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Thursday, November 10, 2016

Setting a steady writing pace


“Inspiration comes from everywhere. From life, observing people, etc.  From movies and books you love. From research.” – Holly Black

Black, who turns 45 today, is a prolific and very diversified American writer, editor and producer.  Winner of the Newbery Medal for her novel Doll Bones, she’s also well-known for her children’s fantasy series The Spiderwick Chronicles – co- created with writer and illustrator Tony DiTerlizzo – and Young Adult trilogy The Modern Faerie Tales.  

When I say “prolific” and “diversified” that might be an understatement.  Since breaking onto the scene in 2002, she has authored nearly 30 novels and many dozens of short stories.  She’s also written so many different types of books that she’s joked about putting out a guide so that people who like a certain type of her writings can quickly locate them.  If so, she’d probably go with social media for making those connections, since she’s a major practitioner of its use.
“I think there are a lot of really positive aspects to social media                
 for novelists,” she said. “Even though our work is pretty solitary, through Twitter and Tumblr and Facebook and Instagram and blogging in general, we're better able to connect directly with readers.”

As for her advice to new writers, she says don’t be intimidated by how much you need to write.  “Can you write 200 words a day? 100? 50? In six months, 50 words a day is 9,000 words. That's 2-3 short stories,” she said.  “ If you did 200 words every day, in three months that's 36,000 words. That's half a short novel.”

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