Ask the Author: Scott Harper
Answered Questions (6)
Scott Harper
When I have a problem with a manuscript, the best thing I've found is to just get away from it for a while. As a writer, every part of my life is bound up in my writing to one degree or another. Some part of my mind is always working, even when I'm not focused on it. By just getting away from the screen, whether I hang out with my wife, play with our 2-year-old daughter, go outside, read a book, fire up my X-Box 360, take a nap, do lawn work, do housework, whatever, part of my mind is still working on the problem. And it's freer to do so because I'm not sitting at my desk, badgering my mind to come up with an idea, or a solution. Usually, it doesn't take long at all before the answer I've been looking for pops into my mind.
Scott Harper
Being a writer is the only thing I've ever wanted to do. For me to do this is my version of living the dream. Yes, it's very hard work. Yes, it can be very frustrating at times. But it's the one thing I've ever really wanted to do. How many people get to say that they're doing the one job they've always wanted?
Scott Harper
The very simplest, yet most important, thing that I can say is this - don't give up. It never ceases to amaze me how many aspiring writers tell me that they want to write, but give up because of a couple of rejection letters. I had nearly 200 rejection letters before I had my first short story published. Now, I have over 30 short stories published, along with nine books, and I've been hired to write screenplays, and comic books. Don't give up - ever!
Scott Harper
As usual, I'm working on several things at one time. My wife - bestselling author Desirée Lee - and I have a book that will be out in the near future called "Hidden Tribe". We're also co-authoring another novel, an RPG game, and a non-fiction book for writers. We're also keeping up with our hit webcomic, "MoonWraith". A new page of "MoonWraith" goes live each Monday on the website.
Solo, I'm working on a series of non-fiction sasquatch articles for a sasquatch blog called Bigtruth. That came about, in large part, due to my work on "Hidden Tribe". Currently, my first three articles are on the Bigtruth blog. Find links to those on my blog here on Goodreads. I'm also working on an urban fantasy novella called "Ravenesque: Un-Familiar". The "Ravenesque" series began life as a no-budget webseries, then was adapted as a comic book, and finally as a series of novellas. And, I have a high fantasy novella in edits. It's called "Warder: Changing Guard". "Warder" started off as a comic book series, and ended up being adapted as a series of novellas, too.
Solo, I'm working on a series of non-fiction sasquatch articles for a sasquatch blog called Bigtruth. That came about, in large part, due to my work on "Hidden Tribe". Currently, my first three articles are on the Bigtruth blog. Find links to those on my blog here on Goodreads. I'm also working on an urban fantasy novella called "Ravenesque: Un-Familiar". The "Ravenesque" series began life as a no-budget webseries, then was adapted as a comic book, and finally as a series of novellas. And, I have a high fantasy novella in edits. It's called "Warder: Changing Guard". "Warder" started off as a comic book series, and ended up being adapted as a series of novellas, too.
Scott Harper
Writing is the only thing I've ever wanted to do career-wise. Writing is what I do. In one way or another, every single thing I do is impacted by that. For me, being a writer isn't just a job; it's a lifestyle.
Editing is another thing altogether! Writing is the fun part; editing is the work. I like to self-edit my work before turning it over to my editor. To do that, though, I have to mentally push myself, and psych myself up to do that part of the process. About the only thing that works for that, though, is reminding myself of how upset I'll be with myself if the editor finds spelling typos in the manuscript. Maybe I'm too hard on myself, but I mentally kick myself over each and every mistake the editor finds.
Editing is another thing altogether! Writing is the fun part; editing is the work. I like to self-edit my work before turning it over to my editor. To do that, though, I have to mentally push myself, and psych myself up to do that part of the process. About the only thing that works for that, though, is reminding myself of how upset I'll be with myself if the editor finds spelling typos in the manuscript. Maybe I'm too hard on myself, but I mentally kick myself over each and every mistake the editor finds.
Scott Harper
I'm going to answer this with my next release in mind. That book will be "Hidden Tribe", which I coauthored with my wife - bestselling author Desirée Lee. "Hidden Tribe" deals with the subject of sasquatch, but is written from the point of view of two sasquatch.
Although "Hidden Tribe" is fiction, the idea for it came from my own sightings of, and encounters with, at least sasquatch while I was growing up in central Ohio. Those accounts will be included in the book as a bonus - along with Desirée's own possible experiences. A lot of the details in "Hidden Tribe" also comes simply from well-known sasquatch sightings that have taken place in the past.
Although "Hidden Tribe" is fiction, the idea for it came from my own sightings of, and encounters with, at least sasquatch while I was growing up in central Ohio. Those accounts will be included in the book as a bonus - along with Desirée's own possible experiences. A lot of the details in "Hidden Tribe" also comes simply from well-known sasquatch sightings that have taken place in the past.
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