Ask the Author: Lisa M. Clark
Answered Questions (6)
Lisa M. Clark
My words matter in the lives of those I've never met.
The life of writing is a life with people--both real and imagined. Readers have an essential role in the life of a writer, and I'm grateful for every reader who spends some of his or her time with me and the things I say. Even better, I love to hear what they have to say in return.
The life of writing is a life with people--both real and imagined. Readers have an essential role in the life of a writer, and I'm grateful for every reader who spends some of his or her time with me and the things I say. Even better, I love to hear what they have to say in return.
Lisa M. Clark
Just try. Don’t worry about whether or not you’ll be great at it—then the focus is on you. If you enjoy writing, write. Maybe it’ll be a blessing for two people. Maybe it’ll be a blessing to two million. That’s not for you to decide, and there’s great comfort in that. Ask yourself a serious question: "Why do I write?" Once you have an answer you're happy with, keep that in mind as you grow as a writer.
Lisa M. Clark
Hi, Jeannie!
I'm finishing it up right now--looks like it should be in everyone's hands May 2017. I'll keep everyone posted as time grows closer.
I'm finishing it up right now--looks like it should be in everyone's hands May 2017. I'll keep everyone posted as time grows closer.
Lisa M. Clark
It depends on what I'm writing. Often, I get excited when there is a need--a hymn, a blog post, a devotion. My fiction was born out of a perceived need as well. But there are other times when I read the right sentence, hear the right song, see the right image, and I'm suddenly filled with the desire to sit down immediately and write.
On one hand, the discipline of writing often helps me to keep those "muscles" in shape. I can often sit when needed and write on the spot. But especially for large projects (such as an entire chapter), I wait until I already have a fairly clear idea in my mind what I want to do. I don't sit at my laptop and tell myself, "Okay, it's writing time." I prewrite in my mind or while talking with others until I almost can't wait any longer to get to work. I might get writer's block, but I rarely know it because it happens when I'm washing dishes and mulling over projects instead of staring at a blank screen.
On one hand, the discipline of writing often helps me to keep those "muscles" in shape. I can often sit when needed and write on the spot. But especially for large projects (such as an entire chapter), I wait until I already have a fairly clear idea in my mind what I want to do. I don't sit at my laptop and tell myself, "Okay, it's writing time." I prewrite in my mind or while talking with others until I almost can't wait any longer to get to work. I might get writer's block, but I rarely know it because it happens when I'm washing dishes and mulling over projects instead of staring at a blank screen.
Lisa M. Clark
I'm excited to be in the editing phase of Revealed, the final installment of The Messengers trilogy. At the same time, I'm working on hymns and my new blog, Why of a Writer. It helps to keep the genres changing when I'm itching to write but need a break from one project or the other!
Lisa M. Clark
I think we limit ourselves when we think of "writing" as the moment we sit down to the pad of paper or keyboard. I'm always prewriting, thinking, mulling things over in my head. I'll talk things out, I'll take walks--these all fit under the work of writing.
So I rarely sit down unless I already feel ready to get something down on the screen or paper. I'm not totally prepared, of course, but I have ideas in my mind I'm ready to test out on the page. If I run out of ideas, I don't usually let myself stare at the screen for long. Time to do laundry or dishes! Often, I can work out the sticking points in my head without the frustration of staring at the blinking cursor.
So I rarely sit down unless I already feel ready to get something down on the screen or paper. I'm not totally prepared, of course, but I have ideas in my mind I'm ready to test out on the page. If I run out of ideas, I don't usually let myself stare at the screen for long. Time to do laundry or dishes! Often, I can work out the sticking points in my head without the frustration of staring at the blinking cursor.
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