Ask the Author: Jennifer Frank
Answered Questions (6)
Jennifer Frank
I've always had a difficult time making really big decisions - those that are life altering. I still wonder if I chose the right college, for example. My novel explores the idea of whether you can really ever go back and try to make a different choice.
Jennifer Frank
That really depends. Sometimes, I am writing through an emotional experience. The process of putting words and ideas down on paper (or typing into the computer) helps me process deep or confusing emotions, often which arise from my work as a physician.
Other times, I'm just in the mood to get back to one of my novels and find out what happens next. I don't plan out my plots, so the story tends to come together as I am writing. It feels as if the characters take over and I am just documenting what they are doing of their own accord.
Other times, I'm just in the mood to get back to one of my novels and find out what happens next. I don't plan out my plots, so the story tends to come together as I am writing. It feels as if the characters take over and I am just documenting what they are doing of their own accord.
Jennifer Frank
I'm doing a lot of promoting of my debut novel right now. However, that's obviously not why I started writing! So, my current writing project is a murder mystery which is nearly completed. Next after that will be a historical fiction loosely based on my great-grandparents. They had extraordinary lives.
Jennifer Frank
Write all the time. Write for yourself. Write what you enjoy reading. And, of course, read all the time. Pay attention to more than the characters, plot, and story and focus on the way words are weaved together or phrases are constructed. Don't be afraid to fail, because you will. Not everyone will love your writing and that's okay, because many will. Ultimately, if you love your writing, that's the most important thing.
Jennifer Frank
When you write something that perfectly expresses how you feel. I wrote a piece for the Journal of the American Medical Association a couple of years ago about the experience of telling a patient she had cancer. It was emotionally cathartic and completely articulated the feelings I had at that moment. I received so many emails from patients and physicians alike who felt my words conveyed their own experience with cancer and breaking bad news. That was awesome!
Jennifer Frank
Get up and do something else. Whenever I am doing something creative, including writing, I tend to work in big bursts of energy and inspiration. I can plod through at other times, but it is more difficult and not always my best work. That said, sometimes I just plod through writer's block focusing on just getting words onto the page and not worrying about quality until later.
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