Olaf Olafsson's Blog

Q: Do you believe creative writing can be taught? What is your advice for aspiring writers? A: When people ask what they should do to get started as a writer, my advice is usually this: Read a lot. Just read. Then try your hand at it. Sit down and see what comes. The writing is ...

Q: When you finish a novel or a story, what do you do next? A: When I finish a first draft I usually put it away for a while before giving it to my editor, in order to get some distance from it. I may also give it to a trusted reader; there are a ...

Q: How do you approach doing historical research? A: It depends on the subject. Sometimes it’s mainly reading and researching topics online. Other times research can feel as if you’ve walked into a junk shop to browse and suddenly you come upon something that intrigues you and you want to know more about it. It’s ...

Q: Where are your favorite places to write? A: I write in three places. I have a modest-sized study in my Manhattan townhouse where I keep my books around my desk and there is a nice window that lets in plenty of natural light. We also have a house out in Sag Harbor where I ...

Q: What is the key to your productivity, whether in the office at Time Warner or at your writing desk? A: I think I’m pretty disciplined. I’m a slave to routine. I have a simple approach to writing: I sit down in the morning and I go at it. I don’t ask myself if I’m ...

Q: What is the biggest difference you’ve noticed between American and Icelandic attitudes towards creativity and artistic pursuits? A: If you go to Iceland, you will see that so many people there are involved in the arts in general. I wouldn’t say that they are necessarily more creative than Americans, but I would say that ...

Today begins a weekly series of interviews with Olaf about his thoughts on creativity, writing, productivity, research, and much more. Q: Where do you think creativity comes from? Do you have a favorite theory or writer on this subject? A: Who the hell knows, right? It’s a great mystery. And there are so many different ...

After researching the world of art restoration for my last noveland developing the character ofKristín, I have acquired an ongoing interest in thefascinating field of art restoration. Recently I noticed a couple of news stories from this corner of the art world that highlight the two extremes of this difficult and demanding profession. Last month ...

Q: Kristjan and William Randolph Hearst seem opposed in Walking into the Night. One is a mere butler and the other a rich newspaper magnate. Yet at times Kristjan seems to be the one in control, because Hearst is so weakened by his flaws, his neediness, his ego, and his lack of self-awareness. What were ...

Q: How did you come up with all the plots for the stories in Valentines? A: Everything took shape at the same time. Each story developed like a ping-pong ball bouncing back and forth between the characters and their actions. As the story comes together, you acquire a sense of what will happen and why. ...