Episode 48: Interview with Writer-Dad Jim Heskett
IN THIS EPISODE
Happy Father's Day to all you writer-dads out there! In honor of, well, YOU, we bring you some interviews with our favorite writer-dads. Kicking it off is thriller writer Jim Heskett. Jim – besides being pretty kick-butt himself – has written a pretty kick-butt book chocked full of tips and motivation to help you put your butt in the chair and get the work done. No excuses.
Today he shares some of his tips with Abby and Mel. If Jim can balance a full-time non-writing job and a toddler and still get the writing done, so can you!
So listen up, all of you. Writer-moms and writer-dads alike!
Jim is the author of over a dozen books including thrillers, the dystopian theories, short story collections, and very pertinent to our podcast: The Juggling Author: How to Write Four Books a Year While Family, Friends, and a Full-Time Job. Which is PERFECT for MomWrites listeners, especially Mel and Abby, who find themselves juggling all of these things AND cross country moves... and podcasts.
“If you want to accomplish your writing goals you need to prioritize, organize, and cut all the fat.”
Identifying your most productive time of the day is essential to figuring out what works for you. If you're a morning person, jump right in after waking up. Some people are more productive in the afternoon or evening--try to reduce responsibilities around these periods to free up writing time.
We also discuss the importance of connecting with your readers--if you expect people to buy things from you, it helps if they see you as a real live person who will respond and connect with their readership. Jim encourages his readers to write him with their thoughts about his work. What does he do when he gets negative feedback?
“As rough as it is, people are entitled to their opinions—or, maybe they weren’t the intended audience.”
Most importantly, take the constructive criticism and leave tactless comments behind.
Jim talks with us about writing with kids - sometimes, you have to learn to adapt. Sometimes it means writing in break rooms at work, writing using the Scrivener app, finding bits and pieces of the day to turn into writing time. It takes practice going from parent mode to writer mode and back again--learning how to focus quickly is a skill, and the more you do it, the easier it gets.
By Jim Heskett
If you like thrillers, make sure you check out Jim's Amazon page and also his website, where you voracious readers will love to see that he will send you THREE of his thrillers for FREE.
So, happy Father's Day! Rock on all you writer-dads!
