Goodreads asked Sheila A. Nielson:

How do you get inspired to write?

Sheila A. Nielson I have lots of different methods that I use to get my head into the creative writing mood. Whenever I start a new book I always create a music playlist on my iPod first--which can be played whenever I need a little creative boost while writing a scene. I also like to draw character sketches of all my main characters. This helps me to picture them and focus in on their personality. On rare occasions, I have undertaken creative projects that helped me get into the proper frame of mind for a particular story.

For example: I wrote a book about a haunted doll. While I was writing the story, I created a doll that looked exactly like the one in the book. My mother (who was helping beta read the manuscript at the time) walked into a room where I'd placed the doll one day and nearly frightened herself to death. She wasn't expecting the doll in my made-up story to suddenly appear in real-life.

Another project I did was a miniature recreation of a scene from one of my books inside an pocket watch casing. I then wore the watch on a chain around my neck to help give me inspiration during the day.

Staying excited about a manuscript for a long period time can sometimes be hard. Special projects help a great deal.

flag