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Jason Kapcala

Goodreads Author

Born

in The United States

Website

https://www.jasonkapcala.com/

Genre

Fiction, Crime, Music

Influences

kent haruf debra marquart ethan canin darrell spencer ...more

Member Since

April 2021

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/kapwritetolive

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Jason Kapcala grew up in northeastern Pennsylvania, and as a child would often pass the ruins of the defunct Bethlehem Steel Works. The cold blast furnaces lit orange by the security lights and the boundless scar of the Number 2 Machine Shop forged a lasting impression, and ever since, he has worked to recreate those feelings of post-industrial struggle.

He now lives in northern West Virginia along the Monongahela River where he continues to find inspiration in the frozen industry of Appalachia. When he’s not writing and researching, he enjoys reading, cooking, rock and roll, traveling to various hot dog stands to find the perfect “West Virginia slaw dog," and muscling his Dodge Challenger along the twisting back roads and narrow hollers of ...more

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Popular Answered Questions

How do you deal with writer’s block?

Jason Kapcala I'm not sure I believe in "writer's block," per se. I think productivity is going to ebb and flow sometimes, based on how many other commitments a per…moreI'm not sure I believe in "writer's block," per se. I think productivity is going to ebb and flow sometimes, based on how many other commitments a person has in their life--family, work, etc.--and you have to be kind to yourself in those moments. I've heard people say, "You have to write every day to be a writer" and things like that, and I don't buy it. That's a privilege that most of us don't reasonably enjoy, given that most writers aren't paid to sit and practice their craft.

That said, you also can't be too comfortable not writing. I know when I am not writing, not on a schedule, that the problem is me: I am not being disciplined enough, not committing to the work.

I suppose that doesn't really answer the question of writer's block though. That's more of a creative dry spell than a scheduling issue. In those cases where I feel creatively depleted, I just sit down and write anyway. No one said it has to be easy to be valuable. That's how work goes sometimes. Write anything. A hundred words in or so, and I find that it starts to take shape for the day. When I go back to look at it later, it usually isn't as bad as it felt when I was grinding it out.

There's also a self-doubt with larger projects that creeps in and can freeze you if you let it. In my experience, a hundred pages into a manuscript, everything seems like bad writing, a poor decision, but I've come to expect that, and I find that if I ignore that doubting voice, the feeling goes away after about 20 more pages.(less)

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What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Jason Kapcala Read a lot. Read books similar to the ones you want to write. Read books different from those you want to write. Read across different forms (poetry/p…moreRead a lot. Read books similar to the ones you want to write. Read books different from those you want to write. Read across different forms (poetry/prose). Read non-creative research work. Read about the craft of writing. And as you are doing so, read like a writer. Begin forming your opinions about writing--what do you observe, what do you value, what do you believe? Lots of people are going to tell you what they think you should be writing, what you should do to change your story, etc., and it is good to be open to fresh perspectives, but a lot of those suggestions are going to be self-serving and not of much use to you. If you have a strongly developed sense of what you believe about writing, that can guide you and help you filter through that feedback.

So, read a lot.

Then forget it all whenever you sit down to write your first draft. Trust that you've internalized everything you need. Don't try to paint by numbers or apply your intellectual understanding of writing to the act of writing in the moment. You'll have an opportunity to go back later and pick it apart (and pick it apart you should!). But when you sit down to write, shut off that critical faculty and enjoy the experience of creating something new, or beautiful, or heartbreaking. Engage that part of your mind that makes good decisions without your conscious control--you can't think your way through it like a puzzle. And when you look back later, you may be surprised to find you've written things and made intuitive decisions that you don't even remember making at the time.

I also think it is good advice, in revision, to try to write against whatever your initial impulse was. Do whatever you can to break away from "intention" and any blinders you may have had on when you were drafting, and engage the subconscious. I try to switch up my approach from one stage to the next—if I plotted it out, initially, I try to throw that away and just let my mind play during the next pass, and vice versa.(less)

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Combine Editions
Jason Kapcala’s books

Average rating: 3.91 · 34 ratings · 8 reviews · 3 distinct works

	Hungry Town: A Novel 4.14 avg rating — 21 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	CREDO: An Anthology of Manifestos and Sourcebook for Creative Writing by Rita Banerjee (Goodreads Author) (Editor/Contributor), Diana Norma Szokolyai (Editor/Contributor), Kazim Ali (Contributor) 3.45 avg rating — 11 ratings — published 2018	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	North to Lakeville really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 2 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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