Ask the Author: Tom Hilpert
Answered Questions (9)
Tom Hilpert
I get inspiration everywhere. I notice little things, and then build fake conspiracies out of a few facts. As far as sitting down and doing it, music helps a lot. I crank up some tunes, and start typing.
Tom Hilpert
Wow! That's tough to narrow down to just one. Of course, I want to point out that when we read (and write!) that is exactly what we are doing: traveling into that fictional world, and hanging out there for a while. I think my first choice would be Narnia (The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis). I think I'd fit in pretty well there. Plus, it's beautiful, interesting and full of adventures.
Tom Hilpert
I've been finishing up the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child. This series is a perfect example of what started me writing. They are well written. You find yourself drawn in quickly. They are interesting. Reacher is a great protagonist. Child usually puts in many interesting side characters. The plot usually keeps you guessing. Yet, the series proceeds from a world view, and moral position that I cannot endorse. I like the books, but I don't know if I would want my kids to read them. So I write books like that, only I do it from my own world view and moral position.
I'm not angry at Lee Child: he is who is, he believes what he believes. I like most of what I read in the Reacher series. But I think there is room for something else, something different, like Jonah Borden, and (breaking news...!) Peter Baer.
I'm not angry at Lee Child: he is who is, he believes what he believes. I like most of what I read in the Reacher series. But I think there is room for something else, something different, like Jonah Borden, and (breaking news...!) Peter Baer.
Tom Hilpert
I think one reason I write mysteries is because I can think of ways to make almost anything into a plot for one. I see "mysteries" everywhere.
There is a very famous mystery connected to one of my uncles. He was one of the flight officers on the D.B. Cooper hijacking. Every so often, a fan suggests I somehow work the famous incident into a plot for my book, not knowing that my own uncle was involved. The problem is, the most obvious mystery I would create would involve my uncle in a criminal conspiracy. In reality, he is an extremely kind, gentle, loving, honest man. So, don't look for a DB Cooper spin-off from me.
There is a very famous mystery connected to one of my uncles. He was one of the flight officers on the D.B. Cooper hijacking. Every so often, a fan suggests I somehow work the famous incident into a plot for my book, not knowing that my own uncle was involved. The problem is, the most obvious mystery I would create would involve my uncle in a criminal conspiracy. In reality, he is an extremely kind, gentle, loving, honest man. So, don't look for a DB Cooper spin-off from me.
Tom Hilpert
Write.
I'd love to leave it there, because it is that simple, but I'll offer a short explanation:
Unless you write, you are not a writer. If you do write, you are a writer. Simple as that.
Of course, there is the business side of things, but all that is pointless unless you actually write. Nothing good can happen for you as a writer until you actually write. Don't worry, at the beginning, about who might read it. Enter into the work and joy of it.
Whenever I'm discouraged as an author, I go back to simply writing. The joy returns, and eventually, good things come from it.
I'd love to leave it there, because it is that simple, but I'll offer a short explanation:
Unless you write, you are not a writer. If you do write, you are a writer. Simple as that.
Of course, there is the business side of things, but all that is pointless unless you actually write. Nothing good can happen for you as a writer until you actually write. Don't worry, at the beginning, about who might read it. Enter into the work and joy of it.
Whenever I'm discouraged as an author, I go back to simply writing. The joy returns, and eventually, good things come from it.
Tom Hilpert
This is something that is close to my heart as an author. I see very few long-term couples in the fiction genres I read the most: mystery/thriller, historical fiction, and fantasy. In fact, it seems like most authors don't know how to make a long term relationship interesting. To avoid a spoiler, I'll say: I intend to give Jonah Borden a long term relationship, and accept the challenge of making it interesting. I won't say with whom.
Tom Hilpert
Hi Lyndsy,
Very, very soon! I am hoping it will be next week, or at the latest, the 7th of December, 2015. Thanks for asking. The title is "Superior Getaway."
Very, very soon! I am hoping it will be next week, or at the latest, the 7th of December, 2015. Thanks for asking. The title is "Superior Getaway."
Tom Hilpert
Not well, as it turns out.
I get "blocked" a little more than halfway through every book I write. I've learned to not be surprised and dismayed by it as much as I used to be. For me anyway, it's a normal part of writing a book.
That alone -- understanding it is just a part of the process -- helps me to deal with it.
Usually, what I have to do is finally tell myself "Write poorly." I reconcile myself to the fact that what I write will be badly done, uninteresting, and probably it will make my remaining two readers put the book down. And then I write it anyway. Of course, as it turns out, it usually isn't that bad, and even when it is, I fix it later, in editing. But I need to tell myself to write 'crap' in order to go ahead and start writing - anything - again. Once I'm back in the groove, it all starts to flow again.
I get "blocked" a little more than halfway through every book I write. I've learned to not be surprised and dismayed by it as much as I used to be. For me anyway, it's a normal part of writing a book.
That alone -- understanding it is just a part of the process -- helps me to deal with it.
Usually, what I have to do is finally tell myself "Write poorly." I reconcile myself to the fact that what I write will be badly done, uninteresting, and probably it will make my remaining two readers put the book down. And then I write it anyway. Of course, as it turns out, it usually isn't that bad, and even when it is, I fix it later, in editing. But I need to tell myself to write 'crap' in order to go ahead and start writing - anything - again. Once I'm back in the groove, it all starts to flow again.
Tom Hilpert
Right now, I am working on my memoir of growing up in Papua New Guinea, with the tentative title: "Every Place I've Never Been."
I do have plot outlines for two more Superior Mysteries, and I fully intend to write them. It's just that some people very dear to me are growing older, and I want them to be able to read my memoir (in which they play a part) before it is too late.
I do have plot outlines for two more Superior Mysteries, and I fully intend to write them. It's just that some people very dear to me are growing older, and I want them to be able to read my memoir (in which they play a part) before it is too late.
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