Kenneth Mark Hoover

1. Why do you write?
   
2. Where do you get your ideas?
   
3. Do you write everyday? What’s your schedule?
   
4. Who are some of your favorite fantasy and science fiction authors?
   
5. I’m just starting out. What are some basics I need to know?
   
6. Which market should I send my stuff to?
   
7. Are editors people too?
   
8. Should I attend fantasy and science fiction conventions
         What about organizations like SFWA. Are they necessary to my success?
   
9. Do you have any rules you follow while writing?
   

• Why do you write?
  
  I grew up in an abusive family. One way I could escape was to lose myself in books and stories. I also found I enjoyed dreaming of characters and different worlds, and making them come alive on paper. I’ve never stopped writing since, and I doubt I ever will.
  
  My youngest once asked, “Why did you pick writing?” Without thinking I told him, “I’m not sure I picked writing as much as it picked me.” Later, I realized there was a lot of truth in that statement. I’ve tried to quit before, but there are too many words inside me wanting to get out. I don’t always like writing, but I always get satisfaction from doing it. Even when I’m struggling with a story that doesn’t quite come together and doesn’t sell. (I know, go figure.)
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• Where do you get your ideas?
  
  A lot of them come from stories I’ve already written. A fragment, a scene, an emotion, or wondering how to approach the same problem from a different angle all give me the impetus to write new stories. I also read a great deal and pay attention to people. This, too, serves as source material and helps generate workable ideas.
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• Do you write everyday? What’s your schedule?
  
  Many professional writers insist you must write everyday. I’m much more sanguine about this. It’s not how much you write, it’s what you write. If you spend 15 hours a day for an entire year writing dreck...well, you’ll have a lot of dreck.
  
  As for myself, I write almost everyday, for about five hours in the morning and another four or five at night. On those days I’m not physically writing (i.e. putting something on paper), I’m reading, editing, studying, researching, planning, and handling the myriad thousand other details that comes along with writing. Frankly, it’s a full-time job.
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• Who are some of your favorite fantasy and science fiction authors?
  
  Believe it or not, I answered this on my Favorites page. So give a click here!
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• I’m just starting out. What are some basics I need to know?
  
  Sometimes it’s impossible to improve on perfection. My friend, Richard Parks, wrote an excellent guide on manuscript preparation, so please find it here.
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• Which market should I send my stuff to?
  
  Glad to see you’re thinking in the right direction. Too many neo-writers don’t understand the unsold story is the unread story. Again, there are many resource books and web sites for writers to resource this problem. One of the best is Ralan.com . It’s very comprehensive and always up to date.
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• Are editors people too?
  
  Surprisingly, they are! Forget about the horror stories you may have heard. Most editors of most magazines, be they professional or semi-professional, print or webzine, are decent people and easy to work with. They want a good story and you want to sell them a good story. If that’s true (and it is) then you’re already both halfway there....
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• Should I attend fantasy and science fiction conventions? What about organizations like SFWA. Are they necessary to my success?
  
  (Link to SFWA: http://sfwa.org/ Being around other writers and fans of the genre gives a tremendous boost to both new and professional writers. You can air out ideas, learn something new about the field, make contacts with editors and publishers of magazines, and pretty much have a good ol’ fashioned time. As for writer organizations like SFWA, membership certainly doesn’t hurt. You may find some editors will give your manuscript a closer look if you belong to a professional organization. But, in any case, you should definitely attend a Con or two every year if you’re serious about writing science fiction or fantasy. It’s a good way to keep your finger on the pulse of the genre.
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• Do you have any rules you follow while writing?
  
  I certainly do, and here they are:
  
  1. TELL A GOOD STORY. This should be self-explanatory. Sadly, for many new writers, and quite a few older ones who should know better, this is a perpetual stumbling block.
  
  2. TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS. Put more simply, write what you feel and don’t be afraid to take chances with your fiction. ‘Nuff said!
  
  3. PERSEVERE. You must have the courage to fail if you want to be successful in anything. Remember, the unsold story is the unread story. I know, sometimes it’s like banging your head against a brick wall. Trust me, I’ve been there. But don’t give up. There are a LOT of writers out there who are getting published, and I’m willing to bet they have less talent than you do.
  
  Good luck!
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