Zibby Mag

In anticipation of our forthcoming titles, Zibby Books has teamed up with iconic stationery and accessory brand Moleskine to produce exclusive interviews with our authors.

Continue reading below for an exclusive interview with Patty Lin, author of the memoir End Credits: How I Broke Up With Hollywood (out now!), about her creative process. And check in with the Zibby Books Instagram account for a chance to win a limited-edition Moleskine x Zibby Books notebook.

How do you begin writing projects?

I usually let a new idea percolate for a while in my brain before I start writing. If there’s a deadline, I’ll start jotting down ideas earlier, but I prefer not to rush it. I’ve noticed that inspiration tends to visit on its own schedule

Are there other parts of your writing process that you prefer to execute by putting pen to paper?

When I’m organizing my ideas, I like to write them on note cards. This is a habit from my TV writing days, when on many shows we would “break stories” (plot out scenes) on cards, which makes it easier to shuffle scenes around. It’s great when organizing thoughts for an essay or even when I was doing revisions on my book.

The other thing I always write by hand are “morning pages,” which is a journaling technique I learned from The Artist’s Way. If I can’t delete and rewrite, I have to let go of the need to write something “good,” and this frees me up to explore. Writing by hand gives me a direct connection between my heart and the page, without interference from the internal editor.

Can you speak to the importance of capturing moods, feelings, and ideas on the fly?

One cherished Christmas tradition in our house is to fill an advent calendar with our favorite memories from the year written on pieces of paper. I write those moments down when they happen and keep them in a jar until December. There’s no way I would remember half of them if I didn’t.

Where’s the most unlikely or unusual place you’ve written something memorable?

We used to keep our 1968 Airstream trailer at a vintage RV campground near San Diego. One November, I decided to do a “writing retreat” in our Airstream, and the weather was so cold that after a few hours I couldn’t feel my fingers. But I always remember the chapter I worked on there (which I later cut from the book)!

When or where do you feel your most creative? Do you have any tips on re-igniting creativity when you’re feeling stuck?

I can feel creative anywhere, but for me, the key is feeling relaxed. Stress is the enemy of creativity. It also helps to be around other people who are doing creative things. That’s why I used to love going to Burning Man, when I had the stamina to survive it.

When I’m feeling stuck, the best thing for me to do is take a break and do something different — whether that’s a sewing project, housework, or riding my bike to the post office. Inspiration can come from anywhere, and sometimes my brain just needs a chance to rest before it can receive that inspiration.

Patty Lin is an author and former TV writer/producer whose credits include Freaks and Geeks, Friends, Desperate Housewives, and Breaking Bad. She has also written pilots for Fox, CBS, and Nickelodeon. Her Breaking Bad episode, “Gray Matter,” was nominated for a Writers Guild Award for Outstanding Script of 2008 in the Episodic Drama category. She retired from television to save her sanity and began writing a book as an answer to the question, “Why would you quit such a cool job?” Her memoir, End Credits: How I Broke Up with Hollywood, is out now. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband.