John Stanton on Writing

Today, please welcome John Stanton once again to talk about his writing.

What or who inspired you to start writing?

As a kid I loved stories and really got into science fiction stories, books and movies.  My toy spaceships were always involved in character driven, epic, sprawling story lines that spanned generations across galaxies at a time when the fate of worlds hinged on the etc, etc, etc. I guess I was a freaky little kid. As I got older, my taste in fiction got broader and I also became interested in poetry. But it probably all started with science fiction for me. I wanted other people to get caught up in my stories the way I got caught up in the stories I loved.

What genre do you tend to write?

Currently, I'm writing novels I describe as paranormal comedies. But I do enjoy writing adventure stories with a military thriller style.  I try to write poetry whenever I can.  Sometimes it's slam and sometimes it's form poetry.

Where do your ideas come from?

My ideas come from a mix of everything around me and my past experiences.  I don't think I know where the fundamental ideas seeds come from. But I know I have to nurture them and have a fertile ground to plant them in and real characters to bring them to life. Ideas are the easy part for me.

Tell us a little something about your typical day as a writer.

Most weekdays, I'll spend some time writing in the morning while I'm having breakfast, anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes. In the evenings, I'll spend time editing and formatting.  Saturdays are my favorite. I spend a part of the early afternoon having a burrito and writing as long as I want.

How did you go about honing your writing skills?

I also look to the work of authors I enjoy to give me a standard by which to judge my work. I am constantly raising the bar.  I write a lot so I'm always checking into syntax and grammar issues. I'm always working on my editing skills.

What is your most productive time of day?

Saturday afternoon after lunch, I don't know why that is.

What are your goals with writing? What is your goal as a writer? To entertain, inspire, change the world?

I want to write things that will affect people emotionally. I want to create ideas and images that will fill them with wonder, make them think and believe them richer for the experience.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

Lately, so much of my non-writing time is spent dealing with the non-writing aspects of writing. An author today has to attend to so many business aspects of writing if they want to be successful. But, I still try to go scuba diving once in a while.

Thanks for being with us today, Jack.  If people would like to meet you or buy your books, where can they go?

All are available on amazon: