What is writer's block secretly telling you? Wit and wisdom from bestselling author Jamie Ford

Guys, I am sooooooo lucky to have this special guest today. Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet and Songs of Willow Frost, is HERE. On my blog!!!

First, let me remind you of a couple of posts regarding Jamie Ford (not that I'm a creeper or anything). I wrote about the writing lessons I learned from Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet here. I also wrote about how Jamie Ford inspired me as an author.

Jamie Ford is a super nice guy, and was kind enough to answer some questions of interest to writers. Enjoy!

Julie: Jamie, what is the best piece of writing advice you ever received? Why did it resonate with you?

Jamie Ford: A friend once told me, “Writer’s block is your subconscious telling you that what you’re working on actually sucks.”

I’ve found that to be painfully, painfully true. When I get writer’s block, it’s usually because deep down I know I’ve strayed from where the story needs to go. When that happens, I back up, revisit the taproot of the story, and find another path.

(Great advice. And he’s still a friend!)

Julie: Can you tell us a bit about your writing process? Plot first? Character development first? Research first?

Jamie Ford: Hmmm…I wish I had some Hunter S. Thompson-esque writing process to share—you know, wake up in a jail cell, get bailed out by a showgirl, go sit at the racetrack where I bet and drink all day while banging away at a manual Olympia, using my loaded .38 Special as a paperweight.

But, the reality isn’t quite so sexy. Typically I start with a very simple premise, I figure out my beginning and my ending (the ending us uber-important), I do a ton of research, and then I write, usually from 8:00 AM – Noon. I edit late in the day. That’s about it. Once in a while I’ll grab a triple latte and go buck-wild by writing at the public library.

Julie: Your novels grab the heart and won't let go. How do you create characters and stories that pull readers in and make them care?

Jamie Ford: This is when it’s beneficial to be a sentimentalist, because it takes one to know one, to understand one, and to tell those kinds of stories. Great if you’re a writer penning complicated, emotional, familial stories. Not so great if you’re a brooding, whining, angst-ridden teenager. The running joke in my family is that if I formed a heavy metal band in my youth it would have been called Melancholica. I guess I just grew into my emotions and put them to purposeful use in fiction.

Melancholica! I love that. Big thanks to Jamie Ford for visiting my blog and sharing his wit and wisdom with us.

Friends, what do you think about Mr. Ford's reference to writer's block? His writing process? And creating characters and stories that grab a reader's heart?

His novels are amazing. Wanna pick up copies? Clicky clicky below.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Songs of Willow Frost

Inspired by a Best Selling Author #IWSG

Welcome, Insecure Writer's Support Group! Clicky clicky here to sign up for this amazing, supportive group.

This month I'm not insecure. I'm inspired.

Have you ever connected with a best-selling author? Until recently, I never had. I'd never sent an email or commented on their Facebook page.

My 17-year-old son and his required reading for AP U.S. History changed all that.

He was assigned to read Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. My son's plan was to skim through the book and write his essay. I was disappointed and told him how much I'd loved that story, and how he should give the book a chance.

Let me back up. Teens these days are required to read some of the most boring books EVER. No offense to long-dead writers, but their stories are not what interest today's teens. My son has morphed from a book lover to a book dreader, all within a span of three years of high school. Needless to say, he had no plans to enjoy this book. I urged him to at least read the first few chapters and see what he thought. Then I went to bed and left him to his homework.

He stayed up until the wee hours of the morning and finished the book. No joke. He loved this book even more than Hunger Games. After my sleep-deprived son left for school I logged on to Jamie Ford's web site and sent him a message about my son's experience and how much he loved the book.

My son had already tweeted about his love of the book. Jamie Ford retweeted. And he responded to my email within an hour. Since then we've had a nice email exchange about teens, books, and writing. He mailed us each a signed copy of his latest release, Songs of Willow Frost. He even agreed to a blog interview (more about that later). My son noticed that Jamie Ford was doing a library event close to home. Of course we had to go.

What's my take-away from all this? My son got a valuable lesson in giving books a chance. I got a valuable lesson in reaching out to authors, even those who top the best-seller list. They may respond and they may not. I also learned that all authors, whether new or multi-published, like to know when someone enjoys their book.

Jamie Ford inspired me. He took time to reach out to a teen reader. He took time to connect with another writer and answer questions. He's won two lifelong fans.

If you haven't yet read Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, I highly recommend you add it to your list. It's an amazing book that still lingers in my heart. And if you love a book, I recommend reaching out to the author and letting them know. Writers--even those at the top of their game--deserve to hear how much their work is appreciated.

Have you ever reached out to a best selling author? Did they respond or ignore you? How did that encourage or discourage you from reaching out again? Do you have teens who dread their required reading?

(my son's tweet)

(me, Jamie Ford, and my son)

Writing lessons learned from HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET

This book wasn't just an amazing read--it was an experience. The main characters and their tangled lives are still simmering in my mind. What a beautiful, enduring love story. *Sigh*

HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET by Jamie Ford spins a tale of a 12-year-old Chinese boy, Henry, who becomes best friends and falls in love with an American-born Japanese girl during WWII, when persons of Japanese ancestry were sent to internment camps.

Of course I learned so many great writing lesson from this book, and here are a few:

1. Choose a captivating title. From the moment I saw this title, I knew this was a book I must read. To me, the title emotes melancholy, conflict, and promise. And it didn't disappoint. For help with titles, agent Rachelle Gardner wrote a great post about how to title your book.
2. Choose a unique point of view from a familiar time period. I'm fascinated by stories from the WWII era, and I've read many. But never had I read about the existing conflict between Chinese and Japanese Americans during that time. And this POV switched between Henry at 12-years-old, and Henry as an older man in 1986. Fascinating.
3. Include a tangible representation of something special. In this case, the symbol was an original recording of a 1942 jazz song. This elusive record appears throughout the book, and represents a special time in the main characters' lives.
4. Readers don't have to be banged over the head with conflict. Instead of a hammer of conflict, the troubles Henry faced were woven into a beautiful tapestry of honor and loyalty.
5. Tap in to common feelings. Affection, longing, regret. Perhaps most people have wondered about the road not taken, and this author tapped into those feelings with soothing words about characters you can't help but love.

We've all read books we wished we'd written, and this was one of those books for me. Sara Guen, author of Water for Elephants, called it "Mesmerizing and evocative, a tale of conflicted loyalties and timeless devotion."

I couldn't have said it better myself. Have you read this book? What did you think of it? Or is this type of book not your style?

And WriteOnCon starts today! Will I see you there?

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