Ask the Author: Arthur George
Answered Questions (6)
Arthur George
My wife and I have always been interested in ancient history and mythology, especially that of the ancient Near East and Mediterranean, and the part of that which is most relevant to our own culture and the issues of our day is the mythological stories in the Bible. In the Hebrew Bible, this is mainly the early stories in Genesis, so we were led there. In particular, we've always wondered about the real meaning of the Eden story, and so we began investigating that, from a mythological, psychological, and evidentiary (archaeological) perspective. It then became clear that not only had no one written a book about the Eden story using this approach, but that there was literally no book available for the general public that analyzed the entire Eden story. So writing our book was an obvious decision. It was my wife who actually first suggested doing it.
Arthur George
Mostly from reading in the subject area and as a result developing new insights. When they come, I can't help but write them down, first as notes and (for those which make the grade) eventually in the text of the book. Of course, discussing the ideas with others helps too.
Arthur George
I continue to pursue mythology and the related subjects of psychology and religion. I have several projects in the works, and at this point I'm not sure which will be completed first. One of them will deal with the New Testament and the development of Christianity.
Arthur George
Find a subject or theme that you are passionate about and pursue that. There one's creativity will be at its best. Also, if you don't yet have the technical tools to write well (good grammar, vocabulary, syntax, and style), then work on that as well. Reading well-written books in your subject area will help here.
Arthur George
It is the combination of first experiencing the stimulation and learning from doing the research and writing it to the point where I have worked it all out and it is ready to be shared with readers, and then hearing how readers find the book stimulating and beneficial to them, which is my purpose in writing.
Arthur George
I don't get writers block as such. This may be thanks to my many years of practicing law, when I had no choice but to produce high-quality written work product by deadlines. I do, however, get tired and burnt out from overwork/concentration from time to time, in which case the inspiration, creativity, and quality of the work could suffer if I just continue. When that happens I stop writing and change my routine, maybe visiting somewhere, cooking, doing manual work, or reading something a little different but which is related enough to my topic so as to inspire a potentially new perspective on some points. Usually a couple days of this is enough, and then I can continue writing.
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