Dream Big. Write Small.

“The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.”

-   Mark Twain

I’ve been told that many novels start out as dreams. One night an author lays down for sleep and the next morning an original story has formed in his mind. This hasn’t happened to me, but I can understand the thinking behind it. An idea for a new book can strike at any moment, and the excitement that fresh storyline brings is exhilarating.

After such a brainstorm, it’s easy to go straight for the keyboard and start clacking away until the first few paragraphs are written. The characters are interesting. The setting is fascinating. So, you keep pushing forward until the first draft is complete. You read through it from start to finish and realize something: it’s not the story you wanted to tell.

What has happened is that instead of Writing Small you went straight for the big dream – a finished novel.

Writing Small is a term that I use to remind myself to focus on the details of the story. Instead of having a goal to finish my book I place my attention on finding the right word for the sentence and establishing the correct rhythm for the paragraph. From that point I build outwards until I finish a chapter and eventually a book. This way I am not consumed with the need to just finish, and can develop the story I truly wanted to tell.

Writing a novel is an epic accomplishment and I commend anyone who has taken on that challenge. It’s a Big Dream. Just make sure to take the time to Write Small and you’ll be happy that you did.

      

10 Big Questions With J.R. Johansson

 

1. Where did the idea for your debut novel Insomnia come from?

I woke up one morning after a particularly weird dream and started thinking what it would be like to see other people's dreams...and it just kind of evolved from there.

2. Who are the Night Walkers?

Oh, top secret! That's something that you might have to wait until the sequel to find out. ;-) Patience is a virtue. 

3. I’ve read that you love board games, so what would Insomnia: The Game be like? Would it have to be played in a hot tub?

Haha, I do love board games. I guess the game would probably be about trying to discover and prove to everyone else what your true character is. Kind of like the game Clue, but in reverse. And yes, I'd definitely make the hot tub a requirement. Or at least it should be played over hot beverages. :)

4. Why is June 10^th a special date for you? How do you imagine that day will feel?

It's special because I've spent a lot of time writing about people's dreams and that day will be a dream of my own coming true. I've worked so hard toward this, I imagine it won't feel very real, but that's how all the best days are.

5. Did you learn anything new about your writing process while writing Insomnia?

Yes. I learned that I work better and faster with a very, very vague outline and an ending in mind. It might not be the outline or ending I finish with, but having a plan makes me a much more efficient writer. 

6. Can you share what the query process was like for this book?

I queried around 30 agents with Insomnia, it was rather quick. I had a great request rate and my agent dove in head first. It wasn't my first book I'd queried and I'd learned a lot the first time around (over 100 agents). I think that experience helped so much when it was time to query Insomnia.

7. Any tips for authors who are starting to query?

Yes. The two most important things to remember while querying. First, once you know you have a good query on your hands, query widely. Second, while querying, start writing something new. It will help distract you while you wait on responses. Plus, it's a very good habit to get into early on.

8. How did you know that Flux was the right publisher for your novel?

Flux has a good reputation for doing a great job with books that are a little different. I definitely believe that Insomnia falls into this category and many reviews I've had so far agree. Also, when I looked them up and saw they had a male protagonist section already on their website, I knew that was a very good sign. 

9. Are you working on any new projects you can share with us?

I have a new project that is a contemporary thriller set in Philadelphia. It's creepy and awesome and that's all I can really say at the moment, but I'll have extremely exciting news on this one VERY soon (in the next week)...stay tuned!

10. If you had to switch places with a character from any book who would it be? Why?

Hmm...off the top of my head, I'd probably pick Hermione. She's a genius, she's tough, she punches Malfoy in the face, and she ends up with her cute best friend that always makes her laugh. Sounds pretty freaking awesome to me. 

 

Learn more about J.R. Johansson by clicking on the links below.

 

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website: www.jrjohansson.com

blog: www.jennjohansson.blogspot.com

 

Write. Rewrite. Rinse. Repeat.

It is no sign of weakness or defeat that your manuscript ends up in need of major surgery. This is common in all writing and among the best of writers.

-   E.B. White

I remember the day that I finished the first complete draft of my novel.  I was excited. I even took a picture of the handwritten page that included the clichéd phrase “The End” at the bottom.  It was an excellent day.  The sky was surely a gorgeous shade of blue. I texted friends, called family members, and tweeted about how brilliant it felt to be finished with my book.

Fast-forward a few months later and I am stepping knee deep into a fresh edit of a book that I’ve already spent so much time shaping and reshaping. “Why?” you might ask. First, because I’ve felt since I finished the novel that it wasn’t the complete story I wanted to tell. Second, I am now working with a talented editor who is encouraging me to dig deep and scratch the core of what makes my novel unique. Finally, because every day I work to better my first book is time spent improving my future as a writer.

A fresh story waits to be written. It’s time to get to work.

10 Big Questions With Jen Naumann

1. What does a day in the life of such a prolific author look like?

Ha, I wouldn't know as I have never met one. If you were asking about my life, I would say it's pretty boring. I have a little writing nook in the corner of our master bedroom where I spend a few hours every morning blogging and connecting on social networks. It's really difficult to put a stop to time on the Internet because I end up finding so many interesting things and meeting so many interesting people. I try to write from around 11 until my kids get off the bus at 3:30, but sometimes my writer's block has other ideas. I treat writing like a full time job and don't mess around, other than getting up every few hours to do something active so I don't become a giant sloth.

2. You write about the paranormal, so you seem to be comfortable with that topic. Does your writing ever keep you up at night?

I never really had a problem with this until my fourth book, 'Cheating Death'. I was seeing shadows moving in the dark and had just an eerie feeling sneak up on me in the middle of the night. Normally it's my dreams in general that keep me up at night!

3. Where do you find inspiration for your stories?

For the most part, my crazy dreams. I have this theory that my mind is so creative it never shuts down and it feels the need to entertain me in my sleep. I seriously will dream up an entire "movie" in a night. And everyone thinks I'm weird because I remember almost all of them. But all it takes is one scene to create an entire story. My book Shymers was created by a friend simply asking if I thought it would be nice to know how many days we had to live.

4. What did it feel like when you received your first review on Amazon? Do you feel differently now with each review?

I was honestly blown away by the fact that someone actually liked a story I created. It was so surreal. But in reality I've gotten both good and bad reviews, so I try not to read them. I sometimes will cheat and read the higher stared reviews, then my eyes are drawn to the one and two stars and it becomes an emotional mess. You'd be surprised how much a bad review can completely bring a writer down and make them want to quit.

5. Why have you chosen to be an independent writer?

For me, it's all about control. And money. I don't do well with other people telling me what to do (with the exception of my editors). This is part of the reason why I made a horrible secretary. I am in total and complete control from the way the story is told to the cover and book trailer. And why should I pay others to do the things that I can do myself? The only service I hire out for is editing. Without professional editing, self-published books do not become successful.

6. You not only write but you design beautiful covers and provide formatting services for other authors. Can you tell us about those services?

Thank you! Designing covers is my second favorite thing to do (after writing of course). I take semi-professional pictures on a freelance-type basis and took the images for three of my four covers so far. While most of the covers I've designed for others was using a stock image chosen by the author, I also can take specific pictures (if not too complicated). As for the other services, I have helped authors prepare their novels for selling on Amazon and Smashwords. I'm pretty good with the computer and understand how confusing some of the requirements for those websites can be.

7. What has been your most effective marketing tool for your books?

I would say entering the giveaways on Goodreads. Each time I've had over 1,500 people sign up to win my books. And I encourage anyone who purchases one of my books to post a review on there because, let's face it, the reviews really speak for themselves.

8. Any advice for new writers?

Make sure you can finish a book! I know this sounds obvious, but it can get complicated. Ever since elementary school I knew I wanted to be an author and I wrote many books in high school, but as an adult I couldn't seem to finish an entire novel. I realized I was self-editing to the point that I was forever going back and making changes because I never thought it was "perfect". I finally participated in NaNoWriMo one year and finished my first book in decades. The first draft was total crap, but with each edit it improved and the plot grew stronger. Also, you have to write nearly every day to improve your craft!

9. Can you tell us about your new book Cheating Death?

I'm excited about this one as it has a little bit of a scary feel to it, which is something I'm really into (I adore Stephen King and horror movies). In the prologue, Lysandra (the main character) explains a near drowning incident in a Northern Minnesota lake with her grandmother. This actually happened to me when I was little, but it was my mother's lap I was sitting on and fortunately she didn't drown like the grandmother in the story does. But Lysandra grows up seeing things that "aren't really there" and develops this crippling fear of water. The story starts on her last day of high school and leads into a big party that just happens to be lakeside. After the big party, her life spirals out of control and she ends up "cheating death" a second time.

10. What goals do you have for your writing career?

I know that I have a lot of growing to do as an author and would like to eventually see my writing develop into best-seller material. I could easily continue to write books for the next fifty years if people will keep buying them. It's my dream to have book signings all over the world and have a movie made from one of my stories. As an author and a major cinephile, I can't imagine anything more rewarding than seeing something you created being played out on the big screen.

Learn more about Jen Naumann and all of her exciting books by clicking on the links below.

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