Ask the Author: S.J. Laidlaw
Answered Questions (6)
S.J. Laidlaw
Usually I read. I think of writing like a well of words inside me. On good days it's spilling over but eventually it runs dry and I need to replenish.
S.J. Laidlaw
I can justify the money I spend on books and sit around all day reading and call it research.
S.J. Laidlaw
Read, then read some more.
Also, don't give up. I came to fiction writing very late. A friend coerced me into it after he read some of my non-fiction work. I wish I'd started sooner but I didn't have the confidence. I was also working two jobs, so there was that.
The main difference I've seen between published and non-published writers is persistence. The published writers keep trying, keep working at their craft, despite years of rejection. If you really want it and you read a lot and keep writing, it'll happen.
Also, join a critique group. They're invaluable.
Also, don't give up. I came to fiction writing very late. A friend coerced me into it after he read some of my non-fiction work. I wish I'd started sooner but I didn't have the confidence. I was also working two jobs, so there was that.
The main difference I've seen between published and non-published writers is persistence. The published writers keep trying, keep working at their craft, despite years of rejection. If you really want it and you read a lot and keep writing, it'll happen.
Also, join a critique group. They're invaluable.
S.J. Laidlaw
Some months ago I was travelling in Nepal and got talking to some Tibetan refugees. I was very moved by their stories of exile and dislocation. From there I spent time in a Tibetan refugee community in India, where the Dalai lives, collecting stories and trying to understand Tibetan culture. I'm working on a book about that.
S.J. Laidlaw
I've always loved to write, since I was a little kid. I think it's the way I process the world, which is funny because I was / am dyslexic.
S.J. Laidlaw
I spent over two years in Mumbai working with sex workers' daughters and many years counselling Third Culture Kids. Noor and Grace's narratives are based on those experiences.
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