Ask the Author: Paula Chase
Answered Questions (9)
Paula Chase
So convinced that the world was ready to embrace the equality of all people, I let my guard down. Now my wokeness makes looking at every little thing like being bludgeoned over the head.
Paula Chase
Haha I am much more witty when I can write the answer. As witty as I consider myself, not so sure I'd survive the brutal world of stand up. But that's quite a compliment!
Paula Chase
This is my America by Kim Johnson & The Prophet Calls by Melanie Sumrow
Paula Chase
There is no one way to deal because blocks are caused by different things. I still work full time. I have a family. Now and then I like to go out and have fun. There's a degree of controlling the voices I have to do, in order to juggle it all. If they're speaking too loud while I'm at work or with my family, I become distracted. So, sometimes the block is simply not being still enough to hear the character's story.
Finding balance helps. Working means I don't waste creative time worrying how to pay bills. Spending time with family and friends feeds my spirit. When my other needs are met, I'm better able to focus on my writing. Meet your needs, eventually the story will come. Many of us write because we're compelled to. If the story is there, it won't lie dormant long.
Finding balance helps. Working means I don't waste creative time worrying how to pay bills. Spending time with family and friends feeds my spirit. When my other needs are met, I'm better able to focus on my writing. Meet your needs, eventually the story will come. Many of us write because we're compelled to. If the story is there, it won't lie dormant long.
Paula Chase
Getting lost in the world you create. I get the same fulfillment from reading.
Paula Chase
Advice to writers or aspiring authors? Because my advice differs between the two. My advice to writers is simple - write. Whenever someone says they want to be a writer, I'm wondering what they're waiting for. If you want to write, write.
Now, if you want to be published - well, that's another story. Forgive that pun. If you want to be published, my advice to write still stands. But, I also caution you from worrying too far ahead of the process. Writing is the only thing creators control. Once you reach the stage of being published, the business of writing gets involved and the waters get a bit murky. Focus on what you control. And find a good support group once you're published - you'll need the advice, the comfort and the temperature check.
Now, if you want to be published - well, that's another story. Forgive that pun. If you want to be published, my advice to write still stands. But, I also caution you from worrying too far ahead of the process. Writing is the only thing creators control. Once you reach the stage of being published, the business of writing gets involved and the waters get a bit murky. Focus on what you control. And find a good support group once you're published - you'll need the advice, the comfort and the temperature check.
Paula Chase
In So Done, we're introduced to Rollie and Simp, friends of Mila and Tai. I'm writing their story. Much like Mila and Tai, the boys are experiencing how wanting to take different paths can impact friendship. Unlike the girls, however, there are different burdens on them that essentially strips them of options and pushes them down an unsettling path.
Paula Chase
I've always been a writer. My mom still has stories I wrote when I was in the second and fifth grade. Even in my jobs outside of authoring books, I'm usually called on to write.
There's sometimes a debate - can writers be made or are they born. The answer is both. But for me, I was born a writer. It's how I convey myself best. However, I write for young readers because I'm fascinated by the world through their lens. The older I get, the more I realize how quickly adults forget what it's like to be young. I write from the reader's perspective to show that being a kid doesn't exempt you from stress, drama or struggle.
There's sometimes a debate - can writers be made or are they born. The answer is both. But for me, I was born a writer. It's how I convey myself best. However, I write for young readers because I'm fascinated by the world through their lens. The older I get, the more I realize how quickly adults forget what it's like to be young. I write from the reader's perspective to show that being a kid doesn't exempt you from stress, drama or struggle.
Paula Chase
In my original DRB books, Jacinta was very protective of her sister, Jamila, despite having moved across town to their aunt's house. The only glimpse we get of Jamila in those books are of her sharing an argument she's had with her best friend, Tai (Tay not Tie). That one conversation between them stuck with me and I wanted to explore the very real dynamics of a young friendship that's been forged by convenience. The girls have known each other since they were little kids, they live across from each other - it should be the magic formula for a best friendship. But, for many reasons, it's not.
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