Ask the Author: Mark Susnow
Answered Questions (7)
Mark Susnow
What a great question—thanks for asking that. In my own writings, i often refer to the great mystery and the great adventure. For quite a while, each day has become that—who I meet, who I have a conversation with. Getting out there and talking about SOUL has become that ongoing adventure and it's just the early phases. I'm curious who I'll meet in the process. Perhaps at some point on the journey, a whole new direction will unfold and that will become my life—new places, new people, new interests from which new ideas emerge for a plot for the next book. And the truth be told, I don't know.
Mark Susnow
Since the Soul of Uncertainty just came out, i'm spreading the word about the book. What keeps me writing is my monthly newsletter, Letters on Life. I have been writing that for the last 15 years, and I also blog once or twice a week.
Mark Susnow
It's a way of expressing yourself that continues to evolve. It's something you can get excited about. Even though I've received much praise from my writing over the years, I still want to become a better writer. When i read another book, I look at it differently than I did before. Sometimes I get ideas that I want to integrate into my own writing.
Mark Susnow
Commit to a period of time to sit down and write. If you can't think about what to write about, write about that. Wow, I'm sitting here and nothing comes to me. Write about that. Write about being stuck. Write about how it stops you. Before you know it, your thoughts are flowing again.
Another suggestion. I have found that music stimulates my thinking. In fact, i'm listening right now. When I was working on the Soul of Uncertainty, I would change the type of music two or three different times.
Another suggestion. I have found that music stimulates my thinking. In fact, i'm listening right now. When I was working on the Soul of Uncertainty, I would change the type of music two or three different times.
Mark Susnow
Be curious. Being a writer, and being a successful author are two different things. Write because you want to create, to explore. I see writing as a process of discovery. I might write to get a deeper understanding of an idea or to explore a concept. For example, I once heard a speaker talk about control and perfection. I ended up writing an article about that topic.
Mark Susnow
Inspiration seems to come and go. Often when I begin writing I'm not inspired. Since by nature I'm naturally curious, an idea comes that I want to explore. Writing for me then becomes a process of discovery. Once I get into it, at a certain point I'll get inspired. Listening to music usually with headphones on Pandora, helps me get into the groove. If I feel bogged down, I'll change the music.
Mark Susnow
I host the InspirePossibility Radio Show in which each week I have conversations with people I consider cutting-edge thought leaders, many of whom are authors. One of my guests wrote a fable about a student having a chance encounter with a mentor who changes his life. There have been many book like this, such as the Alchemist, the Celestine Prophecy, the Way of the Peaceful Warrior. Although I wasn't planning on writing another book at that time, the seed had been planted. A year later, I began writing the Soul of Uncertainty.
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