Ask the Author: Danielle Dahl
Answered Questions (6)
Danielle Dahl
Writing Sirocco was not an idea that suddenly popped out of nowhere, but a growing need to tell the stories of my growing up with my brothers and sisters, of our adventures and misadventures. A need to paint the breathtaking vistas of the land of my birth, share the uniqueness of its people, and recount the life of a French girl coming of age in war-torn Algeria.
Danielle Dahl
Inspiration is not an external stimulation that incites me to write. Rather, it is a deep-seeded need to tell, which flows from my innermost to the tips of my fingers. Finds its way onto my computer screen by means of words that describe the intensity of what I see, hear, smell, touch, and feel.
Danielle Dahl
Currently, I am writing Mistral, Sirocco’s sequel, as well as translating Sirocco to French.
Danielle Dahl
My advice to aspiring writers is, WRITE! Write down what you want to say. Write not only of what you know, but also, of what you know to be accurate, as your readers will not forgive being made fools of. Write the way you speak. Your first draft is your opportunity to be spontaneous, to create a bridge to your future readers. Therefore, Write without thinking of rules. Be yourself.
The following drafts, and there will be many, will—with the help of critique partners, beta readers, editors, and others—be soon enough for the hard work to begin, the end product which will keep that bridge open for your readers to take your writing and you, as the author, seriously.
The following drafts, and there will be many, will—with the help of critique partners, beta readers, editors, and others—be soon enough for the hard work to begin, the end product which will keep that bridge open for your readers to take your writing and you, as the author, seriously.
Danielle Dahl
The best thing about being a writer is that feeling of elation that suspends my breath while I strive to find the fitting word. Write a cadenced sentence. Achieve that concise and engaging paragraph. Then, knowing that I could not do any better, I inhale deeply and enjoy that feeling of accomplishment that tells me, “You got it, girl!”
Danielle Dahl
My way do deal with writer's block is either to walk away from it for a couple of days, then go back to work, or switch my writing from where I am experiencing the "block" to a part further along in my story.
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