Ask the Author: Eric Jay Dolin
Answered Questions (8)
Eric Jay Dolin
Sorry for the delay in responding. I need to check Goodreads more often! Thanks for your interest in my books. Unfortunately, I don't send out review copies, and my publisher only sends them to reviewers who have a formal platform, such as a newspaper, magazine, or podcast. So, if you do, please write to me at ericjayd@aol.com, and tell me who you write for, and which book or book you are interested in, and I will pass it along to my publicist. To learn more about me and my books, please visit www.ericjaydolin.com. There you can find stuff about my forthcoming book on privateering during the American Revolution. All the best! Eric
Eric Jay Dolin
Sorry for the delay! I don't check Goodreads that often, but will do so in the future. As to your question, I wouldn't say any particular spot spurred my imagination or writing career. All the places I lived -- Stamford, New Haven, Roslyn, and Providence and Marblehead (the last two, a bit north of your area), exposed me to great history and historical sites, which, in turn, helped foster my interest in history, and out of that grew my interest in writing. If anything, I would have to say Marblehead, where I live now, is the spot that has most influenced my love of early American history and maritime themes. Anyway, I hope you find inspiration all around. All the best, Eric (for more on me and my books, please see www.ericjaydolin.com)
Eric Jay Dolin
The key thing is being excited about the project you are working on. If you have that covered, inspiration follows. In other words, feeling great about what you are doing is the best motivator.
Eric Jay Dolin
I am currently writing a history of pirates in America, meaning the pirates who operated off the coast of what later became the United States.
Eric Jay Dolin
It's a cliche, but if you are serious, and writing is what you really want to do, don't give up, and don't let repeated failure get you down. I have a file cabinet full of rejection letters. And I will probably continue to get rejection letters for the rest of my life! Also, don't be afraid to share your work and get feedback from people whose judgement you trust. Nothing you write can't be improved, and you are often too close to your own writing to see its flaws. Finally, try to read authors who write about things you want to write about, and who also write the way you want to write. There is nothing wrong with getting pointers from the people who do what you want to do, and who do it well.
Eric Jay Dolin
I love the process of researching a topic, and finding fascinating facts and themes, and weaving them into a story that people don't want to put down. When I get excited about what I am writing, I am fairly confident that readers will be excited too. I also love the freedom of pursuing topics that are of interest to me, things I want to learn about. Of course, I am not totally free to pursue any idea. If I can't get a publisher to give me a contract, then I won't be able to write the book (although I have self-published once, I prefer working with an established publishing house). Finally, I love it when people read something I wrote, and tell me they like it. There is something very elemental and satisfying to get reinforcement that you are writing books people want to read, and which they enjoy.
Eric Jay Dolin
My most recent book is Brilliant Beacons: A History of the American Lighthouse, which publishes in April 2016. The inspiration for it was quite different than that which motivated my other books, in that it wasn’t my idea. I was casting around for a book topic, and had submitted a few to my editor at Liveright (an imprint of W. W. Norton), but he wasn’t particularly enamored with any of them. While I was generating more ideas, my editor and the head of sales and marketing for Norton asked me if I would be interested in writing a book on the history of American lighthouses. I said I wasn’t sure, since I knew almost nothing about lighthouses. So, I went off for about a month, read a bunch of books on lighthouses, and fell in love with the history; then, I submitted a brief proposal, and the book was born. Although I prefer coming up with my own ideas, I am very thankful that my editor and the head of sales gave me this gift.
Eric Jay Dolin
I don't get writer's block, if you mean not being able to write at all. What is far more common is getting writer's fatigue for lack of a better word. There are times when the words do not flow as easily, and my writing isn't as good as I want it to be, and know it can be. When that happens, I either switch to research, take a break, or just power through, realizing that eventually I will get back into a groove. Since I am a full-time writer, and this is how I earn my living, I don't have the luxury of not writing for long stretches. Whether or not I feel good, or have inspiration, I have to write. Fortunately, most of the time, I enjoy the writing process, and things go fairly smoothly.
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