Ask the Author: Bernadette Johnson
Answered Questions (5)
Bernadette Johnson
Reading. Sometimes random stuff, but sometimes my own ideas notebook. When I can’t seem to come up with ideas in the moment, seeing evidence that I am at least capable of doing so jars something loose. 😂
Sometimes just writing anything helps. Even if it sucks. Write what Jack and Jill are up to these days.
And other times changing my medium helps. Can’t seem to write on my laptop? Switch to a phone app. Or paper. Or dictate into a recording device.
A change of venue can help, too. Switch rooms. Go outside. Go to a coffee shop (although I usually find coffee shops too distracting).
Music also helps. Or at least helps console me.
Sometimes just writing anything helps. Even if it sucks. Write what Jack and Jill are up to these days.
And other times changing my medium helps. Can’t seem to write on my laptop? Switch to a phone app. Or paper. Or dictate into a recording device.
A change of venue can help, too. Switch rooms. Go outside. Go to a coffee shop (although I usually find coffee shops too distracting).
Music also helps. Or at least helps console me.
Bernadette Johnson
• Read and listen to and watch lots of stuff, both fiction and nonfiction. Never stop learning new things.
• Try to write every day (I feel weird giving advice I can’t keep myself, thus the “try”). At worst, shoot for once a week and if you end up doing more, great! Or set an easy goal, like one sentence a day. Whatever works best for you.
• Try to turn off your internal editor on your first draft. Just write. Spill your ideas onto the page. It doesn’t have to be pretty the first time through. Make note of anything you need to research and keep writing. Also make note of anything you decide to change and keep writing until the end. You can go back and fix/change things in future editing passes.
• If you are applying for writing jobs, create an online portfolio of your existing work. I have one at contently.com. You can use a site like that, or create one on your own website. You can include images, snippets, links. Whatever can point a potential employer to your work quickly.
• Try to write every day (I feel weird giving advice I can’t keep myself, thus the “try”). At worst, shoot for once a week and if you end up doing more, great! Or set an easy goal, like one sentence a day. Whatever works best for you.
• Try to turn off your internal editor on your first draft. Just write. Spill your ideas onto the page. It doesn’t have to be pretty the first time through. Make note of anything you need to research and keep writing. Also make note of anything you decide to change and keep writing until the end. You can go back and fix/change things in future editing passes.
• If you are applying for writing jobs, create an online portfolio of your existing work. I have one at contently.com. You can use a site like that, or create one on your own website. You can include images, snippets, links. Whatever can point a potential employer to your work quickly.
Bernadette Johnson
I’m editing an action/adventure/fantasy story in a licensed universe (not sure I can say yet), writing a spy short story, and doing second drafts of a cozy mystery novel and a paranormal novel.
Bernadette Johnson
I take online classes (GreatCoursesPlus, MasterClass, Coursera, EdX, and lots of other places), I read the news, and read or listen to lots of other things to get ideas. I remember getting loads of ideas while reading my college Humanities Computing textbooks.
Inspiration to actually sit down and start writing comes most often when I read about writing itself (books about writing and publishing and articles by writers writing about writing on Medium and other sites). Writing panels at conventions, or (mid-pandemic) online, also get me jonesing to get to work. Music, especially soothing stuff without lyrics, also helps get me into writing mode: Classical, jazz, New Age, Electronica that isn’t too dancy.
Inspiration to actually sit down and start writing comes most often when I read about writing itself (books about writing and publishing and articles by writers writing about writing on Medium and other sites). Writing panels at conventions, or (mid-pandemic) online, also get me jonesing to get to work. Music, especially soothing stuff without lyrics, also helps get me into writing mode: Classical, jazz, New Age, Electronica that isn’t too dancy.
Bernadette Johnson
The general topic of the nonfiction book I have out was assigned to me by the publisher, but I got the ideas for the specifics by diving headfirst into research (books, audiobooks, online classes, articles, etc.).
The general idea for the novel I have closest to finished right now came from an article I ran across online. Reading nonfiction gives me lots of fiction ideas. But stopping to jot down idea notes every couple of minutes keeps me from getting to the end of most nonfiction books. 😂
The general idea for the novel I have closest to finished right now came from an article I ran across online. Reading nonfiction gives me lots of fiction ideas. But stopping to jot down idea notes every couple of minutes keeps me from getting to the end of most nonfiction books. 😂
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