Ask the Author: Esther Lac
Answered Questions (6)
Esther Lac
Before writing any story, I always take some time to plan a little bit. I make character sketches for the main characters, and I make a very vague outline of the main plot. Little details or scenes I'd like to have occur somewhere in the story gets brainstormed onto a separate sheet of paper. When I start feeling like my story is going off track, I refer back to the plot outline and assess whether it's going in the direction I want, and backtrack if it's not. I don't usually get stuck in my writing because having the plot outline keeps me focused on the destination for my story. What I struggle with more than a writer's block is the lack of motivation to write. I can have all these ideas and all this planning on paper, but have no motivation to write it into a coherent story. In those times, I just stay patient. My writing moods come and go sporadically, so if the writing mood isn't there, I won't force myself to write.
Esther Lac
The best thing about being a writer in general (regardless if you are published or not), is the ability to sort through even the messiest and scariest recesses of your mind through your own writing. I think that being a writer has made me more introspective than I would have been otherwise, because it's my own experiences and emotions that shape the form my writing takes. It requires me to understand myself better--what motivates me and what values I stand by. Writing is a very therapeutic activity for me. I use it to sort out my thoughts and feelings all the time, and having that control over myself helps me deal with stress and anxiety. I became a writer when I was little primarily for the purposes of self-management, and the benefits of writing kept growing from there!
Esther Lac
The best advice I can probably give is to keep writing if you enjoy it! Write with a purpose, and that purpose will help you persevere. Take some time to sit down and think about what you want to achieve as a writer. Who do you want your audience to be? What message do you want them to hear? And once you have those things down, think about how your writing can best convey your message to your audience.
Esther Lac
With regards to my writing, I am working on two projects! First, is a novel I started back in 2013 (before the idea for TSS ever came to me). The title is "Raining Heartbeats" and its a plot that is very near and dear to my heart, so I am taking my sweet time with it. The 2nd project is a revised "collection" of 2 (or more) stories I've written back in high school. The old stories need a lot more editing, and plot additions before it can be published. I work on these two projects intermittently alongside my other commitments, such as school.
Esther Lac
Inspiration can be found almost everywhere. It really depends on your mindset and how you view it. How I usually find inspiration ranges from reading books from other authors, to daydreaming in class, to people-watching and guessing the motivations behind their behaviours. If I can visualize a scene vividly in my mind's eye, then I feel excitement with the challenge of being able to convey that image I'm imagining using words.
Esther Lac
The idea for The Stargazer's Scrapbook came to me one afternoon when I was taking a break from studying for a psychology course in university. I always loved applying concepts I learned in school into my writing. We were in the memory unit of that psychology course, and I thought that the how our brain stores/retrieves memories was fascinating, and wanted to make a compelling plot with it. There was little planning before writing TSS. Much of the plot and themes came together as I wrote!
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