Romance Novelist, Danielle Lori
Where and when did you first know that you wanted to become a writer?
Unlike many other authors, I didn’t know I wanted to be a writer at a young age, regardless of the fact I seemed to have an effortless talent for it. It was commonplace for me to write my high school English essays on my friends' backs five minutes before the due date. I viewed writing as a chore, an outlook that skewed my ability to understand how much of an impact writing would have on my life. I think that I was about twenty when that changed completely. I had dropped out of nursing school and was working an unappealing, high-stress job. I felt so overwhelmed by the question, “What do I want to do with my life?” Writing became much more appealing to me once I was no longer told when and what to write; the freedom of creating my own stories soon became my outlet. Once I opened that door, there really was no going back.
What is your favorite book that you've written and why?
Five novels in, I would say that my most recent book is always my 'favorite'. Writing is a craft that takes years to cultivate. I learn so much with each book that I write and it is easy to see just how much I have learned by contrasting my first novel with my latest.
What has been the most difficult challenge you've had to face as a writer?
Vulnerability. Pouring my heart out in the form of words; knowing that one person - if not hundreds - will be rip it to shreds. This criticism is especially debilitating after spending roughly a year of twelve-hour days into perfecting the book. Once your work is out there, it becomes fair game; critics don’t hesitate. One thing I’ve learned is that it’s impossible to please everyone. I am a flawed human being. Therefore, my work will always have its faults. However, if an author writes from their heart, I promise that there are always be more readers who are touched by their words than those who are offended.
What advice can you give to authors who have writer's block?
Writing a book takes time. It simply cannot be rushed, no matter how desperate one is to finish it. Plenty of authors would say to just "force it" and write, but, in my experience, that doesn't work. When I don’t know how to continue a scene, I stop, I think, I roll around in a little self-loathing, and then I try again. When that doesn’t work, I put the story on hold. Sometimes it takes months, but inspiration always comes to me... often at the most random times (such as running my shopping cart into another’s in the produce aisle of Whole Foods). I believe that there are no fixed life experiences that make that scene make sense; time is the only thing that will fix them. That doesn’t mean that a writer has to stop writing completely—I probably have twenty unfinished books in my files—but, sometimes, that story isn’t ready to be finished yet.
Outside of writing, what do you like to do in your free time?
One of the best things you can do to cultivate your writing skills is to read. Thankfully, reading has been my favorite pastime ever since I was a preteen. I am a professional 'collector of hobbies' (only to drop them after a few months), but reading is one hobby that has always stuck with me. Outside of reading, I love to travel; another passion that I don’t think will ever die. □