Amy Stewart
No such thing! In those rare occasions when I'm asked to teach writing, I remind my students that writing is just typing (hmmm, maybe that's why I don't get asked to teach much!) But I mean it! Turn off the phone, turn off the Internet (I use a program called Freedom to force myself off the Internet), close the door (and put a Do Not Disturb sign on it if someone's around who might knock), and set a timer. Freedom has a timer built in, so I generally set it for an hour. Open your word processor and sit down. If you haven't taken these physical steps, you aren't really getting yourself ready to work.
Then just start typing! Seriously. If you're working on a book, write a terrible scene. Doesn't matter how bad it is. Just get the words down. Press those buttons on the keyboard and letters will appear on your screen as if by magic. It doesn't matter if you write a bad scene that you'll just have to cut later anyway. Get it down on the page so you have something tangible to wrestle with.
And if you really and truly can't get going after all of that, take out a GREAT book that you LOVE and that has something in common (no matter how unlikely the connection) with what you want to write, and start COPYING. I am not making this up. Type out a paragraph or two, word for word. It'll get you going. (oh, and then delete it later so you won't "accidentally" end up with a paragraph of Anne Tyler in the middle of your book!)
Then just start typing! Seriously. If you're working on a book, write a terrible scene. Doesn't matter how bad it is. Just get the words down. Press those buttons on the keyboard and letters will appear on your screen as if by magic. It doesn't matter if you write a bad scene that you'll just have to cut later anyway. Get it down on the page so you have something tangible to wrestle with.
And if you really and truly can't get going after all of that, take out a GREAT book that you LOVE and that has something in common (no matter how unlikely the connection) with what you want to write, and start COPYING. I am not making this up. Type out a paragraph or two, word for word. It'll get you going. (oh, and then delete it later so you won't "accidentally" end up with a paragraph of Anne Tyler in the middle of your book!)
More Answered Questions
Marilee
asked
Amy Stewart:
I just read Casey Cep's Furious Hours. I felt every readers frustration that Harper Lee wasn't able to turn years of research into a book. After so much investigative work, she had the kernel of a terrific true crime book she was to call The Reverend, but couldn't pull the trigger. Cep notes that writer's block is a symptom, not a condition in itself. Have you ever experienced it? You seem prolific, but ???
Marcia Fife
asked
Amy Stewart:
Hi Amy! How about that?! You reached out to me just as I was about to drop you a line. I just finished reading From the Ground Up and enjoyed it very much, so much that I recommended it to friends before I finished reading it this afternoon. We met some years ago, when you visited the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center for a talk and signing. I work in the store and I own and recommend all of your books.
Sarah Franklin
asked
Amy Stewart:
Hi Amy! I know that you are from Northern CA (my brother lives in Arcata) but I was wondering...why Bergen County, NJ? What caught your eye to center the books around a County on the other end of the country from you? Personally, I currently work for Bergen County (across the driveway from the jail castle building!) and get excited when you mention local places! I love your books and cannot wait to read more! Thanks!
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