Palo Cabo asked Kasie West:

Hi! I’m currently reading Fame, Fate and the First Kiss, and I have to say I’m loving it so far! I love all your books, I’ve read them all. I’m sixteen and I’m an aspiring author, so what is your advice for me? How can I get out of writer’s block?

Kasie West Thank you! I'm so happy you're enjoying it. I love hearing that you're an aspiring writer and at such a young age! That's great! My advice? Well, I don't have lots of advice because I feel like everyone writes so differently. What works for me, might not work for you. But, I do like to tell people to read read read and write write write. In other words, read as much as possible. It's a great way to study story structure and see what you do and don't like in a story. And write! Practice really does make all the difference. The more you write, the better you'll get and the more you'll see stories in everything. Writer's block can be tough. Sometimes I get writer's block when I'm trying to force a story or I'm sitting in front of my computer for too long. I have to force myself to get out there and let my brain rest and a lot of times the solutions will come to me when I'm not trying to push my brain too hard. And besides that, getting out there and doing and trying new things always keep me inspired and give me ideas for stories. Another reason I get writer's block is that I'm trying to get my first draft perfect when that's never how my first drafts are. The sooner I give myself permission to write a crappy first draft, the faster I get through it. Then I fix it when I edit. So I tell myself to just get the story down, even if it's crap. That's what helps me. You'll learn the things that help you, the more you do it. :)

flag