Ask the Author: Timothy D. Wise
Answered Questions (5)
Timothy D. Wise
I don't usually have a problem coming up with story ideas. Sitting down to write and working out the plot issues can be more challenging though. When I already have a project started, I often get myself in the writing groove by going through and editing my work from the last session and then stretching out from there. Sometimes I'll write ideas down on paper with a pen or pencil to get going. These could be whole paragraphs or color and image words. Reading authors I like or watching favorite shows helps to prime me but sometimes the effect is delayed. After I watched Stranger Things on Netflix last year, I suddenly found myself charged with new writing energy a week or so later.
Timothy D. Wise
There are seasons of life when that can be a real problem. Keeping yourself on a writing schedule can be helpful, even if you can only squeeze out a page or two a day for a while or just come up with a good new idea. Last summer I had a particularly bad bout and found Jordan Rosenfeld's book, A Writer's Guide to Persistence, to be helpful. Ray Bradbury's Zen and the Art of Writing is a classic. I've used the word association technique he describes there to get unstuck. Sometimes writing ideas out on a pad or brainstorming them in a notebook helps because you're using a different part of the brain, and sometimes talking through them with friends can help you articulate a problem you're hung up on. Writer's block is tough though. Sometimes I have twelve or more windows open on my computer screen at the same time, and my brain is a lot like that too. When you're working with reduced bandwidth, it's just hard to be productive. You have to close a few windows first.
Timothy D. Wise
Write from your heart and keep writing. Listen to your critics but don't let them discourage you. If you keep writing, you will usually get better over time.
It helps to study other authors--even ones you don't like. Treat all of your literature classes as part of your education as a writer.
Writing is a solitary pursuit, so it's good to have some friends who support you and appreciate what you're doing. Some of your teachers can be great allies. One of mine lent me a typewriter and some writing space and took me to meet a journalism professor.
Also go to writer's conferences to get to know other writers as well as editors and agents. Be careful to find one where the people are friendly and encouraging though. I heard a real-life horror story about an young writer who left some of her work on a table at a conference and one of the presenters found it and used her work as an example of bad writing. She survived and went on to become a published author but don't put up with things like that if you can avoid them.
When you do have humiliating experiences, though, know that it doesn't have to be the end of your dream. Salve your wounds, get up, and go back to the keyboard. Put your critic's face on your dart board or, maybe, their name on your prayer list. Doesn't that sound spiritual? I remember hearing about how Michelangelo painted a guy he didn't like into a picture of people suffering in hell. That sounds more like what I would really want to do, but the prayer list would be better.
It helps to study other authors--even ones you don't like. Treat all of your literature classes as part of your education as a writer.
Writing is a solitary pursuit, so it's good to have some friends who support you and appreciate what you're doing. Some of your teachers can be great allies. One of mine lent me a typewriter and some writing space and took me to meet a journalism professor.
Also go to writer's conferences to get to know other writers as well as editors and agents. Be careful to find one where the people are friendly and encouraging though. I heard a real-life horror story about an young writer who left some of her work on a table at a conference and one of the presenters found it and used her work as an example of bad writing. She survived and went on to become a published author but don't put up with things like that if you can avoid them.
When you do have humiliating experiences, though, know that it doesn't have to be the end of your dream. Salve your wounds, get up, and go back to the keyboard. Put your critic's face on your dart board or, maybe, their name on your prayer list. Doesn't that sound spiritual? I remember hearing about how Michelangelo painted a guy he didn't like into a picture of people suffering in hell. That sounds more like what I would really want to do, but the prayer list would be better.
Timothy D. Wise
I'm working on Intrepid Force: Tryptic, the third installment of my "superheroes in space" series. This volume explores the history of some of the secondary characters. We learn more about the apocalyptic future Neema came from and about Uncle Enoch's history as a teenager in the 1980s and a film producer.
Timothy D. Wise
I got the idea for Haunted Summer from a combination of places. When I went to my brother's wedding in Washington, I saw the coastal towns like Seaside, Oregon, rainforests, and lighthouses and thought that area would be a great setting for a story. I also read Dean Koontz's description of a gothic romance: An innocent young girl comes to live in a big, scary house with a dark history. Since the science fiction segment of the Christian market was so small, I thought I'd try writing a supernatural suspense thriller--something more like Frank Peretti, Ted Dekker, or Dean Koontz would write. My gothic romance ended up more like the X-Files, but I'm pleased with the outcome.
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