Ask the Author: Michael W. Sherer
Answered Questions (5)
Michael W. Sherer
The hours. Seriously, writing allows me to be my own boss, and create a product for others that's solely of my own making. I take a lot of pride in that.
Michael W. Sherer
My most recent book, "Mistaken Identity," coming out October 15, 2020, is a sequel to last year's "Stolen Identity." While I haven't finished telling the protagonist Zane Keator's story, I discovered I really liked another character in that book, Jenny Roberts, who's part of the FBI team tracking Keator down.
At the end of "Stolen Identity," Jenny looks like a hero for having the insight to steer her partner and boss to the truth about Keator and save the National Archives and Charters of Freedom from terrorist destruction. But she did it in an unorthodox way.
I wondered what repercussions she might face for her choices, and wanted to explore her character and backstory more. So "Mistaken Identity" opens after her partner has hung her out to dry to save his own job and reputation in the bureau and she's put on administrative leave. With time on her hands and fearful of losing her job, I thought about where she would go, and decided she might go home to try to reconcile with the family she hasn't seen in 15 years.
Then I thought about what might happen if she found herself in a situation with no way out, no help available from her former team members at the FBI, and her reputation and future in doubt. I ended up with three stories on a collision course aboard the train Jenny takes home, and went from there.
At the end of "Stolen Identity," Jenny looks like a hero for having the insight to steer her partner and boss to the truth about Keator and save the National Archives and Charters of Freedom from terrorist destruction. But she did it in an unorthodox way.
I wondered what repercussions she might face for her choices, and wanted to explore her character and backstory more. So "Mistaken Identity" opens after her partner has hung her out to dry to save his own job and reputation in the bureau and she's put on administrative leave. With time on her hands and fearful of losing her job, I thought about where she would go, and decided she might go home to try to reconcile with the family she hasn't seen in 15 years.
Then I thought about what might happen if she found herself in a situation with no way out, no help available from her former team members at the FBI, and her reputation and future in doubt. I ended up with three stories on a collision course aboard the train Jenny takes home, and went from there.
Michael W. Sherer
The premise or inspiration from almost all of my books starts with a question--what if...? The question can be sparked by a story in the news, a photograph, a television, or even a dream. My Tess Barrett series, for example, was born from a bizarre dream in which phrases came at me in a barrage--blind rage, blind instinct, blind trust, blind justice, blind ambition--so fast and furious they woke me. I sat up wondering what the dream had been about, and realized they were book titles about a blind teen girl who is at the center of a mystery, a thriller, a conspiracy of some sort. And the question--what if?--inspired the rest of the story.
For example, what if the girl wasn't blind from birth, but was blinded in an accident? What if it was a car accident that killed her parents and left her an orphan? What if this girl was not only at the center of the thriller, but went about solving mysteries, and ultimately the mystery of what caused the accident that killed her parents and blinded her?
But how would a blind, orphaned teenager solve crimes and mysteries? She would need help, support. What if she had not a seeing eye dog, but a seeing eye guy? And so on. If you ask the question and let your imagination run, the answers may surprise you.
As to the actual process of writing, inspiration doesn't come easily. Writing is a job. It's work, often difficult. The author Tim Clancy was once asked by an interviewer if he thought his sons would follow him into the career of writing. He said, "God, I hope not. Writing is hard work, like digging ditches."
As a writer, you can't wait for inspiration. You have to sit down and do the work. On some days, it's painful, staring at a blank page or screen, ending the day with few or no words. On others, the words flow and the task seems easy.
Even those "ah-ha" moments, when inspiration strikes like lightning, are usually the result of hard work. Mine often come after hours or days of what author Cam Newton calls "deep work," time spent focusing on a problem, issue, plot twist, character background, or whatever. It's time spent thinking, with no distractions, and it's not easy. Ultimately, though, it's fruitful.
For example, what if the girl wasn't blind from birth, but was blinded in an accident? What if it was a car accident that killed her parents and left her an orphan? What if this girl was not only at the center of the thriller, but went about solving mysteries, and ultimately the mystery of what caused the accident that killed her parents and blinded her?
But how would a blind, orphaned teenager solve crimes and mysteries? She would need help, support. What if she had not a seeing eye dog, but a seeing eye guy? And so on. If you ask the question and let your imagination run, the answers may surprise you.
As to the actual process of writing, inspiration doesn't come easily. Writing is a job. It's work, often difficult. The author Tim Clancy was once asked by an interviewer if he thought his sons would follow him into the career of writing. He said, "God, I hope not. Writing is hard work, like digging ditches."
As a writer, you can't wait for inspiration. You have to sit down and do the work. On some days, it's painful, staring at a blank page or screen, ending the day with few or no words. On others, the words flow and the task seems easy.
Even those "ah-ha" moments, when inspiration strikes like lightning, are usually the result of hard work. Mine often come after hours or days of what author Cam Newton calls "deep work," time spent focusing on a problem, issue, plot twist, character background, or whatever. It's time spent thinking, with no distractions, and it's not easy. Ultimately, though, it's fruitful.
Michael W. Sherer
I'm presently working on the third book in my Tess Barrett YA thriller series, "Blind Trust." The first in the series ("Blind Rage") was a Kindle Scout selection, which I'm now also rewriting and reimagining for film/television in collaboration with a creative development director. The process has given me new insights into my characters and into my audience. That's really helped me shape scenes in the new book. The challenge has been trying to ignore the distractions of the pandemic, the BLM protests and the upcoming election.
Michael W. Sherer
First, prepare yourself for rejection. Writers face a difficult climb to success. In fact, the US Census Bureau of Labor Statistics once ranked writers only one step above migrant farm workers on a list of professions ranked by income, at the very bottom. So, don't expect instant discovery and fame. It does happen, but infrequently.
Recognize that rejection isn't personal. Writing is subjective, and what one editor doesn't care for another may love. And it's the work that they're reacting to, not the writer. The most successful writers typically are those who persevered, who kept writing and knocking on doors until they found acceptance.
Even in today's world, when self-publishing is an easy option, success can be difficult because of competition and the sheer clutter and noise in the marketplace. An author friend once said, for example, that selling a book on social media is like standing up at a game in Dodgers Stadium (pre-COVID, of course) and yelling, "Buy my book!"
If you have confidence in your work, however, keep at it.
Second, while some writers have a natural talent (just as some athletes are gifted with natural grace), most consider writing a craft. Like any other craft, from carpentry to football, writing takes practice. The more you practice, the better you'll become, theoretically. Study other writers' work, what makes it good. Read how-to articles or take writing classes. But most of all, write.
I subscribe to the A.I.C. school of writing--Ass In Chair. You can't' b e a writer unless you sit down and do it.
Recognize that rejection isn't personal. Writing is subjective, and what one editor doesn't care for another may love. And it's the work that they're reacting to, not the writer. The most successful writers typically are those who persevered, who kept writing and knocking on doors until they found acceptance.
Even in today's world, when self-publishing is an easy option, success can be difficult because of competition and the sheer clutter and noise in the marketplace. An author friend once said, for example, that selling a book on social media is like standing up at a game in Dodgers Stadium (pre-COVID, of course) and yelling, "Buy my book!"
If you have confidence in your work, however, keep at it.
Second, while some writers have a natural talent (just as some athletes are gifted with natural grace), most consider writing a craft. Like any other craft, from carpentry to football, writing takes practice. The more you practice, the better you'll become, theoretically. Study other writers' work, what makes it good. Read how-to articles or take writing classes. But most of all, write.
I subscribe to the A.I.C. school of writing--Ass In Chair. You can't' b e a writer unless you sit down and do it.
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