Ask the Author: John Bateson
Answered Questions (5)
John Bateson
The subject of military suicides interested me, and I wanted to read more about it but couldn’t find a single, somewhat definitive source. That was when I wrote “The Last and Greatest Battle.” I wrote it because I wanted to read it. Also, I felt that I had something important to say that no one else seemed to be saying.
John Bateson
Currently I’m working on a nonfiction book about the life of a small-county coroner who has handled some big-time cases. The cases themselves are fascinating, combining detective work and medical forensics, but it’s other facets of the job such as how a coroner approaches a death scene, the determination of time of death and the identity of skeletal remains, as well as the hardest part of the job—making death notifications—that really interests me.
John Bateson
Don’t give up. It’s disheartening to accumulate a pile of rejection notices, especially if most of them are form rejections which call into question whether anyone actually read your submission. Keep at it anyway. It helps that most of us, I think, write for ourselves first and foremost, for our own enjoyment, and take satisfaction in telling a story well regardless of whether it reaches a wider audience.
One strategy I used early on as far as getting published was to read books on a related subject and note who the author credited in the acknowledgements as shepherding the book along. Then I sent a query letter to that person complementing him or her and asking if there was potential interest in my book. People appreciate compliments, and doing this seemed to open the door.
One strategy I used early on as far as getting published was to read books on a related subject and note who the author credited in the acknowledgements as shepherding the book along. Then I sent a query letter to that person complementing him or her and asking if there was potential interest in my book. People appreciate compliments, and doing this seemed to open the door.
John Bateson
All of us are writers; we’re just not all published writers. The best thing about being a writer is the enjoyment that comes from writing what you think is a perfect phrase or description, or articulating an idea or opinion exactly how you want to. It’s true that writers fall in love with their words sometimes, and the best thing about it is that you don’t need anyone else’s approval to continue the affair.
John Bateson
Getting started each day is the hardest for me, although I’m pretty disciplined and make a point of sitting down at my computer as soon as my wife leaves for work. Usually I go back and read the last couple of pages that I wrote the previous day, making some edits and generally getting into the flow of it again. After that I’m ready to continue with the writing.
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