Ask the Author: Eric N. Bentley
Answered Questions (6)
Eric N. Bentley
For me sometimes it is just a matter of going for a long, quiet walk. Sometimes, it's a short vacation to the beach with my Queen. Rarely, it has required putting the notes aside and taking on a different, unrelated project. Like 'flipping' a house which took me four months to complete. By the time I returned to the book I had to go through my 'notes & nuggets' or reread the manifest to pickup where I left off. Usually that had been enough to jump start me back into the flow of writing.
Eric N. Bentley
Make sure your book journey is about something you enjoy. I can't imagine how you could force yourself to write about something you hate or have zero interest in.
Have a favorite author or genre? Start there, jot down some ideas. Go for a long walk on a quiet trail. Make sure to take notepad and paper. Don't try to force yourself to think. Gently dwell on a subject. Stop and jot down your 'nuggets' of inspiration. Don't wait until you get back home. Trust me, you will forget more than you will remember. Jot your notes into your computer, don't worry about chapters or chronological order, you can sort them out later.
Be careful about sharing your book dreams with others. Naysayers and unbelievers can crush your vision. Don't let someone proof or pre-read your book if they are not interested in your genre or if you will not be open to their criticism, constructive or otherwise. Sometimes family and friends can unintentionally derail your motivation and optimism.
I found great support from having a high school librarian read my book. Yes, I did pay her for her assistance and it was well worth it. Being my first book I asked her if she would grade my book on a scale of 1-10. I was afraid she would tell me to take up bowling or golf.
She said she wouldn't give me a 'score' other than to ask me some questions. When was book #2 coming out? Did the baby die? and she was particularly glad the dog in the book lived. I thought I had done an exceptional job with the grammar but she still found and marked many mistakes. However, she also brought to my attention several minor story discrepancies as well as two significant plot errors. Needless to say, to me she was worth every penny, and I intend to seek her out with my future books.
Most importantly, remember, writing a book is not a job, it's a journey!
Have a favorite author or genre? Start there, jot down some ideas. Go for a long walk on a quiet trail. Make sure to take notepad and paper. Don't try to force yourself to think. Gently dwell on a subject. Stop and jot down your 'nuggets' of inspiration. Don't wait until you get back home. Trust me, you will forget more than you will remember. Jot your notes into your computer, don't worry about chapters or chronological order, you can sort them out later.
Be careful about sharing your book dreams with others. Naysayers and unbelievers can crush your vision. Don't let someone proof or pre-read your book if they are not interested in your genre or if you will not be open to their criticism, constructive or otherwise. Sometimes family and friends can unintentionally derail your motivation and optimism.
I found great support from having a high school librarian read my book. Yes, I did pay her for her assistance and it was well worth it. Being my first book I asked her if she would grade my book on a scale of 1-10. I was afraid she would tell me to take up bowling or golf.
She said she wouldn't give me a 'score' other than to ask me some questions. When was book #2 coming out? Did the baby die? and she was particularly glad the dog in the book lived. I thought I had done an exceptional job with the grammar but she still found and marked many mistakes. However, she also brought to my attention several minor story discrepancies as well as two significant plot errors. Needless to say, to me she was worth every penny, and I intend to seek her out with my future books.
Most importantly, remember, writing a book is not a job, it's a journey!
Eric N. Bentley
I can't explain it other than to say I think about the story line and ideas pop into my head. Not all the time, but it is fair to say for me that it is most of the time.
And then there are those random, coming from out of nowhere, weird thoughts. Like seeing a video on the extraordinary growth rate of some varieties of bamboo. I used the information in the book Levanto as a torture method.
How to get inspired - Find quiet time, review time, don't pressure yourself, and have fun. After all, writing a book isn't a job, it's a journey!
And then there are those random, coming from out of nowhere, weird thoughts. Like seeing a video on the extraordinary growth rate of some varieties of bamboo. I used the information in the book Levanto as a torture method.
How to get inspired - Find quiet time, review time, don't pressure yourself, and have fun. After all, writing a book isn't a job, it's a journey!
Eric N. Bentley
Book #2 in The Wanderer series entitled, The Dark Rose. It was not part of the original chain of the books but I felt the reader's would want to know more of the history and background of the characters leading up to the creation of Book #1, La Gorda.
How and why did Jorge and La Gorda become so powerful? Why was Sheriff Marcus Wheeler so set on destroying the South Point Community Church? Why is Pica so evil and what is his obsession with Jorge?
How and why did Jorge and La Gorda become so powerful? Why was Sheriff Marcus Wheeler so set on destroying the South Point Community Church? Why is Pica so evil and what is his obsession with Jorge?
Eric N. Bentley
Letting my imagination run wild. Even some of my closest friends think I am a little strange due to some of the ideas I share with them regarding my book. But that's okay, I know the ideas might be weird, but I also know they like it.
Eric N. Bentley
Oddly enough, I feel it was inspired. My daughter and I had been discussing the growing epidemic of human trafficking and what is being done for the rescued victims. While driving on a road trip the thought popped into my head "What kind of person would do such a thing to another human being?"
I then thought of how many people would have to be involved in such a hideous 'business' and the level of corruption throughout the organization. The more I thought about it the more I was convinced such a despicable action could only be inspired by pure evil.
In my mind I imagined a border town with an evil sheriff and corrupt town leadership. Add a local drug lord, some thugs, bad townspeople, etc. Enter a local church trying to do something about the abductions in their small town and the systematic destruction of their leader and their credibility.
Toss in some external influences from the spiritual forces of good and evil and those associated battles. At some point I thought, "Sounds like a book."
Within hours I had a huge number of notes and ideas which I refer to as nuggets. Within a few days I realized it was going to have to be a multi-book series. As of this writing it appears there are going to be at least seven books in the series.
I then thought of how many people would have to be involved in such a hideous 'business' and the level of corruption throughout the organization. The more I thought about it the more I was convinced such a despicable action could only be inspired by pure evil.
In my mind I imagined a border town with an evil sheriff and corrupt town leadership. Add a local drug lord, some thugs, bad townspeople, etc. Enter a local church trying to do something about the abductions in their small town and the systematic destruction of their leader and their credibility.
Toss in some external influences from the spiritual forces of good and evil and those associated battles. At some point I thought, "Sounds like a book."
Within hours I had a huge number of notes and ideas which I refer to as nuggets. Within a few days I realized it was going to have to be a multi-book series. As of this writing it appears there are going to be at least seven books in the series.
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