Short Story Connect discussion

Join us on April 6, 2016 for a special discussion with author Robert Johnson: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

If you have a question for Robert please post it in this thread, where he will be discussing his writing.

Remember - you can post questions here throughout the duration of the Featured Author Discussion at any time.

We are looking forward to the insightful questions and answers!

Hi Robert,

We're looking forward to this discussion! One question we often wonder about is how do you select your topics? Did you read about the topics or are they something you or someone in your life has experienced?

Do you ever struggle with writer's block?

Hi Robert,
A question concerning your "Magnus" series; your narrative has a very authentic sound. In order to achieve this, did you find it necessary to master Latin as part of your research? The reason I ask this is because recently I watched a BBC episode concerning the gladiator Verus. My idea of what a gladiator really was, his freedom, or lack, was absolutely narrow based on school studies and popular films depicting these men in ancient Rome.
Thanks so much!

Hi folks, just a quick heads-up: I lowered the price of my most recent novel Wraith to 99 cents in the Kindle store. It's a fairly quick read, so check it out while on sale through mid-April!

Margaret wrote: "Do you ever struggle with writer's block?"

Hi Margaret, and thanks for the question.

Although writer's block doesn't rear its ugly head too often, I do find that I struggle with another problem from time to time: the fear of writing something that won't connect with my readers.

My latest novel "Wraith" was by far my most personal, as I dealt with many of my own struggles, fears, failures, and regrets while writing it. Although it has a fantastical flair to it, the story itself was very real to me as most of the story was either symbolic or representative of an experience I'd dealt with.

Having said that, "Wraith" has been my most criticized work to date, making its followup more difficult to deal with. While I wouldn't necessarily call it writer's block, it is certainly a wall that has been quite difficult to scale at times!

Robert wrote: "Margaret wrote: "Do you ever struggle with writer's block?"

Hi Margaret, and thanks for the question.

Although writer's block doesn't rear its ugly head too often, I do find that I struggle with..."

I can understand your worries about moving on after you book was criticized. But not all readers like the same books...

Best of luck!

Robert, a question we often ponder: How do you select the title for your books? Do they grow from your writing or do you have the title in mind before you start to write?

Robert, Wraith was an excellent read, but also a longer book! When writing, do you find yourself working toward a specific word count, such a short story versus a novel, or does the story itself dictate the word count?

Hi Robert,

I am interested in the editorial side of your writing. In your opinion, what qualities contribute to an ideal editor?

Thanks for answering our questions!

Talia

Hi Robert,

What is your favourite social media platform, and how do you use it to promote your books? Thanks for answering all of these excellent questions!

The Sands Press Goodreads Team

I have a question I often ask fellow writers: Do you have a specific writing process or do you plan your writing time? ie. do you fit your writing into the rest of your life or does your life revolve around your writing?

Patrick wrote: "Hi Robert,
A question concerning your "Magnus" series; your narrative has a very authentic sound. In order to achieve this, did you find it necessary to master Latin as part of your research? The r..."

Great question, Patrick. Athough I spent a few years familiarizing myself with Latin, I certainly wouldn't consider myself a master! Having a working knowledge of the language was and is truly essential in order to write a convincing tale set in Ancient Rome. For one, fans of the genre tend to be scholars themselves, and you definitely can't pull the wool over their eyes or you'll lose them in the middle of Chapter 1! Motivations and decisions of men and women of the time were so rooted in words that don't even exist to us these days, so understanding the thought and feeling behind the words is an absolute must.

DigiWriting wrote: "Hi Robert,

We're looking forward to this discussion! One question we often wonder about is how do you select your topics? Did you read about the topics or are they something you or someone in your..."

My first two books were born from a love of the Ancient Rome genre. It's no exaggeration when I say that almost every book I read between 2006 and 2011 were set in the incredible genre, so it was only natural for me to be drawn to that genre as well.

My latest novel was really born from a painting hanging on a wall in my house. I found myself studying it one day and the tale unfolded within a matter of minutes. Scattered throughout are incidents which happened to me- some lurking beneath the surface of the words, and some veiled in ways only myself and friends would truly understand.

Blue Moon wrote: "Robert, a question we often ponder: How do you select the title for your books? Do they grow from your writing or do you have the title in mind before you start to write?"

Excellent question. For my first novel, I was completely clueless until about 70,000 words into my first draft! There was a line spoken by the main character ("More men worship the rising sun than its setting"), and as soon as I wrote those words down I knew Rising Sun would be the title. The story was all summed up in that one line, after all.

For my second novel, I knew the title before I had even written one word. The same goes for the final novel in my MAGNUS series, Foreign Shores. The titles really captured the feeling, purpose, and mood of each book.

Wraith was nameless until the second or third draft. It was the only one that went through multiple name changes as well. I settled on Wraith partly due to what's to come in the story....not just what was in the book itself!

Talia wrote: "Hi Robert,

I am interested in the editorial side of your writing. In your opinion, what qualities contribute to an ideal editor?

Thanks for answering our questions!

Talia"

I love this question, as editing plays such a crucial role in the creation of a book. I think an ideal quality is the editor's ability to step outside the emotion of the book and/or relationship to the author and make the adjustments that are truly needed without bias. This is why I never let a friend or family member edit for me! Although I personally go through 3 edits before sending my manuscripts off to my editor, I don't truly trust myself enough to make the right calls in the overall process of editing my work....I'll always leave that up to someone else!

Sands wrote: "Hi Robert,

What is your favourite social media platform, and how do you use it to promote your books? Thanks for answering all of these excellent questions!

The Sands Press Goodreads Team"

Thanks for the question! Although I've experimented with many kinds of social media, I've found that Facebook and Instagram work best for me. This is probably because I understand them more! I've done Twitter and invested lots of time into it to (seemingly) no avail. It's such a precise form of social media that, in my experience, has not paid off in any measurable way. Facebook and Instagram have worked wonders for me, though.

Amanda wrote: "I have a question I often ask fellow writers: Do you have a specific writing process or do you plan your writing time? ie. do you fit your writing into the rest of your life or does your life revol..."

Always a great question. I usually work best when I get into routines and habits when it comes to writing. There is a period every morning - about 9:30 to noon/1pm - when I can get on an unstoppable roll. My afternoons are so stop-and-start that building any momentum is quite difficult, so I rarely write during the afternoon. I find evenings good for doing rewrites and edits, as I don't need to sit for a long stretch and focus strictly on story composition.

Thanks Robert. Speaking of titles, if someone were new to your writing, which book would you start them off with and why?

Blue Moon wrote: "Thanks Robert. Speaking of titles, if someone were new to your writing, which book would you start them off with and why?"

To date, my MAGNUS series has been my best-selling series and the one I'm most known for. Although I've grown by leaps and bounds since my first novel Rising Sun, I would recommend starting there. It really is a captivating tale of one man's rise from nothingness to prominence, failure and success, triumph and defeat. I'm very thankful for this book and what it's done for my life!

Robert, you may have missed my question earlier but I'm very curious when you refer to Rising Sun: "I'm very thankful for this book and what it's done for my life!"

Can you explain what this book has done for your life? Books so often touch readers, so it's interesting to know the effect a book has on the author as well.

Thanks!

Robert, As a fellow author, I often like to ask other authors if you find the writing process (first draft to finished manuscript) engaging or frustrating? I recently finished my first book and it was not an easy process. If you do get frustrated, how do you overcome this?

Hi Robert,

Thanks for doing this. Every writer has a favourite place they like to write. Where is yours? A coffee shop, perhaps? Or do you need absolute silence?

I look forward to your response!
Adam

Monica wrote: "Robert, you may have missed my question earlier but I'm very curious when you refer to Rising Sun: "I'm very thankful for this book and what it's done for my life!"

Can you explain what this book..."

Hi Monica, and sorry for missing your first question. Word count seems to be a topic of regular debate. I can understand why if you're perusing the shelves and looking for your next book to buy. If it's me and I see a thin book for $12 or so, I'll usually pass! It has nothing to do with quality, but my brain would prefer to pay the same price for a book two or three times as long!

With that said, I tried to get out of that mindset when writing Wraith. The word count in that book was significantly lower than my first two books, which topped out at 93,000 and 103,000 words apiece. Wraith was around 50,000. The general consensus with Wraith was people wanted more....go figure!

Now that I've written three books and a host of short stories, I've come to the conclusion that word count IS actually a vital piece of selling a book. It goes hand-in-hand with reader expectations. That being said, the pitfall we should be wary of is putting unnecessary "filler words" into sentences to boost word count unnaturally. I try to flesh out the story descriptively in the second and third drafts to hit a workable word count without having to try so hard from the get-go.

Now for your second question about me being thankful for what my first book has done for me...

Before Rising Sun, I was very unsure of myself. It seemed like I was treading water in life, very uncertain about what I should do, who I should be, etc. I had lost my "dream job" a year earlier and really considered myself a failure. Many reading this right now are writers or struggling through a first or second book, and let me tell you something: writing a book is a monumental achievement! Whether or not it becomes a best-seller is insignificant. Plowing through that thing is a task most humans could never achieve in a hundred years! Although I released it with a heart full of trepidation and anxiety, it was received with acclaim and enjoyment from readers who love the genre. It made me realize how much I discount myself and my abilities, making me a more confident person as a result.

Thanks for the great question!

J.R. wrote: "Robert, As a fellow author, I often like to ask other authors if you find the writing process (first draft to finished manuscript) engaging or frustrating? I recently finished my first book and it ..."

Hi J.R., and congrats on your book! It's an achievement you should be very proud of.

Personally, I enjoy the writing process itself. The writing is the easy part for me....what surrounds it is what I'd call frustrating! Once I get a couple of chapters into a story I find my brain revolves primarily around the story itself. I've literally gone three weeks without getting more than an hour of sleep per night because of this. During the day, I'm in a constant daydream state as well, which is probably frustrating for those around me!

As for overcoming these hurdles, there is only one cure.....finish the book! That is literally the only thing that ever works for me!

Adam wrote: "Hi Robert,

Thanks for doing this. Every writer has a favourite place they like to write. Where is yours? A coffee shop, perhaps? Or do you need absolute silence?

I look forward to your response!..."

This is a very important question, as you may know yourself. Getting 'in the zone' is crucial to the writing process. I spoke a bit about what time during the day I like to write, and this question goes hand in hand with that one.

My absolute favorite place to write is near a window. Trees, clouds, sky, and light have a very calming effect on me. So long as I can see the outdoors, I'm okay with a little noise in the near distance!

Hi Robert, do you set yourself a writing and publishing schedule for the year and, if so, how well do you stick to it?

Ben wrote: "Hi Robert, do you set yourself a writing and publishing schedule for the year and, if so, how well do you stick to it?"

Hi Ben....I wish you didn't ask this question!

Being a married father with two very young kids, my schedule has gotten thrown off quite a bit in the past. I expected to release three books this year - one in March, one this summer, and one at the tail end of 2016 - and my plans have already come unglued.

I really try to do the best I can! I guess the lesson I should learn is not to announce my time frame to the public until I'm absolutely sure I can hit it!

Hi Robert, thanks for answering both of my questions. When you say "writing a book is a monumental achievement", how long did it take you with Rising Sun? Readers have the pleasure of just opening a book and turning the pages but have no idea how much work goes into a book.

Robert, another question - What work was your favorite to write and why? As well, which of your works did you find most challenging to write and why?

Monica wrote: "Hi Robert, thanks for answering both of my questions. When you say "writing a book is a monumental achievement", how long did it take you with Rising Sun? Readers have the pleasure of just opening ..."

Monica, my first book took about five-six months beginning to end. My second book, which had the largest word count and what some would consider my "best" work, took about two months to write! I blame that on the horrific winter that year....I was stuck indoors with nothing more to be but write those two months.

DigiWriting wrote: "Robert, another question - What work was your favorite to write and why? As well, which of your works did you find most challenging to write and why?"

I'd say the answer to this question is one and the same: my second novel, Triumphator.

My first novel Rising Sun hit the ground running and expectations were high for its followup. My goal from the start was to write a better, more engaging story from Page 1....there was no other option for me. By this point - nearly 100,000 words into telling the tale of Pompey the Great - I had developed an attachment to my main character as a person. This was a tough spot to be in, as he was to suffer through many trials and difficulties during the second book. It was definitely an emotional roller coaster from the opening pages to completion.

It was also my favorite to write due to the content, depth, and issues it tackled. There was betrayal, war, death, defeat, and victory. There was no doubt in my mind, even before I started writing, what the title would be. It was a story of Triumph despite difficulty.

Equal parts enjoyable and hair-pulling!

Thanks for your answer, Robert!

I was going to ask if you let friends or family edit your work, but you answered that for me. From where do you procure your editors? How long does the editorial process generally take you?

Talia

Talia wrote: "Thanks for your answer, Robert!

I was going to ask if you let friends or family edit your work, but you answered that for me. From where do you procure your editors? How long does the editorial p..."

I found an editor I love (BZ Hercules) and stuck with her. I had read some works she'd edited and was confident she could tackle the genre plus my voice, and gave her a shot. I'm glad I did. She typically works fast- 2-3 weeks on average.

As for myself, I spend a lot of time editing my own work. I usually start editing myself within days of starting a new piece of work. My mornings are spent writing, my evenings editing. After my first draft is complete (which includes writing and editing as I go), I'll go back through and make revisions. I do this a third time after my second draft is complete. The whole process of editing for second and third drafts takes about a month and a half of serious inspection. Once I get my editor's draft back, I give it a read and make very minor changes (mostly plot-based holes that set up future events).