SOMETIMES I GET ASKED STUFF… PART DEUX...

Great advice, Jean-Luc.

Autographed copies now available.

On occasion I get asked a question or two about the writing process, the projects I’m working on, marketing, and other writing-related questions. I thought I would share a few that have come my way recently. Check out Part 1 here.

"It was a dark and rainy night." Do you use weather to create mood in your writing? Has weather ever been treated as a character in any of your books?

Sometimes weather can play an important part in the story, certainly. In Evil Ways, rain played an important part in setting the mood of the story. There’s also something fun about having the characters do their action in the rain. It’s a bit tricky at times to keep track of when it’s raining, but it’s a nice tool for setting the scene.

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What questions do you ask yourself before killing off a main character?

Killing characters is not always easy. Sure, some characters are created specifically with the intention of killing them off. And I do so love writing a good murder. When it comes to the killing of a character, the first question is usually, does the death work for the story? If the death feels like a natural extension of the story then it works. If it feels forced then the readers will feel that and it could pull them out of the narrative I’m trying to establish. Shocking deaths that seemingly come out of nowhere are nice shock moments, but they have to also make sense… unless it being a senseless death is crucial to the story.

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Describe your life as a writer in 25 words or less.

Writing is a feast or famine lifestyle punctuated by bursts of excitement and energy followed by “How can I afford to eat this month?”

Is there anything you’d like to know? Feel free to leave a question in the comments below or email them to me at bobby@bobbynash.com

Just a reminder that you can now purchase autographed copies of Evil Ways, Deadly Games!, Earthstrike Agenda, and Frontier directly from me. Just click on the "Buy Now" buttons in the novels tab or at http://BEN-Books.blogspot.com. I hope to add more autographed titles soon, including the anthologies and audio dramas to this program as well. Stay tuned.

Evil Intent and Deadly Deals
coming soon.

Evil Ways and Deadly Games! have been added to the AwesomeGang.com website if you'd like to check them out here and here.

Work continues apace. I’m nearing the end of my Fight Card Books novel, Barefoot Bones. I’m also working on a series of short stories for an as yet unannounced project. After I finish Barefoot Bones, I start on a story featuring a new character of my own creation called Abraham Snow for a publisher that I have not worked with previously. I have to get it finished in August for the launch Moonstone Books before getting back to the delayed Evil Intent for BEN Books.

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of a new fiction line in October. I’ll post more details as I’m able. Then it’s on to the Honey West/Domino Lady novel for

There is a lot of fun stuff in the pipeline so I’d best get back to work.
So much to do, so little time.

Have a great weekend.

Bobby

SOMETIMES I GET ASKED STUFF…

Coming Soon.

On occasion I get asked a question or two about writing, what I’m working on, marketing, etc. Thought I’d share a few I received this week and the answers I gave.

How do you deal with writer’s block or getting stuck for a story point?

I generally step away and do anything else, doesn't matter what as long as it's not writing. Take a walk, mow the lawn, clean the kitchen, or go for a drive. I find that once I stop focusing on trying to solve whatever story point has me stymied then my brain can start working on it at its own speed. That usually does the trick.

Sometimes working on a different story can help as well.

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Now available.

How do you make a horrendously evil bad guy likeable?

For me, it all starts with character. Get to the know the character first, before the evil part. If you can find one thing to like about the character then you've created a hook for the audience to connect with that character. He can be a psychokiller, but perhaps he has a soft spot for children and helps children or charities. Give the character something that makes him or her human. Even the most vile villain doesn't think of themselves as the villain. What they're doing makes perfectly logical sense to them.

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How do you deal with bad reviews?

Still available

Just ignore it (easier said than done, I know) and move on.

That's the easy answer, of course. You never want to argue with someone who gave you a bad review. That never ends well. If you decide to converse with the reviewer, tell him or her that you're sorry that the story wasn't to their liking then thank the person for taking the time to read your work and to write a review.

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What are you currently working on?

Where to begin?

Coming soon

I'm working on a story for Fight Card called "Barefoot Bones." I hope to finish it this week.

At the same time I'm also working on several short stories for a project I signed on to do last week that I can't talk about yet.

I closed a deal for an audio project over the weekend, which I can't quite discuss yet either. I'll start on those in a week or so.

I also just made a deal today with a publisher for an ebook novella due in August. Sadly, can't really discuss details on this one either.

After that, I have a Honey West/Domino Lady novel on tap to write for Moonstone.

Sequels to both are in the works.

And then I get back to the Evil Intent novel and a few shorts on my schedule.

Suffice to say, it's been a weird last couple weeks with these offers coming in (which I'm proud to say came to me as offers). It's going to be a busy year, but I like it.

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Coming 2014

Thanks to all who asked questions, I hope the answers were helpful.
Right now, it's time for me to get back to work. Deadlines loom.

I hope everyone is having a great week.

Bobby

IS WRITING REWRITING? YOU BE THE JUDGE.

Finally, a definition of writer's block I buy.

I joined in the conversation on the "Writing is rewriting" discussion on Sean Taylor’s blog.


Is Writing Really Re-Writing? (A Roundtable)

The axiom states that "Writing is rewriting" -- well, in your experience, is it really? Or is it the great lie that writing teachers and books about writing try to fool us with?

Is it possible to get it right the first time and require little to no really editing other than grammar and spelling from your draft version?

To get the skinny, we checked in with a group of tenured and new writers, and writers of both genre fiction and literary fiction, short stories and novels, poetry and comic book scripts.

In 3... 2... 1... Go!

Check it the discussion at http://seanhtaylor.blogspot.com/2013/02/is-writing-really-re-writing-roundtable.html