Ask the Author: Kiersten Lillis
Answered Questions (7)
Kiersten Lillis
I'd drink a Butterbeer in Hogsmeade and practice Wingardium Leviosa.
Kiersten Lillis
Telling stories is a part of being human, a part of figuring out what it means to be human. Writing is a unique way to connect to other people now and in the future. I think it was Stephen King who said that writing is like time-traveling, and I think that's kind of the coolest thing ever, to be able to write a story now and then have the possibility that someone many years in the future could read it. It's a special way to leave a mark on the world...and it's so fun!
Kiersten Lillis
For me, writer's block occurs either because I'm tired and my creative well is empty, or because I don't have an answer I think I need in order to move forward.
If it's the first one, I'll rest. Whatever that means that day. Eat a snack, watch a show, take a walk, take a shower, nap, etc.
If it's the second, I assess my work and try to pinpoint what question I'm trying to answer and figure out how to get that answer. Sometimes a quick Google search will fix the problem, but other times it takes more research. Sometimes skipping the scene altogether and writing something else helps. I wrote the first draft of my current project out of order and it was the quickest draft I've ever done.
If it's the first one, I'll rest. Whatever that means that day. Eat a snack, watch a show, take a walk, take a shower, nap, etc.
If it's the second, I assess my work and try to pinpoint what question I'm trying to answer and figure out how to get that answer. Sometimes a quick Google search will fix the problem, but other times it takes more research. Sometimes skipping the scene altogether and writing something else helps. I wrote the first draft of my current project out of order and it was the quickest draft I've ever done.
Kiersten Lillis
Be curious. Figure out what interests you and lean into it, ask questions (especially WHY), read about it. My best ideas tend to surface when I'm following my interests down weird rabbit holes, and I often uncover unlikely relationships that make for juicy writing material. Research is fun for me because it's like gathering pieces of a puzzle that I get to put together later, only instead of the pieces already being shaped, I get to cut them into whatever shape I want. There's a lot of great advice out there, but its effectiveness is often dependent on the person. So, look to yourself first and follow your curiosity.
Kiersten Lillis
I can find a story in almost anything. I've always been curious about people and why we do the things we do, as well as why things in the world exist how they do. I constantly ask myself questions--possibly as a result of my media background--about what I experience. Who, what, where, when, why, and how are the basis for every story. Generally I start with the answer to one of them and have to dig up the answers to the others. For example, my current series started with a "What"--an eye-shaped necklace. Then I had to figure out the rest of the W's and H to create a story.
Kiersten Lillis
The idea for my current series, The Sezna Seer Seers, started back in 2014. My husband and I were playing a Nancy Drew computer game (because we love solving mysteries but can't handle anything too scary) and the story was about the Lost Queen of Egypt. I remember seeing the Eye of Horus symbol during that game, and I've always been interested in mythology from various cultures. The eye symbol is really what sparked the idea!
Kiersten Lillis
I'm currently in the first major edit of the second book in the Sezna Seer Series, title TBD. I'm having so much fun crafting this story!
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