Ask the Author: D.T. Pugh
Answered Questions (4)
D.T. Pugh
One day, my wife and I were hiking on a beautiful fall day in Vermont. She said she was in the mood for a book that took place in an old house in the 1920s where mysterious new neighbors move in and wreak havoc on the protagonist. I said "I'll write it!" At the point, I had only written a few short stories.
So that's where the spark of the story started. I combined that with another story idea I had (which I won't elaborate on else I'll give away too much of the story) and I had the complete story for The Loss.
So that's where the spark of the story started. I combined that with another story idea I had (which I won't elaborate on else I'll give away too much of the story) and I had the complete story for The Loss.
D.T. Pugh
Be patient. It takes a long time to write a book. I started THE LOSS in 2017 and I just released it in 2021. Besides the writing, there’s editing and getting beta reading then editing again. Then you query your book to agents who don’t get back to you for months. It takes a lot of time for one book.
Try to focus on one book at a time. What I have done so far is write a first draft, then put it away and work on a first draft of another book. When I’m done with the first draft of the second book, I go back and start editing the first book. Don’t go back and forth when you haven’t finished a draft.
Keep writing. Even if it’s bad, put words on to paper on a regular schedule. Don’t wait for inspiration, set a goal and do the work. Your editing later is what makes the book magic, and you have the ability to see the story as a whole which makes editing easier.
Don’t be afraid. You’ll face a lot of rejection, sometimes people will hate your book, but you can’t please everyone. Just write the stories that you have in your mind and you heart and it will connect with someone.
Try to focus on one book at a time. What I have done so far is write a first draft, then put it away and work on a first draft of another book. When I’m done with the first draft of the second book, I go back and start editing the first book. Don’t go back and forth when you haven’t finished a draft.
Keep writing. Even if it’s bad, put words on to paper on a regular schedule. Don’t wait for inspiration, set a goal and do the work. Your editing later is what makes the book magic, and you have the ability to see the story as a whole which makes editing easier.
Don’t be afraid. You’ll face a lot of rejection, sometimes people will hate your book, but you can’t please everyone. Just write the stories that you have in your mind and you heart and it will connect with someone.
D.T. Pugh
Fortunately, I have not had to deal with writer’s block yet, and hopefully I never will. My strategy with writing is to write to a certain word count each day without regard for how shoddy the plotting is or how terrible the dialogue or prose might be. I just keep writing until I am satisfied with the ending, then I go back and edit, or even remove, much of my work to make the story better.
D.T. Pugh
When it becomes summertime, I like to read books about baseball and maritime adventures. I live in Rhode Island and I love the ocean. There are a lot of great stories to be told about adventures at sea. This year, Treasure Island is on my list. It’s a classic that I have not read but I am looking forward to sitting on the beach with a rum drink reading about pirates this summer.
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