Jerry’s Comments (group member since Jan 24, 2013)

Jerry’s comments from the Q&A with author Jerry Hatchett group.

Thanks for the questions, Antonello. I do all my writing on computer. Trust me when I say, NOBODY wants me to write anything on paper. ;)

As for research, it depends on the topic. I always start out with typical Internet research and reading, and I often follow that up by trying to find experts who are willing to read passages related to their field, and tell me if I got it right. For example, when writing military scenes, I find experienced military people willing to check my writing for authenticity. I've also found helpful experts on nuclear weapons, tsunamis, etc. I know as a reader I can't stand when some little factual inaccuracy yanks me out of the storyworld, so I try hard to avoid doing that to my readers.

I also try to choose settings I've experienced, again with an eye toward authenticity, but this isn't always possible.

Again, thanks!

Jerry

Well, you and I probably agree on most books. An exception every now and then is okay. ;)

I HATE stories which turn out to be a dream at the end. I like Lehane, just not that one.

I love twisty, Louise! Maybe six months for the first draft of PB, another couple months to edit. That one went quickly.

Linda, of course there's hope for Manny!

I don't remember it. OOOF. Do you still have it? :)

What's the nutshell on your WIP, Louise?

Oh wow, favorite PB character. Probably Ray Earl Higgins!

Thx! To me, the creative process is always somewhat spontaneous. I don't outline and pre-plan the plot in any detail. That said, 7UD was much more planned out than PB. I had the big concept of 7UD worked out in my head, knew pretty much where I wanted to end up, and then just made up the details as I went. With PB, I had no idea where it was going and dreamed it up sentence by sentence.

Pawnbroker

Thanks, Louise. :)

Yeah, the tech was absolutely off the top of my head. I hate spoilers and won't get into any here, but it becomes obvious fairly early in the book that a bunch of bad guys are after some unknown something. I honestly had no clue what that something was myself until the moment I wrote the tech into existence.

Oddly enough, no. I read back through the first draft and was shocked to see how coherent it was. It of course required some editing, but it was minor compared to my Planned Works.

I've actually started a new novel that's being written in this same fashion. I'm deciding if I'm confident/foolish enough to release it as a serial.

It is the cool 7UD. ;)

Well...unlike my other work, Pawnbroker was not planned at all. None. I opened up a new Word file one day and started typing, without the slightest notion of what I'd type before that moment. After a couple days of this, I enjoyed it so much that I kept going in the same fashion; I'd actually avoid thinking about the story when I wasn't writing. I wanted to see what a spontaneously generated thriller might look like. As for the characters, like I suspect it is with all authors, some of them are created totally from scratch, while others are an amalgam of people from real life.

Thanks for asking, Linda!

I love to yack online. Let's get started!