Ask the Author: Ronald E. Yates
Answered Questions (5)
Ronald E. Yates
A biography of Iva Toguri, AKA "Tokyo Rose." It's the story of a woman wrongly convicted of treason who had to live with the myth of Tokyo Rose most of her life.
Ronald E. Yates
What I love about writing fiction is that it is about as close as a human being can get to being a god. You can create life, mold it, and take it away. You make people do what you want them to do. You are the ultimate puppet master. Of course, with that kind of power comes responsibility. You MUST tell a compelling story and make your characters interesting. Otherwise, your creation falls flat. And that is the danger that comes with your godliness.
Ronald E. Yates
I stop writing. I don't force anything. Sometimes I might just start writing one sentence after another to see where that takes me. Normally, I stop and drink something. (A cold beer, wine or a Hemingway Hammer). Then I forget about writing until, magically, the block is gone.
Ronald E. Yates
Try to write as much as you can from your own experiences. They are real and uncontrived and if you incorporate those experiences in your fiction, your work will have a truthful ring to it. Beyond that, KEEP AT IT! Don't let anybody (editors, agents, etc.) discourage you. At the same time, be willing to accept constructive criticism from those who have experience as authors, editors, agents, etc. Notice I said CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. Some people criticize just to be criticizing--or to be malicious. You must believe in yourself, your work, your vision, and your story. If you don't, who will?
Ronald E. Yates
Hi Kim,
Sorry to be so tardy in answering your question. Oh No...I NEVER have writing challenges (I'm hooting at that right now). Writing is damned hard work. I think the most challenging thing about writing fiction, as opposed to non-fiction, which is what I worked in most of my professional career, is keeping the story moving. That's called pacing. I love writing dialogue. I guess that's the journalist in me. I have spent decades listening to people and have been able to incorporate speaking styles into my fiction. We call get writer's block from time to time. When that happens, I simply stop, drink something (wine comes to mind) and think about other things. How about you? What are your challenges?
Sorry to be so tardy in answering your question. Oh No...I NEVER have writing challenges (I'm hooting at that right now). Writing is damned hard work. I think the most challenging thing about writing fiction, as opposed to non-fiction, which is what I worked in most of my professional career, is keeping the story moving. That's called pacing. I love writing dialogue. I guess that's the journalist in me. I have spent decades listening to people and have been able to incorporate speaking styles into my fiction. We call get writer's block from time to time. When that happens, I simply stop, drink something (wine comes to mind) and think about other things. How about you? What are your challenges?
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