Ask the Author: Pat Daily

“I'm happy to answer questions about my novel, Spark.” Pat Daily

Answered Questions (6)

Sort By:
Loading big
An error occurred while sorting questions for author Pat Daily.
Pat Daily Dreams. I have very vivid dreams that linger. If there's anything interesting, I jot a few notes down and look at them when I'm writing. That will spur me to add an element from the dream to the story.

In SPARK, there's a subplot that deals with Will delivering a Hittite letter. The Hittites wrote on small clay tablets that they then encased in a larger clay "envelope" that they addressed to the intended recipient. Years after learning about this, I had a dream that involved a Hittite letter. The rest of the dream faded quickly, but the Hittite letter made it in to SPARK.
Pat Daily Get it on the page. Just start writing. Edit later. Write fast, write poorly, make mistakes. Just start writing.
Pat Daily Take a break - go for a run or hike and let my mind wander. My subconscious keeps processing the problem and usually finds a way through.

The best way for me to prevent it is to stop writing for the day in the middle of a scene. Some setting where I know what comes next. That helps me avoid the agony of staring at a blank screen when I start writing the next day.
Pat Daily My kids were playing Pokemon Go. I wanted to see what the hype was about, so I started playing. The way the game projected virtual images over reality got me thinking about an alternative to pure VR.
Pat Daily My third book in the SPARK series. When I get stuck on a plot point, I pivot to another novel I'm writing. The working title is gGodz. It's aimed at a more adult audience than my current series.
Pat Daily My father's family and his backstory. He refused to talk much about it but I know he was from his mother's second marriage - her first husband died. Lots of potentially dark and revealing secrets there!

About Goodreads Q&A

Ask and answer questions about books!

You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.

See Featured Authors Answering Questions

Learn more