Ask the Author: Dean Richards
Answered Questions (5)
Dean Richards
I've been teaching psychology for years, creating examples to explain complex ideas simply, finding out what people didn't know about psychology and were really excited to learn, and working out stories and anecdotes that explained principles, often humorously. Gradually I came to the realization that I wanted to share these things with the larger group of readers, and not just the few hundred students I met every semester. I started thinking about a series of short books of psychology for the lay person. I made a list of topics I thought ought to be covered. Then I simply sat down one day and started writing the things I'd been saying in classes for years.
Dean Richards
The most important thing is to ask yourself what you have to say that others would want to hear. It's easy to say, "I should write a book." But what do you have to say? What can you share with others or where can you take others that they would appreciate going? Do you have experiences others would like to hear about? Know a story that others might want to hear? Have knowledge others might welcome? Writing often seems to come from a burning need inside the author to share something. Find your burning need, and then share.
Dean Richards
It's being able to share your thoughts with other people. We all want to talk to other people. Writing gives you a chance to connect with people who want to hear what you have to say, people you wouldn't otherwise meet.
Dean Richards
The best way I've found to deal with writer's block is to go ahead and write something, anything, down. You just keep writing things even though you don't really think you're going anywhere or you believe you're writing garbage. Often you can go back to it a few days later and one of two things will happen--it'll be better than you thought it was and you can revise it into something useful, or it will remind you of something else entirely you should write.
Dean Richards
In January I'm scheduled to work on a cookbook covering the many challah recipes I've compiled since I began cooking fresh challah every Friday.
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