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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Why So Many Books? : Author Q & A

by Chautona Havig · Leave a Comment

Why do I write so many books in so many series and all the time? Well, it's kind of mental survival. See how it works from my side of the coin. via @chautonahavig

Many Books Make Much Work?

People often ask how I get so many book ideas, but Lisa S had a slightly different question.

 

Why So Many Books?  (Author Q & A)

(Note: this is a revision of a post made January 8, 2015)

She sent me this question in July:

Dear Chautona,

Have enjoyed your books, but notice you seem to start and promote many books at a time.   Is your mind constantly creating characters and ideas or is this something necessary for your publishers?

Be sure to rest mind and body!
Lisa

This is an excellent question, and not because I happen to be guilty as charged.  I’ve discovered a great diversity among authors in regard to the number of books worked on at a time.  Some authors are quite dedicated to one project before moving onto the next.  They get their ideas, they plot out the book, plan every detail (or they totally just grab the character and go for a ride, surprised as anyone at the end of the journey) and when the book is finished, only then do they consider other book ideas.

That’s not me.

This question goes hand in hand with “what do you do about writer’s block?”  I don’t get writer’s block.  In fact, I have the opposite problem.  I get ideas daily.  Almost all of them get written down in a file.  Those that I think will be a full book end up getting the first chapter written.  Others just get revisited from time to time until that character or event makes it into another book.  I don’t worry about not having anything to write about.

I’d be two hundred before I got there unless my ideas dried up tomorrow.  Then I MIGHT make it.  Maybe.

Of course, Ashley loves that I keep coming up with new ideas.  It means that I’m enthused and excited about writing.  Because you see, I have what I call “literary ADD.”  This I define as “the inability to concentrate on the same project for extended periods of time.”  In other words, my ideas have to percolate.  Add to that the serial novels and blogging in addition to my regular writing projects, and I have to have variety.  It is kind of a built-in fail-safe.

The process usually goes like this. 

I conceive a new book.  I write a few paragraphs or a chapter about it.  Then it gets filed.  I’m working on Novel 1 when I realize that I’ve avoided it today.  That is usually a sign that my brain needs to rest from it.

So, I pull out Novel 2.  That’s usually the serial novel.  But maybe I burned myself out on it yesterday and still need a break.  That’s when I go scrolling through other book ideas and grab one.  I get excited.  Start writing.  I ignore the fact that I haven’t eaten yet today and write some more–then some more.

By the next day, I’m usually ready to go back to Novels 1 or 2.  BUT… that leaves Novel 3 just sitting there lost.  So, I let myself play with it now and then.  That way, by the time I’m done with Novel 1, I’m still in tune with Novel 3.  Meanwhile, Novel 2 chugs along at its usual pace.

Now and then, a deadline interrupts one of these, but for the most part, this is how it works and it works well for me.

Sometimes I’ll wake up with an exciting idea for a book I haven’t really started or have left off for quite a while.  I write it.  I’ve learned that even if it delays other things, even if it means adding one more idea to the many books waiting for their turn on my “drawing board,” using my excitement and maximizing it means that I have a better book in the end.

And isn’t that what this is all about?

So the short answer is, yes.  My mind is always creating new ideas and plot lines, and that results in many, many books waiting for me to finish their stories.  My publicist and now my publishers do want me to keep going and stick with publication deadlines.

But I assure you, I definitely rest my mind and body.  I get LOTS of sleep each day (need it to function) and one way I rest my mind is to let it wander to a new project.  Win/Win for everyone!

Thank you, Lisa, for asking the question.  Check your email (spam folder if necessary) for a $5.00 Amazon Gift Card.

And remember, if you have a question for the Author Q&A, zip me an EMAIL.  If yours is featured, I’ll send you a gift card too!

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Filed Under: Author Q & A, Writing

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 217: A Chat with Biblical Fiction Author, Terry Garner
byChautona Havig

Terry Garner joined me tonight to chat about his fascinating Biblical Fiction series, Magi Journey. Starting way back in Assyria, through Babylon, and into Persia, the series chronicles two timelines–first that of the Israelite kings, and then of a fascinating family back in Persia… Listen in to see the hope this Magi family found in Scripture and how it led them to Bethlehem. 

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

This isn’t just another “traveling to Bethlehem with gold” story of the Magi. No, Terry Garner links the Israelite kings from Ahaz through the destruction of the temple and into captivity with a family who discovers that God has promised redemption for those outside Israel as well. Follow a physical and a faith journey across the ages all the way to the hope of an age.

With extensive and meticulous research, Terry Garner looks at Scripture and compares it with historical secular accounts. Even more exciting, however, are the things he discovered along the way. He talks about Jewish historians discounting Scriptural accounts of historical events to explain away the supernatural as if God Almighty… isn’t!

And then, Terry explains how he’s also writing a nonfiction book to help readers pull all the pieces from Scripture and see what God has promised us… so that we may know His plans. I’m excited about that book, but I confess, learning he’s working on a spinoff of the Magi series excited me even more. EEEP!

Terry Garner has all his books on sale right now!

The paperbacks are on sale for 9.95 and the box set (also available on Kindle Unlimited) is on sale for 4.99!

Magi Journey by Terry Garner

A sweeping historical saga from the courts of Tiglath-Piliser III in Assyria to the sleepy town of Bethlehem. History is seen through the eyes of the Magi as they journey from 734 BC to -0- AD.

Explore with the Magi the prophecies of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel. Witness God’s judgment on Israel, Assyria, and Babylon. And rejoice in the redemption of Israel and the coming of the Messiah.

Join the Magi as they answer the question that is critical to every man and woman, “Who Is This Messiah?”

Learn more about Terry on his WEBSITE.

Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

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Episode 217: A Chat with Biblical Fiction Author, Terry Garner
Episode 217: A Chat with Biblical Fiction Author, Terry Garner
March 31, 2023
Chautona Havig
Episode 216: A Chat with Jaime Jo Wright
March 28, 2023
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Episode 215: A Chat with Henry O. Arnold
March 24, 2023
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Episode 214: A Chat about After the Shadows with Amanda Cabot
March 21, 2023
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Episode 213: A Chat about Daughter of Eden with Jill Eileen Smith
March 17, 2023
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Episode 212: A Chat about Code Name Edelweiss with Stephanie Landsem
February 28, 2023
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Episode 211: A Chat with Lynn H. Blackburn about Under Fire
February 24, 2023
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Episode 210: A Chat with Jennifer Deibel about The Maid of Ballymacool
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Episode 209: A Chat with Tracie Peterson about Remember Me
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Episode 208: A Chat with Author, Hallie Lee
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