Ask the Author: Bill Gutman
Answered Questions (6)
Bill Gutman
Ideas can come to you in many ways. As a professional writer you're sometimes asked by a publisher to write a book, or in turn send proposals to publishers. Perhaps the most interesting way an idea came to me was while I was riding on a train some years ago after meeting with an editor in New York City. Suddenly a one-liner came into my head. "What if there was a murder at Yankee Stadium in 1927 and Babe Ruth became the prime suspect." That one line became the genesis for the entire Mike Fargo Mysteries series. And that's how Murder on Murderer's Row began, with a murder at the Stadium. It all grew from there.
Bill Gutman
If you're a writer, you write. You can't sit around waiting for "inspiration" to strike you. If it's something you love, you continue to pursue it. The inspiration comes from the satisfaction of knowing you and you alone have created something that will hopefully entertain, teach and bring some joy to others.
Bill Gutman
At this point in a long writing career I'm pretty much doing what I want to. My most ambitious project the last few years has been The Mike Fargo Mysteries series about a tough New York City detective working in the 1920s. Right now the series consists of a novel, four novellas, a trilogy that combines three of the novels and an introduction to the series called Roaring Twenties Cop, Mike Fargo's Own Story. It's told in his words and serves to give him a life as a lead character. I offer that book to readers for free. I'm also working on a non-Fargo novel that I began years ago and have already plotted out an additional Fargo novel and novella. Last year I got back to my sportswriting roots and wrote a young adult biography of the Yankees Aaron Judge, which came out last April. I also write a weekly baseball post for the Facebook page, Old Time Baseball Photos. So I keep busy. Writing is something that never quite leaves your system. As with most of the creative arts, you just continue to work.
Bill Gutman
The business of writing has changed much since when I began, first as a newspaper reporter and sports editor in 1967 and as a freelancer about 1971. It isn't an easy business today, but there are also more avenues available, such as blogging and self-publishing. So if you feel you want to be a writer, then write. Do what strikes your fancy at first. subjects you may know about or have interest in. Then start to look for possible outlets for your work. If you feel you want to write a novel, give it a try. And, if possible, get some personal advice from established writers. Most will be happy to help.
Bill Gutman
I guess the answer to this one is that you have to love writing as well as the creative process. Being that I've written both fiction and non-fiction, I've enjoyed aspects of each. With non-fiction you learn through your research and with some projects get to interview interesting people. I'm writing period fiction now so it involves, in my case, researching the 1920s and New York City, an era I've always loved. And then you get to create characters and situations entirely from your imagination. With mysteries, I enjoy the plotting and creating the twists and turns that will keep the reader engaged and guessing.
Bill Gutman
Fortunately, I've never had a real case of writer's block. Guess I'm lucky in that respect. But whenever I've had a question of how to approach a portion of a book, whether it be a lead to a chapter or simply an important few paragraphs I'd just start writing. From that starting point you can begin reshaping or changing as you see fit. But this method always seemed to get me going again.
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