Ask the Author: Joseph Éamon Cummins
Answered Questions (6)
Joseph Éamon Cummins
The answer to this question is in the opening of my new novel
On the Edge of the Loch.
Dear Reader . . .
One late-summer evening a long time ago,
in a little picturesque train station,
I noticed a graceful young woman sitting alone;
she looked to be waiting for someone.
Over the next week I re-visited the station on
five occasions to photograph it in different light.
The woman was there every time,
still waiting.
On the day I was leaving, our eyes engaged,
a moment of silent conversation;
she smiled, seemed about to say something.
Then her head dropped, she turned away.
I never saw her again.
Never knew why she was there or who she longed for.
But she inspired this novel.
I couldn’t make her the main character,
she’s too much of a mystery.
So I wrote a bigger story around a driven man,
and married the two.
Thanks for reading it.
I think you’ll be glad you did.
On the Edge of the Loch.
Dear Reader . . .
One late-summer evening a long time ago,
in a little picturesque train station,
I noticed a graceful young woman sitting alone;
she looked to be waiting for someone.
Over the next week I re-visited the station on
five occasions to photograph it in different light.
The woman was there every time,
still waiting.
On the day I was leaving, our eyes engaged,
a moment of silent conversation;
she smiled, seemed about to say something.
Then her head dropped, she turned away.
I never saw her again.
Never knew why she was there or who she longed for.
But she inspired this novel.
I couldn’t make her the main character,
she’s too much of a mystery.
So I wrote a bigger story around a driven man,
and married the two.
Thanks for reading it.
I think you’ll be glad you did.
Joseph Éamon Cummins
Sorry, I never talk about a project before it takes substantial form. But I am always working on a number of projects concurrently. Some see the light of day; others don't.
Joseph Éamon Cummins
For me, as for many writers, it is creating a piece of 'art', no different from the painter. Painter and writer both begin with a blank canvas. When the piece is completed, something that never was now exists, regardless of how satisfied you are with it.
WB Yeats said: 'The painter's brush consumes his dream'. Meaning that the dream in the artist's imagination (writer or painter) is now a real 'thing', now defined by paint or words.
And if we don't paint it or write it, there's every chance it will fade into the grey soup of the brain, to be lost forever. Perhaps this is what fires writers more than anything.
WB Yeats said: 'The painter's brush consumes his dream'. Meaning that the dream in the artist's imagination (writer or painter) is now a real 'thing', now defined by paint or words.
And if we don't paint it or write it, there's every chance it will fade into the grey soup of the brain, to be lost forever. Perhaps this is what fires writers more than anything.
Joseph Éamon Cummins
I have listened to hundreds of writers describe their experiences with writer's block. It's true to say that there is no panacea, no one 'solution' that will work all the time for everyone.
However, from my work in psychology (I'm a humanistic-organisational psychologist) I have learned - and tested over time - two approaches that have proved successful for many of the writers with whom I have worked.
Writer's block is a mental phenomenon. Ideas are all around us, we have fertile minds, we're competent scribes, but somehow an internal obstacle is stopping the flow of relevant ideas. So, begin writing another story (presuming you're a fiction writer)! This is what I advise first. Start another story (or scene) with no plan for how long you will continue, and be genuine and committed in what you write. There's a good chance that what needs to click will click, and your block will disappear. What's gratifying here is that you may have lined up your next project, or a new scene, for your current work.
My second suggestion is to begin 'automatic writing'. Take a blank sheet of paper (some writers believe pen and paper fire the brain better) or start typing at your keyboard. Let your hand write without directing it. You'll probably start out with no faith in this approach. Do it anyway. Give your brain an opportunity to surprise you, which it can do. The fact is, our unconscious is often smarter than our conscious mind (what we think we know).
Whatever you try, at very least keep an open mind. If you remain cynical, chances are you will prevent your own progress.
However, from my work in psychology (I'm a humanistic-organisational psychologist) I have learned - and tested over time - two approaches that have proved successful for many of the writers with whom I have worked.
Writer's block is a mental phenomenon. Ideas are all around us, we have fertile minds, we're competent scribes, but somehow an internal obstacle is stopping the flow of relevant ideas. So, begin writing another story (presuming you're a fiction writer)! This is what I advise first. Start another story (or scene) with no plan for how long you will continue, and be genuine and committed in what you write. There's a good chance that what needs to click will click, and your block will disappear. What's gratifying here is that you may have lined up your next project, or a new scene, for your current work.
My second suggestion is to begin 'automatic writing'. Take a blank sheet of paper (some writers believe pen and paper fire the brain better) or start typing at your keyboard. Let your hand write without directing it. You'll probably start out with no faith in this approach. Do it anyway. Give your brain an opportunity to surprise you, which it can do. The fact is, our unconscious is often smarter than our conscious mind (what we think we know).
Whatever you try, at very least keep an open mind. If you remain cynical, chances are you will prevent your own progress.
Joseph Éamon Cummins
I know it sounds a bit trite. But you are a writer, your senses are more attuned than the non-writer, you see and sense and feel things that others miss. This is your gift.
Use this gift to explore the 'ordinary' things that others take for granted: the way one person looks at another, the exact language someone uses to make her point, the way the person's face reconfigured when he was insulted, how precisely the woman back-pedalled when the door shook . . .
In short, writers are observers. When you are searching for inspiration, observe very closely, any thing, then try to capture in words what your senses experienced, even if you'll never use what you write.
This helps you to validate your gift, reminds you that inspiration is all around you, that you create, and that you cannot wait for the muse - you must be the muse.
Use this gift to explore the 'ordinary' things that others take for granted: the way one person looks at another, the exact language someone uses to make her point, the way the person's face reconfigured when he was insulted, how precisely the woman back-pedalled when the door shook . . .
In short, writers are observers. When you are searching for inspiration, observe very closely, any thing, then try to capture in words what your senses experienced, even if you'll never use what you write.
This helps you to validate your gift, reminds you that inspiration is all around you, that you create, and that you cannot wait for the muse - you must be the muse.
Joseph Éamon Cummins
As writers, we are never truly satisfied with what we write. No matter how much 'success' we enjoy there is always that lingering belief that we could have done better - or that some other writer would have done better. It's important that you don't let this diminish your confidence, or make you feel that you are not a writer.
And, of course, you must read a lot. Not just read in the ordinary sense, but read analytically, read to learn how and why a piece of writing works well. You won't always be certain you have the answers, but as you progress, things will become clearer and you will begin to recognise your own growth.
If you were to read one book (and there are many good books) read William Zinsser's On Writing Well, whether you write fiction nor non-fiction.
Finally, having a more experienced writer or instructor to talk with is also a great help.
And, of course, you must read a lot. Not just read in the ordinary sense, but read analytically, read to learn how and why a piece of writing works well. You won't always be certain you have the answers, but as you progress, things will become clearer and you will begin to recognise your own growth.
If you were to read one book (and there are many good books) read William Zinsser's On Writing Well, whether you write fiction nor non-fiction.
Finally, having a more experienced writer or instructor to talk with is also a great help.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more