Aaron Hamburger
I teach a class called "Breaking Through Writer's Block," and one of the central tenets is that there's no such thing really. There are times when we're unable to write and times when we choose not to write. Sometimes it's because something's happening in our lives over which we have no control, and the choice not to write is a valid one. At other times, there are emotional reasons we don't write. Usually it's the fear of writing something bad. In that case, my solution is to write as badly as I can. It takes faith and courage, but I force myself. And then usually afterward, I look at what I've done and it isn't quite as awful as I'd imagined it would be before I started. And of course if all else fails, READ. No better source for inspiration.
More Answered Questions
Elizabeth Graver
asked
Aaron Hamburger:
What was the hardest thing about writing Hotel Cuba? And the most fun?
A.E. Ellis
asked
Aaron Hamburger:
I'm writing a historical fiction novel about my grandfather, who in 1918 immigrated to Havana from Colfax, WA, so he could live in Cuba long enough (6 months) to get a Cuban visa to work as a pineapple farm supervisor in Mexico during the Mexican Revolution (a time when Americans weren't welcome). How difficult was it for your grandmother to obtain a Cuban residency visa and how long was she allowed to live in Cuba?
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