The Q&A Book

Chapter 1 - Inspiration & Writer's Block

Q 1 - (Please Note: There were several questions about this subject, so I've combined this one into one Q&A for Question 1)

How do you get motivated to write, I have many things I want to do yet when I finally get down to it I just end up staring at a blank page, nothing coming to me about how to start and just end up leaving it and doing something else.

A 1 – I make sure I focus on one thing. And I think figuring out I'm a plotter was key here. I don't start writing as soon as I get a good idea. I let it steep for a little while. I'll collect ideas in a notebook, pin pictures that fit the tone over on pinterest, keep notes of all my ideas. I'll even sketch out maps, and plan out characters.

Once things have started to form more fully, I'll start planning out an actual story. Meaning, I want to know the beginning, middle and end at the VERY least, before I can get started. For me personally, I will start and then stop and lose focus if I don't have each chapter planned out before I sit down to write it.

You may not be a plotter. You may be a pantser (writing by the seat of your pants) or somewhere in the middle. I suggest experimenting with some version of all three. But most of all, my best advice is to let the story idea sit for a while, let yourself get excited about it. And have some kind of direction going into it, even if you just know what the inciting incident is (the thing that happens to kick off the plot) that's at least something to keep you powering through the first few chapters.

Q2 - How long does it take to get recognition for your work and what do you do if you've suddenly lost inspiration to finish a book or you've developed writer's block?

A2 – It can certainly take a long time, so the best advice I have is to make sure you're not writing for any other reason than that you love to write. Write for you. Write the story you want to read.

As for writers block: I always tackle it by diagnosing it first. What is it that has me blocked? Is it that I need to get out and go for a walk? Do I need to talk to a friend and go over the plot? Am I trying to fly by the seat of my pants when that's not really my style and I need to sit down and plot out chapter by chapter? Figure out what's blocking you so you can tackle it. Once you do that, get advice from writer friends, or the good old internet.

Q3 - I am a new writer and am currently writing my first book so I wanted to ask what could be the ideal word limit for first story ?A3 – If it's just for you, or for wattpad, the sky is the limit! If you are looking at publishing it somewhere, each individual category will have it's own rough word counts. When I write a short story for a magazine or a blog, I am for around 2k words. A YA novel? 75 to 90k words. A MG novel? 50-65k words, ideally. It completely varies, but if you are just starting out and having fun you can literally do whatever you like! Q4 - I'm really wondering about the publishing process. I'm thinking about looking into publishing a few of my stories. Was wondering how to go about it? Do you know anything about self publishing with Amazon?A4 – I'm afraid I'm not the best resource for self publishing questions, but you can find lots of super valuable info online! I'd start by looking at some trustworthy sources like Writer's Digest Online, and branch out from there! Q5 - How do you come up with you brilliant book ideas and what motivates you to write them?A5 – First off, you are so sweet (and everyone who commented underneath, you guys also rock, thank you!) I've wanted to be a writer since I was a kid, and end up focusing on each project with a weirdly single minded intensity, which is where the "what motivates you" thing comes in, I suppose. I also have a really fantastic group of writer friends who I have a writer's group with, and I know while I'm writing each story, that I'll get to send that thing to those friends, and they'll read it, so I'm eager to finish up so I can send it off and see what they say.As for ideas. They sort of come from everywhere, which I know is a vague answer. I think I get a lot of inspiration by taking in a lot of art. I watch a TON of movies, TV shows and of course, read loads of books. I also workshop ideas with writer friends a lot, meaning we bounce ideas off one another all the time and the inspiration/ideas grow and get bigger and more exciting and fantastical.So, simple answer, if you want to create exciting art, take in exciting art. Read all the books you can get your hands on, watch all the movies, read all the graphic novels. All of that good stuff. And then let yourself dream. Daydream, write down your ideas when they come to you. Wake up and write down your dreams. Keep a journal and write down the weird stuff that occurs to you that you wouldn't necessarily say out loud to anyone else. THAT'S IT! Ask more question below to be featured in the next chapter of the Q&A Book!