Ask the Author: Steve Copling
Answered Questions (6)
Steve Copling
The Sage Alexander series of books came from a request from my oldest grandson, Sage Alexander Copling, to write him a book as a Christmas present. The small book I wrote him (he made the request right before Thanksgiving, giving me five weeks to complete the task), is certainly nothing like the full novel about to be released, but the foundation is there, the general concept. Once I knew I wanted to expand the original book into something bigger, it was a short distance between there and the full fantasy universe I created. I don't think I've ever had more fun than writing this series. I'm a long way from finishing, but each book is plotted out and ready to explode from my head. Gonna be great!
Steve Copling
Like most writers, I'm an avid reader. I've had stories inside my head my entire life. My initial inspiration to write fiction came from my sister, who wanted to write a screenplay about a husband committing a perfect murder while killing his wife. She sent me the first few pages. I read them. In her story, if a man would have carried out her exact plot in real life, he would have been caught and jailed within about thirty minutes. With my extensive background in law enforcement, she asked me to write the first chapter where the husband could commit the murder without being caught. So I did. I enjoyed it. I wrote chapter two. And on it went. I was hooked and haven't really stopped writing since. I have many partially finished crime novels that I might finish one of these days, but only after the Sage Alexander series is completed (seven book series).
Steve Copling
I am currently working on the third book in the Sage Alexander series, Sage Alexander and the Castle of Lost Souls. I have completed book two (hopefully out April 2018), and am about a third finished with book three. I'm finding that all three books are vastly different from one another, which I think the readers will enjoy.
Steve Copling
This one is simple: write. Just put words down on paper. Don't worry about grammar, run-on sentences, useless words, passive voice and all the other stuff that MUST be cleaned up later. No, the best thing you can do is simply write, write, write. After you have your story down on paper (or computer file), let it sit for a bit, a couple of weeks or so, to gain some distance from it, then go back and start your cleanup. There's a saying I heard once: A book isn't written, it's rewritten. So doing the cleanup is the key to success. That done, after you think it's ready to show to a few people for some advice or feedback, make sure your skin is thick enough to handle what you're being told. Do realize one thing though, there has never been a book written that somebody somewhere wouldn't have done a little differently somewhere in the book. So while you should value honest feedback, remember that it is your story to tell. Tell it. Write!
Steve Copling
For me, two best things. First, I can write anytime, anywhere. I define writing as more than simply sitting down at the computer and hunting and pecking (which is how I type). Writing also includes mulling over plot points, pieces of dialogue, character traits, etc., and I can do that anywhere: while on a run, while driving, while taking a shower (when I'm not engaged with song), really anywhere at all. So...I can write anytime, anywhere.
Second, I can let my imagination run as wild and free as it wants. I've found the fantasy genre to be especially freeing. While you must have rules for the world you create, what you do within that world is wide open. The story I've created in the Sage Alexander series draws from Greek mythology, angels and demons, old testament bible, monsters and creatures of urban legend, and other things, so the universe I get to draw from is nearly limitless. Great fun!
Second, I can let my imagination run as wild and free as it wants. I've found the fantasy genre to be especially freeing. While you must have rules for the world you create, what you do within that world is wide open. The story I've created in the Sage Alexander series draws from Greek mythology, angels and demons, old testament bible, monsters and creatures of urban legend, and other things, so the universe I get to draw from is nearly limitless. Great fun!
Steve Copling
I deal with writer's block by playing the "what if" game. Fiction is about conflict, and how a character deals with it. If I get to a stuck point, I start asking what if. What if this happened, what if that happen? You can approach any topic from multiple angles and create tension and conflict from the smallest things. Once I have decided on a piece of conflict-large or small- having the character deal with it generally kicks me out of the sticking point.
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