Author Interview: Morgan Sheppard

1) Do you argue with your characters? If so, who wins most frequently? Yes, I argue with my characters and I’d like to say that I win but that wouldn’t be completely true. For example, I’ve just been writing a scene and it seemed to go on forever and just wouldn’t move forwards. Turns out there was some information that had to be given before they could move on. I wish I’d known that earlier!

2) What makes a story interesting to you to write? How about to read? I need to connect with the characters if I’m going to be interested in writing it. It needs to be something that I can relate to or would like to. If there’s no connection then it just doesn’t work for me. And really the same answer goes for reading.

3) How do you escape writer’s block? I escape writer’s block by literally walking away from my computer. I’ll go for a walk to clear my head and even leave that particular part for a couple of days. I won’t write anything else for that particular scene though because I can’t do that but I’ll job down things instead. Then, after I’ve had a rest from it, I’ll go back and usually I’m able to continue.

4) What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever received? The best writing advice I’ve ever got was off a meme on Twitter so I don’t know who originally said it but it was basically to finish your writing for the day mid-way through a sentence or scene. Then you always start by writing and not just thinking.

5)What’s your writing fuel? My writing fuel has to be coffee! I can’t do it without it. And a piece of chocolate or two might help too!

6) The best joke you ever heard: The best joke I’ve heard (see picture) is a play on words. I love those sorts 🙂