Ask the Author: Shawn Nocher
Answered Questions (2)
Shawn Nocher
The best cure for writer's block for me is to read really good short flash fiction. A lot of flash works by capturing a moment in time and while construction of the piece is important, it doesn't feel as daunting as novel construction. Good flash fiction inspires me and then I can dive into a scene of my own to get everything flowing. Transitions often make me stumble in my own work, but flash jumps right in and inspires me to do the same and then come back later to deal with transitions. If that doesn't work I simply take a long shower, crawl into bed, and promise myself to do better the next day.
Shawn Nocher
Read like a writer. Ask why a passage made you feel the way it did. Note the rhythm and tone and the way in which information is released--or not. Read a few really bad books and ask yourself why they're not working. Be able to articulate what you see as failing. Try not to think of your assessment in terms of what you like and don't like in a book, and instead think of it in terms of whether or not it is doing what it either should do or what you think the author intended. You are studying craft.
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