Ask the Author: Elle Sparrow
Answered Questions (3)
Elle Sparrow
My most recent book (The Secret Life of a Stepford Wife), was inspired by a book cover. I was scrolling through a pre-made book cover site and I saw one that I really liked. The idea hit me and I immediately started jotting down notes of characters, conflict, and other ideas for the book.
Elle Sparrow
I am currently working on a few projects. My newest book comes out April 22, 2023. I am working on a bonus epilogue/reader magnet for that book, a reader magnet for my next book, starting my next book that comes out summer 2023, and a series of short, non-canon stories of the Temple Brothers for Patreon.
Elle Sparrow
I was given really good advice a while back. Instead of searching for motivation, cultivate your discipline. For me, it comes down to structure, and a few tricks thrown into the mix. I'll break some of my tips down for you.
When I feel stuck in the muddy waters of dialogue, I throw away all the formatting and dialogue/action tags and just write the conversation. Then, I go back and add the connective tissue and formatting.
When I feel stuck in a certain scene I will add a search key and add notes for me to come back to later when I'm not so blocked. This allows me to continue writing without getting bogged down in a scene that I'm struggling through. Here is an example. If I'm writing a scene that takes place and shows the passing of a few days time, but I'm just not feeling it I will write: (insert: two days pass in this scene. FMC goes to work, goes to the grocery store, and spends time with best friend. Focus on her struggle with coming to terms with x,y,z internal conflict).
If I am really, really stuck, I will go back to my basics: outlining. I will dive deeper into the outline of my chapter and focus on the purpose of the chapter, what important details I need to include, and what kind of moment I need the chapter to have with the character's personal character development.
Hope this helps!
When I feel stuck in the muddy waters of dialogue, I throw away all the formatting and dialogue/action tags and just write the conversation. Then, I go back and add the connective tissue and formatting.
When I feel stuck in a certain scene I will add a search key and add notes for me to come back to later when I'm not so blocked. This allows me to continue writing without getting bogged down in a scene that I'm struggling through. Here is an example. If I'm writing a scene that takes place and shows the passing of a few days time, but I'm just not feeling it I will write: (insert: two days pass in this scene. FMC goes to work, goes to the grocery store, and spends time with best friend. Focus on her struggle with coming to terms with x,y,z internal conflict).
If I am really, really stuck, I will go back to my basics: outlining. I will dive deeper into the outline of my chapter and focus on the purpose of the chapter, what important details I need to include, and what kind of moment I need the chapter to have with the character's personal character development.
Hope this helps!
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