Ask the Author: Ben Schafer
Answered Questions (6)
Ben Schafer
Commit. I kind of danced around writing for years but only really got serious about it this year when I decided to stop blaming other people for my lack of progress. Agents and traditional publishers weren't taking me seriously, but looking back I can see that's because I wasn't taking myself seriously. When I decided to publish independently, the world opened up. It was tough, but rewarding work. So commit to yourself, take your craft and your story seriously, and pursue your dream to the best of your ability.
Ben Schafer
Freedom. Which, as we know from history, can be a blessing and a curse. As an independently published author, I have total freedom in producing, marketing, and distributing my works. It also means that, if I fail, it's all on me. It's daunting, challenging, inspiring, and liberating.
Ben Schafer
Currently, I am finishing the sequel to Son of Syria which will be titled Live by the Sword. After that, I will start working on the third book in the series as well as several short stories that will help fill out more of the world and allow some of the secondary characters to have their moment in the spotlight.
Ben Schafer
My debut novel, Son of Syria, was actually inspired by a bit of character development I did several years ago for another series I was working on. That series was ultimately discarded, but the character of Kyle Hoyek, Knight of the Order of St. Adrian, stuck out and I decided to make him the focus. I had a story outline ready describing Kyle's adventure in Syria which was serviceable but in hindsight was rather bland. Then the Syrian Civil War started. It was providential timing. Suddenly, I had the hook that I needed. The rest, as they say, is history.
Ben Schafer
When I'm faced with a scene or plot point that is giving me difficulty, I tend to step back and look at the larger story. Are there threads that I left dangling earlier in the story that can be picked up to carry the plot forward? Is the character making a decision based on what they would do or just based on where I need them to be for the plot to happen? What is the next anchor point that I know I want to reach and how does this scene help get me there?
Ben Schafer
I read the news and keep up with current events. Wars, terrorism, politics; it all makes for tremendous drama. Every day I turn on the radio or go online to find out about some development that is loaded with story potential. The key is pulling disparate threads together into a unified story.
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