Ask the Author: Elizabeth Heider
Answered Questions (2)
Elizabeth Heider
From my first days as a physics student - through my professional career, I've had a bizarrely demanding study and work schedule. As a consequence, I haven't ever been able to plan my writing time in a formal way. Instead, I've been a desperate writer, putting writing into the cracks and margins of my life. For me, writing has always been an escape from the things I'm supposed to be doing; a delicious, illicit diversion. The idea of "scheduling" writing sessions never occurred to me until I started learning about the habits of Stephen King, Ursula Le Guin, and Neil Gaiman. Each of these writers (and many more) has/had a very specific way of scheduling their writing day. Such writers report that this structure can be a doorway to freedom and creation. This was something I'd never considered. The advantage of scheduling your writing is that you train your brain to expect to be in a creative mode - so that it's prepared to do this at a certain time every day. I think I miss this opportunity.
On the other hand, I'm a very spontaneous person who (as a general rule) hates routine. I dislike it when any two days look the same. So, I doubt that my character would easily yield to routine scheduling. One advantage of the way that I write (taking any time I can steal) is that I haven't ever experienced writer's block in the way other people describe it. I think this is because writing is my escape and my therapy, so I'm always seeking it out and never trying to avoid it.
Of course, I'm not so foolish to think that my peculiar relationship with writing would persist if my life circumstances changed.
I dream about a time when writing is all that I do: when I can just travel, think, and write. But what happens when writing stops being the thing I'm using to procrastinate other things, and becomes the thing I procrastinate? I shudder to consider it! This is why I'm trying out different writing habits that are more routine and less "whenever you can grab a spare second." I'm considering what it might mean to have an actual writing schedule.
On the other hand, I'm a very spontaneous person who (as a general rule) hates routine. I dislike it when any two days look the same. So, I doubt that my character would easily yield to routine scheduling. One advantage of the way that I write (taking any time I can steal) is that I haven't ever experienced writer's block in the way other people describe it. I think this is because writing is my escape and my therapy, so I'm always seeking it out and never trying to avoid it.
Of course, I'm not so foolish to think that my peculiar relationship with writing would persist if my life circumstances changed.
I dream about a time when writing is all that I do: when I can just travel, think, and write. But what happens when writing stops being the thing I'm using to procrastinate other things, and becomes the thing I procrastinate? I shudder to consider it! This is why I'm trying out different writing habits that are more routine and less "whenever you can grab a spare second." I'm considering what it might mean to have an actual writing schedule.
Elizabeth Heider
May the Wolf Die began with Naples Italy where I lived from 2010 until 2013 as part of my job with the US Navy and I fell madly in love with the city. There’s nothing tame about Naples. It’s chaotic and charismatic. And the beauty is excessive, almost too much to take in. The years I spent there were during an incredibly difficult period, yet the beauty was a sort of antidote, keeping me from tipping completely into anguish. It’s a meaningful place for me, and I always feel at home when I return.
Unfortunately, the transcendent beauty of the city has a bleak shadow: rampant poverty and the Commora mafia infesting all aspects of society. I wanted to explore this perilous landscape, and to also share the unique perspective from my years working with the US military.
The main protagonists are inspired by two remarkable people who work in the Italian security forces. I first caught sight of Nikki and Valerio in September 2021 when I went sailing with my friend Sara and the friend with whom she co-owns a boat. As I watched them interact, I exclaimed, “How are you not already characters in a novel?”
By the time we returned to the harbor, the book was already taking shape. When I described my project to Sara, she was incredibly supportive. Both she and her friend graciously gave their time and insight and expertise to ensure that the book was as accurate as I, a non-native, could make it. I’m tremendously grateful for this generosity.
As I began plotting this mystery, I realized I needed to really understand what would make someone plan and follow-through with murder. One dark evening in January, as I walked along the beach near my house and thought about this, I asked: what would it take for me to be willing to kill?
At once I saw all of the foundational pieces and the logic of the book. I have the voice notes from that night describing the entire plot.
Unfortunately, the transcendent beauty of the city has a bleak shadow: rampant poverty and the Commora mafia infesting all aspects of society. I wanted to explore this perilous landscape, and to also share the unique perspective from my years working with the US military.
The main protagonists are inspired by two remarkable people who work in the Italian security forces. I first caught sight of Nikki and Valerio in September 2021 when I went sailing with my friend Sara and the friend with whom she co-owns a boat. As I watched them interact, I exclaimed, “How are you not already characters in a novel?”
By the time we returned to the harbor, the book was already taking shape. When I described my project to Sara, she was incredibly supportive. Both she and her friend graciously gave their time and insight and expertise to ensure that the book was as accurate as I, a non-native, could make it. I’m tremendously grateful for this generosity.
As I began plotting this mystery, I realized I needed to really understand what would make someone plan and follow-through with murder. One dark evening in January, as I walked along the beach near my house and thought about this, I asked: what would it take for me to be willing to kill?
At once I saw all of the foundational pieces and the logic of the book. I have the voice notes from that night describing the entire plot.
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