Ask the Author: Jessica Schaub
Answered Questions (5)
Jessica Schaub
I can't think straight if I don't read or write a little every day. Ideally, I try to schedule 90 minutes of reading and 90 minutes of writing every day. Realistically, that doesn't happen every day, but the goal of that 3 hours a day spent reading and writing keeps me focused and happy. It's also a great example for my children who see me constantly educating myself.
Jessica Schaub
The Elder's Circle, Book II in The Elemental Chronicles was just released. The preparation for that has kept me busy for weeks.
Next, I'm working on Book III, then polishing a manuscript to submit to publishers. Here's a sample of that manuscript: http://jessicaschaubbooks.com/2012/05...
Next, I'm working on Book III, then polishing a manuscript to submit to publishers. Here's a sample of that manuscript: http://jessicaschaubbooks.com/2012/05...
Jessica Schaub
Read the books in the genre you write. Read some more. Then read ten more books. Take notes, try out some of the scenes for yourself. Try to copy that writer's style, then try to make a specific scene in that book your own.
Jessica Schaub
The quiet time it brings. And that I can wear my pajamas :)
For birthdays, Christmas and Mother's Day, I am usually gifted with a new journal. I love flipping through the empty pages and wondering what words will soon fill them. It's the same as looking at a child and wondering what kinds of experiences will fill them up and what kind of an adult they will grow to be?
For birthdays, Christmas and Mother's Day, I am usually gifted with a new journal. I love flipping through the empty pages and wondering what words will soon fill them. It's the same as looking at a child and wondering what kinds of experiences will fill them up and what kind of an adult they will grow to be?
Jessica Schaub
Writer's block, speaking personally, isn't a matter of not knowing what to writer, but a need to return to my research. If I'm stuck in a story and I'm not sure what direction to take--which is my most common form of writer's block--stepping back, re-reading what I have so far and comparing it to my research, I always find a way out the block.
I don't worry about writer's block. In fact, when I reach that point in a project, I sigh in relief. It means that I'm too close to the project and need a break. I'll spend the next month focused on reading, but even then it's not a true break. As soon as I start reading a new book, the ideas for new stories explode in my brain. I know have to read other's books with a pad of paper and a pen for my own notes.
I don't worry about writer's block. In fact, when I reach that point in a project, I sigh in relief. It means that I'm too close to the project and need a break. I'll spend the next month focused on reading, but even then it's not a true break. As soon as I start reading a new book, the ideas for new stories explode in my brain. I know have to read other's books with a pad of paper and a pen for my own notes.
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