Ask the Author: Jeff Gunhus
Answered Questions (9)
Jeff Gunhus
I always point aspiring writers to Stephen King's On Writing, a practical book filled with insight and specific advice. Most of the advice I give on panels or over coffee to new writers can be tracked back to this book. The essentials are 1) Writer's write - don't wait around for the muse. Write every day. 2) Writer's read. If you say you don't have time to read, then you're not serious about improving. 3) Write with door closed. Sharing the work too early can take the place of writing it. 4) Writing is magic, letters on a page that transmit what's in my head into yours across both space and time. And if we're going to engage in magic together, I ought to take the responsibility that the images/story I'm transmitting is worthwhile. 5) Allow yourself to be terrible. First draft work is always awful. Be OK with it. Refer to rule #1. Writer's write. Get to work.
Jeff Gunhus
I go with Stephen King's advice from his seminal book, On Writing. I put my rear end in the chair and write. Even if it's terrible, it keeps the juices going. The worse thing to do is stop and wait for the muse to come. He/She may be on a permanent vacation. As a professional writer, you need to sit at the keyboard and get to work.
Jeff Gunhus
I'm reading Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology right now and Gwendy's Button Box by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar is staring at me, begging to be read. After that it's The First City by Joe Hart (last in the trilogy) and Wired by Douglas Richards. That's as far as I've gotten, but a few friends had books they are finishing and I'm looking forward to being an early reader for them too.
Jeff Gunhus
Hi Datta! Yes, the final Jack Templar Monster Hunter book with be out in October. It's called Jack Templar and the Last Battle. I think it's the best one yet and I can't wait to share it with you! -- Jeff
Jeff Gunhus
Hi Kathleen -- glad your copy arrived! My assistant had been leading the charge with outreach to reviewers to get ready for the November 10th release. If you are able to review by the 10th, that would be great. If it takes longer, that's fine too. Hope you enjoy the novella and the story of poor Rachel Ames. Thanks! --Jeff
Jeff Gunhus
Hi Shane - thanks for the question and for the kind words. As a matter of fact, I just finished a second Allison McNeil thriller (a follow-up to Killer Within) and starting a stand-alone supernatural novel similar in tone to the Night books. Writing for me is pretty addictive -- when I'm not doing it, I'm thinking about doing it. If I had to pay someone to let me do it, I'd still sign up. I'm just humbled that people like you are willing to invest the time to share in the journey with me and spend some hours in my make-believe worlds. I hope I earn the right to have you keep coming back for more and for you to share my books with your friends. Thank you!
Jeff Gunhus
Thanks for the question, Alan. Deciding the right amount of sensory detail to include in a scene is a constant consideration. My style is to get the first draft out as quickly as possible. This is the fertilizer draft, the pile of manure out of which great things will later grow. During this draft, I describe enough to get the image in my mind down on paper. During rewriting, I Goldilocks my way through the book deciding when there's too little or too much. At this point, I do rifle through the senses to see if I'm missing an opportunity. For example, I love how Hemingway always remembered to include the sense of taste in his writing and I rarely do on a first draft so I look for those opportunities. Ultimately, I try to read my own work as a fan of fiction and ask whether I feel immersed in the world as I read. If I don't, then it's back to the drawing board. Thanks again!
Jeff Gunhus
Hi Robinson! Thanks for the question. I'm glad you're enjoying Jack Templar Monster Hunter. Book #4 comes out Oct 15th, 2014 and it's called Jack Templar and the Lord of the Werewolves. Jack Templar keeps getting himself into deeper and deeper trouble, so it will take a seven book series for him to finish his adventure. Each book gets a little darker as Jack and his friends face meaner monsters and more impossible odds. That's for reading. I hope you'll let me know how you like the other books.
Jeff Gunhus
Today is an easy day to answer that question. I'm sitting on a beach in Hawaii, listening to the surf break, soaking in the sun while trade winds breeze by. Pretty inspiring.
On most days though, I have a standing 5 AM appointment with my Keurig coffeemaker so I can get in a few hours before any of my five kids wake up for the day. That's a little harder on the inspiration front. However, I take a page from the Stephen King playbook (as beautifully relayed in his book On Writing) and just focus on getting my backside into the seat and just going.
A few tricks are to leave a sentence unfinished from the day before so you have somewhere to start. Or just jot down a few sentences at the end of each writing session with your plan for the next one.
Ultimately though, the inspiration comes from loving the project you're on. As an author, you get to choose that project. Once it becomes any kind of drudgery, it's a sign that your book has gone off the rails. Writing done for the right reasons is fun and, for me, it's not really work. Who ever asks the question, how do you get inspired to go fishing?
On most days though, I have a standing 5 AM appointment with my Keurig coffeemaker so I can get in a few hours before any of my five kids wake up for the day. That's a little harder on the inspiration front. However, I take a page from the Stephen King playbook (as beautifully relayed in his book On Writing) and just focus on getting my backside into the seat and just going.
A few tricks are to leave a sentence unfinished from the day before so you have somewhere to start. Or just jot down a few sentences at the end of each writing session with your plan for the next one.
Ultimately though, the inspiration comes from loving the project you're on. As an author, you get to choose that project. Once it becomes any kind of drudgery, it's a sign that your book has gone off the rails. Writing done for the right reasons is fun and, for me, it's not really work. Who ever asks the question, how do you get inspired to go fishing?
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