Abi
asked
Michael Grant:
Hi! My name is Abi Ortiz, And I am a HUGE fan of the Gone series! I am currently searching all the public libraries in my area for Plague, but the series is really hard to find in this small town. I had to actually make a library pin and go through a bunch of stuff just to be able to request Plague from another state! I'm a writer, my question is; Have you ever had writer's block? If so, how do you get past it?
Michael Grant
I have the opposite of writers block, I have far too many ideas and far too little time to write them all.
That said, I suspect a couple things block people.
First, don't write THE book, just write A book. In other words don't set the bar so high you intimidate yourself.
Second, use rewards and rituals to help keep yourself on track. Example: I enjoy cigars, but I only allow myself a cigar while I am writing. I work after shower and breakfast, every day. EVERY day unless you're seriously sick or traveling. Rewards and rituals.
Third, get it through your head that your job is rewriting. You aren't supposed to get it right the first time, you're supposed to get it right eventually. So don't be afraid to write some absolute shit. Then, don't be afraid to delete it if you can't make it work. We work with keyboards and pixels, not chisels and stone tablets.
Fourth, don't show your work or discuss it. Nothing is pubic until it's ready. The last thing you want is someone offering either uncritical praise, or uninformed criticism, especially in the early going. Your friends know nothing. You know. If you read it back and remember that your job is rewriting not preserving, you'll 'hear' whether it's right or not.
Fifth, don't switch projects. Every project seems like it'll be easier than the one you're struggling with. It won't be. And it is by powering through and making things work that you learn your job. Is it hard? Good, it's meant to be hard.
That said, I suspect a couple things block people.
First, don't write THE book, just write A book. In other words don't set the bar so high you intimidate yourself.
Second, use rewards and rituals to help keep yourself on track. Example: I enjoy cigars, but I only allow myself a cigar while I am writing. I work after shower and breakfast, every day. EVERY day unless you're seriously sick or traveling. Rewards and rituals.
Third, get it through your head that your job is rewriting. You aren't supposed to get it right the first time, you're supposed to get it right eventually. So don't be afraid to write some absolute shit. Then, don't be afraid to delete it if you can't make it work. We work with keyboards and pixels, not chisels and stone tablets.
Fourth, don't show your work or discuss it. Nothing is pubic until it's ready. The last thing you want is someone offering either uncritical praise, or uninformed criticism, especially in the early going. Your friends know nothing. You know. If you read it back and remember that your job is rewriting not preserving, you'll 'hear' whether it's right or not.
Fifth, don't switch projects. Every project seems like it'll be easier than the one you're struggling with. It won't be. And it is by powering through and making things work that you learn your job. Is it hard? Good, it's meant to be hard.
More Answered Questions
Joel
asked
Michael Grant:
are there any cases of foreshadowing in the first book of the gone series?
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