Ask the Author: B. Romero
Answered Questions (6)
B. Romero
My advice for aspiring writers is to go for it. If you want to write, then write. Commit to it. So many brilliant writers will remain unknown because for whatever reason, we won’t see their work. For me, my fear held me back for a long time. Once I let go of that fear, I found that it wasn’t so bad and that I am much happier doing what I love. Also, to be a good writer, you need to read. Make time to consume books—not to pick them apart, but for enjoyment. Last, get ready for rejection. It may come from publishing companies or one-star reviews, but you can bet that there will be people who don’t like your writing, and each person will have a different reason. You cannot please everyone and do you really want to? Write for you—but write.
B. Romero
This is an easy question for me. I deal with writer’s block by writing. I keep a notebook on me at all times (it’s a replica of the Handbook for the Recently Deceased) and when I have an idea; I jot it down. When I am working on a project and feel stuck, I go through my notebook and see what I can dig up. Even if I don’t care for what I wrote for the day, I still write. I can always go back and edit later. Sometimes, I will switch it up and write a short story in my bouts of writer’s block. When I first decided to write full time, I read some advice from one of my idols, Stephen King. He said that he has a goal of writing about 2,000 words per day. I adopted the same strategy. I write a minimum of 2,000 words per day, six days a week. Even when I feel stuck, I just write until inspiration hits.
B. Romero
For me, the best thing about being a writer is that I get to share my stories with the world. I get to produce stories I want to read. Long ago, I read a quote from the late Toni Morrison who said, “If there’s a book you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” When I read this I thought, “Wow! It’s so simple.”
B. Romero
I ran for my life as fast as my legs would take me. I found it didn't matter as I was already dead.
B. Romero
The inspiration for my stories come from my fears. I think of things I find terrifying and try to imagine all the ways that thing could happen, or I look at it from different views and that becomes the basis of the story. I think writing about my own personal fears add depth to the story. When I’m writing, I can feel the same anxiety the characters feel. It’s great because even the most everyday things can be scary, so there is always inspiration out there.
B. Romero
The idea for Mové Lespri came from a Reedsy weekly short story contest. The prompt I chose was about an author who had an unconventional way of beating writer’s block. Originally, John was a food writer who murdered and ate people for inspiration. I didn’t complete the story in time (you only get one week) because I wasn’t really feeling it. It just didn’t feel right. I was going to delete it, but someone close to me begged me not to. I left the story alone for a few weeks and when I came back to it, I had a different vision for it—one that I really liked. My publisher liked it too and thus the Mové Lespri trilogy was born.
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