Erasmus Cromwell-Smith is an American pedagogue, writer, poet, and playwright.
The following interview (by Clancy Tucker) provides many good insights into the author's mindset.
-Tell Us A Little About Yourself And Your Writing Journey.
Read the "Behind the scenes" section on my web site www.erasmuscromwellsmith.com where I talk extensively about it.
-When And How Did You Become A Writer?
Since An Early Age, Though Only Became Serious At It 10 Years Ago.
-What Type Of Preparation Do You Do For A Manuscript? Do You Plan Everything First Or Just Shoot From The Hip?
I Plan Everything First; Further, I visualize and map out everything before I start. In spite of all of this, there’s still ample room for creativity and improvisation to come into play along the journey.
-What Do You Enjoy Most About Being A Writer?
To Be Able To Express Myself And Be On A Continous Inspired And Creative State Of Mind And Spirit.
-What Were You In A Past Life, Before You Became A Writer?
Entrepreneur And Pedagogue.
-What Is The Hardest Thing About Being A Writer?
The Endless And Necessary (Standards Wise) Pursuit Of Excellence And Perfection.
-What Is Your Greatest Writing Achievement?
The Equilibrist Series (On My Website Read The “Behind The Scenes” Section Where I Talk Extensively About It). Www.Erasmuscromwellsmith.Com
-What Are You Working On At The Moment?
Finishing The 4th Book Of A Young Adults Series (The Orloj Of London), Editing The 3rd (The Orloj Of Paris), Going To Print With The 2nd (The Orloj Of Venice), The First (The Orloj Of Prague) Is Already Out In Print" And A Couple Of Months Ago We Did The Audio Book.
-What Inspires You?
My Family, Life, People, The World, Nature And So On (On My Website Read In The “Blog” Section The Verse “To Be Inspired”). Www.Erasmuscromwellsmith.Com
-What Genre Do You Write?
Fiction In The Areas Of: Inspirational/Motivational, Poetry/Fables, And The Outlier Of Sci-Fi
-Do You Have Any Tips For New Writers?
It Takes 10,000 Man Hours Of Dedicated, Disciplined Effort To Master Anything In Life. No Way Around It. This Provided You Have The Talent For.
-Do You Suffer From Writer’s Block?
No.
-Do You Have A Preferred Writing Schedule?
Early Morning Is The Best Time Of The Day In Terms Of Creativity. I Use The Mechanical Part Of Writing (Corrections, Etc) To
Decompress and Distract Myself.
-Do You Have A Favourite Writing Place?
No. I Do Write A Lot While Standing. My desk Is Pretty Tall For That Reason.
-What Is Your Greatest Joy In Writing?
The Completion/Birth Of One’s Work.
-Who Is Your Favourite Author And Why?
Depends On The Genre, Country, Era And The Age I Was. I Am Extremely Selective Yet A Voracious, Lightning Fast Reader. I had to think about this one very carefully, Jules Verne, Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare, Alexander Dostoevsky, Jorge Luis Borjes, Ron Chernow, Laura Hillebrand, Rudyard Kippling, Tara Westover and Mahatma Gandhi.
-What’s The Greatest Compliment You Ever Received From A Reader?
I Want More.
-What Was The Worst Comment From A Reader?
None. Most Criticisms Are Extremely Helpful.
-Writers Are Sometimes Influenced By Things That Happen In Their Own Lives. Are You?
Absolutely. The Equilibrist Series Was Driven And Influenced By Some Of My Life Key Moments. (On My Website Read The “Behind The Scenes” Section Where I Talk Extensively About It). Www.Erasmuscromwellsmith.Com
-Other Than Writing, What Else Do You Love?
My Family, Friends, Life, Endurance Sports, Reading. Letting Loose The Insatiable Curiosity That Afflicts Me.
-Did You Have Your Book / Books Professionally Edited Before Publication?
Yes And No. I Did But Had The Last Word On Any Changes. I Rejected 95% Of The Edits.
-Describe Your Perfect Day.
Everyday I Am Still Alive And Healthy. I Mean This. I Strive For A Sunny Disposition Towards Life And I’m Keenly/Utterly Aware How Precious Life Is. I’ve Got Not Even A Second To Waste. The Clock Is Ticking. Besides, I Don’t Understand The Words Boredom, Gossip Or Ownership.
-If You Were Stuck On A Desert Island With One Person, Who Would It Be? Why?
My Wife. We Love Each Other. It’s Also Intimate, Comfortable And Never Dull.
-What Would You Say If You Had The Chance To Speak To World Leaders?
To focus on world hunger and diseases, followed closely with education.
-What Are Your Plans For The Future?
To Live A Life In Full And Part Of It Includes Continue To Write With Impetus.
-What Are Your Views On Book Trailers? Do They Sell Books?
More Than Ever, We Are Nowadays Mainly A Visual Society
-Do You See Yourself In Any Of Your Characters?
I Am All Of My Characters And At The Same Time Not. It’s All About How Much Of My Spirit Inevitably Sneaks In The Creative Process.
-Does The Publishing Industry Frustrate You?
Not At All. They Play A Role In The Market Place. You Have To Use Them In The Same Way The Use You. It’s All Matter Of How Much Leverage One Has When Negotiating With Them. In Many Ways Their Business Model Is Obsolete And It’s Just A Matter Of Time (Exacly Like It Happened In The Music And Movie Industries), As To When Their Paradigm Will Be First Disrupted (Alreasdy Happening) Then Broken And Inexorably Replaced.
-Did You Ever Think Of Quitting?
That’s One Of My Worst Character Flaws. I Never, Ever Quit.
-What Was Your Favourite Manuscript To Write? Why?
The Equilibrist Vol. 1. (On My Website See The “Behind The Scenes” Section). Www.Erasmuscromwellsmith.Com
-How Would You Define ‘Success’ As A Writer?
Twofold; Each Time You Complete Your Work, And When You’re Recognized By The Readers.
-What Should Readers Walk Away From Your Books Knowing? How Should They Feel?
Happy, Inspired And Wiser.
-Would You Like To Have Your Books Made Into Movies? Ever Written A Screenplay?
Absolutely! I Wrote The Equilibrist’s Screenplay And Also The Play.
-How Much Thought Goes Into Designing A Book Cover?
It Takes A Lot Of Work To Create A Single Page That Symbolizes The Entire Book
-What’s Your Ultimate Dream?
Share A Full Life With My Family.
-Writing Is One Thing. What About Marketing Your Books, And Your Brand? Any Thoughts?
Through Publishers One’s Role Is More Of A Pawn Of Their Marketing Strategies. Engaging With Reader’s In All Sort Of Forms Is Still Part Of This Route. Self-Publishing Requires The Writer To Do It All. Nowadays Social Media, total Commitment And The Use Of Highly Sophisticated Tools And Expertise In The Areas Of Data Analytics And SEO Optimization.
-Are Your Books Self-Published?
Yes And No. For The English-Speaking Countries That’s The Case. But On All Other Markets I Do License My Copyrights On A Country Per Country Basis And With In-Country Publishers (My Copyrights Are Not For Sale).
-Describe Yourself In Five Words.
Driven, Joyful, Creative, Disciplined, and Aware.
What Pisses You Off Most?
Very Seldom. Normally For Doing Something I Don’t Like.
-What Is The Title Of The Last Book You Read? Good One?
Sapiens. The Trilogy is Extraordinary.
-What Would Be The Very Last Sentence You’d Write?
Have An Insanely Awesome Life!
-What Would Make You Happier Than You Are Now? Care To Share?
Having Grandchildren. The Next Book Creation.
-Anything You’d Like To Add?
Writing Is An Art. Visualizing One’s Craft That Way Enriches A Great Deal The Experience And The Journey Of Discovery We Embark On When Creating A Book.
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