Ask the Author: Darryl Donaghue
Answered Questions (5)
Darryl Donaghue
I'm working on the sequel to Journal of Sin. The story picks up a couple of months after the events of the first book. I'll reveal more nearer the release in Spring 2015.
Darryl Donaghue
'Writer's block' is your mind's way of telling you to take a break.
Our minds like comfort. Old habits are like soft rugs and warm fires. Writing a book requires breaking old habits and forming new ones. It requires sitting down for hours at a time in a world with low attention spans and products designed to make us fidget, tap and swipe. Most importantly, it requires rummaging around deep inside parts of ourselves that we've neglected to explore for a long, long time and putting them on a page for strangers to read. Our minds aren't going to like that. But, they will get used to it, eventually. Eventually, we'll give them new, far cosier rugs and a warmer, more vibrant, roaring fires to sit beside. Until we do, 'Writer's block' is its way of asking you for a break. Its just in a sulk because you're making it throw out its old toys and the new ones won't be here for a little while yet.
There's a lot of advice out there telling writers to write everyday and produce crazy amounts of books a year. Next time someone tells you they've got Writer's block, or they're worried they won't hit their 'personal deadlines going forward,' take them out for a cup of tea, a slice of cake and a hug. I'm betting you'll get an email that evening telling you about the amazing idea that just popped into their head and thanking you for the respite.
Our minds like comfort. Old habits are like soft rugs and warm fires. Writing a book requires breaking old habits and forming new ones. It requires sitting down for hours at a time in a world with low attention spans and products designed to make us fidget, tap and swipe. Most importantly, it requires rummaging around deep inside parts of ourselves that we've neglected to explore for a long, long time and putting them on a page for strangers to read. Our minds aren't going to like that. But, they will get used to it, eventually. Eventually, we'll give them new, far cosier rugs and a warmer, more vibrant, roaring fires to sit beside. Until we do, 'Writer's block' is its way of asking you for a break. Its just in a sulk because you're making it throw out its old toys and the new ones won't be here for a little while yet.
There's a lot of advice out there telling writers to write everyday and produce crazy amounts of books a year. Next time someone tells you they've got Writer's block, or they're worried they won't hit their 'personal deadlines going forward,' take them out for a cup of tea, a slice of cake and a hug. I'm betting you'll get an email that evening telling you about the amazing idea that just popped into their head and thanking you for the respite.
Darryl Donaghue
Refreshing your Amazon dashboard waiting for people to read your book. I have it down to just every thirty seconds with a two minute break for lunch. I'm hoping to squeeze in naps from next week.
Darryl Donaghue
There's no such thing as an aspiring writer. You're either writing or you're not. We're a little hung up on personal labels these days. Writer. Author. Novelist. Blank-page defacer. How to 'self-identify' is a very modern anxiety. If you humbly learn your craft, write as well as you can and are patient enough to give these beautiful things time to grow, you won't have to worry about telling people you're a writer. They'll line up to tell you.
One thing very few people talk about is anxiety. Producing art in any form can trigger deep-rooted fears. Will anyone like it? What will my family think? Should I put this time to better use? Can I support my family on a writers wage? Projecting our fears into the future paralyses us in the present. The best advice, if your project is something you're nervous about, is to talk openly with your loved ones about your goals and get them excited about it. Accept that the creative process will leave you vulnerable to ridicule from self-hating internet trolls and, of course, the dreaded one-star reviews, but it'll also bring you hugs and support from places you least expect it.
And don't forget to get in touch with the incredible independent publishing community. There are a lot of amazing people out there and you have so much to offer each other. Being able to contact people from all over the world with the few taps of a keyboard is a truly amazing thing. You're a part of the most intelligent, well-informed, well-connected generation of humanity...start bloody acting like it.
One thing very few people talk about is anxiety. Producing art in any form can trigger deep-rooted fears. Will anyone like it? What will my family think? Should I put this time to better use? Can I support my family on a writers wage? Projecting our fears into the future paralyses us in the present. The best advice, if your project is something you're nervous about, is to talk openly with your loved ones about your goals and get them excited about it. Accept that the creative process will leave you vulnerable to ridicule from self-hating internet trolls and, of course, the dreaded one-star reviews, but it'll also bring you hugs and support from places you least expect it.
And don't forget to get in touch with the incredible independent publishing community. There are a lot of amazing people out there and you have so much to offer each other. Being able to contact people from all over the world with the few taps of a keyboard is a truly amazing thing. You're a part of the most intelligent, well-informed, well-connected generation of humanity...start bloody acting like it.
Darryl Donaghue
To me, good crime fiction shines a light on society. When a fictional murderer kills, what they're really doing is asking questions. Questions about the norms and values the deceased represents. With the world disrupted, the Detectives arrive to try and restore the status quo and makes sense of it all.
I wanted to write a book with relevant modern themes. Journal of Sin asks questions about rights to information and privacy in the digital community, and explores these ideas using the metaphor of religious confessional secrets. The parallel of 'Googlisation' and religion is one worth thinking about. We used to go to oracles for divine knowledge; now we have instant omniscience in our pockets. We hide our secrets in Clouds, like we confided in the heavens, and the 'leak' of those secrets makes international headlines. Human beings have worshipped Gods throughout history and I’m certain one day we’ll look back on Google as being the early 2000’s incarnation.
I wanted to write a book with relevant modern themes. Journal of Sin asks questions about rights to information and privacy in the digital community, and explores these ideas using the metaphor of religious confessional secrets. The parallel of 'Googlisation' and religion is one worth thinking about. We used to go to oracles for divine knowledge; now we have instant omniscience in our pockets. We hide our secrets in Clouds, like we confided in the heavens, and the 'leak' of those secrets makes international headlines. Human beings have worshipped Gods throughout history and I’m certain one day we’ll look back on Google as being the early 2000’s incarnation.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more