Ask the Author: Joseph Colwell
Answered Questions (5)
Joseph Colwell
No. I dont write horror. I try and write fun things, positive things, feel good. If people like being scared, then they will not read any of my work.
Joseph Colwell
Since I dont have to write to make a living (and very few writers make a living by writing), I just go do something else. For me, I may go days or weeks without writing. That is OK. When I am ready, it will come.
Joseph Colwell
Dont force it. Dont say "what should I write about?". Say instead, "I will write something that I know about, am familiar with, that interests me." The more you try and force it, the more you will get blocked. If it doesn't pull at you, then don't write. Go do something else. It will come. If you think it is mundane and no one will care, then make it interesting.
Joseph Colwell
By simply observing the world around me. I write mostly about nature and the environment. By going for a hike, sitting on a rock and listening to the birds and the wind, looking at the mountains or forest, noticing things in front of me. But most importantly, being outside, disconnecting from the noise and distractions in front of most people. Be alone.
Joseph Colwell
My most recent, that just came out (Tuscola: A Memoir) is about my growing up in a small Illinois town in the 1950s and 60s. I started writing essays for this decades ago, mainly to capture my memories. I yo-yoed on this for years, thinking no one would be interested, then figuring they might. I finally decided to go for it, knowing it wouldn't be of much interest to people other than those from my hometown. So I tried to make it more universal, talking about general values of growing up and of a hometown.
Joseph Colwell
Put myself into the story. Sit outside or hike to new areas. Look, listen, get into the setting. Much of my writing is essays on nature, so I go out into nature and the environment inspires me.
Joseph Colwell
You can create your own world, your own characters, your own story. Even when writing non fiction, you can tell the story the way you want. You are totally in charge.
Joseph Colwell
I am putting finishing touches on a memoir of my childhood in Tuscola, Illinois in the 1950s and 60s. It should be published this summer. I also am half done with a book about my own property in western Colorado. Essays similar to my first two books about nature. I include essays occasionally on my website colwellcedars.com I also have several fiction books in partial completion; one of them a sequel to Sands of Time.
Joseph Colwell
I dont write full time. If I am not motivated, I go weeks without writing. When I get the itch, then I write til I am satisfied. I know the experts say write some each day. I don't. I am wasting my time if I am not in the mood to write.
Joseph Colwell
I read about a dozen books at a time. I have a book for every chair, couch, bed, etc. I balance between fiction and non fiction. I am current re-reading Tolkein. I first read the Trilogy 52 years ago and have read it probably a couple of dozen times. It has been several years and I still enjoy it. I am also reading Cosmos and Psyche, Left Hand of God, Janet Evanovich for laughs, Map of Time. The list is too long.
Joseph Colwell
I was fascinated by the geologic history of the Dominguez Escalante National Conservation Area between Grand Junction and Delta, Colorado. I asked the BLM manager of the area if he would be interested in me writing about it. He designated me Artist in Residence, and I started writing. I traveled in the area, did research on the geologic history, and just started writing. I was familiar with many of the things I wrote about. I wanted to share the area with people who may not have been aware of it.
Joseph Colwell
Write what you know about. If you have to try and think about what to write about, you arent that motivated to write. The stories are out there, either fiction or non fiction. Write about what moves you, what inspires you to tell the story.
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