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Diane Hester

Goodreads Author

Born

New York, The United States

Website

http://www.dianehester.com

Genre

Thriller, Suspense, Young Adult

Influences

Tess Gerritsen, Stephen King, Harlan Coben, Lisa Gardner ...more

Member Since

August 2013

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Diane Hester is a former violinist with the Adelaide Symphony and the Rochester Philharmonic, US. Born in New York, she now lives in Port Lincoln, South Australia.

Diane's debut thriller Run To Me was short-listed in the 2014 Daphne du Maurier Awards. ...more

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How do you deal with writer’s block?

Diane Hester First let me define what I mean by writer's block.

I've often gotten stalled when writing a novel and been forced to spend days, even weeks, working t…moreFirst let me define what I mean by writer's block.

I've often gotten stalled when writing a novel and been forced to spend days, even weeks, working things out. Occasionally I've even had to put a story aside for a year or more to let it 'ferment' before I could write it.

That's not what I would call writer's block. Even if it takes days or weeks, nutting out problems with plot or characters is just part of the process for me. And setting a story aside for a time sometimes helps me see it more clearly.

Writers block is something very different. For me writers block is a breakdown of confidence in myself as a writer. And, yes, it has happened on several occasions (thankfully not in the last year).

My confidence can get a bit wobbly either from an accumulation of small hits (a string of rejections, a bad review, harsh criticism from someone I admire, etc) or one big one. Some unlikely sources have caused me a bout. Like coming up with a plot I love so much I fear I'll never be able to do it justice.

The last time I experienced writers block was after my first book was accepted by Random House. I'd been trying for ten years to get published and to suddenly achieve my dream I wondered if I'd ever be able to do it again, if I'd ever write anything else as good.

Oddly, I find subtle negative comments can be the most damaging to my morale. If someone says to me straight out, 'You stink. You'll never be any good at writing,' it doesn't discourage me so much as make me mad. It's something solid, something to rage against. It fires me up and I charge ahead.

Subtle put-downs on the other hand, even (or especially!) those intended as helpful or encouraging feedback, have a way of sneaking in the back door of my subconscious and tearing up the place before I'm even aware of it.

I confess, once I start down a negative spiral, I can become my own worst enemy. I start reading things into everything people say about my work. (No pun intended). It's like the two psychiatrists who pass on the street, each say 'hi' and then think, 'I wonder what he meant by that?'

Things I've found helpful in combating writers block:

1. Be aware of your self-talk. That's what it comes down to for me - being aware. Most of us walk around just letting our thoughts happen to us. It's your head, control what goes on in it. If you find someone else's voice in there whispering negative nothings in your ear, don't just tell them to shut up, kick them out and then counter those nothings with positive ones.

2. Do something different, something you're good at. Tennis, baking, knitting, whatever. Sometimes the confidence you feel in one area of your life can be 'borrowed' and transferred to another. When I feel I can't write, I go and play the violin for a while. It reminds me, 'Hey, I really stank at this when I first started and look how far I got with practice.'

3. Just accept it - your finished novel will never ever live up to the vision you had when you first came up with the idea for it. That's not because you're a lousy writer, it's because your idea was a dream, a vision unformed, and the book is a reality.

I think this form of writers block must account for 90% of unfinished novels. The writer gets halfway through, feels the story isn't living up to his vision and pulls the plug. No book - no matter who the author is - ends up exactly as it was first envisioned. It's like trying to find the perfect lover or the perfect friend. It don't exist.(less)

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What books are on your summer reading list this year?

Diane Hester Well here in Australia our seasons are reversed so we're heading into winter. But I do have a lovely pile of books to read by the fire on the coming c…moreWell here in Australia our seasons are reversed so we're heading into winter. But I do have a lovely pile of books to read by the fire on the coming cold stormy nights.

My non-fiction stack is a rather eclectic mix: 'What's Your Creative Type' by Meta Wagner, 'Save The Cat' by Blake Snyder, 'The Morning Miracle For Writers' by Hal Elrod, and 'The Hypothyroid Writer' by Sarah E Lenz. (Really curious to see what that last one's about!)

In my fiction pile I have 'Fool Me Once' by Harlan Coben, 'Night Fall' by Nelson Demille, and 'A Tap On The Window' by Linwood Barclay.

Bring on those cold stormy nights!(less)

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Diane Hester’s books

Average rating: 4.14 · 405 ratings · 195 reviews · 11 distinct works • Similar authors

	Run to Me 3.97 avg rating — 183 ratings — published 2013 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Hit and Run 4.51 avg rating — 61 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Die for Me 4.57 avg rating — 56 ratings — published 2019 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mark Of Guilt 3.93 avg rating — 43 ratings — published 2021 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	No Good Deed 3.93 avg rating — 28 ratings — published 2021 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Lying in Wait 4.05 avg rating — 20 ratings — published 2022 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Target In Sight 4.29 avg rating — 14 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	No Good Deed [16pt Large Print Edition] 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mark of Guilt 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mark of Guilt [Large Print 16pt] 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Diane Hester's Blog

Writing With Passion On Any Topic - the story you were meant to tell or the one that will sell.

Recently I watched the movie ‘Their Finest Hour’ about an English film company tasked with producing an uplifting patriotic film about their country’s involvement in World War Two. The part I found most interesting as a novelist was how the three screenwriters went about creating a plot for their film.

For years, in choosing the plots for my novels, I’ve obsessed about finding just the right one, Read more of this blog post »

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Published on May 10, 2020 18:48 • Tags: high-concept-premise, novel-plotting, writing-with-passion

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Diane is Currently Reading

Diane Hester is currently reading

The Force

by Don Winslow (Goodreads Author)

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Aug 10, 2024 11:59AM

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Independence Square: Arkady Renko in Ukraine

by Martin Cruz Smith

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Oct 22, 2023 04:42PM

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The Vanishing Half

by Brit Bennett (Goodreads Author)

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Sep 22, 2020 05:41PM

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Diane Hester is now friends with Chloe
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Diane Hester is currently reading The Force by Don Winslow (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 10, 2024 11:59AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Force by Don Winslow. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Force by Don Winslow <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Diane Hester and 342 other people liked Vicky's review of Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout: "Unfortunately, I didn’t like this book. I wholeheartedly agree that we have to change how we measure productivity in knowledge work and that you need time to produce something of value, so I expected clear proposals of possible solutions or at least " Read more of this review »
Jul 05, 2024 02:10PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Slow Productivity by Cal Newport. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Slow Productivity by Cal Newport <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Diane Hester is currently reading Independence Square: Arkady Renko in Ukraine by Martin Cruz Smith	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 22, 2023 04:42PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Independence Square by Martin Cruz Smith. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Independence Square by Martin Cruz Smith <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

More of Diane's books…

Polls

Voting for July 2018 group read - Thriller

The Dry by Jane Harper

21 votes, 21.6%

The Secrets She Keeps by Michael Robotham

20 votes, 20.6%

The One Who Got Away by Caroline Overington

9 votes, 9.3%

The Twentieth Man by Tony Jones

9 votes, 9.3%

Red Queen by Honey Brown

9 votes, 9.3%

Bloodtree River by Sarah Barrie

7 votes, 7.2%

Kickback by Garry Disher

4 votes, 4.1%

The Escape Room by Megan Goldin

3 votes, 3.1%

Run to Me by Diane Hester

3 votes, 3.1%

Berlin Syndrome by Melanie Joosten

3 votes, 3.1%

Assassins Hunted by Rachel Amphlett

2 votes, 2.1%

Blood Prize by Ken Grace

2 votes, 2.1%

Sink or Swim by Ross Collier

1 vote, 1.0%

Due Preparations for the Plague by Janette Turner Hospital

1 vote, 1.0%

Cyanide Games by Richard Beasley

1 vote, 1.0%

Mine by Susi Fox

1 vote, 1.0%

Scared Yet? by Jaye Ford

1 vote, 1.0%

Outback Creed by Jonathan Macpherson

0 votes, 0.0%

97 total votes

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Diane Hester’s Followers (80)

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Diane Hester

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Diane Hester's Blog

Writing With Passion On Any Topic - the story you were meant to tell or the one that will sell.

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