Ask the Author: Jo Oram
Answered Questions (6)
Jo Oram
Sometimes, you can't. Sometimes you need to walk away from a project. I got blocked for a while with Uncharted and I left it alone for six months to work on some other stuff - including Judgement. When I came back, I reread the beginning and just carried on writing, filling the gaps as I came to them.
You don't always have to leave it for so long. Sometimes, just a day or an hour is long enough to clear your mind a little and come back with a new approach.
Sometimes, you don't really have writer's block at all. Sometimes, you just need to put a wash on or do some shopping. Maybe you need to post mum's birthday card. Having a little worry at the back of your mind can distract you enough to make you unproductive.
And finally, sometimes your project is wrong. It has taken me three years to work out that Sky Pirates is not meant to be a novel. Try re-formatting your work as something else - a stage play or maybe a comic book. You might be writing in the wrong style.
You don't always have to leave it for so long. Sometimes, just a day or an hour is long enough to clear your mind a little and come back with a new approach.
Sometimes, you don't really have writer's block at all. Sometimes, you just need to put a wash on or do some shopping. Maybe you need to post mum's birthday card. Having a little worry at the back of your mind can distract you enough to make you unproductive.
And finally, sometimes your project is wrong. It has taken me three years to work out that Sky Pirates is not meant to be a novel. Try re-formatting your work as something else - a stage play or maybe a comic book. You might be writing in the wrong style.
Jo Oram
Ooh, everything! I love writing. Even when I hate being a writer, I can't stop doing it. It's addictive.
I love creating worlds and filling them with interesting people doing exciting things. It's nice to be able to escape the endless doom and gloom of reality.
I love creating worlds and filling them with interesting people doing exciting things. It's nice to be able to escape the endless doom and gloom of reality.
Jo Oram
Just write. It's the best thing you can do. You can't be a writer if you don't write.
And don't think too much. I was recently told that the worse thing you can come up with is a concept for a novel. And it's true. So many times I've spoken to people who say "I've got this idea" and then describe a concept rather than a plot. Often, concepters never finish the book because they are too frightened of spoiling the concept.
I never know what my concept is. It doesn't bother me at all. I just sit down and write something.
And don't think too much. I was recently told that the worse thing you can come up with is a concept for a novel. And it's true. So many times I've spoken to people who say "I've got this idea" and then describe a concept rather than a plot. Often, concepters never finish the book because they are too frightened of spoiling the concept.
I never know what my concept is. It doesn't bother me at all. I just sit down and write something.
Jo Oram
I've got two books on the go at the moment. The first is Uncharted, an action-adventure set on a lost island in modern Lucacia. The second is Judgement, a fantasy story about parallel worlds. Judgement is a bit hard to describe in a few words, but I have the royal guards and city defenders of the Lawless Dynasty and the border control agency that prevents illegal passage between the worlds.
Jo Oram
I gather inspiration from all kinds of places - pictures, places, people. Sometimes I'll be watching TV or reading another story and I'll suddenly think "Wouldn't it be much better to do it this way instead?" And so I go away and write the story I think it should have been.
Jo Oram
My most recent book (Uncharted) came from a few pictures I found online. I saw a photo of a statue and I thought "That's Luc." I knew two things about Luc. The first was that he was a prisoner and the second was that he had a secret. The rest of the story was about me working out why and what.
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