Ask the Author: Rick Treon
Answered Questions (6)
Rick Treon
The original idea for Deep Background came from the old adage, "write what you know." Though in no way autobiographical, the characters are journalists, the setting is a fictionalized version of the region I call home (the Texas Panhandle), and the characters are small-town folk. The events, however, are mostly the product of someone who has read a lot of mysteries and thrillers, with some true commentary about the news business, politics, and the area where they intersect.
Rick Treon
I have wanted to write (fiction, nonfiction, anything) for as long as I can remember, and I have been writing for that long. That came from a love of reading, which I was doing before I ever set foot in a schoolroom. Now, perhaps the question is: what inspired you to want to write novels and get them published? That answer is essentially the same: reading. I found that adult novels, and particularly ones that posed a mystery to be solved (and usually includes a murder or three), helped me escape and brought me more emotional satisfaction than any other form of entertainment. I felt like I could do this for others, too. And it appears I was right.
Rick Treon
I just finished the bulk of my pre-writing on a new novel (not a sequel to Deep Background). Without giving away any spoilers, etc., I will simply say that it's about a person who's already a fish out of water when he gets caught up in a murder mystery. To do this, I spent four months in this new fishbowl (though I did not come across any murders).
Rick Treon
There are two levels for this. First, if you just want to write for the enjoyment of writing, not worrying whether or not your work is ever published or if you can make any money, the advice is simple: write. Write now. Write always.
If you're like me and like writing so much that you want to get your work published (and hopefully make enough money to make it full-time), then there is one additional piece of advice: commit. Commit fully. You will probably have to get your family and/or friends on board for some financial and emotional support, but to get something like a novel published and to market it enough to make it a success, you will have to dedicate a lot of time and effort into it. But for those who want to do it, and can do it, there are few greater feelings on this earth.
If you're like me and like writing so much that you want to get your work published (and hopefully make enough money to make it full-time), then there is one additional piece of advice: commit. Commit fully. You will probably have to get your family and/or friends on board for some financial and emotional support, but to get something like a novel published and to market it enough to make it a success, you will have to dedicate a lot of time and effort into it. But for those who want to do it, and can do it, there are few greater feelings on this earth.
Rick Treon
Selfishly, the act of writing. I love composing sentences, choosing words, and the feeling of pounding computer keys (to borrow a phrase from Up in the Air, I type with purpose). I also really love getting to tell stories that I hope will entertain people. I always hope that's the byproduct of doing what I love to do.
Rick Treon
I haven't experienced writer's block. I've heard this answer from other journalists-turned-novelists. The most common theory seems to be that reporters are trained to work under short, strict deadlines. We don't have time to wait for inspiration. Now, does that mean that our first drafts need more work than other novelists? Perhaps. I also tend to play out scenes in my head well before trying to write them, so that may also keep me from staring at a blinking cursor for too long.
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