Ask the Author: Suzanne R. Roy
Answered Questions (6)
Suzanne R. Roy
As a creativity coach, I learned a technique taught by Eric Maisel. This involves committing to engaging in your creative work for a mere 10 minutes a day. It's hard to find a reason not to work for a mere 10 minutes. When I've followed that advice, I've found that the 10 minutes always turns into at least a half hour but, more often, into an hour or more, even in late evening. Sometimes, however, life interferes and I find myself too distracted to write. When that happens, I give myself permission to take a break from writing. I finished my novel by putting in anywhere from one hour to four hours a day because I wanted to enjoy other areas of my life. I was rewarded by waking up each morning with new ideas that furthered my story and helped me to reach its conclusion.
Suzanne R. Roy
Writing can be difficult because it calls for you to "spill your guts," in a sense -- that is, to allow the world in to hear your deepest thoughts and see your deepest fears. On the other hand, it allows you to open up and to share what you know and feel and, in doing that, to get to know yourself and others better than you ever would have otherwise.
Suzanne R. Roy
As a former university writing instructor and a former creativity coach, the first think I would advise writers is not to edit their work until they have a written draft of their story or novel. It's difficult to rein in the editor that lurks in our heads, but a premature concern with language and phrasing can stifle the creative flow of ideas.
Suzanne R. Roy
I'm about to begin work on the sequel to THE ENCLAVE. I also want to get back to the many unfinished plays that have resided in my computer for over 20 years.
Suzanne R. Roy
I find that inspiration has a lot to do with being present to do the work and with making a habit of being present each day, if possible. From past experience, I also learned that creativity needs down time and snowballs. When I wrote a bilingual children's television series in the 1970s, I got to a point where an entire episode would present itself to me when I woke up in the morning.
Suzanne R. Roy
I started writing this book 40 years ago and was inspired by my maternal grandmother and by the immigrant experience in my family's history. I finally returned to the book within the last year after retiring from a 30-year career in business.
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