Describe your working environment.
Ha! Believe it or not I sit on a chaise lounge with a laptop. My back makes it impossible for me to sit at a desk for any length of time. I keep a bottle of water, a cup of coffee, my cell phone, and all my reference materials on the tables beside me. I have the Internet set up on the laptop for quick forays of research. When I'm deep into a book, under a deadline, I work alone, in a condo, where it's extremely quiet and where I can keep my own hours. I wear sweats so I can walk the halls for exercise and breaks.
Are you a disciplined writer?
Absolutely not. Unfortunately I write best under a deadline. Then I'm very focused. But no, I write under my own pressure, not the so-many-pages-a-day thing.
Have you ever suffered from writer’s block? What seems to work for unleashing your creativity?
Yes. Usually, I'm writing a story and hit a wall. It's very temporary and it's usually a problem that I need to solve that's in earlier pages. Other than taking a walk, or a shower, or making a phone call and "getting out" of the book for a while, I always try to approach the offending scene from another character's point of view. But really, the problem, for me, is usually an earlier (sometimes MUCH earlier) scene that must be fixed. Often many scenes.
Technically speaking, what do you have to struggle the most when writing? How do you tackle it?
Technically speaking? When the Internet or my computer doesn't work. I'm very resourceful. I call my sons or webmaster.
What is the best writing advice you’ve ever received?
KISS — Keep It Simple Stupid. Or "It's like eating an elephant. Just one bite at a time."
Article comments
1 - Lisa Damian
Didn't Poppy Z. Brite write a vampire novel set in New Orleans titled "Lost Souls" also? Jackson's novel sounds like an interesting premise, and if it is nearly as compelling a tale as Brite's, it sounds like it might be right up my alley. I'll add it to my list of reads.