Ask the Author: James Windell
Answered Questions (7)
James Windell
I don't find it difficult at all to work on more than one book at a time. I have the ability (I'm not certain if it is gift or a curse!) to switch from one book to another and to write in short blocks of time (say, 15 or 20 minutes if I have nothing else pressing to do). Since I have books in different stages of development -- from the idea stage to final proofing stage --, it's usually not that I'm writing several chapters in several books at the same time, although that has happened. I can imagine that it would be quite a bit more difficult if I were writing novels instead of nonfiction books.
James Windell
For young writers, I suggest that you get in the habit of writing every day. That means either keeping a daily journal or writing a daily blog, or wrangling a job as a newspaper or Internet columnist or writer. There's no better training than the news business because you learn to write clearly and quickly.
James Windell
The best thing about being a writer is that you get paid for writing and expressing what you think and feel, as well as doing what you enjoy. Writers typically have a compulsion to write; what better than to get paid for doing this?
James Windell
I have never experienced writer's block. I would like to attribute this to having been both a psychological examiner writing psychological test reports to meet court deadlines and a newspaper writer, which also required writing quickly to meet deadlines. I just found that writing is like exercise; you may not feel like doing it at the moment, but if you force yourself to start it gets easier -- and even enjoyable -- once you get going.
James Windell
At this time (October, 2015), I'm working on books on wrongful convictions, tactical crime analysis, the giants of criminal justice in America, and a book about dogs. Also, Kristin Meekhof and I are in the planning stages of a book that will be a follow-up to "A Widow's Guide to Healing." Plus I have five or six ideas for other books bouncing around in my head.
James Windell
I don't rely on inspiration for my writing. I work at being a writer every day. Most of the time I have several book projects going and I try to spend 8 to 12 hours every day writing at one or more of those projects. I hope that inspiration happens sometimes while I'm plugging away at a book.
James Windell
My friend Kristin Meekhof approached me with her idea to write a book about and for widows. We then spent several months coming up with the ideas and themes we wanted to pursue for the book that became "A Widow's Guide to Healing: Gentle Support and Advive for the First 5 Years."
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