Ask the Author: Gervais Hagerty
Answered Questions (3)
Gervais Hagerty
I have two pieces of advice.
First- study the craft. Read as much as you can. Write as much as you can. Complete your work. Edit it. Send it to a friend to read (the friend who will tell you that actually that dress doesn't suit your figure; you want someone who won't hold back). Be grateful for the critiques and use them to make your writing better. Then edit again. And again. And then find a mentor, someone who is in the writing industry. Ask that person to read your work (be sure this request is only after many edits!).
Second, dream big, but be smart about it. Make a financial plan so that you aren't carrying the stress of paying your bills when trying to get published.
With a teaching job at The Citadel, two young children, and a dream of being a novelist, something had to give. To fully dedicate myself to my writing, I had to leave my job. So, my husband and I made a plan: save up one year’s salary.
We had fun changing our lifestyle. He brews beer; I get around on a cargo bike. When we buy things, we buy secondhand. This way of life aligns perfectly with our environmental goals. We have a rain barrel and solar panels, and we chop wood on the weekends to supplement our heat in the winter. We’ve learned to install flooring and I built my own bookshelves. We’ve acquired new skills, so by spending less, our lives have gotten richer. We sort of became urban homesteaders, and we love it. Because we buy less, we have the financial freedom to take risks. We learned a lot through this blog: https://www.mrmoneymustache.com)
First- study the craft. Read as much as you can. Write as much as you can. Complete your work. Edit it. Send it to a friend to read (the friend who will tell you that actually that dress doesn't suit your figure; you want someone who won't hold back). Be grateful for the critiques and use them to make your writing better. Then edit again. And again. And then find a mentor, someone who is in the writing industry. Ask that person to read your work (be sure this request is only after many edits!).
Second, dream big, but be smart about it. Make a financial plan so that you aren't carrying the stress of paying your bills when trying to get published.
With a teaching job at The Citadel, two young children, and a dream of being a novelist, something had to give. To fully dedicate myself to my writing, I had to leave my job. So, my husband and I made a plan: save up one year’s salary.
We had fun changing our lifestyle. He brews beer; I get around on a cargo bike. When we buy things, we buy secondhand. This way of life aligns perfectly with our environmental goals. We have a rain barrel and solar panels, and we chop wood on the weekends to supplement our heat in the winter. We’ve learned to install flooring and I built my own bookshelves. We’ve acquired new skills, so by spending less, our lives have gotten richer. We sort of became urban homesteaders, and we love it. Because we buy less, we have the financial freedom to take risks. We learned a lot through this blog: https://www.mrmoneymustache.com)
Gervais Hagerty
All day, I get to play make-believe. I can be people I am not, go on adventures from my desk, and create worlds for my characters. But perhaps the most fun part about being a writer is being surprised by the story. Many times I'll be writing and all of a sudden an unexpected character shows up in the woods or the door to a secret room won't open. Writing novels is an absolute thrill.
Gervais Hagerty
Ugh. Writer's block. It's a tough head space for sure.
For me, persistence pays off. Keep writing, no matter what. Even when I don't know where the story is headed, even when the characters don't feel right, I have to keep going. The key is to have faith in the process. I know that if I think long and hard, if I continue to sit at my desk for hours every day, eventually something will give.
For me, persistence pays off. Keep writing, no matter what. Even when I don't know where the story is headed, even when the characters don't feel right, I have to keep going. The key is to have faith in the process. I know that if I think long and hard, if I continue to sit at my desk for hours every day, eventually something will give.
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