On Writing
So, one of my biggest hurdles in writing, particularly when writing stories, is to just Write. I know what I like to read, but as soon as I start putting words on the page, it feels clunky and obviously derivative. I get hung up on the quality of what I'm writing, the fact that I'm not sure where my story is going, and I just tend to stop after a few hundred words. I'm trying to push past that now. The more I write, the more comfortable I'll get, and the better I'll get, and over time, I'll get more creative and independent in my writing style as well. It's just hard to reach that place. Lately, I've been reading the Elemental Masters series by Mercedes Lackey. It's one of my favorite series to read, and it's inspired me a bit for this story. I'm writing it for and about my daughter, and giving her a magical version of our world to play in. At the moment it's vaguely Totoro-esque, but I can't let that stop me. I just need to keep writing and see where it goes! It also may help if I ask my friend Kelley Ceccato what her story-writing process is. I look forward to the day I can gift her amazing book, Atterwald, to all my friends (and their children). She also happens to be a professor at what is formerly known as Gainsville College, so she has the instructional bent to be helpful in her explanation of how she works her magic.