Ask the Author: Steve Bivans
Answered Questions (5)
Steve Bivans
Between MY mind and hand, it's a very short journey. That's not the problem. The problem is usually in trying to calm the mind enough to focus on ONE idea at a time, and to formulate it into something worth writing about.
Steve Bivans
Usually some stupid idea hits me, I jot it down on a scrap of paper, push it into my jeans' pocket, and pull it out later when I'm looking for something to write about. Then I just start writing as fast as I can possibly write, without thinking. Most of the time, I come up with something decent, or at least comical.
Steve Bivans
The best way is to just write. Write about having writers block. Write about your lazy cat sleeping on her Ottoman Empire. Write about washing f'n dishes. If that doesn't work, get the hell away from the keyboard. Go for a walk. Go out to eat at your favorite restaurant, or a new one. Go drink beer with friends. Meet new people, look at new things, or old things in a new way. Take a nap, with the cat on the Ottoman Empire--if you can fit.
Steve Bivans
Buy and download 'Scrivener' for your word processor; it's amazing. But whatever you write 'with' or 'in' or 'on,' just WRITE. Sit down with the smallest of ideas and no distractions, and start typing! Type as fast as you f'n can! Don't stop for any reason. Forget about spelling, typos, grammar, the laundry you should be doing, the grass that needs mowing, the dishes in the sink, the fact that what you're writing is complete crap. Who cares. Just write. There are no great writers. None. There are only great RE-WRITERS. Whatever you get on the page can be fixed. It isn't permanent. Just WRITE. Don't make excuses why you can't. Don't wait for 'inspiration'. Inspiration is a PRODUCT of writing, not the CAUSE.
Steve Bivans
Be a Hobbit actually grew out of my frustration with the world; I was sick and tired of the negativity I saw all around me, especially on Facebook. Then my girlfriend and I read Dan Brown's 'Inferno' last December, and that got me to thinking about the effects of our growing human population on the environment, food production, violence, war, disease, etc. And then one day, on Facebook of course, a friend posted a link to a blog article, "30 Question to Answer Before You Die" or something like that. The crux of it was basically, "What can YOU do to make the world a better place?" That one really kicked me in the nuts, so I woke up one day during the Christmas season with the ridiculous idea of 'Saving the Earth.' I worked on it for weeks, then one day had another epiphany, "It's all about HOBBITS!" and the two ideas merged.
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