Ask the Author: Samuel W. Gailey
Answered Questions (4)
Samuel W. Gailey
To me, it's the freedom to create my own world and set of characters. No one looking over my shoulder, telling me what to do or what not to do. Writing is my true escape...a space where I can leave my day to day worries and problems behind. And my favorite part of the process is when I'm just beginning a book, where I sit with pen and paper, getting away from the computer, and let the ink flow...
Samuel W. Gailey
This doesn't happen often for me, but it does occur. Sometimes I've attempted to force a new idea or story, and the results are not good. What I've found the most helpful is to let an idea sit for awhile if I'm hitting the wall. And rather than not write at all, I will pick up another story that I've been working on, and tweak it a little here and there, thereby getting myself back into a creative flow.
Samuel W. Gailey
You have to love what you do. You have to be willing to sacrifice and be patient. It took me almost 2 years to get an agent, but only one month to find a publisher (a few bid on the book, but I went with Blue Rider Press, a Penguin imprint). I almost gave up at one point but am now glad I did not. Watch the documentary The Rough Side of Larry Brown. He's my favorite writer, yet he had over 100 rejections.
Samuel W. Gailey
I am polishing a manuscript that I plan to deliver to my agents in a few weeks. It's about a young girl trying to escape guilt from a tragic incident that involved the death of a loved one.
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