“When writing becomes laborious, I have three methods for trying to work through it. First, I go for a walk, usually with my husband, who is also a writer. (Any good friend will do, particularly one who can assure you that your story is indeed interesting.) We talk about the issue I’m having and re-convince myself that whatever I’m writing will be worthwhile for someone else to read. Second, I remind myself to just write the juicy bits and forego all the boring parts. What stories do I want to tell? What can be cut? What’s most exciting? Just write those. Lastly, one of the reasons I often become stuck is because of outside pressure: to work on something else, to make dinner, a deadline. Story-killers, all. To relieve this, I put my notebook away and write in my journal. What images come to mind? Why am I interested in the topic? Taking the time to revisit my initial thoughts or impressions about an event often reminds me why I began writing a certain story in the first place, and what I want to say about it.”
—Margaret Kimball, author of And Now I Spill the Family Secrets (HarperOne, 2021)
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Author: jkashiwabara