Ask the Author: Ralph Rotten
Answered Questions (6)
Ralph Rotten
Stories just come to me. The good ones get pushed to the back of my mind where I process them for a year or more. Only once I have 90% of the story outlined, do I even start typing the first word. I usually have 2 or 3 ideas fermenting at any given moment. I've never had trouble coming up with ideas to write. My problem is finding the time to write all of them.
But I think that these days most aspiring writers lose their inspiration to social media. See, the deal is that your mind needs to be bored in order for your imagination to kick in. But if you spend every spare second with your nose in Facebook or Twitter then your brain will never be activated. If you suffer from lack of inspiration, then turn off the damned radio, log out of that forum, set down your phone, and let your mind engage.
But I think that these days most aspiring writers lose their inspiration to social media. See, the deal is that your mind needs to be bored in order for your imagination to kick in. But if you spend every spare second with your nose in Facebook or Twitter then your brain will never be activated. If you suffer from lack of inspiration, then turn off the damned radio, log out of that forum, set down your phone, and let your mind engage.
Ralph Rotten
This is actually a tough question because the bulk of Indie writing is really hard work. Not only that, but writing is an emotional roller coaster; one day you think you're the king of the world...and the next you think you are total shit. Then there's the constant self-doubt about your work, editing, rejection letters, bad reviews, marketing, and so many other ugly aspects of writing.
But you forget about all of that when you get that first proof copy in the mail. I've written many books, but I still get a thrill when I have that first beta-copy in my hands, and I realize that I created that entire book...the cover, the interior, the story...from nothing more than a blinking cursor on a blank page. That's the coolest part of all.
But you forget about all of that when you get that first proof copy in the mail. I've written many books, but I still get a thrill when I have that first beta-copy in my hands, and I realize that I created that entire book...the cover, the interior, the story...from nothing more than a blinking cursor on a blank page. That's the coolest part of all.
Ralph Rotten
A lot of writers write that first book and feel this rush to publish the thing. The truth is that the first 200,000 words are just practice. Really, until you have written 200k you have simply not mastered the basic skills to compete in the modern literary marketplace. So if you want to be a writer, then write, and write a lot. Olympians practice all day to master their craft, and being an author is no different.
Ralph Rotten
I usually keep 3 projects going at a time. When I hit a roadblock on one book, I just switch to the next. By the time I get back to the first book I will have had the time to work out the problem that hung me up.
For me, writer's block is usually caused by a critical decision that can alter the course of the story. I have to let it brew in the back of my mind until I have worked out all possible outcomes of the decision. I really hate it when I take a wrong turn and have to go back and scrub pages and pages of work. Writing is fun, but editing is real work.
For me, writer's block is usually caused by a critical decision that can alter the course of the story. I have to let it brew in the back of my mind until I have worked out all possible outcomes of the decision. I really hate it when I take a wrong turn and have to go back and scrub pages and pages of work. Writing is fun, but editing is real work.
Ralph Rotten
At present I am finishing the sequel to Calizona. At the same time I am revising another soon-to-be-released novel called Jackie Sparks (about a quirky inventor who invents antigravity, then promptly turns the world paradigm upside down.) I am also in the early stages of a sci-fi novel about a man who leads the fight against an invasive species (lots of space combat!)
Ralph Rotten
Originally my inspiration for Memoirs of a Timelord came from reading a lot of history books. I couldn't help but marvel at the way that the littlest of things had shaped our world. So then I started to think how neat it would be if there was an unseen hand guiding all of it. From there the storyline grew, and eventually transformed into its current form.
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