Ask the Author: James V. Smith Jr.
Answered Questions (12)
James V. Smith Jr.
Guilty as charged.
I remember your name. Refresh my memory.
I remember your name. Refresh my memory.
James V. Smith Jr.
Ah, well, the question should be: How do I stay motivated to do my chores and interact with the other humanoids?
I always have more ideas to write than time to do them justice. Fact is, I've just begun to get acquainted with other members of the species, using voice-to-text to behave socially with other writers at the Iowa University online course in writing is taxing the clock. Marketing Prison of the Soul is an entirely new full-time project, though interesting is not nearly as absorbing as writing. St. Ant Knee is the start of a series, with #2 in progress, and #3 already imagined. Be warned. Writing, once it seduces you, is a mistress like Glenn Close in "Fatal Attraction."
I always have more ideas to write than time to do them justice. Fact is, I've just begun to get acquainted with other members of the species, using voice-to-text to behave socially with other writers at the Iowa University online course in writing is taxing the clock. Marketing Prison of the Soul is an entirely new full-time project, though interesting is not nearly as absorbing as writing. St. Ant Knee is the start of a series, with #2 in progress, and #3 already imagined. Be warned. Writing, once it seduces you, is a mistress like Glenn Close in "Fatal Attraction."
James V. Smith Jr.
For escapism, I read mysteries and thrillers.
For modeling other writers, I go to literary fiction.
For humility, I read Jane Austen.
For the pure love of them, I read the great Shakespeare tragedies and comedies.
For learning, biographies.
Writing? Prison of the Soul is my first literary effort with a twist of romance.
But I'm now stuck on fantasy romance of the Novels for Sinners series.
Thanks for asking.
For modeling other writers, I go to literary fiction.
For humility, I read Jane Austen.
For the pure love of them, I read the great Shakespeare tragedies and comedies.
For learning, biographies.
Writing? Prison of the Soul is my first literary effort with a twist of romance.
But I'm now stuck on fantasy romance of the Novels for Sinners series.
Thanks for asking.
James V. Smith Jr.
Short answer: Nope.
But I never answer short. So . . .
The closest I come to that is the occasional chapter that feels like a complete story. I wish I were better at that. I wrote an assignment last year for the How Writers Write Fiction course and somebody commented that it felt like flash fiction. Hmmm? I didn't even know what that was. Fact is, I think writing a short story well is an art that requires reading lots of short stories and writing even more. Hard enough for me to keep learning the long form, even after I've published novels and plan to write many more.
Once upon a time I set out to become the world's greatest photographer. I got pretty good at it, but kept coming back to writing the novel. I think my patron saint, Ant Knee (I adopted him) is telling me what to do. So. Back to my next novel. But your question has inspired me to invent more short stories to populate my chapters.
But I never answer short. So . . .
The closest I come to that is the occasional chapter that feels like a complete story. I wish I were better at that. I wrote an assignment last year for the How Writers Write Fiction course and somebody commented that it felt like flash fiction. Hmmm? I didn't even know what that was. Fact is, I think writing a short story well is an art that requires reading lots of short stories and writing even more. Hard enough for me to keep learning the long form, even after I've published novels and plan to write many more.
Once upon a time I set out to become the world's greatest photographer. I got pretty good at it, but kept coming back to writing the novel. I think my patron saint, Ant Knee (I adopted him) is telling me what to do. So. Back to my next novel. But your question has inspired me to invent more short stories to populate my chapters.
James V. Smith Jr.
Easy. Donald Maass. Writing the Breakout Novel and the later workbook to the book. If you can only buy one, get the workbook and use it end to end to write and revise your story.
You can own too many writing how-to books, I think. Sooner or later a writer just has to stop reading the books and writing short fiction and get on with the more daunting challenge of writing a novel.
You can own too many writing how-to books, I think. Sooner or later a writer just has to stop reading the books and writing short fiction and get on with the more daunting challenge of writing a novel.
James V. Smith Jr.
Welcome back, Ann. Thanks for the plug of You Can Write a Novel.
Answer: Yes. I still use that system, but it has evolved. Here's a bit of "inside baseball" for you. When I originally proposed that book, Writers Digest said no the idea of a writer's kit to go with the devices I suggested. A couple years later, somebody at WD came up with the idea. It came out in a new edition without my even knowing about it. When they did it, the idea was exceedingly brilliant. No matter who got the credit, I got the satisfaction of seeing it.
My latest evolution is a workflow that coordinates with the Dragon programs and other voice-to-text software. It will streamline and automate a lot of writer drudgery. In fact, some of the grunt work that writers have to endure to organize is going to become fun activity.
Stay tuned. I'm eager to get it out there.
Thanks again for engaging me, making me think. Oh, and giving me the chance to sell my books. Now . . .
Permit me to ask a question: Have you read into Prison of the Soul? Even as little as offered in the "Look Inside" feature on Amazon? Hope you'll do it and get hooked.
Answer: Yes. I still use that system, but it has evolved. Here's a bit of "inside baseball" for you. When I originally proposed that book, Writers Digest said no the idea of a writer's kit to go with the devices I suggested. A couple years later, somebody at WD came up with the idea. It came out in a new edition without my even knowing about it. When they did it, the idea was exceedingly brilliant. No matter who got the credit, I got the satisfaction of seeing it.
My latest evolution is a workflow that coordinates with the Dragon programs and other voice-to-text software. It will streamline and automate a lot of writer drudgery. In fact, some of the grunt work that writers have to endure to organize is going to become fun activity.
Stay tuned. I'm eager to get it out there.
Thanks again for engaging me, making me think. Oh, and giving me the chance to sell my books. Now . . .
Permit me to ask a question: Have you read into Prison of the Soul? Even as little as offered in the "Look Inside" feature on Amazon? Hope you'll do it and get hooked.
James V. Smith Jr.
Thanks, Ann, for engaging. It's a surprisingly tough question and not just because of my math deficiencies. I first wrote Prison of the Soul decades ago, a complex novel that took a year, but over time have rewritten it dozens of times. The last revision was begun in December after I posted it to Kindle and somebody told me I should cut the fat out of it. So eight months and a new cover later, here it is again, practically new all over.
One editor asked me to churn a Force Recon serial novel every 4 months. Y'know, how do I average that with Prison?
I've used voice-to-text technology for many of my latter novels and nonfiction books. Over time I developed a system that I'm planning to share soon in a nonfiction book. You talk to your digital devices and create text, which is faster than typing. But it can also be more productive. And even more creative, which is far more important than speed. What happens, you get into a flow, where the Incidents in a novel pour from your brain to your mouth to the computer's ears, as it were. Once you get into a groove like that, I think you could easily create a first draft in a matter of weeks. Making revisions is the money game, though, and that takes more thinking. And time. For instance, Prison began as an interesting setting of a teacher inside a max security one-room school behind bars. It evolved into a much larger story about the prisons we build for ourselves by allowing ourselves to be captive to the past and our own self-imposed limitations.
If I didn't answer the question adequately, get back to me. Thanks again.
One editor asked me to churn a Force Recon serial novel every 4 months. Y'know, how do I average that with Prison?
I've used voice-to-text technology for many of my latter novels and nonfiction books. Over time I developed a system that I'm planning to share soon in a nonfiction book. You talk to your digital devices and create text, which is faster than typing. But it can also be more productive. And even more creative, which is far more important than speed. What happens, you get into a flow, where the Incidents in a novel pour from your brain to your mouth to the computer's ears, as it were. Once you get into a groove like that, I think you could easily create a first draft in a matter of weeks. Making revisions is the money game, though, and that takes more thinking. And time. For instance, Prison began as an interesting setting of a teacher inside a max security one-room school behind bars. It evolved into a much larger story about the prisons we build for ourselves by allowing ourselves to be captive to the past and our own self-imposed limitations.
If I didn't answer the question adequately, get back to me. Thanks again.
James V. Smith Jr.
Reading. Walking. Thinking.
People don't think enough. I don't have much problem getting inspired to write; I have a much greater problem getting inspired to participate in the rest of life's necessities. Chores. Interactions with (ewww) other humanoids.
People don't think enough. I don't have much problem getting inspired to write; I have a much greater problem getting inspired to participate in the rest of life's necessities. Chores. Interactions with (ewww) other humanoids.
James V. Smith Jr.
Read, of course.
But every author advises that.
Then you must write, of course, to polish your skill from the wannabe level to the published professional. Then you have to write some more. Face it, the golf pro doesn't consistently sink 30-foot putts by musing about it. He gets out there every day, including tournament days, and practices hundreds of putts in all kinds of conditions and weather.
You wanna be a writer, do that. As Malcolm Gladwell advises in Outliers huge amounts of practice, with mentoring, opportunity, and luck, you have a greater chance to succeed. The best don't merely work harder than others; they work much, much harder.
Naturally, that has generated lots of arguments, and Gladwell has modified his 10,000 hour rule to say, ". . . natural ability requires a huge investment of time in order to be made manifest."
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/malcol...
But every author advises that.
Then you must write, of course, to polish your skill from the wannabe level to the published professional. Then you have to write some more. Face it, the golf pro doesn't consistently sink 30-foot putts by musing about it. He gets out there every day, including tournament days, and practices hundreds of putts in all kinds of conditions and weather.
You wanna be a writer, do that. As Malcolm Gladwell advises in Outliers huge amounts of practice, with mentoring, opportunity, and luck, you have a greater chance to succeed. The best don't merely work harder than others; they work much, much harder.
Naturally, that has generated lots of arguments, and Gladwell has modified his 10,000 hour rule to say, ". . . natural ability requires a huge investment of time in order to be made manifest."
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/malcol...
James V. Smith Jr.
Writing forces you to push the envelope of creativity, making you think every day and harder about how you can tell stories better than all the other stories people are telling.
The second-best thing is the freedom writing allows you.
The second-best thing is the freedom writing allows you.
James V. Smith Jr.
A nonfiction book for writers. About how to use voice-to-text software like Dragon Professional Individual to write fiction. The technology for talking to your digital devices has been around a long time, but almost everybody uses it as only a step up from the keyboard. But. This software can do more than allow you to type faster. I'm going to exploit the vacuum in the software giants marketing of their own great products. And writers are going to love it.
James V. Smith Jr.
I used to act pretty flippant about writer's block because I came up through journalism, where your editor would laugh at you if you dared to blame your laziness on "getting blocked." When you're getting paid to write, you simply do not allow yourself the luxury of writer's block. In You Can Write a Novel, I got really snarky, writing about a neurosurgeon in the operating theater. Who's going to believe, "I can't go on; I've brain surgeon's block." or for that matter, one of the trades; "I got me some plumber's block today, so no drain fixing for you."
But. I did read a bio of Mark Twain a few years ago. He had a heckuva time with Huck Finn and the riverboat books because he witnessed his brother's death in a boiler explosion. I now think that fear might well justify WB.
In any case, you deal with it by picking up the keyboard. You write about something, preferably the thing you most fear. Then, when you drop into the narrative, you'll forget the notion of ever being blocked.
But. I did read a bio of Mark Twain a few years ago. He had a heckuva time with Huck Finn and the riverboat books because he witnessed his brother's death in a boiler explosion. I now think that fear might well justify WB.
In any case, you deal with it by picking up the keyboard. You write about something, preferably the thing you most fear. Then, when you drop into the narrative, you'll forget the notion of ever being blocked.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more