Ask the Author: Sherman L. Smith

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How do you get inspired to write?

Sherman L. Smith

This answer contains spoilers… (view spoiler)[You may remember a movie scene, there were many, where the writer-want-to be slaves over the keyboard with three words written and an overflowing trash can containing all of his/her failed attempts to capture that fourth word.

Been there, and done that.

I am a writer of fiction, more importantly, a storyteller. That being said, let your imagination do the work for you. Writing is like reading a good book. If you are in too much of a hurry to get to the end, you have missed the story. Whether you are writing historical fiction, science fiction, or any other kind of fiction, as a writer you need to be there in the time and space in which you are bringing your story to life. Layer your story so the reader does not find it one dimensional. When you do these things, you begin to have some fun.

When you have finished one writing session you will find yourself excited about coming back for the next. Your mind will play with the scene, your characters, and where the story is going next. You are creating a page turner, not for the reader yet, but for you, the writer. It becomes hard to step away. Only you have to or you will find yourself over writing. Remember, that if you truly love your characters, they will take you to places you would not have thought of by yourself. In the end your readers will experience the same.

Always finish a scene, even if it is not as good as you would like it to be. Don't get bogged down into a quagmire of words that aren't coming together yet. Once finished, step away from the story. When you come back reread your blemished scene concentrating first on what is good. Listen to your characters. Start working on your scene by finding ways to make your best writing in the scene better. See your entire scene for what it is. Now start pulling apart the blemished parts, always remembering to attach them in a meaningful way to your better parts.

What, you are not finding anthing there worth saving? Okay, that is part of becoming a writer. Don't be afraid of throwing away a sentence, a page, a scene, or the entire story if it isn't coming together. If you don't like it, neither will a potential reader. Maybe you are working on the wrong story - that happens a lot.

Not too long ago, I completed a suspense fiction novel. It was centered around the great 1906 earthquake in San Francisco and I had worked on it for almost a year. I had fun writing it. I captured a city in ruins and the chaos - brought you there - only my characters were flat, their emotions were not hanging on the edge of each page. I took a good look at it and made the decision to shelve it. Will I ever come come back and try a rewrite? I don't know. My next book was 'Poets Can't Sing' and its sequel is even better.

Here is an interesting writing exercise to help get the creative juices going. Choose a character from your novel. Now open the dictionary and skim it until you find a word that grabs you. Don't over intelectualize this. Say the word you choose is 'soul'. Ok, you now have five minutes to write a flash fiction piece connecting your character and your chosen word. It does not have to have anything to do with the novel you are working on. No one is looking over your shoulder, have some fun.
If you are not inspired to have some fun while writing, maybe you shoulld take some time off and read a good book. (hide spoiler)]

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What’s the best thing about being a writer?

Sherman L. Smith Creating the next page, the page after that, and after that . . .

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What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Sherman L. Smith Don't worry about the technical editing until you have told your story (Fiction). Stop looking over your shoulder for an invisible critic, at this point the story being written is between you and your characters. Never give a walk on character a name unless they have a valid reason to be in the story, your readers will want to know more about the character.
Patience.

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What are you currently working on?

Sherman L. Smith "The Changing Wind," the third and final sequel to 'Poets Can't Sing."
'Poets . . .' takes place in 1946. The Honeysuckle Rose Hotel in 1948.
'The Changing Wind" follows the characters from 1950 to 1962.
Also working on 'If You Say It Again . . ." a historical fiction piece following the 60 years as Russian Jewish refugees Mikail and Vera Lapin through the historical theater of the first 77 years of the 2oth Century.

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Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

Sherman L. Smith I finished a book I determined wasn't good enough for publication - however it had one great chapter which brought to life the key character in 'Poets Can't Sing'.
'The Honeysuckle Rose Hotel', sequel to 'Poets...', allows the characters to explain to the readers why poets can't sing.

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How do you deal with writer’s block?

Sherman L. Smith
I rarely get writers block.
I do any research before I sit down to write. I play soft jazz while writing.
I don't worry about editing, other than word choice, while writing. I let my characters guide me.

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