Ask the Author: Andrew Boden
Answered Questions (2)
Andrew Boden
I'm very fortunate, since I don't suffer from writer's block too often. I like to research my fiction thoroughly beforehand, steeping myself in the place, characters, history and mood of my story. That process may take weeks or months. Once I begin writing, I emphasize keeping my fingers moving, not thinking and certainly not heeding any self-doubts that come up. If my fingers stop, I write that down. If I seem stumped, I write that down. No matter what, I keep my fingers moving, incorporating even the feeling of being "blocked" into the words on the page.
Now what may appear in the first draft may not be prize-winning prose, but you need to get those first words down. That's critical: you can't polish a blank page anymore than you can polish a non-existent sapphire. You need to polish and polish those initial words until the story shines.
Now what may appear in the first draft may not be prize-winning prose, but you need to get those first words down. That's critical: you can't polish a blank page anymore than you can polish a non-existent sapphire. You need to polish and polish those initial words until the story shines.
Andrew Boden
A new novel set in Germany in 1940. I'm on the final draft now!
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