Ask the Author: Jeffrey M. Anderson
Answered Questions (5)
Jeffrey M. Anderson
There's different kinds of writer's block. If it happens during the writing of a novel the way forward is always with the characters. I like to write a scene from the point of view on a different, often minor, character.That usually sparks ideas. The characters will find a way.
I have been lucky to always have plenty of ideas for stories. My challenge is mainly with short stories, probably because I don't live with the characters as much. There I can get stuck for a concise what forward. I get around this, partly, by having several stories in progress at any one time.
I have been lucky to always have plenty of ideas for stories. My challenge is mainly with short stories, probably because I don't live with the characters as much. There I can get stuck for a concise what forward. I get around this, partly, by having several stories in progress at any one time.
Jeffrey M. Anderson
My favorite writing advice is from Ray Bradbury: "don't think, write". What that means really is to write mainly from your subconscious. There is stuff going on down there that you don't know about, that you can't plan for or outline. This is what makes writing a voyage of self-discovery. You start to learn how your conscious mind is only part of your story. My other main advice to is write copiously, get feedback, then write more. Only through tons of writing can you find your true voice, and only through feedback can you learn the craft. I liken the entire process to a golf swing. If you've ever tried to learn golf you will know the twenty or so keys to a good swing--left knee flexed, balanced at the top, one-piece take-away etc.--that all has to be in muscle memory so you can worry about the creative factors like shaping your shot, the wind up in the trees, the grain of the green. Those latter factors are what you need to concentrate on in writing and that takes tons of practice.
Jeffrey M. Anderson
I'm working on two novels right now. One is at the beta read stage, about a cross country bike trip in a dystopian future. The second is about a month away from a finished first draft. That one is a follow up to Little God Blues. It picks up on the one unsolved thread in that novel.
Jeffrey M. Anderson
There's a lot written about how difficult writing can be, and that's certainly true. But there is also great joy. Those times when you surprise yourself with a new character, scene, sometimes even a metaphor. Not always--that's what makes it special--but for me it is often enough to bring me back to my desk.
Jeffrey M. Anderson
My most recent published book, Little Hod Blues, developed over a long period with many changes and large swathes taken out and rewritten. So the idea wasn't born as much as evolved.
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