Keeping it alive. Beginnings come easily, because for me, the first idea is always a spark from the ether. Banging out a few chapters while still under that initial inspiration is a pleasure. It's exciting. The story is being revealed to me. A hundred pages later, I just want the thing done. It becomes work. In my head, it's already finished in a way, so to keep coming back to the same project to bring it to completion for others can be a challenge.
It made me much more conscious of my audience. That pushed me to demand higher standards from myself. When I know someone is going to be paying to read my work, I feel I have to offer a good value and respect the reader's time.
Take breaks when it gets to be too much, but always return to finish what you've started. Give your writing the respect of a decent ending before you abandon it.
My writing schedule is an embarrassment. I can't stick to it. I mostly write when the words are burning their way out of my head. I find it difficult to jump-start a creative process when I'm not inspired.
Well, The Adventures of Dan and Tina is autobiographical, so, definitely. The elements I chose to emphasize in What Everyone Should Know About the Government were based on my real-life interactions with other people in the political arena. I write fiction, too, and there's no question that some of it is inspired by things I really experienced. I would think that's both unavoidable and desirable.
Yes. I read them eagerly. Of course, positive feedback is encouraging. I try to learn from negative feedback and improve my writing and products. What drives me nuts is getting a bad rating without an accompanying review, so I can't tell what the reader didn't like and potentially improve my writing from the feedback.
