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C.J. LaPolla

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Website

http://www.clifflapolla.com

Twitter

cliff_lapolla

Genre

Fantasy, Science Fiction

Member Since

January 2015

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Popular Answered Questions

How do you deal with writer’s block?

C.J. LaPolla I write through it. I write CRAP. The words that come out when I'm having writer block are sometimes the worst things I've ever written. That's okay. …moreI write through it. I write CRAP. The words that come out when I'm having writer block are sometimes the worst things I've ever written. That's okay. At least the words are out and they can be fixed later before they go out. How to beat writers block, write absolutely crap! If you can't accept that then you need to re-think your writing because you will always write crap! Love the word vomit because it's temporary and will one day be cleaned up and reveal a beautiful marble floor.(less)

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What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

C.J. LaPolla My first advice to an aspiring writer is to ignore most advice that you read and hear from other writers. Writing is a dynamic thing that is constantl…moreMy first advice to an aspiring writer is to ignore most advice that you read and hear from other writers. Writing is a dynamic thing that is constantly changing and doesn't work for everyone. But so I am not shirking the answer, here are my recommendations.
1. Sit your butt down and write! I know, this is over used but it there is no truer advice. Write and write a lot! To write Within the Ice and Out of the Ice I wrote about 500k words to produce approx. 160k words.
2. Come up with fun exercises that flex your weaknesses in writing. I'm weak at descriptions, always will be, but to strengthen my description muscles I would sit on the train, which I take to work, and describe people that walk by. People also struggle with dialog, think of a conversation from your day and describe that as an exercise. Improvement is obtained through confidence which is obtained by practice. Practice makes perfect.
3. There are no quick tricks to writing, cherry pick the things that work for you, throw out the things that don't. Do not watch videos, buy books, or go to conferences and believe that is what you need to be "successful". Writing a book, published or not, is what you need to be successful.(less)

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Combine Editions
C.J. LaPolla’s books

Average rating: 4.12 · 75 ratings · 20 reviews · 7 distinct works

	Within the Ice (Isiir Chronicles #1) 4.21 avg rating — 33 ratings — published 2014 — 6 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
	Sparks (Battle Engines #1) 4.16 avg rating — 19 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
	Out of the Ice (Isiir Chronicles #2) 4.13 avg rating — 8 ratings — 4 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
	Eyes in the Darkness 3.57 avg rating — 7 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
	Chronicles of Colark: Emergence (Volume 1) 4.67 avg rating — 3 ratings — 3 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
	Eryn's Tale: Episode 1 (Isiir Chronicles #2.5) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 3 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
	Shadows in the Ice (Isiir Chronicles #3) 3.50 avg rating — 2 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

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C.J. LaPolla's Blog

The Scythe, Chapter 6 out now!

It took 3 re-writes but finally chapter 6 of The Scythe is available for free online! Ended up being a much larger chapter than I expected. Let me know what you think! I am very interested in feedback.