Ask the Author: Allen Johnson
Answered Questions (6)
Allen Johnson
The idea for The Awakening came from a number of sources. The primary sources included my work as a leadership consultant as well as my travels in France and Spain. Little by little a story began to evolve as I became acquainted with people who intrigued me. Sometimes the people who interested me were annoying, even despicable. At other times they were courageous or giving. Whatever their style, they often would become small part of the fabric of my writing.
Allen Johnson
I keep in touch with my own feelings. How am I feeling about the what is playing out in the news or what is happening to me. For example, in recent years I have been taken by the explosion of technology and how it is impacting relationships. And I'm always asking myself, "Is there a story there?"
Allen Johnson
I'm currently working on a memoir of my time in France. I've lived a number of years in France and I am fluent in French. I've enjoyed writing--often in a comical way--about the idiosyncrasies of the French. The working title for the book is "Pardon My French" and should be published in 2015.
Allen Johnson
My advice for aspiring writers is two-fold. First, be an observer. Watch how the world turns, how people move, talk, relate. Look at the eyes and see how people respond to tenderness or annoyance or anger.
Second, be loyal to the sacred time that you have set aside for writing. It should be as sacred as a date with your sweetheart. If you treat her (your writing) well, she will treat you well.
Second, be loyal to the sacred time that you have set aside for writing. It should be as sacred as a date with your sweetheart. If you treat her (your writing) well, she will treat you well.
Allen Johnson
For me the best thing about being a writer is the fun of grappling with ideas (in non fiction particularly) or watching the characters evolve (in fiction). It is truly a joy to begin with a black sheet of paper and a few hours later have a short piece of art. That work of art may be uninspiring at times, but it is something. I've given birth to an idea or a personage, and that is a thrill.
Allen Johnson
I make a deal with myself. A set a sacred amount of time for writing in the morning, right after I do my exercises (stretching, weight lifting, cycling). Usually that block of time is no less than 2 hours and no more than 4 hours. I might write only a page, but writing that page has forced me to think hard about the characters and the storyline. That thinking time puts me in touch with the characters and makes writing for the following day easier.
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