What a great bunch of questions you all posted. I got a far greater response than I’d expected, and I’d like to answer them all as carefully as I can. So this might take a while.

Click here to see the original thread with the questions that have been asked so far.

Without further ado, here are the first few:

Patsy Goodman Says:

My question for you is when did you decide to become a writer? Was it a childhood dream or did you decide later in life? Thank You.

Yours,
Patsy Goodman

Hi Patsy–I’ve always been reading and writing, and from as far back as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be a “writer” (well, maybe I wanted to be a bus driver or baseball player back in kindergarten, but other than that brief detour…)

I remember devouring Hardy Boys mysteries (and pretty much anything else I could get my hands on) when I was as young as six or seven. A year or so later I found an old typewriter and churned out “The White Horse.” This was a horrific (not horror, just plain bad) little 25-page story that ripped off the Black Stallion right down to the wild horse and the races. I sold copies of it to relatives for a quarter. I still have one buried around here somewhere.

The summer after my freshman year of high school, I made a deal with my aunt (who was raising me at the time) that instead of getting a summer job, I would write a novel. I got about 80 pages in before giving up. It was a Tom Clancy-style spy novel, which was the type of thing I was into reading at the time. I dug that out of my old files a few months back and was surprised to find that it was pretty good. Nowhere near publishable, but not a train wreck, either.

I took writing courses in college, majored in English, and won a couple of awards for a short story and a play. But during that time I thought I had to write “serious” literature, and as a result most of what I did was preachy and really pretty bad. When I graduated I decided that this was the time to take my best shot, and I banged out my first complete novel, a slasher-style horror story about a psychopath loose up in the wilds of Maine. That was more my style! I kept writing after that, although eventually I had to get a day job to pay the bills.

Darlene Myers Says:

I have always been an avid reader and was extremely excited to find out about DearReader.com. I am just branching out into the writing field. My love is mystery but I do not really have anything concrete. Do you have any words of wisdom regarding how to start the process? Right now I am tapping into writers group (suggestion of Steve Berry) and am going to take a couple of writing workshops. I am one of those that tend to get “their ducks in a row” before actually taking the plunge. Thanks for your wonderful column. I look forward to checking out your website and books. Be blessed.

Dar

Hi Darlene—I hear this one so often from new writers, and the answer is really pretty simple: just start writing. Don’t worry if it’s any good, and don’t even think about where things are going if that makes you too nervous. Just find a story that interests you and explore it.

All the other things are just keeping you from the real goal. Writer’s groups could help you get motivated, courses at local colleges might do the same, reading books about writing can give you some helpful tips, and attending conventions can help you network. But ultimately, it’s up to you to sit down and put the words on paper. So map out a regularly scheduled time to write, at least an hour or so a day, and keep to it. Set a goal (1 page, 5 pages, it doesn’t matter) and try to hit it by the end of every session. Your first efforts are going to have problems, that much is inevitable. So use them as learning experiences. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to bang out a perfect product. That’s what revisions are for, after all.

It’s the words that count. Good luck!

Marie Says:

Hi Nate! I enjoyed your “Dear Reader” column. I love to curl up with a great book. It is a passion being passed onto my children. I think one of my children’s memories will be all of our visits to libraries and bookstores!

My question(s) for you: What is the last book that you have read? Why did you choose it? What did you like about it and why?

Thanks!
Best,
Marie

Hi Marie—First of all, good for you for passing on your love of books to your children. That’s an invaluable thing and will benefit them tremendously when they grow up. Some of my fondest memories are of my father and mother reading to me every night. My grandfather Edward also used to read books aloud when I went to visit him as a child. I have no doubt that this is why I’m a writer today.

I read at least a book a week, and sometimes I juggle more than one at once. The last book I finished was Kindred Spirit by John (Jack) Passarella, and I chose it because I’d corresponded with him and wanted to see what his writing was like with this one. It’s very good. Jack’s an excellent writer and although this is a slight departure from his earlier stuff (The Wither series), it’s just as good, maybe better. Jack has a knack for research, and he does a fantastic job using that research to make his characters’ lives believable.

I’m almost finished with Koontz’s Velocity, which I started a while back and had to put aside while I finished up some books I had agreed to review for Horrorworld, and then I’m back into Laymon’s Into the Fire. I read a couple of chapters of that when I was at Necon this past weekend (a writers’ conference). I’m also reading an advance reader copy of Ancient Eyes by David Niall Wilson, which I’d agreed to review. Dave’s a good friend and a fantastic writer, and so far this is one of his best.

Whew! I guess that question wasn’t quite as easy to answer as I thought it would be. I have at least 50 books on my to be read pile, and I keep adding to it all the time. Many of them are horror or suspense, but I mix in some classics every once in a while as well.

Maureen Says:

Nate, thank you for your dearreader.com e-mail today. I read Bloodstone, which was a total departure for me because of the book clubs. Anyway, I really wanted to thank you for what you wrote in this e-mail. I have recently instituted a new rule regarding online and tv time because I really missed reading and your e-mail made me so happy that I had done this. I felt like I never had enough time, but really I was squandering my time on unimportant things that were not bringing me the same pleasure as reading always has. I am really so delighted as I remember the joy of reading for pleasure, not just for work. As Harper Lee wrote to Oprah (O Magazine, July 2006), I love the softness of the pages, as opposed to the coldness of electronics. Thank you for reminding me what I have been missing.

Hi Maureen—you’re very welcome, although it sounds like you’ve got things well under control. Reading is a unique pleasure, indeed. I’m glad you’ve been able to reconnect with the written word, and thanks for writing.

Cheryle Says:

Hi,
What do you find the most difficult thing about writing a novel, and what do you do to overcome it?
Thanks,
Cheryle

That’s an excellent question, Cheryle. I think that it’s a bit different with every book, but here are a couple of issues I have pretty frequently.

Sometimes I hit a wall about halfway through, and it’s very hard to push beyond a certain point. The plot seems to be getting too unwieldy, the characters aren’t interesting enough, I can’t see the ending, and I’m just plain tired of the whole thing. That’s a dangerous time, because it’s too easy to just let it go, take a breather and work on something else. But I’ve found that if I do that I don’t always come back. It works best if I just keep working. If I stay focused the feeling goes away and eventually I hit my stride again. Easier said than done…

Another problem I have is after the first or even second draft is complete. I often reach a point where I know I need to cut something, but I can’t bring myself to do it. Usually it’s one of my favorite scenes or chapters, but it just doesn’t move the plot or doesn’t fit in with what I’m trying to do, and so it has to go.

I say that I know this, but it really isn’t that simple. There’s a voice in the back of my head that is pretty insistent. That’s the best thing you’ve ever written, the voice says. It has to stay. Maybe you’re wrong, maybe it’s the only thing keeping this book from the trash can. So what I have to do is pretend I’m not the author, but an editor who needs to whip the book into shape. By keeping as impartial a perspective as possible, I’m usually able to be a bit more ruthless. And once the section is gone, 9 times out of 10 I’ll find out I’m right.

Shareen Says:

What made you decide to write in the genre you have chosen, and what do you call it? And, two, how did you find a publisher and/or agent?

Hi Shareen—I guess I’d call my chosen genre dark suspense. I straddle the line between straight horror and suspense thrillers; although Bloodstone is certainly closer to the former, my just completed novel, The Reach, is more of a thriller. But pretty much everything I write is dark and emotionally intense.

I really don’t think we have much of a choice about what we write. It comes from who we are, how we think, and what we like to explore with our fiction. For me, horror and suspense allows me to explore the darker side of life, and ultimately the best parts as well. I think horror fiction allows us—both writer and reader—to explore our most intense emotions and the fears that we might not otherwise be able to face. That’s a pretty powerful thing.

I went through some major trauma and loss early on in life, losing my father to a car accident and my mother to cancer, and I’m sure that had something to do with it as well. I’ve written fairly extensively on that in other interviews and so I won’t go into it any more here, but those events certainly shaped who I am, and how I view the world.

How did I get a publisher? In this case, it was a connection to legendary author and editor Ed Gorman (everyone should check out his novels, he’s fantastic), who read my work and then sent a couple of chapters of Bloodstone on to friends of his at Five Star and told them they should take a look. They did, and asked for the rest of the manuscript, and then they offered me a contract a few months later.

It sounds pretty simple, but I’d been trying to break through for years before that with blind submissions to various agents and editors. Landing that first contract is like lightning in a bottle—you can’t really catch it, and you don’t really know when it’s coming. You just have to remain persistent and be ready to take advantage of it when you get the opportunity.

Yoshiro Maya Says:

I’m in the US Air Force stationed at Ramstein Air Base, Germany (I’ve been here three years now and I have one more year left). So, being overseas, a lot of good books are not available to us. And I haven’t come across one of yours either — but the next time I go to the book store or the library, I’ll search for any of your books. (I usually scan around in the book store — my favorites are horror and mystery books and it usually doesn’t take long since there aren’t too many books like that…). So, if I couldn’t find it, is there a way I could buy on-line? (Amazon.com???). Or do you sell your books at your web site? I was hoping you do, so when I buy them from your site, you’d autograph them for me? Lol… Also, is there any way I could get an autographed picture??? Thank you very much!!!

Yoshiro Maya

Hi Yoshiro—Thanks very much for the interest! You can order Bloodstone on Amazon, absolutely. In fact, that’s probably the best place for most people to get it (it’s certainly the cheapest, at around $16):

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594144389/103-1354776-6687002?n=283155

If you want an autographed copy, you can send it to me and I’d be happy to sign it and send it back, as long as you include a self-addressed, postage paid return mailing envelope. That goes for anyone else, too; just drop me an email at nate@natekenyon.com for my mailing address.

I’d also be happy to mail you an autographed photo.

Laura Emerson Says:

When you begin your book do you know from the beginning which way your characters are going to go and how they are going to get there?

Another great question! I very rarely do. For me, part of the excitement of writing a novel is finding out what happens. My stories always start out with an image or idea that intrigues me, and then a twist or variation on that idea really gets me interested in writing the story. For example, with Bloodstone, I wanted to write an opening scene that involved a psychotic man kidnapping a woman. I liked the tension inherent in that plot device. But it’s been done a thousand times, and the idea didn’t really take off until I started playng the “what if” game: what if the man wasn’t really crazy at all? What if the voices were real? What would it take to make this man the hero of the novel? How would I take an initially distasteful character and make the reader come to respect and even root for him?

That’s what made me sit down to write. Everything else came from that first spark.

That’s all for now…I’ll post the next installment tomorrow. Thanks for checking in!

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