Ask the Author: J.D. Goff
Answered Questions (6)
J.D. Goff
I got the idea for my most recent book from Lord of the Rings. I know, it's cliché but the inspiration came from reading the books and thinking, what if Sauron had won? What would everyone do if Sauron was running things, if the world was completely conquered and almost everyone subservient? I carried it further. In Tolkien's world evil is clearly foul. Orcs are vile looking creatures, the Nazgul are fearsome and terrifying, but evil isn't really ugly or repellent. It's seductive and alluring, or else why would we be drawn to it? I decided to write a story where evil was beautiful, and where it had triumphed in the world for that very reason. How do you fight an evil that grants your every desire, however base, and the faces it wears are of the people you love?
J.D. Goff
I go to the library or a book store and just wander around, picking books at random, reading the back cover or first few pages. Book stores and libraries are sacred places to me, they are a church to go and commune with my muse.
J.D. Goff
I think the best thing about being a writer, for me is the impact I have on others, the ability to get them excited about reading. Reading is the most important thing we can do with our minds, in my opinion. It opens the doors to everything else, and if I can get one person excited about reading, that is what makes it all worthwhile. When a fan tells me that I got them into reading, it's the best feeling in the world!
J.D. Goff
This is a common problem for all writers, but one I've found the best solution to is to just write. It doesn't have to be anything good, or even relevant to what you're working on. Writing is like starting your car when it's cold. It runs rough at first, but the longer you keep it running the smoother it gets until it's firing on all cylinders. Writing does the same thing. It may be garbage at first, but keep at it, and eventually something comes out of all the work.
J.D. Goff
Write every day. Don't wait for the mood, or inspiration. They do come if you're not writing, but infrequently. They come more often, much more often if you're doing what draws them, that is if you're writing.
J.D. Goff
I'm currently working on the third book in the Sommerstone Chronicles, The Whisper of God.
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