Tatjana Soli

Tatjana SoliTatjana Soli is the author of the novels The Lotus Eaters, The Forgetting Tree, and The Last Good Paradise.

What is your method for overcoming writer’s block?

Minor writer's block can always be overcome by reading. Engaging with language. If you need to, take a writer's holiday—spend your writing time reading. It refuels you. For major writer's block, nothing compares to travel. It forces you to see the world with new eyes.

What are your favorite or most helpful writing prompts?

I don't like exercises so this is what works for me—one page. If I finish one page, even if it's in the middle of a scene, I can quit. Usually by the time I get to the bottom of the page, I can't force myself to stop.

What is the most valuable advice you received as a young writer?

"If there’s a book you really want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it." —Toni Morrison