Ask the Author: Kit Alloway
Answered Questions (6)
Kit Alloway
Honestly, the best thing about being a writer is the relationship I get to have with my characters and their stories. I love being someone else, and I love delving into other times and places. However, the fan mail ranks a close second.
Kit Alloway
When I need inspiration, I try to expose myself to as many new influences as possible. I listen to new music, read books by new authors, go see tons of movies. I read a lot of history. And I'm a museum junkie. I've never met a museum I didn't like. All those new ideas mix and mesh in my mind, and I come up with something all together new.
Kit Alloway
I wrote the first draft of Dreamfire when I was eighteen, which was a long time ago, and I honestly don't remember what started me thinking about the story. I do remember that I thought it should be a graphic novel, and I even sketched the first page before admitting to myself that I can't draw. But I can guess with some certainty that the story was inspired by my own terrible nightmares, which have been a problem since I was a child. I wouldn't mind being rescued from some of those.
Kit Alloway
I don't believe in writer's block, per se. I don't believe that writers are suddenly struck by a mysterious inability to write. But I do believe we run into problems, so maybe I believe in lots of little writer's blocks. I think the first thing you have to do is identify what kind of block you're dealing with. Are you afraid that what you write won't be good enough? Do you feel unhappy with what's happened in the story up until now? Do you just not know what's going to happen next? (That's my big one, because I don't plot very far ahead.) Be honest with yourself about how you're feeling. Once you know what's holding you back, you can figure out what to do next. A lot of times, it's just reassuring yourself that you and your writing are good enough. Sometimes it's rewriting an earlier section. For me, because I often don't know what should happen next, getting rid of my block involves taking a long walk to think about my plot, or talking to my editing partner, or my editor, or my boyfriend about the problem. Writing can be very isolating--don't be afraid to reach out for support!
Kit Alloway
I am currently working on the third book in the Dream Walker Trilogy (as of yet untitled). I'm only working on the third chapter, so it's still early and I don't have a great idea what's going to happen.
Kit Alloway
I only have two pieces of advice. The first is, keep writing. Make time for it. Find time. Schedule it in a date book, find a buddy to keep you accountable. It doesn't matter if what you write is terrible; if you keep writing, you're guaranteed to improve.
Second, learn to edit. I believe that 20% of writing is that first draft and 80% is editing it. This is actually good news, because while writing an entire novel (or even an entire short story) might feel overwhelming, editing only requires you to work on one sentence at a time. It's so important. I know that editing isn't popularly thought of as exciting or fun, but the longer I do it, the more satisfying I find it. It frees up my first draft, too, because I know that even if I write something dreadful, I can fix it later.
Second, learn to edit. I believe that 20% of writing is that first draft and 80% is editing it. This is actually good news, because while writing an entire novel (or even an entire short story) might feel overwhelming, editing only requires you to work on one sentence at a time. It's so important. I know that editing isn't popularly thought of as exciting or fun, but the longer I do it, the more satisfying I find it. It frees up my first draft, too, because I know that even if I write something dreadful, I can fix it later.
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