Ask the Author: Danika Stone
Answered Questions (9)
Danika Stone
I've had a few inexplicable moments in life where I've simply KNOWN how something would go. Often it's good--friends having babies, for instance--but sometimes it's disturbing: I knew that my father (who seemed healthy) would die in the next days. I have no explanation for that gut feeling, but I think it'd make an interesting book!
Danika Stone
My answer is always: "whatever world I'm currently writing about". I tend to live there in my head, but it would be rather nice to be able to walk the streets, talk to the people, and breathe the air. Honestly? I'd never leave.
Danika Stone
My best advice is: Finished is better than perfect. You NEED to learn the truth in this before you'll make it to the end of a book / substantive edits / copyedits / etc.
Danika Stone
How often can I use force of will to get things done? Er... a lot, I guess (???) - though I certainly don't have specific numbers on this. I think it has to do with the way you perceive setbacks. I always look for the good in events. I figure life is nudging me a different direction when things don't go my way, and somehow that attitude makes it seem like EVERYTHING is a good thing. RE: being far enough along as a writer - I am always striving to be better than I was yesterday, and because I'm only in competition with myself, I'm always pushing to do more. I never feel like I reach "enough". I always have my eyes on "what's next"!
Danika Stone
There are two things that always get me out of a slump:
A) Write more (even if it sucks).
B) When that fails, go out and LIVE more, then write about it.
A) Write more (even if it sucks).
B) When that fails, go out and LIVE more, then write about it.
Danika Stone
You are AMAZING, Hilda! *hugs* This made my evening. :)
Danika Stone
What a fantastic question! This changes so often I'm going to answer "whatever couple I happen to be writing at that moment."
Danika Stone
For me, the key to avoiding writer's block is to Just. Keep. Writing. It's horrible, and painful (and most of what I write during moments like that is utter garbage) but even garbage can be recycled. I just need to go long enough to unblock the flow.
Danika Stone
Hi Jason. Great question! In my case, I always figure that your first draft is really for yourself, and I often think of it as my 'real' version of the story. Once I plan on publishing it, however, I recognize that other readers need other things from the novel I've written. (And in some cases, other endings!) I've been incredibly lucky to have a team of editors I can trust, so I've had a good experience with that. Yes, I needed to reduce what I'd written - for length, for genre, for story arcs. No, the resulting draft wasn't the story I originally intended to tell, but it was the one that needed to be told for that particular audience. Publishing is a collaborative process, and in the end, it's the sharing that matters.
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