Ask the Author: Amelia Smith
Answered Questions (8)
Amelia Smith
Never-ending challenges!
Amelia Smith
I don't want to get too specific, but I'm currently incubating a plot idea about a sudden shift in a person's mental map of things.
Amelia Smith
It emerged slowly out of a mess of other ideas.
Amelia Smith
Caffiene and long walks.
Amelia Smith
I'm working on a fantasy series that I started in the very early 2000s, and some other, smaller projects.
Amelia Smith
It's a bit of a cliche to tell people to focus on the process rather than the outcome and rewards. It's a great idea, but I couldn't pull it off until recently. If you need to promise yourself little rewards for meeting your targets and self-imposed deadlines, that's okay. After about two decades of self-imposed deadlines and targets, I finally came to the realization that writing is a permanent part of my life, whether or not I attain any kind of comercial success.
There are no guarantees in this game. Get yourself to a place where you don't need the promise of success, even if it takes longer than you think it should.
There are no guarantees in this game. Get yourself to a place where you don't need the promise of success, even if it takes longer than you think it should.
Amelia Smith
I don't really have writers block. What I have instead is a feeling of resistance, needing to get a big boost of energy to get started when my energy is low. Caffiene and/or chocolate can help with that. Then sometimes I'm just too tired and/or scattered to write anything serious, so I read instead, or take a walk.
I've heard other writers say that writing gives them energy, but that is not how I experience it. When I'm really in the zone, I need a nap afterwards!
I've heard other writers say that writing gives them energy, but that is not how I experience it. When I'm really in the zone, I need a nap afterwards!
Amelia Smith
Hello Veronica,
Thank you for your review, and also for posting it beyond LibraryThing!
I cannot remember a time when I did not known the song "Eddystone Light." We used to sing around the fire it at family picnics when I was a kid, and I remember some debates about lyrics. I believe my relatives picked it up from a Burl Ives record they listened to in the 1950s and 60s, before I was born.
I never lost my interest in folk ballads and sung stories. As I was messing around as a writer, I thought it would be fun to try to put together a collection of short stories based on or inspired by folk songs. I started with this one, and it grew from a short story into a novella through several drafts and a couple of rounds of beta reader feedback.
I have a lot of non-folksong projects on my agenda right now, but I may turn back to this idea in the future.
Again, thank you for your review, and for your question.
--Amelia
Thank you for your review, and also for posting it beyond LibraryThing!
I cannot remember a time when I did not known the song "Eddystone Light." We used to sing around the fire it at family picnics when I was a kid, and I remember some debates about lyrics. I believe my relatives picked it up from a Burl Ives record they listened to in the 1950s and 60s, before I was born.
I never lost my interest in folk ballads and sung stories. As I was messing around as a writer, I thought it would be fun to try to put together a collection of short stories based on or inspired by folk songs. I started with this one, and it grew from a short story into a novella through several drafts and a couple of rounds of beta reader feedback.
I have a lot of non-folksong projects on my agenda right now, but I may turn back to this idea in the future.
Again, thank you for your review, and for your question.
--Amelia
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