Ask the Author: D.C. Sargent
Answered Questions (4)
D.C. Sargent
Writers have the ability to place an unsuspecting character in any situation, good or bad, and let him/her figure out a way to get out of it. I prefer the fish-out-of-water (out-of-element) angles, especially if there's an air of absurdity to it. We live vicariously through the page, so the sky is the limit. Keeping a story as realistic as possible using those parameters creates its own humor.
D.C. Sargent
Well, I'm doing an audiobook that I'm reading myself, writing children's books using my own illustrations, building an outline of yet another budding story, expanding details into draft three of one book, running a copy edit of a completed other book, marketing my recent release, designing a cover for previously mentioned completed book, uploading edits from a picky beta reader, and monitoring the progress of my recent release. Besides all that, which is done in my spare time, I work, teach dance, cook, and take care of my young'uns. You readers might be impressed by that mighty list but my fellow writers yawned their way right through it. Typical Tuesday. That's seven current projects mentioned in the list above. You'll have to be more specific.
D.C. Sargent
Don't force a story. A girlfriend once told me that my brain reminded her of a compost pile. I was like, 'Ermagerd ... what?' Sounded awful at first, but she continued, saying that I had an amazing ability to notice this little thing or that small detail and store all those bits away in my fertile pile of ideas. All these things will cook and mingle together and ever so often the sprouts of a story will try to emerge. If it's not ready, I'll put it back in the compost heap, keep adding ideas to the pile, and let it cook a bit longer, but something is always building. When it's ready an incredible, organic story comes together. This is usually triggered by something incredibly small but results in a big 'Eureka!' I don't think she was describing me, so much, as an anomaly but writers in general. If you're forcing a story, there's something missing from the compost heap. The moment you find it, the magic happens all on its own.
D.C. Sargent
My block usually comes when I've separated from nature and/or have too much stimuli coming at me. The easiest way to restore my connection to Mother Earth is to sit beside a tree and/or plant my feet in dirt. A bit weird? You bet, but it works! If that doesn't reset me, I'll find an unfinished story draft and edit for a while just to give my thinker a break. When it's ready it kicks back on. Another way is to simply find a buddy and talk 'book' over coffee or tea. I'll choose a story/scene I'd like to work on and simply bounce ideas off a friend. Super fun!
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