A day in the life of Leslie Brenner

[Blue Heron]

Hi Leslie,

Not having written a book before, I am curious about what your working day is like? If you could address any of these particular questions I would be grateful...

Do you systematically set aside a certain number of hours a day to write or do research, to where you commit yourself to your project, or is your day fairly flexible (and you can wait for inspiration to strike)? Are there certain times of the day, or certain settings you feel you are more creative in your writing? Do you ever find yourself writing for hours on end without break, and other times perhaps find yourself in a dry spell where you can't think of what to write (ie. writer's block)? Do you find each book successively easier to write than the last, and, approximately, how long did it take to write The Fourth Star? Thanks!

[Leslie Brenner]

Thanks for asking, Blue Heron. The rhythm of my work life varies, depending on what kind of work I'm doing, whether it's working on a non-fiction book, a magazine article, or fiction. Sometimes entire days are taken up with research: that happened quite a lot when I was researching The Fourth Star. Often, I'd be on deadline for a magazine piece at the same time, so I might come home after a day at the restaurant, and then spend some hours that night writing the magazine piece. When I'm in the middle of a book, I get into the kind of groove that I like best; that is, I get up in the morning and write until lunch, then continue after lunch. When I lived in New York, I could then take care of some business after that, but now that I'm in California, that has to be done in the morning, because most of my business is still in New York. The main constant is that I do keep regular work hours. Often I lay off when my child gets home from school in the afternoon, but if I'm on deadline, I usually continue at night.

I do sometimes find the writing flows much more easily, but for me it's important to sit and do it whether I'm "inspired" or not--I think that's the only way to be a professional writer. Many people get inspired now and again, but the professional has to produce on a regular basis or he/she can't make a serious go of it, let alone a living. I do find that I work better on deadline, even if that deadline is months off.

I don't find each book is easier to write than the last; for me, they become harder. I'm always looking for a challenge, and seem to tackle more and more ambitious subjects as time goes on. What does become easier is writing articles--I remember how I used to sweat over the most insignificant 250 word magazine items! Though I would add that in many ways, short pieces are harder to write than longer pieces.

Hope that answers your questions! Are you a writer or considering making a go of it as a writer?