AN INTERVIEW WITH:
L.M. STANLEY
Tell us one of your first experiences where you realised that language had power.
I can’t pinpoint a particular experience, but after 21 years as an attorney, I can say that there is nothing more powerful than language wielded skilfully. In court, the right words can win the day in cases where a life, or a business, or even human rights, are at stake. A skilfully written argument can literally transfer power from one party to another and more importantly, serve justice.
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would you say?
Don’t be afraid to experiment. You never know until you try.
Have you ever written under a pseudonym?
Maybe. Maybe not.
What kind of research do you do for whatever it is you’re writing?
For short stories, I don’t do any research. For novels, I do extensive internet research (including watching documentaries). I also interview people having certain life experiences that I want to capture accurately, including technical or specialized knowledge.
What’s the most difficult thing about writing characters of a different gender to you?
I don’t think it’s any more difficult to write a different gender. The biggest difficulty for me is giving characters their own voice, different from my own.
Do you believe in the dreaded Writer’s Block?
Oh yes. I’ve definitely experienced weeks and even months when the words just would not flow. I get in my head about wanting to write something really good. I do much better when I just focus on writing something.
I can’t pinpoint a particular experience, but after 21 years as an attorney, I can say that there is nothing more powerful than language wielded skilfully. In court, the right words can win the day in cases where a life, or a business, or even human rights, are at stake. A skilfully written argument can literally transfer power from one party to another and more importantly, serve justice.
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would you say?
Don’t be afraid to experiment. You never know until you try.
Have you ever written under a pseudonym?
Maybe. Maybe not.
What kind of research do you do for whatever it is you’re writing?
For short stories, I don’t do any research. For novels, I do extensive internet research (including watching documentaries). I also interview people having certain life experiences that I want to capture accurately, including technical or specialized knowledge.
What’s the most difficult thing about writing characters of a different gender to you?
I don’t think it’s any more difficult to write a different gender. The biggest difficulty for me is giving characters their own voice, different from my own.
Do you believe in the dreaded Writer’s Block?
Oh yes. I’ve definitely experienced weeks and even months when the words just would not flow. I get in my head about wanting to write something really good. I do much better when I just focus on writing something.