Hi Paul! Thank you for being one of my favorite writers. I am an aspiring writer. I have a few short stories and a few rejection letters under my belt. Recently, I’ve been finding it difficult to stay interested in my story for more than a day or two and I find myself abandoning too many projects. How do you maintain your own interest in your story long enough to finish something, and also, do you outline? Thanks!

Paul Tremblay Hi, Brandon. That's hard to answer as every writer is different. I know Ramsey Campbell and a few others who never know the end of a story so when they're writing they get surprised and don't get bored. I'm the opposite. I usually have to know what the end is (or close to it) before starting. And then I have scenes in mind that are the carrots at the end of the stick for me; the scenes I look forward to writing, but I have to write my way there to earn it first. I do outline generally, but not all the time. I wrote A Head Full of Ghosts without an outline for example. If you're quitting too much, force yourself to finish one. Then you know you can finish, you'll have the confidence to then finish more of them.

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