The Author Interviews, Round 3: #12: Jason Hershey
I spoke withJason Hershey, author of To Live To Die about his writing habits. Here's what he had to say.
*image from the author*Where do you get your ideas from?My ideas come from experiences in my life, either something that happened to me or to someone close to me. I feel that by using experiences that are close to you, you can write in such a way that allows the reader to “feel” with you and make the book more meaningful. My experiences are not unusual, but I think there are a lot of lessons to be learned from the choices others made before you.Why do you write?I’ve always wrote. I have no other artistic talents, so this is the one thing that allows me to express myself completely.What do you find most appealing about your chosen genre?Teenagers and young adults are really experiencing these emotions and situations for the first time so I think that the opportunity to explore their reactions and how they handle them makes for good drama. It allows me to replay parts of my life over, the opportunity to correct mistakes I might of made and to relive some important incidents in my life. Hopefully through me and my situations, the reader will find parts of themselves and come along on this journey with me.How do you deal with bad reviews, rejection and criticism?I have no problem with rejection, negative criticism, or bad reviews. I played football in college and am from the inner city. I am used to being judged. The difference is in what you do with those reviews. You can either sulk and go into a shell, or you can use it as motivation to get better and prove others wrong. I am secure enough in my abilities that if i put my mind to something, I can get it done.What do you find difficult about writing?Finding the amount of time needed to get some quality writing in. Between work, kids and a family, it can be hard, but I”m working on making sure I have enough “me” time to handle all of my responsibilities.Talk us through your creative process from start to finish.My style of writing seems to be different than others. I don’t outline or anything. I basically start with a premise. I’m old school in that I write with paper and pen first. I just start writing. I tend to write in 1st person, so most of my stories have some kind of personal element. I also let the story just go. I don’t censor what I’m writing or where it’s going. I make adjustments as I go, but it’s mostly just free writing. I also tend to talk the dialogue out as I'm writing. If it sounds phony to me, then I won't keep it on the paper, I think this lends some creativity and realistic dialogue to my characters, which in turn makes the book more impactful to the reader.What advice would you give to aspiring writers?Write, write and write. Don't worry about how things are supposed to be. Create your own rules as you go. There is no one style that works for everyone. Figure out what works for you, whether it be outlines or story mapping of free writing, and go for it.If you could go back in time 12 months, what would you advise yourself?To start working on this book earlier, to be truthful with how I was feeling and to make sure I take more time to stop and enjoy life, not just being a part of life.Thanks for the interview, Jason Hershey and all the best with your novel!
*image from the author*Where do you get your ideas from?My ideas come from experiences in my life, either something that happened to me or to someone close to me. I feel that by using experiences that are close to you, you can write in such a way that allows the reader to “feel” with you and make the book more meaningful. My experiences are not unusual, but I think there are a lot of lessons to be learned from the choices others made before you.Why do you write?I’ve always wrote. I have no other artistic talents, so this is the one thing that allows me to express myself completely.What do you find most appealing about your chosen genre?Teenagers and young adults are really experiencing these emotions and situations for the first time so I think that the opportunity to explore their reactions and how they handle them makes for good drama. It allows me to replay parts of my life over, the opportunity to correct mistakes I might of made and to relive some important incidents in my life. Hopefully through me and my situations, the reader will find parts of themselves and come along on this journey with me.How do you deal with bad reviews, rejection and criticism?I have no problem with rejection, negative criticism, or bad reviews. I played football in college and am from the inner city. I am used to being judged. The difference is in what you do with those reviews. You can either sulk and go into a shell, or you can use it as motivation to get better and prove others wrong. I am secure enough in my abilities that if i put my mind to something, I can get it done.What do you find difficult about writing?Finding the amount of time needed to get some quality writing in. Between work, kids and a family, it can be hard, but I”m working on making sure I have enough “me” time to handle all of my responsibilities.Talk us through your creative process from start to finish.My style of writing seems to be different than others. I don’t outline or anything. I basically start with a premise. I’m old school in that I write with paper and pen first. I just start writing. I tend to write in 1st person, so most of my stories have some kind of personal element. I also let the story just go. I don’t censor what I’m writing or where it’s going. I make adjustments as I go, but it’s mostly just free writing. I also tend to talk the dialogue out as I'm writing. If it sounds phony to me, then I won't keep it on the paper, I think this lends some creativity and realistic dialogue to my characters, which in turn makes the book more impactful to the reader.What advice would you give to aspiring writers?Write, write and write. Don't worry about how things are supposed to be. Create your own rules as you go. There is no one style that works for everyone. Figure out what works for you, whether it be outlines or story mapping of free writing, and go for it.If you could go back in time 12 months, what would you advise yourself?To start working on this book earlier, to be truthful with how I was feeling and to make sure I take more time to stop and enjoy life, not just being a part of life.Thanks for the interview, Jason Hershey and all the best with your novel!
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