Ask the Author: Deborah Nedelman
Answered Questions (4)
Deborah Nedelman
I think the most important piece of advice I ever got was to learn how to turn off my inner critic, tell her to take a hike while you are writing. She's going to show up later when you need her--when you're revising--but in the beginning, in that first, raw stage when you're just getting the words out, she is only going to get in the way and shut you down. So when you hear those critical phrases in your mind (you know the ones that say "who would ever want to read this?' or "you're no writer" or "what do you think you're doing?") recognize that voice--it's your inner critic. And tell her to take a hike!
Deborah Nedelman
Writing fiction is great fun for me. There are certainly days when my mind is a blank, or rather when the demands of my real life take precedence over the imaginary world, but most of the time I can't wait to get back to what I'm creating!
Deborah Nedelman
The book I'm currently working on was inspired by the years I spent in training to become a clinical psychologist. Part of that time I spent working in a variety of inpatient settings. I've been wondering what happened to Annie (from What We Take for Truth), so I'm writing to find out!
Deborah Nedelman
First of all, I try not to use that term. I think it has a bit of a self-fulfilling quality. There are times when my imagination seems to have dried up and I feel stuck. My favorite remedy for this is to teach a writing class or at least prepare to teach one. My prep always includes collecting a few new poems to use as jumping off points. The process of reading poetry, especially exposing myself to new poets, is a great way to get my writer brain turned on. The next thing I do for class prep is create one or two new writing prompts. Once I've done that, I'm usually off to the races.
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