Ask the Author: Charlie Quimby
Answered Questions (3)
Charlie Quimby
I've been very hesitant to call my novel in progress a sequel to MONUMENT ROAD, but:
It follows in time, in the same place.
It picks up an uncompleted strand from the previous story.
Two characters get bigger lives in the next book.
The new story is more political. It looks at how the town tries to balance the promise of economic opportunity with the reality of homelessness. And it deals with the boundaries of guilt, personal responsibility and love.
It follows in time, in the same place.
It picks up an uncompleted strand from the previous story.
Two characters get bigger lives in the next book.
The new story is more political. It looks at how the town tries to balance the promise of economic opportunity with the reality of homelessness. And it deals with the boundaries of guilt, personal responsibility and love.
Charlie Quimby
The cover either immediately communicates or puzzles people, I've found.
The image is a close-up of a highway sign marking a winding road. It has been shot multiple times from both directions, and the holes, indentations and paint fractures serve as a sort of topographical map of the region where MONUMENT ROAD is set.
I wanted the cover to be be graphic and represent the region and a perilous drive without being literal. I thought this image was perfect and would be immediately recognizable to anyone who drove in the west.
Your reaction and the reaction of other readers has proved me only half right!
The image is a close-up of a highway sign marking a winding road. It has been shot multiple times from both directions, and the holes, indentations and paint fractures serve as a sort of topographical map of the region where MONUMENT ROAD is set.
I wanted the cover to be be graphic and represent the region and a perilous drive without being literal. I thought this image was perfect and would be immediately recognizable to anyone who drove in the west.
Your reaction and the reaction of other readers has proved me only half right!
Charlie Quimby
I don't believe in "writer's block." No one talks about banker's block or plumber's block or chef's block. Writers are not specially privileged. The worst thing they can do is imagine they suffer from some horrible affliction.
However, we all deal with lawnmower's block, dishwasher's block and exerciser's block. Thinking about it this way makes feeling blocked seem more natural and temporary.
So I deal with it in the following ways:
1) I give myself permission not to write. Just as I give the lawn permission to grow for another day. The world will not end if I decide to do something else. Readers will not miss the sounds of my typing. The lawn will still be there in the morning.
2) I read something good that tells me, yes, this is what I'm trying to do. Not exactly like this, but I see that it is humanly possible and worth doing.
3) I plant my butt in the chair every day. Sometimes I get up having written nothing. Or goof off. Or write crap. Or edit what I did yesterday and maybe it leads me into a paragraph that will lead me into a page tomorrow.
But above all, I do not accept it as a malady to be overcome. It's more like a rainy day that will pass as long as I do 3, 2 and 1.
However, we all deal with lawnmower's block, dishwasher's block and exerciser's block. Thinking about it this way makes feeling blocked seem more natural and temporary.
So I deal with it in the following ways:
1) I give myself permission not to write. Just as I give the lawn permission to grow for another day. The world will not end if I decide to do something else. Readers will not miss the sounds of my typing. The lawn will still be there in the morning.
2) I read something good that tells me, yes, this is what I'm trying to do. Not exactly like this, but I see that it is humanly possible and worth doing.
3) I plant my butt in the chair every day. Sometimes I get up having written nothing. Or goof off. Or write crap. Or edit what I did yesterday and maybe it leads me into a paragraph that will lead me into a page tomorrow.
But above all, I do not accept it as a malady to be overcome. It's more like a rainy day that will pass as long as I do 3, 2 and 1.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more