Ask the Author: Peter J. White
Answered Questions (6)
Peter J. White
Butt in chair.
Doesn't matter if I have no ideas or am in a dry spell. I sit in the chair at the same time every day and spend a minimum of 90 minutes there. I am only allowed to do "writing things".
Yes, sometimes this means reading a couple hundred pages on human trafficking in Africa, or chasing down the most expensive pistol in the world (Cabot Stellar Fusion 1911 .45), or the most expensive whisky (which changes: when I wrote Slouching Toward Tenancingo, it was the Peter Blake label of Macallan 1926; right now it's Craft Irish Whiskey Co.’s The Emerald Isle Collection – $2m!).
But mostly, if I'm stuck, I open a new page and start brainstorming where I want things to go; or if I need an entirely new work, same thing: open a new page and start typing out ideas.
Eventually (God willing) something comes...
Doesn't matter if I have no ideas or am in a dry spell. I sit in the chair at the same time every day and spend a minimum of 90 minutes there. I am only allowed to do "writing things".
Yes, sometimes this means reading a couple hundred pages on human trafficking in Africa, or chasing down the most expensive pistol in the world (Cabot Stellar Fusion 1911 .45), or the most expensive whisky (which changes: when I wrote Slouching Toward Tenancingo, it was the Peter Blake label of Macallan 1926; right now it's Craft Irish Whiskey Co.’s The Emerald Isle Collection – $2m!).
But mostly, if I'm stuck, I open a new page and start brainstorming where I want things to go; or if I need an entirely new work, same thing: open a new page and start typing out ideas.
Eventually (God willing) something comes...
Peter J. White
I find writing deeply satisfying. Something about creating a new story and characters fulfills me in the same way parenting does, and teaching--at least for the majority of kids who are a joy to be with.
If I've gotten my morning pages in, it's a good day.
If I've gotten my morning pages in, it's a good day.
Peter J. White
Butt in chair.
Set a time, every day, where you sit down to write.
The words will come.
And: write to market if you want to sell. I indulged myself for this Ghost Hunter series--and it's not selling well (picking up, but it sure ain't no Harry Potter...)
Set a time, every day, where you sit down to write.
The words will come.
And: write to market if you want to sell. I indulged myself for this Ghost Hunter series--and it's not selling well (picking up, but it sure ain't no Harry Potter...)
Peter J. White
A couple of things:
1) Ghost Hunter #6, tentatively entitled A Dish Best Served Cold; alternate possibility: Rising Above...
In #6 Max is devastated by a loss and becomes a true Ghost Hunter: deliberately seeking out ghosts in order to track down and take care of those who killed them. But this is a side pursuit as he is also looking for the one who caused this loss.
I'm about 60 pages in. Locations are Seychelles and Brussels. Some Thailand. Africa will play a part--lots of research to do yet.
2) Recasting a novella I wrote for a friend as a housewarming. It's a classic witch/ghost/possession/satanic ritual kind of thing. Seriously considering a completely different pen name and persona for this: it would be interesting to craft an online persona for this writer and see how much traction that gets.
1) Ghost Hunter #6, tentatively entitled A Dish Best Served Cold; alternate possibility: Rising Above...
In #6 Max is devastated by a loss and becomes a true Ghost Hunter: deliberately seeking out ghosts in order to track down and take care of those who killed them. But this is a side pursuit as he is also looking for the one who caused this loss.
I'm about 60 pages in. Locations are Seychelles and Brussels. Some Thailand. Africa will play a part--lots of research to do yet.
2) Recasting a novella I wrote for a friend as a housewarming. It's a classic witch/ghost/possession/satanic ritual kind of thing. Seriously considering a completely different pen name and persona for this: it would be interesting to craft an online persona for this writer and see how much traction that gets.
Peter J. White
I don't know. One advantage to longer works (and most of mine run well over 500 pages) is you don't have to come up with new ideas so often.
But I am always thinking about truth and reality; spirit and body; etc. So stuff pops up.
Frankly--I need more ideas: I've really mined this human trafficking thing for all it's worth...
I'll be moving into more classically paranormal suspense, I think. I have a few things I'm working on (I started my serious writing as a screenplay writer and have about a dozen screenplays, many of which are classic horror works; I think I will novelize a few of the best ones).
But I am always thinking about truth and reality; spirit and body; etc. So stuff pops up.
Frankly--I need more ideas: I've really mined this human trafficking thing for all it's worth...
I'll be moving into more classically paranormal suspense, I think. I have a few things I'm working on (I started my serious writing as a screenplay writer and have about a dozen screenplays, many of which are classic horror works; I think I will novelize a few of the best ones).
Peter J. White
Bangkok Redemption first came to mind when I was working on my MFA in screenwriting. It started with a nugget of an idea I had from my days living in Thailand:
A "trader" in gold offered me $1000, I think it was, to smuggle gold into Hong Kong. Gold prices were fixed there, at the time, and it was a sure way to make money.
Part of the sales pitch was it was "only" a year in jail if I got caught.
That's about $3/day, so I passed...
But it got me thinking: what if someone did that, only decided to abscond with the gold?
As you can see, the plot for the novel changed a LOT, but if you check the screenplay you'll find about half the elements there (I'll be posting the screenplay on my website later).
A "trader" in gold offered me $1000, I think it was, to smuggle gold into Hong Kong. Gold prices were fixed there, at the time, and it was a sure way to make money.
Part of the sales pitch was it was "only" a year in jail if I got caught.
That's about $3/day, so I passed...
But it got me thinking: what if someone did that, only decided to abscond with the gold?
As you can see, the plot for the novel changed a LOT, but if you check the screenplay you'll find about half the elements there (I'll be posting the screenplay on my website later).
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