Ask the Author: Jason C. McDonald
Answered Questions (6)
Jason C. McDonald
"Finding Scrooge" was inspired by a dream I had, in which I actually *was* the reformed Ebenezer Scrooge. While I've long since forgotten the details of the dream, it left me with a lingering question, "Whatever did happen to old Scrooge?" Questions like that just beg to be answered.
Jason C. McDonald
I'm actually writing several books at a time, which is a common habit of mine. Right now (Winter 2018) I'm making some revisions to "Noah Clue, P.I.", an upcoming mystery/comedy novel I'm publishing in 2019. I'm also working on the fourth book in "The Horseradish Creek Gang", a children's series I'm co-writing with my mother, Anne McDonald. The first book in that series, "Maétos Island Mystery", comes out Summer 2019.
Jason C. McDonald
I never know what will ignite my muse: a particular song, a scent, an overheard interaction...just about anything can inspire me to write. On one occasion, the discovery of a fairly terrible local Mexican restaurant lead to my writing an entire book chapter.
Jason C. McDonald
Getting to discover new worlds, and then sharing them with others! I love the process of figuring out the manners and customs of my fictional worlds, and learning how my characters interact within that society.
Jason C. McDonald
Western author Stephen Bly always said, "When you get stuck, shoot someone." I took that advice to heart early, and have introduced all manner of unusual circumstances into my stories to get unstuck. One of the most memorable was a giant snake I dropped into the middle of one character's path.
Stronger bouts of writer's block, however, tell me that I got something wrong in the story. Try as I might, I won't get unstuck without figuring out where I went wrong, and fixing it.
Stronger bouts of writer's block, however, tell me that I got something wrong in the story. Try as I might, I won't get unstuck without figuring out where I went wrong, and fixing it.
Jason C. McDonald
Don't let yourself become too enamored with your own words. The process of editing and refining a book for publication can be brutal, and only those authors who are willing to drastically rewrite even their favorite scenes and passages to improve the book will succeed. A phrase may seem brilliant, even potentially classic, to you, but if your editors, test-readers, or critique partners don't share that sentiment, you should seriously consider striking or rewriting it.
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