On Writing

[inverarity]

Some folks have asked about progress on AQATWA. (Not surprising, I am always being asked about that.)

I have been writing. Not as much as I'd like (what else is new?), but slow progress is being made.

The chief obstacle is not actually time, but time management.

There are things I spend time on instead of writing, which I could cut down on or drastically curtail. There are also other factors that drain my time and energy, but I am not placing the blame on external forces. I firmly believe that with few exceptions, anything you say you want to do, if you really, really want to do it, you will. This applies to everything from getting out of debt to kicking an addiction to losing weight to climbing Mount Everest to.... well, finishing a book. If you really want to do it, and you are physically capable of doing it, then if you don't do it, it's because you actually have prioritized other things higher. Maybe with good reason! Maybe because what you want to do is really, really hard and when it comes down to it, you aren't motivated enough to make it happen. But the truth remains. It's not that you can't, but you don't.

As I said some time ago, I am no longer giving ETAs on completion. It will happen when it happens, which won't be as soon as I would like or as soon as you would like. But I am working on making it happen.

Comments

[graeme sutton (from livejournal.com)]

No pressure, but I fully intend to introduce any future hypothetical kids I have to Alexandra Quick as soon as they finish the Harry Potter series. So that gives you a vague deadline of, like, 15-20ish years unless you want to keep my hypothetical future spawn with a cliffhanger. If I don't have any kids by then I'm sure I can bother someone else's if necessary in order to make good on this emotional blackmail.

[sillycucumber.livejournal.com]

I understand and have your back. It's frustrating as a fan of AQ, but given how in-depth your series is, the time dedication IS monumental. If you decide a certain chapter doesn't work, that is like climbing up Everest and then deciding to go back down just to make the climb a bit smoother this go around. I imagine as a writer, and a human, you could list easier, more productive things to do. So while I hope for you to finish someday, always keep doing what you love, whatever that may be.

Also, I check your blog regularly and enjoy your book reviews though I don't comment much on those since youve read a lot material I am not familiar with, but you've got a knack for it!

AQ

[peach juice (from livejournal.com)]

I love Alexandra Quick. I only just discovered your writing, and have already read all your books. I noticed you saying somewhere that reviewers have told you they liked AQ just as much as Hogwarts Houses Divided. I too read that book first, and have to admit, while I was impressed with the level of quality a fanfic had, I thought it had at least a flaw that I noticed - at least for me, it seemed as if you wrote a little too much about every character's emotional reaction in a given situation at times, I thought it made for slightly overkill.

I went into AQ with some skepticism, after all, this was not even a HP fanfic, with the only point of connection being the rules of magic and the name of Voldemort. But AQ is a marvelous series. The writing is excellent. I often found myself wondering if you're not actually JK Rowling doing a pet project of sorts. If not for the differences from Rowling's world, however subtle, I would still wonder that, I think.

It has been a really long time since I have been this invested in a character, a world, or a series of books. That is what I want to thank you for. The only regret I have is the knowledge that it will be hard to discover and replicate that literary attachment to anything else until you write the next book.

Thank you for AQ. And good luck in all your endeavours.