About J Richard Knapp:
J Richard Knapp is an internationally recognized American author and speaker from the Pacific Northwest. His education includes degrees from the University of Oregon and Boise State university. Knapp is internationally recognized as a leader in education, bully prevention, and an author of many tween and young adult fiction books. J Richard Knapp is the Founder and CEO of Stop-Bullies.com, Magpye Publishing, and KnappStory.com.
What inspires you to write?
As a child, I would make up stories in my head and share them orally with the other kids in the neighborhood. Some of my greatest moments was hanging out with my buddies at sleep-overs and trying to scare them in the dark with my stories.
I began transferring these stories to the written page by the time I reached middle school and even had a couple of my early works published in the school newspaper.
This continued for many years until I sat down with Wilson Rawls the author of ‘Where the Red Fern Grows’ in my early twenties. He was aware that I wanted to be a children’s writer. Wilson set a box down in front of me and opened the lid. Inside the box was the original handwritten manuscript of ‘Where the Red Fern Grows’. From that moment on, I was determined to be a writer of children’s stories.
Tell us about your writing process.
First, I never touch the keys of my computer until I completely know the sequences of the story, the characters, and settings. This often involves a great deal of background research, observation, and reflection.
Second, I begin playing the story in my head like a movie. If I can’t see the movie, I can’t write it.
Third, I begin writing the story from page 1 in my head. I am blessed with the ability to write a number of pages in my head before transferring it to the computer.
Last, once I begin writing the book, I am relentless and will spend many hours a day until the first draft is complete. I will follow this by taking a few days off and then start the editing process.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I spend a great deal of time watching people – their mannerisms, physical and social interactions, needs, desires, dreams, and more. Some of my characters are represented in part by people I know and often – me.
What advice would you give other writers?
Do you want to write? Then write…
Learn to see what is hard see, hear what is often unheard, and dream what has never been dreamt. Now you are on the path to ‘Writer’.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I am a control freak when it comes to my work. I tried the traditional publishing path years ago, but have evolved into the ‘Indie’ style of publishing. I want to know every aspect to self-publishing. This has led me to developing my own publishing house.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I believe the traditional approaches to publishing a book will continue to decline and only represent a small handful of authors. The future of books will be in the digital world and will continue to amaze us with technologies. Authors will have to become extremely knowledgeable in the writing, publishing, and marketing processes.
What genres do you write?: Children’s, MG, and YA Fiction
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
J Richard Knapp Home Page Link
Link To J Richard Knapp Page On Amazon
Link to Author Page on other site
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
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All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit, to allow you, the reader, to hear the author in their own voice.
