Ask the Author: Michael Mullin
Answered Questions (8)
Michael Mullin
They thought her imaginary friend was cute. Then they met him.
Michael Mullin
I wish! That would be fun! Unfortunately, Larry's mishap destinations are set by market size. (Disappointing, huh?) I take it you live there, but I'm curious: did you see that I do too?
Michael Mullin
I'd love to say "I write because I can't NOT write," but I'm actually quite good at NOT writing. (Practice makes perfect.) That said, I am inspired by certain parts of the process: the discoveries and the creation of characters. I'm also inspired by the idea of a legacy, contributing something to society that outlives me. On the practical side, nothing inspires like a deadline that's not made up by me. For example, I want to have my new novel out by the LA Times Festival of Books in mid April. That's very inspiring.
Michael Mullin
Besides all the money I'm showered with (just kidding), it would have to be the positive feedback from readers. Sounds almost cliché, but to get a total stranger to read something you've written is not easy. When that person not only enjoys it but raves about it, that is really something. I also like balancing the creative and business side of things. That's NOT cliché, as most writers hate that.
Michael Mullin
The idea allegedly came from Shakespeare (but actually from Edward de Vere, if you're among those who realize Shakespeare didn't really write all that's attributed to him!) http://www.gemiknight.com/the-ultimat...
Michael Mullin
A YA novel that's a modern-day retelling of Hamlet. Also a humor book about Martians and a second "TaleSpins" graphic novel adaptation. Busy!
Michael Mullin
Learn the craft, the same way you would painting or cooking. There's a big difference between writing something and writing something down. Many self-published, first-time authors have really only done the latter. How do I know that? For one thing the synopses of those novels are poorly written, unclear and contain grammatical errors. That sounds harsh, but think about it: if you decided to become a baker, would you sell cookies online that consisted of the wrong ingredients, poorly mixed and undercooked? Would you jump into that venture that way just because it was easy and available, with "services" lining up to charge you money to get your product "out there" to their thousands of social media followers?? Of course you wouldn't.
Michael Mullin
I usually have several different projects in different genres going simultaneously. Writer's block for me is more genre specific, so I can often shift gears by switching project focus and still accomplish something. That said, I'm bad at putting a daily quota of pages, words or time on my work. So sometimes writer's block hits and I don't even realize it! (Ignorance is bliss, right?)
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