About Pat Whalen:
Born and raised in Maine, Patrick Whalen served 30 years in the U.S. Air Force as a medic. Now retired, he lives with his wife in the desert southwest where he serves his church as a home group leader and in various other ministries.
What inspires you to write?
I started writing fiction to honor God. However, I love to see where the story leads as I write.
Tell us about your writing process.
I usually know where I want to end and somewhere close to a beginning. Then I outline what major points I want to touch on. After that (or sometimes during) I start filling in how the story moves from point A to B, etc, etc. – sub points, I guess you could call them. Although, I frequently stop and write out a few pages all the way up to a whole chapter as the scenes come into my mind. After that, its take the characters thru the outline and just see what they do and what happens as they go along… sometimes it's a surprise. I use pen and paper for all my initial outlining and writing. I then type the "finished" chapters into Word and edit freely as I go.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
Do I listen to my characters? Oh yeah, they live in my head. The single biggest writing fault that I've discovered is that I have the entire scene in my mind – each character, what they wear, where they sit or stand, what their facial expressions are, and their tone of voice when they speak. The problem is, that I often forget to tell the reader all of this… thank you for my wife who is not bashful about asking "what are you saying here" or "why did this happen"?
What advice would you give other writers?
If you have the call, then try it out. You'll soon find if it is your true destiny to just write for fun or to write and publish. By far, merchandising after the book is published has been the more stressful and exhausting. Prepare yourselves in advance for this part of the experience. If, however, you feel that drive to get your story on paper and offer it to others and you are ready for the editing ad infinite, and the many hours of "selling" yourself and the book – do it. Or, as I put it to members of my church, God has a plan for you – get on board and enjoy the ride.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I looked on line at suggestions for publishing. There are a lot of warnings out there against trying "traditional" publishing. With being a complete novice and a budget based on Abe Lincolns, I quickly opted for self-publishing. I researched on line and went with them. Lots of choices, so shop, research, and verify before you commit.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
By all aspects, I believe that self-publishing is the future. Traditional companies have treated writers terribly for ages, but their days are almost gone. Do we authors still need help? Absolutely! And there may be a few traditional outfits who morph into a hybrid to offer that assistance, but the writing is on the wall for those who do not.
What do you use?: Co-writer, None of the above 🙂
What genres do you write?: Sci-Fi/ Christian
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Pat Whalen Home Page Link
Link To Pat Whalen Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
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.
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