Ask the Author: Justin L. Murphy
Answered Questions (11)
Justin L. Murphy
This summer I've read Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, The Curious Incident of The Dog In The Night-Time by Mark Haddon, and as summer closed I've read The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maass.
Justin L. Murphy
After the hurricane, this family did not anticipate power outage. Or the ghosts and demons who haunted them while the lights were out
Justin L. Murphy
Any of the sci-fi/fantasy worlds. Especially those of Star Trek or Star Wars, they're so immersive.
Justin L. Murphy
Can't think of anything consciously from my own life at the moment. What's deep in one's brain or one's heart. I've always been intrigued by such things. I don't know if that would make a good book. But there's a lot iof mystery in those areas. How can a brain be so mentally ill or disabled yet also be so brilliant? Conversely, how can a heart be so ill physically yet be so full of love or hate emotionally?
Justin L. Murphy
I could throw out many couples. Any couple with tension on both sides. Obstacles between them are a good couple. Although such couple tend to deflate once they get together.
More than enough people have answered Sam and Diane or Luke and Laura. And there are many of them. But instead of giving a typical answer. I'll hold out for a couple that isn't of the Romeo and Juliet ''young falling in love for the time'' mold. Give me a middle aged, May-December, or elderly couple.
More than enough people have answered Sam and Diane or Luke and Laura. And there are many of them. But instead of giving a typical answer. I'll hold out for a couple that isn't of the Romeo and Juliet ''young falling in love for the time'' mold. Give me a middle aged, May-December, or elderly couple.
Justin L. Murphy
During the really nasty idea drought I went through, I sketched a five page outline earlier this January (2014). I had always been a fan of the TV Series LOST and wanted to do my own version of it. This early idea combined a good portion of what's in the upcoming novel with with missing scientists and other captives being held in old abandoned house. I could commit to it at the time due to writing Colors of Emotion, and later Fear Always Blooms along with A Fan's Guide To Stanley Kubrick. No doubt this idea drought and apprehensiveness also played a role, feeling the story was too big.
Off and on, I would go back to the story and tinker with it. Dropped layers involved murder mysteries with a game with clues and weird paintings involving the abandoned house and those who once occupied it. A New York Times reporter and a stroke victim, among others, staying at a very strange rehab facility. Also, there were elements of time travel and a World's Fair plot that may have landed them there in the former idea. A subplot involving a German American automotive dealer and a Jewish soup kitchen volunteer being at odds during most of the story, only for the volunteer to discover the automotive dealer was in on the plot all along. And either organize a rescue effort or the missing scientist setting fire to the old abandoned house.
Luckily, all those elements have since been dropped and it's now a more straight ahead spy story about a determined female protagonist wanting to find answers (which is rare for me to write, sadly, since I'm male). Although certain smaller elements of these early attempts do remain, yet they're only small pinches that add to the bigger story as opposed to these earlier outlandish attempts that clash with the story. Will Leecy accomplish her goal in rescuing her brother or will some personal flaw and/or a big government agency overpower her and others in their crusade for the truth?
Off and on, I would go back to the story and tinker with it. Dropped layers involved murder mysteries with a game with clues and weird paintings involving the abandoned house and those who once occupied it. A New York Times reporter and a stroke victim, among others, staying at a very strange rehab facility. Also, there were elements of time travel and a World's Fair plot that may have landed them there in the former idea. A subplot involving a German American automotive dealer and a Jewish soup kitchen volunteer being at odds during most of the story, only for the volunteer to discover the automotive dealer was in on the plot all along. And either organize a rescue effort or the missing scientist setting fire to the old abandoned house.
Luckily, all those elements have since been dropped and it's now a more straight ahead spy story about a determined female protagonist wanting to find answers (which is rare for me to write, sadly, since I'm male). Although certain smaller elements of these early attempts do remain, yet they're only small pinches that add to the bigger story as opposed to these earlier outlandish attempts that clash with the story. Will Leecy accomplish her goal in rescuing her brother or will some personal flaw and/or a big government agency overpower her and others in their crusade for the truth?
Justin L. Murphy
It could anything, an idea popping into my head. Especially if it's putting small kernels of two or more established ideas and putting my own twist on them. Or reversing a completely tired and cliche idea and turning it either completely on its head or turning it inside out.
Justin L. Murphy
My next novel (or novella...lol) is entitled Sanctuary about a woman named Leecy Carlitch who's brother is a missing scientist possibly held captive by The CIA. Through twists and turns involving both digital technology and journeying to physical locations, she must do everything she can to find out where and why her brother is being held by The U.S. Government and their top spy agency.
Justin L. Murphy
Try everything you can and start as early as you can! Surround yourself with more experienced published authors who can be there for you, even if they rip your writing to shreds and you disagree with them! They could be right or they could be wrong....
Also, try to make as many Film/TV contacts as you can -- actors, writers, producers, directors etc. Working in Film/TV might be a long shot compared publishing your books through, but who knows? You may learn a lot from this other side of the industry and might even get an opportunity as a result!
Experiment with any genre, format, and medium you can for as long as possible! You may write better or be marketable at Southern Crime Fiction and Non-Fiction Entertainment vs. Sci-Fi/Fantasy. Or you might do better with short fiction better than with full length novels or Film/TV Scripts, but you never know until you discover this for yourself...
Also, your writing process will constantly evolve over the years. Sometimes it can be a very smooth transition, or it can be the hardest thing you ever had to go through in regards to learn something new. For example, in the aforementioned restructuring of both my writing process and publishing my books overall, said writing process currently consists of a couple steps I learned from my failed screenwriting attempts.
I outlining my story scene by scene on index cards followed by a 10 page treatment before into a 100 page notebook draft before typing and proofreading a 50 page rewrite on my word processor before uploading it to Kindle and setting the book's price before its release. I was inspired to do this a few friends felt my writing process was getting lazy and indeed they were. This process has changed many times over the years and will no doubt change again at some point.
Also, try to make as many Film/TV contacts as you can -- actors, writers, producers, directors etc. Working in Film/TV might be a long shot compared publishing your books through, but who knows? You may learn a lot from this other side of the industry and might even get an opportunity as a result!
Experiment with any genre, format, and medium you can for as long as possible! You may write better or be marketable at Southern Crime Fiction and Non-Fiction Entertainment vs. Sci-Fi/Fantasy. Or you might do better with short fiction better than with full length novels or Film/TV Scripts, but you never know until you discover this for yourself...
Also, your writing process will constantly evolve over the years. Sometimes it can be a very smooth transition, or it can be the hardest thing you ever had to go through in regards to learn something new. For example, in the aforementioned restructuring of both my writing process and publishing my books overall, said writing process currently consists of a couple steps I learned from my failed screenwriting attempts.
I outlining my story scene by scene on index cards followed by a 10 page treatment before into a 100 page notebook draft before typing and proofreading a 50 page rewrite on my word processor before uploading it to Kindle and setting the book's price before its release. I was inspired to do this a few friends felt my writing process was getting lazy and indeed they were. This process has changed many times over the years and will no doubt change again at some point.
Justin L. Murphy
Being imaginative and creating stories, along with sharing them with the world. It is one of the best feelings a human being can experience. Even though many around you will doubt you can ever make it work, and it could be YEARS before you make a living at this. If you're even that lucky to begin with!
You spend most of your life being taunted by more sociable types who think you're a weirdo or a freak and they feel they're normal, well adjusted people who will have life handed to them -- creativity allows you the chance to throw it right back in their faces!
You spend most of your life being taunted by more sociable types who think you're a weirdo or a freak and they feel they're normal, well adjusted people who will have life handed to them -- creativity allows you the chance to throw it right back in their faces!
Justin L. Murphy
While not exactly writer's block, I recently got over the worst idea drought IN MY LIFE! After the success of my novel Anger Always Flowers and the failure of a Film/TV Agent that didn't work out...I've kept on writing, but the last year and a half was unbearable! 2013 was filled with putting out material that was indeed subpar and most of the titles are now gone from as Amazon! Luckily, both writing A Fan's Guide To Stanley Kubrick and friend encouraging me to both continue my writing regardless and modify writing methods that were no longer working!
I am now writing and releasing only half the number of books compared to previous years. I'm now focusing on putting out longer reads of better quality. This combined with the success of The Disney-Star Wars Reboot audiobook on ACX and my first paid film job as as a script reader have allowed me to make 7 times the sales and income I've made before 2014.
I am now writing and releasing only half the number of books compared to previous years. I'm now focusing on putting out longer reads of better quality. This combined with the success of The Disney-Star Wars Reboot audiobook on ACX and my first paid film job as as a script reader have allowed me to make 7 times the sales and income I've made before 2014.
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