Ask the Author: Diane Hester
Answered Questions (5)
Diane Hester
So many things conspire to steal the joy from a writer’s life. Sometimes I find it good to just sit down and remind myself why I got into this gig in the first place.
So here they are, roughly in the order they occur – my happiest moments when writing a novel:
Getting an idea for a story that excites me; feeling that pull that sets the whole process in motion.
Developing the idea and seeing it will work, that there’s a story there worth telling.
Being surprised by a great twist in the plotting and/or writing process.
The moment when my characters start to come alive.
Writing a scene and knowing deep down it works, that I said what I wanted to say and it’s good.
Those rare days when the words just flow.
Those even rarer times when I write something totally beyond my abilities; when I read it back later and think, ‘did I write that?’
Breaking through a block or problem and seeing there is a way forward after all.
Finishing the first draft.
Getting confirmation from my critiquing partners who read it that I’m on to something good and the story is working.
Polishing the piece and making it shine.
Writing ‘The End’ on a final draft.
Getting positive feedback from my beta readers.
Getting positive feedback from my agent and editor.
Working with an editor who ‘gets’ my work and knows how to make it even better.
Getting my first look at my book’s cover.
Opening the box from my publisher and seeing the finished product – holding my book in my hands for the very first time. (!)
A good review. (Yes, I’m one of those authors who reads all reviews. It’s such a thrill just getting reviews, I can’t resist.)
When a reader says my story moved them, that they read it in one sitting or couldn’t put it down.
When someone reads my book more than once.
Readers asking me when my next book is coming out.
These are the moments that make it all the negative stuff worthwhile.
So here they are, roughly in the order they occur – my happiest moments when writing a novel:
Getting an idea for a story that excites me; feeling that pull that sets the whole process in motion.
Developing the idea and seeing it will work, that there’s a story there worth telling.
Being surprised by a great twist in the plotting and/or writing process.
The moment when my characters start to come alive.
Writing a scene and knowing deep down it works, that I said what I wanted to say and it’s good.
Those rare days when the words just flow.
Those even rarer times when I write something totally beyond my abilities; when I read it back later and think, ‘did I write that?’
Breaking through a block or problem and seeing there is a way forward after all.
Finishing the first draft.
Getting confirmation from my critiquing partners who read it that I’m on to something good and the story is working.
Polishing the piece and making it shine.
Writing ‘The End’ on a final draft.
Getting positive feedback from my beta readers.
Getting positive feedback from my agent and editor.
Working with an editor who ‘gets’ my work and knows how to make it even better.
Getting my first look at my book’s cover.
Opening the box from my publisher and seeing the finished product – holding my book in my hands for the very first time. (!)
A good review. (Yes, I’m one of those authors who reads all reviews. It’s such a thrill just getting reviews, I can’t resist.)
When a reader says my story moved them, that they read it in one sitting or couldn’t put it down.
When someone reads my book more than once.
Readers asking me when my next book is coming out.
These are the moments that make it all the negative stuff worthwhile.
Diane Hester
Well here in Australia our seasons are reversed so we're heading into winter. But I do have a lovely pile of books to read by the fire on the coming cold stormy nights.
My non-fiction stack is a rather eclectic mix: 'What's Your Creative Type' by Meta Wagner, 'Save The Cat' by Blake Snyder, 'The Morning Miracle For Writers' by Hal Elrod, and 'The Hypothyroid Writer' by Sarah E Lenz. (Really curious to see what that last one's about!)
In my fiction pile I have 'Fool Me Once' by Harlan Coben, 'Night Fall' by Nelson Demille, and 'A Tap On The Window' by Linwood Barclay.
Bring on those cold stormy nights!
My non-fiction stack is a rather eclectic mix: 'What's Your Creative Type' by Meta Wagner, 'Save The Cat' by Blake Snyder, 'The Morning Miracle For Writers' by Hal Elrod, and 'The Hypothyroid Writer' by Sarah E Lenz. (Really curious to see what that last one's about!)
In my fiction pile I have 'Fool Me Once' by Harlan Coben, 'Night Fall' by Nelson Demille, and 'A Tap On The Window' by Linwood Barclay.
Bring on those cold stormy nights!
Diane Hester
I write for a minimum of 3 hours a day whether I feel inspired or not. But at times when my enthusiasm flags I remind myself that what I'm doing is important. That people need to be entertained and uplifted.
Diane Hester
Stephanie Plum and Joseph Morelli from the Janet Evanovich series.
Diane Hester
First let me define what I mean by writer's block.
I've often gotten stalled when writing a novel and been forced to spend days, even weeks, working things out. Occasionally I've even had to put a story aside for a year or more to let it 'ferment' before I could write it.
That's not what I would call writer's block. Even if it takes days or weeks, nutting out problems with plot or characters is just part of the process for me. And setting a story aside for a time sometimes helps me see it more clearly.
Writers block is something very different. For me writers block is a breakdown of confidence in myself as a writer. And, yes, it has happened on several occasions (thankfully not in the last year).
My confidence can get a bit wobbly either from an accumulation of small hits (a string of rejections, a bad review, harsh criticism from someone I admire, etc) or one big one. Some unlikely sources have caused me a bout. Like coming up with a plot I love so much I fear I'll never be able to do it justice.
The last time I experienced writers block was after my first book was accepted by Random House. I'd been trying for ten years to get published and to suddenly achieve my dream I wondered if I'd ever be able to do it again, if I'd ever write anything else as good.
Oddly, I find subtle negative comments can be the most damaging to my morale. If someone says to me straight out, 'You stink. You'll never be any good at writing,' it doesn't discourage me so much as make me mad. It's something solid, something to rage against. It fires me up and I charge ahead.
Subtle put-downs on the other hand, even (or especially!) those intended as helpful or encouraging feedback, have a way of sneaking in the back door of my subconscious and tearing up the place before I'm even aware of it.
I confess, once I start down a negative spiral, I can become my own worst enemy. I start reading things into everything people say about my work. (No pun intended). It's like the two psychiatrists who pass on the street, each say 'hi' and then think, 'I wonder what he meant by that?'
Things I've found helpful in combating writers block:
1. Be aware of your self-talk. That's what it comes down to for me - being aware. Most of us walk around just letting our thoughts happen to us. It's your head, control what goes on in it. If you find someone else's voice in there whispering negative nothings in your ear, don't just tell them to shut up, kick them out and then counter those nothings with positive ones.
2. Do something different, something you're good at. Tennis, baking, knitting, whatever. Sometimes the confidence you feel in one area of your life can be 'borrowed' and transferred to another. When I feel I can't write, I go and play the violin for a while. It reminds me, 'Hey, I really stank at this when I first started and look how far I got with practice.'
3. Just accept it - your finished novel will never ever live up to the vision you had when you first came up with the idea for it. That's not because you're a lousy writer, it's because your idea was a dream, a vision unformed, and the book is a reality.
I think this form of writers block must account for 90% of unfinished novels. The writer gets halfway through, feels the story isn't living up to his vision and pulls the plug. No book - no matter who the author is - ends up exactly as it was first envisioned. It's like trying to find the perfect lover or the perfect friend. It don't exist.
I've often gotten stalled when writing a novel and been forced to spend days, even weeks, working things out. Occasionally I've even had to put a story aside for a year or more to let it 'ferment' before I could write it.
That's not what I would call writer's block. Even if it takes days or weeks, nutting out problems with plot or characters is just part of the process for me. And setting a story aside for a time sometimes helps me see it more clearly.
Writers block is something very different. For me writers block is a breakdown of confidence in myself as a writer. And, yes, it has happened on several occasions (thankfully not in the last year).
My confidence can get a bit wobbly either from an accumulation of small hits (a string of rejections, a bad review, harsh criticism from someone I admire, etc) or one big one. Some unlikely sources have caused me a bout. Like coming up with a plot I love so much I fear I'll never be able to do it justice.
The last time I experienced writers block was after my first book was accepted by Random House. I'd been trying for ten years to get published and to suddenly achieve my dream I wondered if I'd ever be able to do it again, if I'd ever write anything else as good.
Oddly, I find subtle negative comments can be the most damaging to my morale. If someone says to me straight out, 'You stink. You'll never be any good at writing,' it doesn't discourage me so much as make me mad. It's something solid, something to rage against. It fires me up and I charge ahead.
Subtle put-downs on the other hand, even (or especially!) those intended as helpful or encouraging feedback, have a way of sneaking in the back door of my subconscious and tearing up the place before I'm even aware of it.
I confess, once I start down a negative spiral, I can become my own worst enemy. I start reading things into everything people say about my work. (No pun intended). It's like the two psychiatrists who pass on the street, each say 'hi' and then think, 'I wonder what he meant by that?'
Things I've found helpful in combating writers block:
1. Be aware of your self-talk. That's what it comes down to for me - being aware. Most of us walk around just letting our thoughts happen to us. It's your head, control what goes on in it. If you find someone else's voice in there whispering negative nothings in your ear, don't just tell them to shut up, kick them out and then counter those nothings with positive ones.
2. Do something different, something you're good at. Tennis, baking, knitting, whatever. Sometimes the confidence you feel in one area of your life can be 'borrowed' and transferred to another. When I feel I can't write, I go and play the violin for a while. It reminds me, 'Hey, I really stank at this when I first started and look how far I got with practice.'
3. Just accept it - your finished novel will never ever live up to the vision you had when you first came up with the idea for it. That's not because you're a lousy writer, it's because your idea was a dream, a vision unformed, and the book is a reality.
I think this form of writers block must account for 90% of unfinished novels. The writer gets halfway through, feels the story isn't living up to his vision and pulls the plug. No book - no matter who the author is - ends up exactly as it was first envisioned. It's like trying to find the perfect lover or the perfect friend. It don't exist.
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