Ask the Author: Marie Q. Francois
Answered Questions (5)
Marie Q. Francois
I deal with writer's block by excepting that I need to step back. I believe that it is a sign that my mind is overthinking it. I don't think that we merely write stories. We come up with ideas, and the story fills in as we make choices, much like a choose your adventure book. The story itself knows what can't be the next step or what can be. As I write, sometimes I make a misstep (made a choice that doesn't make sense or goes against the story) on what should happen next and somehow kept writing. The misstep will then lead me down a path until it too big for my mind to let go. Kind of like a snowball rolling down a hill getting bigger until it can't be avoided. When I do that, the story will abandon me and won't come back until I correct it. That, to me, is the writing block. That is why, when that happens, I stop writing that story. I may start a completely different novel or stop writing altogether. It can take me a while sometimes to stop trying to think about it consciously. But once I let go, my mind works it out subconsciously. Then one day, my mind out of the blue goes, "Got it." Then I run to my laptop. Sometimes the misstep is so far back that I have to delete entire chapters that would no longer make sense when I correct a bad choice. The longer I try to override this process, the longer the writing block will last.
Marie Q. Francois
I love that you get to create a whole world of possibilities and invite someone in to enjoy it with you.
Marie Q. Francois
I can't remember where I got this advice about writing, except it was one of the authors I adore. I adore many. But I chant it to myself whenever I considered giving up.
"Just start writing; the rest will come later."
This quote means a lot to me. I have been writing since high school, but for some reason, when I decided to make a career of it, I started overthinking it. This overthinking and expecting perfection kept me from writing for years as I walked in circles of madness and doubt. But once I internalized that quote, it set me free to be surrounded by mistakes and to just focus on telling the story.
"Just start writing; the rest will come later."
This quote means a lot to me. I have been writing since high school, but for some reason, when I decided to make a career of it, I started overthinking it. This overthinking and expecting perfection kept me from writing for years as I walked in circles of madness and doubt. But once I internalized that quote, it set me free to be surrounded by mistakes and to just focus on telling the story.
Marie Q. Francois
I actually have two more Novellas completed called "My Brother's Keeper" and "The Kiss". I also have a full novel Series called "The Robertson Brothers Chronicles". The first book in the series "Kissed Awake" is completed. The second book "Accidental Fan" is almost finished. All the completed books are still in the editing process and my editor and I go back and forth between them. They should all release this year.
Marie Q. Francois
It's a spark for me. Sometimes it can be as simple as a romantic picture of a couple. Anything that sparks my mind can give me an idea of a romantic scenario. Once I have that idea I start to work out the story. There are times where the story simply doesn't work and my mind drops it. But then there are times where the scenario is just so delicious that I just start writing it with no idea of where it goes. By the time I'm done I have the story. It was this was with "The Professor". I had no idea what was going to happen to Imani (the main character) or how it would end. Just the scenario of her sitting in the college classroom.
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