Devoted to publishing, publishers and to those who craft the written word

“When I was gripped by fits of cocaine paranoia, I would burn my poetry journals and watch the burning pages peel off one another in layers, the flames spitting little gray flakes into the air. As my ashen words swirled into the heavens, it pleased me to know that my inner self was once again safe”

That’s a scene from  Andrew Davidson's first novel, The Gargoyle--a an obsessive love story about a badly-burned man and his soulmate. Davidson’s main character is haunted by writing throughout the book, and he ultimately takes up the enormous task of writing his own life story.

In real life, Davidson has a more pragmatic view towards writing. He put together his massive novel while working as an English teacher and web designer. Today, he tells us how he did it in my deceptively simple feature, Five Easy Questions.

In the spirit of Jack Nicholson’s mad piano player, I run a weekly set of quality conversations with writing pioneers—delivering some practical, unexpected advice about web writing. 

Jason Boog:
While writing this novel, you also worked a number of freelance projects and day-jobs. How did you balance your work-life and your writing life? Any advice for fledgling writers who feel swamped by their work-lives?

Andrew Davidson:
There’s a famous quote by Peter De Vries—which I can’t bring myself to verify, for fear that I’ll discover he never actually said it. Continue reading...

It goes: “I write when I’m inspired, and I see to it that I am inspired at nine o’clock each morning.”

I’m the opposite of a nine a.m. type of guy—the problem with mornings is that they come too early in the day—but the idea applies: I’m rarely, if ever, “inspired.” I have to force any story out of my head, because it’s quite happy to hide in there indefinitely.

I write best when I sit down every night, at the same time, and at the same place. My desk has to be empty and clean, and has to be facing a wall with no pictures. I can listen to music, but only if it has no lyrics or is sung in a foreign language. And even with these measures, I still usually produce nothing but sheer crap; only occasionally do I sweat out a good idea, which takes me somewhere.

The truth is that if you really want to write, you set aside some time each day, and you show up at your desk.