Well, you asked, and I listened.

I asked you all during a Project Inspire survey who you want me to interview for PI. So many of you requested Faith Blum! I’m so excited, because I know Faith and I know that we are all going to enjoy here visit her to PI.

Let’s not waste any time and get to the interview!

First, tell us a bit about yourself, Faith.

I am a Historical Fiction author who also dabbles in a few other genres occasionally. I am married and live in a Central Wisconsin with my hubby and cat. I have many hobbies, but a few highlights are crocheting, playing piano, and sewing.

01. How/where do you find the most inspiration to create?

A lot of times, I find the most inspiration from other books and occasionally some movies. I like to try to read in my genre and time period and that really helps me with the research aspect as well.

 
02. What’s your favorite inspirational Bible verse or quote?

I really like Psalm 46:10 – Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.

 
03. Who’s been really influential in your writing, and never given up on you?

Amanda Tero. She’s also an author and we are often accountability partners for each other. Her constant encouragement and just knowing that she is there to check up on me has helped me many times to keep going.

 
04. What do you do when you’re feeling down and uninspired to get motivated again?

Good question and one I need to think through right now as I’m in one of those times. I think the most effective thing I have found is sending my daily to-do list to my friend Amanda and asking for nudges throughout the day when she is able. Knowing she’ll be checking in on me helps a lot!

 
05. When you’re battling through the middle of your book, what do you do to stay motivated?

Just keep slugging away. I like to set daily goals with how much I want to get done during the day and that usually helps me out.

 
06. What are 5 big things you’ve learned about writing over the years? 

1. Outlining can be helpful for some, but isn’t for everybody. And that is okay.
2. Set specific goals each day for how much you want to write. Make them doable, but not too easy. Yes, that is a difficult balance.
3. Stay in God’s word. Without God, you can do nothing.
4. If you can, have a specific time each day to write. Consistency is key. If you can’t, do everything possible to write every day, whether at the same time or not.
5. Have fun! Not all writing and editing needs to be monotonous. If you aren’t having fun with it any more, do something to make it fun again.

 
07. Is there a book/author that has inspired you to write better and craft stronger stories?

Outlining Your Novel by K.M. Weiland as well as Structuring Your Novel by K.M. Weiland. Both books were very helpful for me to learn and apply to my books. I do not go into nearly as in depth of a process as K.M. does for her books, but the principles in the books were good to learn and have helped me write better and stronger stories.

08. What advice do you have for other young writers?

If you get stuck in your writing and know where you are going in another scene later in the book, stop where you are and go write that other scene. You can always go back later to fill in the details. I have done this a few times now and it always helps me stay motivated to write. The editing process is there for a reason.

09. Anything else to add? {about inspiration, motivation, appreciation, etc.}

Can’t think of anything else.

Thanks so much to Faith for agreeing to be part of Project Inspire! I hope you enjoyed this interview as much as I did. 🙂

Write on,

Did you enjoy this interview? Who else might you like me to interview? What’s a big thing you’ve learned about writing?

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