I am sure as an author, most people would believe that my dream goal would be to win a Pulitzer Prize or some highly regarded writing award. I have won a lot of awards in my life - that is not the reason that I write. Truly, one of my dream goals is to see the platform that I am currently building to help the special needs population (called REACH) be made available to each and every person in the USA who needs and wants access to it - There are 60,000,000 people with some form of special needs here in the United States. Then, I would love for the President of the USA at that time to recognize me with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for the impact that my life's work has made on helping the special needs community. That would be very cool!
Absolutely. In fact the protagonist in the current series reflects a lot of what I have done or have tried to do in my life. I feel that makes his character and others more genuine, more real - at least that is what my readers tell me!
Since I work from a good, solid outline, I am not sure that I have ever experienced "writer's block" per se. My main issue is finding time to write given my other responsibilities, etc working from home. My only tip to overcome it is go take a long walk, see a movie, go for a run or workout - clear your mind and then try to get back to writing later that day or early the next day. See if that will refresh you to be more focused.
Yes, I do read my book reviews and getting bad ones does hurt. I cannot suggest otherwise. However, I think some readers/critics have a particular story line or character approach in mind, and if my book doesn't meet that, they assume that I am off in my writing, or there is a "hole" in the story. I choose my characters, places and situations very carefully, setting things up for the outcome that I believe the book warrants.
This is a tough one as I am a product of private schools through high school. As a professor of marketing at the college level, I see the differences in teaching approaches, etc than when I was in college/graduate school - and most of it is a good thing. However, as students get closer to college, assuming that is what they want, I am a big believer in the Greek classics, Shakespeare, and any others that will challenge young people how to think and not just be test taking machines to get a particular grade.
As a man, I suppose that most important thing that I watch out for is falling into the "stereotypical traps" about women is that they are always emotional, ultra sensitive, etc. Men are that way, too, trust me. And, in ST. CHRISTOPHER, the antagonist is a highly successful, resourceful and ruthless woman focused on retribution and payback - all characteristics previously reserved for male characters.
Sure, I want to sell a lot of books. Any author who says otherwise is probably not being true to himself/herself. But, the most important literary success for me is making that connection with someone interested in creative writing or the topics/stories that I share. As noted previously, I have been told that my books have inspired others and that is definitely success to me.
My first book is a non-fiction portrayal of how to raise my autistic son in the crazy busy world that we live in today. I used my personal journals on his important life moments as the guide, so that book is very different than my other two for a good reason. The process change is that I focused on the end game and developing a good outline with my fiction novels, all due to my original book on my son.
That statement is absolutely true! Having finished 3 books now (and working several others on 2 college-level textbooks, something new for me), I can honestly say that it has been exhausting but also energizing at the same time! My tips are what most authors say - write something every day, even if it is just a few paragraphs or a page - get something down on paper. And, stay true to what you know, what you enjoy and your style and don't worry so much about making a lot of money doing it. Yes, I want to sell a lot of my books, for sure. But, for me, it is about making connections with your audiences and telling stories in unique ways that no others will do. I am told my style of writing has inspired others and that makes me happy.
To me, good writing starts with a vision in mind and then developing the blueprint to get you where you want to go. That sounds corny, but it is true. This is the same for business writing as well. I typically begin with that end game in mind, spend time on constructing a solid outline, and then start writing and editing, and then editing some more! The other thing that I believe is essential is believing in your characters, their strengths, weaknesses, passions, heartaches - I see myself in each and every character that I create.
Honestly, I have been doing creative writing most of my life, starting in high school with essay and editorial contests - a long time ago! That transitioned to personal journals for my children and then eventually into novels.
