Author: Zuni Blue

Do you ever get writer’s block?

Writer’s block means that a writer doesn’t know what to write. When I get writer’s block, I stop writing and take a well-earned break. My brain needs some time off. My break might be for an hour or so, maybe even a day. Then I go back to writing.

If I’m still stuck, I know the story is the problem, not me. So I work backwards through the story, trying to track down the moment I found it harder to write. When I find it, I cut everything after that moment and restart writing.

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Where do you write stories?

I usually write books on my computer in my bedroom. It’s very comfortable and quiet in there, so no one disturbs me. Someday I might have a spacious and sunny office with an amazing view outside…Until then, my room will do.

In the past, I’ve handwritten chapters on the bus. Yes, the bus! I wrote in a notebook because I didn’t have my computer or smartphone with me. When I wrote in notebooks, I typed up everything when I got home or at the weekend.

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What do you dislike about being a writer?

Editing. I edit each story three times.

The first draft is the easiest because I’m just writing and having fun.

The second and third drafts are the hardest because I’m editing each word, sentence, paragraph, chapter. I have to check that the story details are consistent e.g. a character isn’t black in chapter 1 and white in chapter 2. I check for typos and anything that doesn’t make sense.

The fourth, and last, draft is the easiest. I let the computer read the story to me and only stop it if something doesn’t sound right.

When I finally finish editing, the story is always much better than how it started.

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