Ask the Author: Ron Bender
Answered Questions (8)
Ron Bender
Hi Tim, I'm glad you like them. I appreciate the support and I wish I had a solid answer. My editor (my wife) and I produce these books in and around day jobs. I can say that we are deep into an editorial pass, but I would be leading you astray if I set a hard date. You can drop by thecyberdeck.com and email directly from there. As soon as I get a firm timeline I can drop you a note!
Ron Bender
Hey! Thanks for reaching out. I'm really glad you liked the books! I have two more in the wings waiting for editing. My editor ( also my fiancee) and I do everything on our own, from writing to covers to back copy. We want to put the best product we can. It takes time- time we have to find around working, living, and trying to maintain some kind of social life. The website got hit with a nasty virus- all our contacts are safe but since neither of us are web developers and everyone else wants cash... we basically are going to rebuild it. So long story, and kind boring. Not at all like anything in New White Sands. Feral Lands is book 4 and we hope to have another novella with a bit more of Picasso in it. I hope you stay safe and keep reading! P.S. Thanks for the reviews- they really are life blood to a writer.
Ron Bender
Writers what?
No. It's all about the state of mind. If I get stumped it's because somewhere along the way I've written myself into a hole. If the hole needs filling in; so be it. If the hole needs to be there; go back and account for it. It might take brain power, and time, but it's not a block. Blocks are negative, its an opportunity... an opportunity to stretch myself, my craft, my characters.
No. It's all about the state of mind. If I get stumped it's because somewhere along the way I've written myself into a hole. If the hole needs filling in; so be it. If the hole needs to be there; go back and account for it. It might take brain power, and time, but it's not a block. Blocks are negative, its an opportunity... an opportunity to stretch myself, my craft, my characters.
Ron Bender
I can set my own hours as long as the project is finished in the time I've allotted. I can live a life, go for walks, hang out with friends and family, hit the pub...but the work has to happen. As a secondary item- I love the mental challenge of all of it.
Ron Bender
Understand the goal of your writing before you start.
Know that it can't be edited if it's still in your head.
Make sure you write often and in quantity.
If your plan is take you book to market that you research as much as you can, because the writing is the easy part.
Know that it can't be edited if it's still in your head.
Make sure you write often and in quantity.
If your plan is take you book to market that you research as much as you can, because the writing is the easy part.
Ron Bender
Currently I'm working with my editor on the next books in the series. Writing book seven (as of 11-25-16). I have two short stories I'm revising, a novella I'd like to send off very soon, and polishing the first two books of a historical fantasy trilogy. I like having a lot of different to the projects on the go. When I get stuck on one I can set it aside and continue with another. Generally an answer to the problem comes around and throws me back into the project again.
Ron Bender
Short answer: Caffeine.
Long answer: I developed the habit of writing over a two year period. I started with a couple of hundred words a day and worked my way up, adding a bigger word goal every week. On a good week I can produce between 12k - 16k words as a full-time thing. I'm lucky I have a lot of support from people around me. Now I find that if I DON'T write for a few days I start to get antsy. It's like the worst kind of cabin fever...
Long answer: I developed the habit of writing over a two year period. I started with a couple of hundred words a day and worked my way up, adding a bigger word goal every week. On a good week I can produce between 12k - 16k words as a full-time thing. I'm lucky I have a lot of support from people around me. Now I find that if I DON'T write for a few days I start to get antsy. It's like the worst kind of cabin fever...
Ron Bender
I'm very much a paper and dice role-playing gamer. I've been gaming since I got a D&D box set in 1977. Of course I'm still an avid gamer. The world of New White Sands is the cyberpunk environment I developed for gaming.
I dreamed up a the story arc as a game and realized that it needed to be written as a book. One book became a few, then many...The series begins with a single inciting incident that unravels over fifteen books (six of which are already written) and four main POV's. Ultimately it's a story about one person who is in a position to act to correct what they see as the injustices of their world, and whose journey is shown from the perspectives of those around them.
I dreamed up a the story arc as a game and realized that it needed to be written as a book. One book became a few, then many...The series begins with a single inciting incident that unravels over fifteen books (six of which are already written) and four main POV's. Ultimately it's a story about one person who is in a position to act to correct what they see as the injustices of their world, and whose journey is shown from the perspectives of those around them.
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