About Raven Oak:
Raven Oak is the author of the bestselling fantasy novel Amaskan’s Blood, the bestselling science fiction novella Class-M Exile, and the upcoming space opera The Eldest Silence. She spent most of her K-12 education doodling stories and 500-page monstrosities that are forever locked away in a filing cabinet.
When she’s not writing, she’s getting her game on with tab-letop and console games, indulging in cartography, or staring at the ocean. She lives in Seattle, WA with her husband, and their three kitties who enjoy lounging across the keyboard when writing deadlines approach.
Raven is currently at work on Amaskan’s War and The Eldest Traitor.
What inspires you to write?
Everything from the man with scuffed dress shoes standing at the corner to the hungry kitten in a box.
Tell us about your writing process.
When I first started writing full time, I spent about 6 hours a day writing, which resulted in two novels finished in a span of 3 months. It was grueling and by the end of it, I was drained. Now, I break up my time and try to balance it all a bit more.
I spent my writing time doing five things: writing, editing/revising, critiquing, researching, and networking/promoting.
The first two of that list make up about 85% of my time, and I put in 7-8 hours a day into the ‘job.’
Monday through Friday, I spent my mornings writing and my afternoons editing/revising. I check my email and do whatever networking and promoting is needed after I have spent at least 7 hours on the writing and editing portions. Social networking can be a great place to promote your material, which is important, but it can also suck you into wasting time. On the weekends, I put in 3-4 hours total on critiquing novels and short stories from the members of my local critique group. I also try to write at least 15 minutes on Saturday and Sunday. And that’s my week.
I even write on Christmas day.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I don’t talk to my characters so much as talk to myself. I think out loud. I question the wall. I interrogate my brain until I get what I need.
What advice would you give other writers?
Write. Every. Day.
Butt in chair is how you do it. No excuses.
We all have busy lives–family, possibly another job, whatever. Demands on our time don’t go away with a publishing contract. If you aren’t willing to write when and where you can, you’ll struggle to get the results you want.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I like the flexibility the small press and self-publishing can provide that a large publisher does not. Large publishers don’t necessarily guarantee a large advance or a blockbuster book. I think good writing and exposure does more than a large publisher can or will.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think the big 5 have shot themselves in the foot. They’re drowning in a sea of options by their own devices. I suspect that smaller publishing houses will re-emerge as the better way to be published. Self-publishing options will also grow, giving authors more say in what happens with their creations.
What do you use?: Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer, Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: Fantasy & Science Fiction
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Raven Oak Home Page Link
Link To Raven Oak Page On Amazon
Link to Author Page on other site
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
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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