Inside the Mind - Francis DiClemente
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What inspired you to start writing?
I've been writing since I was a young kid. It's natural for me and helps me to make sense of the world. And I have worked for many years to improve my craft.
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Can you tell us a little about your latest book?
“Stunted: A Memoir of Delayed Manhood” is a coming-of-age story about identity and self-acceptance, as told through the lens of my journey to adulthood after being diagnosed with a brain tumor when I was 15 years old. It spans from 1984 to 1995, during my youth and young adult years, as I discover that manhood is defined not by physical development, but by courage, empathy, and responsibility.
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What does your typical writing day look like?
I get up very early in the morning on weekdays and try to write for about 90 minutes before I have to leave and go to work.
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What’s one challenge you’ve faced in your writing journey?
Taking all the raw material or rough ideas for a story and finding the right structure to make the narrative work.
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Do you have any favorite writing tools or apps?
Dictionary.com, Merriam-Webster.com, Grammarly (just for proofreading)
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What advice would you give to new or aspiring indie authors?
I think all writers need to read a lot -- to get a exposed to a wide variety of authors and genres. And I would suggest plunging forward with a first draft and not stopping along the way to fix the text. Get the full story down and then go back and revise, revise, revise.