Ask the Author: David Adjmi
Answered Questions (4)
David Adjmi
The one time I had very bad writer's block it was the result of a professor giving me very bad feedback and making me feel shame for the kind of writing I liked. Blocks are usually the manifestation of shame and fear. So shower yourself with the opposite. Be kind to yourself, and allow yourself as much time as you need to find your way back to writing. Also: don't be afraid of making the source of your block * the subject * of your writing. You can always take what is trammeling you in the moment, and give that feeling to your characters.
David Adjmi
Read everything. Don't hew to trends or fashions. Write what you care about. Be brutally honest. Don't panic. It's going to take longer than you think, and it's all a bit disappointing. Write from a place of love.
David Adjmi
Right now, I am working on a novel, a screen adaptation of a memoir by Said Sayrafizadeh, a broadway musical about Brian Wilson (The Beach Boys), and four new plays. I generally have to toggle multiple projects -- for financial reasons, but also I like having lots to do!
David Adjmi
I find inspiration from works of art, pieces of music, conversations with friends, etc. Inspiration, for me, stems from a kind of free association that leads me somewhere new. Often, I don't really know I am inspired until I am writing--the act of writing, when I can get very lost in it, leads me to feeling inspired. I am often more inspired when I finish writing than before I begin.
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