AuthorTalk with Scott Nicholson!

Highlighting Professional Writing :

Q. "Do you prefer to write material that contains traces of familiar folklore or use only familiar settings and create the stories from the roots?"

N. "Usually both, though at different times. Appalachian settings play a key role in a lot of my work, and I consider it a supporting character. I often take real locations or events and extrapolate them into a supernatural mystery, or take a legend and apply it to “real” modern people. Of course, in Appalachia, the legends, myths, and folklore are so intimately tied to the land that you can’t really separate them completely."

Q. "Do you believe writing in several genres improves a writer's skill overall?"

N. "Yes, especially for a beginning writer. You may have a favorite genre that you’re reading in, and it’s natural to try that, since you’re already familiar with the plot conventions and audience expectations. But if you challenge yourself with other genres and styles, I believe you’ll not only develop your skills and understanding more quickly, but you’ll also be more broad-minded in your approach. Try some poetry and non-fiction, write in first-person and second-person voice, keep a journal. Remember, nobody had consistently combined the elements of thriller, mystery, romance, science fiction, and horror until Dean Koontz did it, and the results have been pretty impressive. Later on, if you become a professional, your career and interests will probably dictate what you write, but until then, you’re the boss."

Q. "What is your favorite work that you've published so far? What do you like most about it?

N. "Probably my story “The Vampire Shortstop.” It came to me in a dream, at least the title, and the story basically wrote itself in a handful of hours. With little editing, it won an international writing award and has been reprinted several times. The story was instinctive and innocent, and in many ways autobiographical. I wish everything came that easily."

 

Q. "Do you write about the Appalachian region because it is familiar or because you find great potential in the settings around you?"

N. "I borrow from local lore and history, and as a newspaper reporter I get to brush up against many segments of society. Since I’ve lived in the mountains for most of my life, it’s really natural to set my work here and use characters composed from those I’ve met. I could write the rest of my liife and never have to look past these mountains, though I also want to challenge myself and do some other types of stories."

Q. "In your article, "Rejected," you vividly describe what happens when you receive a number of rejections over a period of time. Do you keep your rejection slips? Do you find uses for them such as dartboard resurfacing or litter box lining? Or do you hide them and await the day you can return their correspondence and flaunt your success?"

N. "I have saved all of my rejections, except for some I lost in college. In those days, I’d roll it out of the typewriter and mail it to The New Yorker, then sit back and wait for fame and fortune. The naivety of youth. Rejection is a strengthening process, a tempering by fire, and most of the time the editor does you a favor with a negative response. It usually means you’re not good enough yet, though sometimes it’s just not right for the market. Author Joe R. Lansdale distributed signed copies of his rejection slips to everyone who bought a certain book of his. I might do something like that one day."

 

Q. "Do you enjoy writing comedy? In your, "Postcards from a Book Tour," piece did you really claim to be L. Ron Hubbard when asked? Just out of curiosity, did it work?"

N. "No, I didn’t claim to be, though a man asked me if I was because Hubbard’s name was in large type on the front of the anthology. I had to explain that Hubbard had been dead about 15 years, though of course when he walked away without buying the book, I reprimanded myself for not lying!"

Q. "Do you think over analyzing characters and plots in extensive outlining and planning lessens the writer's ability to complete a book?"

N. "I know writers who outline and they claim it’s the only way they would ever do it, comparing it to a road map before setting out on a journey. But I know almost as many writers who prefer to metaphorically hop behind the wheel and see where the road leads them. Some use a combination. It all depends on what’s most comfortable for the individual. For me, I love the thrill of discovery as I plow along through a first draft, and I hope that parallels the reader’s sense of discovery. But, as I like to say, 'Either way is right, and the only wrong way is not to do it at all.'"

 

Q. "Lastly, based upon your experience, how much of the work involved in producing a book is editing versus writing? Would you consider it to be 50/50, 60/40, or another figure?"

N. "I edit very carefully, but I’m also careful about what I put down the first time. I won’t leave a typo on the page if I see it. I figure if I get the manuscript as close to perfect as I can with each pass, the final draft will probably turn out okay. So I would say about 30 percent of my work is editing. Sometimes I’ll end up throwing out entire chapters and of course that leads to more first-draft work. But sometimes I’m pretty close to what I wanted to say and I just leave it alone. If you keep rewriting the same piece, you’ll never create anything new."

Copyright © 2005, Laurawrites.net. All rights reserved. All parts used with permission.

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