Ask the Author: Norman Draper
Answered Questions (6)
Norman Draper
From two things: Sitting with my wife on our patio, sipping wine or gin and taking note of the flowers in our gardens and the birds our feeders are attracting; and then, the delightful novels of Peter Mayle, though my finished product bears little resemblance to anything I've read by Peter Mayle.
Norman Draper
You can't light the sacrificial fires and call on the muse for help. You sit down and you write. If it doesn't work, you keep writing. Throw it away and start over. Then go through that routine about 100 times and you might finally come up with something you can ride through to the finish.
Norman Draper
The sequel to my first novel. I recently sent the draft in to my editor. As usual, I anticipate more drafts.
Norman Draper
Read a lot. Write a lot. If you're meant to be a writer, you're doing those things anyway. Don't go to writing school. Detach yourself from your phone so you can soak up the world around you. Don't talk about how you're going to write something when you have time. People who do that are dilettantes; they never end up writing much. Revise without end. Be willing to accept the fact that failure will likely be your only constant companion.
Norman Draper
I don't really think about it that way. It's something that I'm compelled to do. In a way, I have no control over it. I always wind up sitting at the keyboard (or typewriter in the past) hacking away. There are times when I hate it, but I keep doing it anyway. Obsession? Compulsion? Since it's three months until the publication of my first novel, I can't tell you yet what it's like being a published writer.
Norman Draper
Write through it. Even if it's crap that winds up on your screen, it keeps your momentum going. Writer's block is not a huge problem for me since I was a newspaper reporter for 35 years. There's no such thing as writer's block on deadline.
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