Ask the Author: Ginger Pinholster
Answered Questions (4)
Ginger Pinholster
In City in a Forest, a pristine wilderness has managed to persist, but it risks being flattened by an unscrupulous developer — unless two brave women can stop him. The fictional forest, Silver Park, was inspired by Lynwood Park, a neighborhood in Brookhaven. My father coached the Stormy Petrels basketball team at Oglethorpe University, so we lived near Lynwood Park, and it fascinated me. Too many such communities were unfairly seized in past decades, but Lynwood Park is still thriving. In writing my book, I imagined what would happen if a pristine forest somehow escaped destruction during Atlanta’s building boom of the 1970s, hidden within one of Atlanta’s historic African-American neighborhoods.
Ginger Pinholster
I'm writing a novel called Seeing Gethin. It's a love story about mental illness and stigma. It focuses on a YouTube fitness star's quest to save her troubled brother Gethin, and her maddening, magical entanglement with an equally complicated man named Jazz. Also, there are some cuddly snakes named Banana Splits, Bandit, and Unicorn.
Ginger Pinholster
Know that you are loved and you are doing a noble thing. Attempting to bring art into the world is so much more difficult than most people realize. Try to have fun with it, too. Close your office door and read your work aloud. Act out the dialogue. Immerse yourself into the world you’re creating on the page. Writer Anne Lamott wrote, in Bird by Bird, that “the first draft is the child’s draft, where you let it all pour out and then let it romp all over the place, knowing that no one is going to see it and that you can shape it later.” Allowing your imagination to have play time is a great privilege – enjoy it. Once your first draft is complete, then you can unleash your inner grownup and revise your work.
Ginger Pinholster
For me, "writer's block" means I don't know what should happen next in my story. I recommend the Talk/Walk/Try (TWT) cure for writer's block. That is, you can talk (T) it through with a friend who likes to read. You can walk (W) through some environment that relates to your story. (For instance, if you're writing about snakes, visit a serpentarium.) Or, you can try (T) different plot paths. Remember what Charles Frazier did in his book Thirteen Moons? Write several versions of the plot twist and see which one you like best. At the very least, you'll get back into the swing of writing.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more