Ask the Author: Areeb Mahmood
Answered Questions (6)
Areeb Mahmood
The freedom for sure. I felt restricted by typical writing conventions and genre restrictions, but then I realized it was best to just do what I wanted to do. I found much more happiness and even higher quality writing that way.
Areeb Mahmood
Write a detailed outline for your story before you start to write. One of the most common things that happen is that we get bored with our current idea while writing it, so we start to change things or add things that don't need to be added. I had this issue for a long time, so I fixed it by writing one long outline of my book. It covered every scene in detail, and if I ever got bored, I could change a sentence or two without needing to rewrite an entire chapter. Hopefully that makes sense!
Areeb Mahmood
I have no current plans to write more stories. If I ever get inspired, I'll start a new one, but that's the only way. Aside from writing, I'm working on some new electronic music and an indie game!
Areeb Mahmood
Take a break. Writer's block comes from overthinking, so I just stop thinking about writing. I go and play some video games, make a song, talk to some friends, etc. In a few hours, days, maybe even a week, I'll come back with a fresh mind. A scenery change works well too!
Areeb Mahmood
I've been a huge reader for a long time, especially in the YA Sci-Fi and Fantasy genres. I always enjoyed slower, more emotional books over action-centric ones, though. The genre has a huge focus on action, so I decided to take matters into my own hand!
Areeb Mahmood
A lot of people talk about how they used to create entire cinematic universes in their heads while playing with toys or in the shower. The same thing happened to me, but I wrote down that part of the plot down right after. After some more showers, I had a plot in front of me.
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