Ask the Author: Ellwood Cooper
Answered Questions (3)
Ellwood Cooper
I have a couple of tidbits for aspiring writers. The first, and the obvious one you'll hear from virtually every established author, is just to write. You have ideas in your head -- maybe a story line or a couple of characters you'd like to develop -- so just do it! Put your thoughts down on paper or device and then narrate in your head (or aloud) how you think your reader would like to hear your story. Even though I have my own ideas about how I want to get my story out, I always think about how they would sound to someone actually reading them.
Secondly, proof-read your manuscript carefully, and frequently. Re-reading your work over and over again as you are developing it can turn up errors in punctuation, spelling, and continuity and expose discrepancies that must be corrected. Don't leave your review until after you've finished your first draft, because you are more likely to miss critical issues.
Secondly, proof-read your manuscript carefully, and frequently. Re-reading your work over and over again as you are developing it can turn up errors in punctuation, spelling, and continuity and expose discrepancies that must be corrected. Don't leave your review until after you've finished your first draft, because you are more likely to miss critical issues.
Ellwood Cooper
So far I have not experienced much of this phenomenon. At those infrequent times when I'm a bit stuck about a plot development or characterization, I distract myself temporarily by engaging in one of these favorite activities:
- going for long walks in the evening with my wife.
- locking myself in the garage and practicing my tenor sax for hours.
- sitting on the front porch singing and playing early rock and roll and country songs on my guitar.
- spending a few hours working in my woodshop putting together a horrible piece of furniture that will most likely end up in the fireplace.
- annoying my two beautiful granddaughters.
So, you see, I have many different methods of stepping away from my writing for a while that makes coming back to my writing a pleasure, and usually much more productive.
- going for long walks in the evening with my wife.
- locking myself in the garage and practicing my tenor sax for hours.
- sitting on the front porch singing and playing early rock and roll and country songs on my guitar.
- spending a few hours working in my woodshop putting together a horrible piece of furniture that will most likely end up in the fireplace.
- annoying my two beautiful granddaughters.
So, you see, I have many different methods of stepping away from my writing for a while that makes coming back to my writing a pleasure, and usually much more productive.
Ellwood Cooper
The best thing about being a writer is having the ability to create something out of my head and sharing it with an entire world of readers. People may not like or agree with what I write, and that's okay, but just being able to produce something I feel is good and worth reading and putting it out into the vast cosmic reading universe is a great feeling!
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