Laurie Boyle Crompton’s Doubt Monster

Interview excerpt from Writer’s Digest:

I was surprised to find that the doubt monster still shows up tapping at my front door to tell me my writing is uniquely terrible. I guess I figured a book contract (or three!) would act like a special force field of self confidence whenever I needed it. Not quite so. No matter who else believes in you and your writing, you need to find a way to believe in yourself. It’s the only way you can have the confidence to take risks and continue to grow and to shake your fist at that doubt monster and yell, “Get off my porch!”

For the full, read here.

Maggie Stiefvater on the Art of Storytelling

Interview excerpt from the National Writers Series:

There’s this poem called “The Blind Men and the Elephant” about these five blind men who are each touching a different part of an elephant and guessing what it is. One has a tail, and so he thinks the elephant is a rope. Another one is touching a leg, and so he think it’s a tree trunk. But really they’re all touching the same animal. I feel like when I do my art, and I write, and I paint, it’s the same thing—I’m describing the same animal, just from different sides. Almost all of my ideas get treatment from all of the different medias I have available at my disposal.

Read the full here.