Ask the Author: Whitney Metz
Answered Questions (6)
Whitney Metz
If I'm in a scene and I feel that it's over, but I don't know where to go from there, I go into exquisite detail about every aspect of the scene. I inspect every little thing; how it looks, how it sounds, how it feels. I describe my character's every thought, every movement. This generally leads to a remarkably dull scene, the majority or which I will have to cut out during the edit, but it serves two very important purposes. One- it keeps the words flowing and staves off the frustration and despair that comes from staring at the taunting blink of that motionless cursor. Two- more often than not, if I dig far enough into the minutia of a scene, I will find some hidden detail that tells me where to go next. I think, deep down, we know where our stories need to go and, if we give ourselves enough material to work with, our subconscious will build us a bridge to take us there.
Whitney Metz
For me, the best thing about being a writer is that I have a good excuse to live in a fantasy world.
Whitney Metz
Don't ever stop writing. I've loved writing my entire life, but I stopped doing it for several years because I didn't know what to do with my work. I felt like, "What's the point?" The point is that, if you are a writer, you NEED to write. I was amazed by how different I felt after getting back into it after stopping for a while. Eventually, you will figure out what to do with your work. Just don't let yourself forget that, deep in your soul, you're a writer. So, whatever it takes, just keep writing.
Whitney Metz
I am currently in the process of doing my final edit on the second book in my Black Magick series, and also writing the third book.
Whitney Metz
There is no definitive answer to this for me. It's usually just the most random things that start a chain reaction which, hopefully, leads to something I can use in a book.
Whitney Metz
I just got this image in my head of a man standing in a courtyard in the middle of the night, with a pile of cigarette butts at his feet. Then I spent the next couple of days trying to figure out why he was there and what was going through his mind. The rest of the book progressed from there.
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