Ask the Author: Justin Cascio
Answered Questions (2)
Justin Cascio
I'm writing a historical novel about a mafia family in 1860s Sicily. The story, which I discovered while researching my genealogy, turns on a paternity case that the archbishop of the Catholic Church investigated---which is why there is even a record of such a scandal among the notably secretive Sicilians---and how I learned of it. The people involved are all my relatives: fourth-great grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins of mine, who lived in Corleone.
Justin Cascio
The only thing that has ever worked for me is to get grounded. Writer's block is a kind of panic. Panic is a part of my life. Luckily, this skill is transferable.
I have a few orientation exercises I use for getting back to the present: tapping my knees a few times, alternating left and right, is one. Noticing objects in the room, and coming up with three words to describe each, is another.
Sometimes, there's just something else wrong: I'm in pain, for example, and that is keeping me from getting back into my body, because it hurts in there. So then I have to work on that, instead. I know when I'm starting to feel better, because I'll start writing, automatically.
I have a few orientation exercises I use for getting back to the present: tapping my knees a few times, alternating left and right, is one. Noticing objects in the room, and coming up with three words to describe each, is another.
Sometimes, there's just something else wrong: I'm in pain, for example, and that is keeping me from getting back into my body, because it hurts in there. So then I have to work on that, instead. I know when I'm starting to feel better, because I'll start writing, automatically.
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