tie ourselves up in knots around kids and food, when what we really want is to enjoy our own damn dinners for a change".
"You actually should," Shannon said, and when I got over the shock of being taken seriously, I did.
"You actually should," Shannon said, and when I got over the shock of being taken seriously, I did.
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