Ask the Author: Kali Willows
Answered Questions (7)
Kali Willows
Raising two teens...with online access...in the middle of a 2-3 year world wide pandemic...during isolation
Kali Willows
Not as easily as I would prefer. I struggle at times, with significant writer's block.
Sometimes, re-reading my WIP will help me to catch loopholes and get back into the mindset required for the story. That doesn't always help. Other times, reading other writer's work, is healthy, in that I get out of my own head.
When all else fails, I take the advice of an author I highly respect and admire:
"Sometimes you have to stop trying to force it, walk away and let your subconscious show you the way. Fill up on life for a while." - J.K. Rowling
Sometimes, re-reading my WIP will help me to catch loopholes and get back into the mindset required for the story. That doesn't always help. Other times, reading other writer's work, is healthy, in that I get out of my own head.
When all else fails, I take the advice of an author I highly respect and admire:
"Sometimes you have to stop trying to force it, walk away and let your subconscious show you the way. Fill up on life for a while." - J.K. Rowling
Kali Willows
The best thing about being a writer, is the freedom to create and build. Because I write primarily fiction, I delight in the opportunity to correct the wrongs that life can sometimes hand us, by making sure I create my own happily ever after, not only for myself, but for my readers that enjoy my stories.
I find writing therapeutic and healing on more levels than I'm even consciously aware of. For me, to write, is to breathe.
I find writing therapeutic and healing on more levels than I'm even consciously aware of. For me, to write, is to breathe.
Kali Willows
Write! Don't worry about perfection, when the impulse to create strikes you, go with it and allow the words to flow. You can always improve later, that's what the editing process is for, but if you ignore the impulse, the ideas tend to flee and never return. When you work with an editor, hopefully it's with someone who is not only skilled, but supportive and teaches you along the way. Resisting critiques and feedback only stagnates your potential to be a great author.
Read...a lot. The more authors and genres you read, the better developed you will find your own style to become over time as you better recognize the ones that resonate with you.
Develop a thick skin. When you put your heart and soul into words for people to read, some will love it, others may not. The good feedback is paralleled with the bad, and can be hard to take at times. Avoid reacting to the negatives, it never ends well, and people will have opinions, that comes with the territory of putting yourself out there.
Lastly, never stop writing. After each story, continue to strive to hone your craft and tap into the endless inspiration that surrounds you every day.
My most favorite quote from an author:
“A non-writing writer is a monster courting insanity."
[Letter to Max Brod, July 5, 1922]” ― Franz Kafka
Read...a lot. The more authors and genres you read, the better developed you will find your own style to become over time as you better recognize the ones that resonate with you.
Develop a thick skin. When you put your heart and soul into words for people to read, some will love it, others may not. The good feedback is paralleled with the bad, and can be hard to take at times. Avoid reacting to the negatives, it never ends well, and people will have opinions, that comes with the territory of putting yourself out there.
Lastly, never stop writing. After each story, continue to strive to hone your craft and tap into the endless inspiration that surrounds you every day.
My most favorite quote from an author:
“A non-writing writer is a monster courting insanity."
[Letter to Max Brod, July 5, 1922]” ― Franz Kafka
Kali Willows
There is always an unfinished work in progress. I have several completed manuscripts in dire need of revamping, and dozens of partially completed. A few projects I've started and have yet to finish, hang in limbo until it strikes me how to complete them.
I have a riveting sci-fi/fantasy that is just chapters away from completion, but needs more finesse and time to perfect. I have completed a shifter menage for a special line, but until it's submitted, I have to keep hush hush for now. :-)
I have a riveting sci-fi/fantasy that is just chapters away from completion, but needs more finesse and time to perfect. I have completed a shifter menage for a special line, but until it's submitted, I have to keep hush hush for now. :-)
Kali Willows
Every inspiration holds a little something different. Sometimes, it's the lyrics of a powerful song, sometimes it's a simple as a flash that strikes me when I see a word or image that evokes the need to pursue.
On many levels, the inspiration stems from personal and life experiences, and the divine human interaction that my entire career in social services has conditioned me to hone in on and dissect.
The biggest aspect for me, is the dire need to expel pent up energy, be it fantasy, challenging situations or unresolved issues. It's a cathartic response to what life hands me.
On many levels, the inspiration stems from personal and life experiences, and the divine human interaction that my entire career in social services has conditioned me to hone in on and dissect.
The biggest aspect for me, is the dire need to expel pent up energy, be it fantasy, challenging situations or unresolved issues. It's a cathartic response to what life hands me.
Kali Willows
Romancing the Author was a special submission call from my publisher Decadent Publishing, for the very first Romancing the Capital author-reader convention I attended April 17 & 18, 2015.
It was for the 1Night Stand series I frequently contribute to, and thought, "Romance authors write the romance, but how many actually get to be swooned?"
It was for the 1Night Stand series I frequently contribute to, and thought, "Romance authors write the romance, but how many actually get to be swooned?"
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