Ask the Author: Steve Alcorn
Answered Questions (15)
Steve Alcorn
I'd love to see Myst as a theme park. It was not just a game, but a superb series of books. A lot of literary properties lend themselves more to shows than rides. Sherlock Holmes might make a good show; I saw a play based on that with Leonard Nimoy in the lead. An Edgar Rice Burroughs land would be interesting.
Steve Alcorn
It's complete, so just waiting for audible to post it. Probably in the next week or two.
Steve Alcorn
Great! Yes, two of my novels and my theme park book are on Audible, and they are also about to release two new writing books: Write Your Life Story and Young Adult Fiction Writing.
Steve Alcorn
Happy 4th to you, too, Tom!
Steve Alcorn
I find that once I start writing I can be almost anywhere quiet, because I become absorbed in the process and connected to the computer screen. But I do need quiet, a place where I'm not going to be interrupted or distracted by background noises. I can't write with music on, for example.
Many of my students use a bulletin board to track scenes and rearrange their checkpoint outline, but I do that in the computer.
The most important thing is to just write. Don't worry about if it's turning out perfect, just get the words down.
Professional writers always write. If they aren't inspired it may be junk, but part of the routine is to write, even when they don't feel like it. If it turns out to be junk, then you simply redo it later, but you still write.
A lot of people call it writer's block when they get stuck. But the reason they get stuck is that they didn't have a plan. If you make a plan before you start writing, you will know every single scene in your novel. It's then impossible to get stuck, and in fact you can work on any scene you feel inspired about at any time, because you know they will all fit together; you can follow your muse.
Many of my students use a bulletin board to track scenes and rearrange their checkpoint outline, but I do that in the computer.
The most important thing is to just write. Don't worry about if it's turning out perfect, just get the words down.
Professional writers always write. If they aren't inspired it may be junk, but part of the routine is to write, even when they don't feel like it. If it turns out to be junk, then you simply redo it later, but you still write.
A lot of people call it writer's block when they get stuck. But the reason they get stuck is that they didn't have a plan. If you make a plan before you start writing, you will know every single scene in your novel. It's then impossible to get stuck, and in fact you can work on any scene you feel inspired about at any time, because you know they will all fit together; you can follow your muse.
Steve Alcorn
Hi Tom! Good to hear from you! There are always new classes being added at writingacademy.com. The most recent are Non-Fiction Writing Workshop, Science Fiction Writing Workshop, and Write Your Life Story (which is also out as a book). Enjoy!
Steve Alcorn
Great! Every lesson at writingacademy.com has a discussion area where you can ask your questions!
Steve Alcorn
Hi Barbara,
You're all set. You just mistyped your email address when you registered, so I've fixed it. Enjoy the course, and I look forward to seeing you in print!
Steve
You're all set. You just mistyped your email address when you registered, so I've fixed it. Enjoy the course, and I look forward to seeing you in print!
Steve
Steve Alcorn
Hi Maureen! That's a great goal. It is much easier to generate income from non-fiction writing, but perhaps more recreational to write fiction. Fortunately you can do both. Plus, many fiction writing techniques can be applied to make your non-fiction livelier and more fun to read.
Your first decision is whether to take a video-based course or a written one. Written courses are more like a college environment, where a lot of material is covered, but it requires concentrated study time. Video courses have become very popular, and for those who learn best by listening, these are the way to go. Of course, you can supplement the video with a written text, which has the advantages of both.
In any event, the first course you take should be about story structure, because before you get to the details of manuscript writing, you need to have an excellent plan. This will save you a ton of time later on. Two examples are "Write Fiction Like a Pro" (a written course) and "Novel Writing Workshop" (a video course). Either could be supplemented with my book, "How to Fix Your Novel", which contains both story structuring and manuscript writing advice.
You can find descriptions of these and my other courses at writingacademy.com.
Thanks for asking and Happy Writing!
Your first decision is whether to take a video-based course or a written one. Written courses are more like a college environment, where a lot of material is covered, but it requires concentrated study time. Video courses have become very popular, and for those who learn best by listening, these are the way to go. Of course, you can supplement the video with a written text, which has the advantages of both.
In any event, the first course you take should be about story structure, because before you get to the details of manuscript writing, you need to have an excellent plan. This will save you a ton of time later on. Two examples are "Write Fiction Like a Pro" (a written course) and "Novel Writing Workshop" (a video course). Either could be supplemented with my book, "How to Fix Your Novel", which contains both story structuring and manuscript writing advice.
You can find descriptions of these and my other courses at writingacademy.com.
Thanks for asking and Happy Writing!
Steve Alcorn
For non-fiction I don't think any special inspiration is required. I love to teach, and so I just write about what I know. Of course good anecdotes are what make non-fiction fun and memorable, so I use lots of those.
For inspiration in fiction, I rely upon the confluence of events: two ideas collide in my mind by chance, and inspiration strikes. For example, I was reading a young adult novel about archaeology and came across an article about the Saint Francis Dam disaster. The two converged and the idea for my novel Everything In Its Path was born. This led to lots of research, about both the dam and Native Americans in Southern California. So the second act of Inspiration is always Perspiration!
For inspiration in fiction, I rely upon the confluence of events: two ideas collide in my mind by chance, and inspiration strikes. For example, I was reading a young adult novel about archaeology and came across an article about the Saint Francis Dam disaster. The two converged and the idea for my novel Everything In Its Path was born. This led to lots of research, about both the dam and Native Americans in Southern California. So the second act of Inspiration is always Perspiration!
Steve Alcorn
I don't believe there is such a thing as writer's block. That's just how people describe getting stuck when they started writing without a plan. But if you work your way through my story structuring process first, it's easy to create a plan; and once you have a plan, it's easy to achieve results. All that's required is a little glue to keep you in that seat and writing, every day.
Steve Alcorn
I love it when I run into people who tell be my books changed their life, and helped them forge a career. Whether they're successful writers or theme park designers, it happens more often that I would have expected, and it's always a thrill.
Steve Alcorn
Don't waste time trying to write "intuitively." That's a dead end nine times out of ten. Almost all of my students at writingacademy.com describe starting a novel and then getting stuck. It takes a good plan to make it all the way through a novel and be satisfied with the finished manuscript. Your time is valuable, and having the right tools before you start writing will let you make the most of it.
Steve Alcorn
My latest project is a book about circus animals who build a theme park. It's called Molly Builds an Amusement Park. It's the first time I've worked with an illustrator, which has been fun, but takes a lot longer than my normal writing process.
Steve Alcorn
My latest book is a children's book called Orlando ABC. Since at writingacademy.com I teach classes in writing, including Writing for Children, and I write books about theme parks, it seemed natural to combine the two!
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