Ask the Author: Lia London
Answered Questions (6)
Lia London
I rarely get it anymore, but to mitigate the possibility, I typically have more than one project going at a time. That way, if one comes to a wall, I can plug away at the other until the inspiration comes back. Sometimes I just have to shake things up a bit.
Also reading. Reading is always an answer.
Also reading. Reading is always an answer.
Lia London
It's cheaper than therapy.
And it's super gratifying to discover I can make myself laugh, cry, or chew my nails in suspense.
And it's super gratifying to discover I can make myself laugh, cry, or chew my nails in suspense.
Lia London
That's easy. WRITE!
Write because you love it!
And read. Reading is vital. It's where you learn how to put words together in meaningful, powerful ways.
Then, if you get to the point where you want to create a manuscript, learn to love revisions. Most new authors think they can knock out a first draft, tidy up the spelling and grammar, and boom, they're ready for publication.
Nope. It doesn't matter how good you are, you're not that good. I make very few mechanical errors in my rough drafts, but that doesn't mean I don't go through at least a handful of drafts before I even show it to beta readers to get feedback.
Think of that first draft as the baby. It's born. It's breathing. It wants a life of its own. But you still need to clean it up, train it up, and strengthen it to stand strong. It's going to take longer than you want it to. That's okay. After you do it a few times, it gets faster.
Write because you love it!
And read. Reading is vital. It's where you learn how to put words together in meaningful, powerful ways.
Then, if you get to the point where you want to create a manuscript, learn to love revisions. Most new authors think they can knock out a first draft, tidy up the spelling and grammar, and boom, they're ready for publication.
Nope. It doesn't matter how good you are, you're not that good. I make very few mechanical errors in my rough drafts, but that doesn't mean I don't go through at least a handful of drafts before I even show it to beta readers to get feedback.
Think of that first draft as the baby. It's born. It's breathing. It wants a life of its own. But you still need to clean it up, train it up, and strengthen it to stand strong. It's going to take longer than you want it to. That's okay. After you do it a few times, it gets faster.
Lia London
I've got a non-fiction inspirational book taken from my decade or so of practicing martial arts. LETTERS FROM A MIDDLE-AGED NINJA brings out life lessons gleaned from time on the mat, both as a student and an instructor. I hope it will inspire older folks to consider taking up the sport and/or motivate those who have begun to keep going.
Lia London
My biggest source of story ideas comes from dreams. I'll wake up with a general impression and a few plot points, and then I have to decide if the idea is worth pursuing. Since I have a lot of vivid dreams, I always have more ideas than time to write, so I take notes of the dream and store it in a file. Later, I'll browse through and pick one that sparks my fancy.
Lia London
My most recent book, THE SLUMPY LIFE OF COPERNICA FLETCHER, came out of a desire to give teen girls something to read other than dystopian or romance novels. I figured, with all that's going on right now, they might just need to laugh.
My son and I always loved reading the DIARY OF A WIMPY KID series together, and I thought a similar, anecdotal, slice-of-life narration could be fun, making sure to tie up all the threads for a happy ending. It's full of very relatable moments (even the crazy ones) we've all experienced in some way or another.
My son and I always loved reading the DIARY OF A WIMPY KID series together, and I thought a similar, anecdotal, slice-of-life narration could be fun, making sure to tie up all the threads for a happy ending. It's full of very relatable moments (even the crazy ones) we've all experienced in some way or another.
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