Running to the Muse

I once attended a ThrillerFest conference featuring author John Sandford, who offered some basic advice: “Write. Just write.” I’m paraphrasing here but essentially he said, “When you treat writing as a job, there’s no time for writer’s block.” The prolific novelist is 74, has won a Pulitzer Prize in journalism, and produces an average of three novels a year.

After the lecture, I attended his book signing where he grilled me on my process and then repeated his earlier words. “Approach writing as a business. Just write.” His admonition struck a chord. I began writing later in life and it took nearly fifteen years before Thomas & Mercer published my debut thriller, What She Gave Away, with the sequel, What She Never Said, due out this September. It took me so long to get my writing career launched, I’m reluctant to let a single hour slip away. Interested? Read the rest of the article here:

http://booksbywomen.org/running-to-the-muse-by-catharine-riggs/