Ask the Author: Dale Robbins
Answered Questions (6)
Dale Robbins
I've actually never dealt with true writer's block. The closest I've come is lack of motivation, and I've found the best way to deal with it is: a) write until the motivation/inspiration returns, b) take a break from writing for a day or two to recharge.
Dale Robbins
Aside from the dream I had where the idea came to me, the inspiration for it came from the need to tell a story which hadn't been told before. When I researched for the book, I was shocked to find there weren't many, if any, books about male victims of sexual assault, I knew I had to be the one to write the story. The statistics are terrifying: 1 in 10 sexual assault victims are men, and 1 in 15 men are sexually assaulted in college. Yet it's something people don't talk about. The inspiration also came from the fact that we as humans are insensitive and desensitized to other people's trauma, especially in the era of social media.
Dale Robbins
Being able to connect with readers and other authors. Teaching lessons and telling stories people may not have heard elsewhere in the form of a fictional character.
Dale Robbins
Write. Don't worry about quality or word count or anyone's expectations. The most important thing is to finish the story and worry about perfecting it later. There is no such thing as a publishable first draft—even the greats had to go through several rounds of edits and rewrites.
Dale Robbins
In Other News came to me in a dream four years ago. It was one of the most vivid dreams I ever had up to that point. I was watching television in the dream and saw the title (not the one I ended up going with), opening scene, middle scene, and part of the ending. I was following the main character's path as they navigated going back to school for the first time following a terrible tragedy that nobody except for them knew the truth about. They were harshly judged and ridiculed for something they had no control over, and I can clearly remember how scary it was. When I woke up, I knew I had to write this book.
Dale Robbins
I recently finished my last round of beta feedback for my second novel, a psychological thriller titled Last Thursday. I am also about halfway through writing the sequel to my debut novel, In Other News, titled In Other Cases.
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