1) How long were you writing before your first publication?
How many manuscripts had you written
It took me 13 years to get published. But for 3 of those
years, I wasn’t writing, instead I took a break to enjoy time with my 2 sons
and my first husband. So technically it was 10 years of writing and submitting.
During that time I finished 7 novels and have never gone back and revised them
to sell—I thought about it but then realized I had too many new stories waiting
to write to go back.
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| Tweet: Betting on Hope with author, Debra Clopton. |
2) Are you a morning person? A night owl? How do you arrange
your schedule to allow the most efficient, productive time for writing?
I’m BOTH! I love early morning and am almost always up and
working by 6:30. But I love nighttime, too, and usually work past midnight. The
truth is, I don’t actually sleep a lot and not by choice always. Five hours is
a lot for me—I’ve always had a mind that just doesn’t like to shut down and so
I have trouble sleeping. When I’m really hard on a deadline, it’s even harder
for me to sleep so you never know what hours I’ll be sitting in my laptop
working.
3) What aspect of being a writer is the most challenging for
you? Why is this difficult, and what steps have you taken to overcome this
hurdle?
Most challenging is when your heart is heavy with sorrow for
something in my own life or my family’s or friends’ I still have to get up and
write. That is really hard to do.
4) Do you read your reviews? Have you ever replied to one?
Do you find they influence your writing when you work on subsequent books?
Yes, I do read them! I hear a lot of authors talk about not
reading them but I can’t seem to help myself J.
But I don’t let them get me down if they aren’t what I hoped for—I know
everyone has their own opinion. I try really hard to write the best book that I
can and I pray as I’m working on the story that God will lead me to write the
words that someone needs. If I feel like I’ve done the best of my ability then
I’m satisfied that is all I could have done. I can truly say that I’ve been
blessed with far more happy reader reviews than unhappy.
5) If you’re a plotter, have you ever tried pantsing it? If
you’re a pantser, have you ever given plotting a try? Can you swing both ways,
or are you a confirmed devotee of one of these methods?
I’m a combination of both though I’m heavier on the pantser
side. I create a very loose synopsis but never hold myself tightly to the
proposed book. I have found that the best most creative aspects of my stories
happen as my fingers are on the keys. I see true plotters doing these intricate
synopsis and I think that is so cool and their work is amazing, but it would
drive me crazy and my books would be far less interesting because it just
doesn’t work that way. It is so wonderful how God created each of us uniquely;
I find it fascinating.
6) Does your best writing flow? Or are you most satisfied
with the work that you’ve labored over, sweating and groaning?
My writing NEVER flows… is
there such a thing? I always, always suffer through a book and always about
two thirds of the way through, I am convinced that it is the worst book ever
and what was I thinking! My husband ignores me now but I truly believe it when
I’m in that spot. It makes me cling to God more and really seek His guidance.
I’ve come to accept it as part of my process. In the end if the book makes
someone smile then I’m happy. When it truly helps someone in a deeper way, I
feel completely humbled and blessed that God led me and was able to use me
through my words. And that is why I do what I do.
Debra Clopton is a multi-award winning novelist and has
written more than 22 novels. Along with writing, Debra helps her husband teach
the youth at their local Cowboy Church. Debra's goal is to shine a light toward
God while she entertains readers with her words.
Purchase her latest release, Betting on Hope, on Amazon.
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