Goodreads asked Al Philipson:

How do you get inspired to write?

Al Philipson That's the "Geek's" problem. He invented me, so ideas have to come from him.

Unfortunately, new ideas for books don't pop into his head regularly. It's dark and lonely in here.

The ideas he does get seem to be mostly accidents (like the idea for "God's Assassin").

I treat writing like a job, rather than waiting on "inspiration". You come to work when your brain is at it's most creative, turn off any distractions, and start banging away at the keyboard. Without discipline, I'd find a hundred other things to fritter away my time.

When you have to work a "real job", you'll just have to settle on a time period when you're free (evenings, before work, weekends). Hopefully one when you can create the best -- not when you're so tired you can't see the screen.

For me, it's Sunday afternoons after church. The geek works M-F and is pooped when quit'n time rolls around.

Any Seahawks game is a legitimate distraction, by the way and has stopped all writing efforts since the football season started, (except when they play on a Thursday or Monday). We have guests in the house during the game and afterward, so there's no opportunity to write. I'll get back to work after we win the 2015 Super Bowl.

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