Today’s interview is with indie fiction and non-fiction author Scott King.
Scott was born in Washington D.C. and raised in Ocean City, Maryland. He received his undergraduate degree in film from Towson University, and his M.F.A. in film from American University. Until moving to Texas, to follow his wife’s career, King worked as a college professor teaching photography, digital arts, and writing related classes. He now works full time as a game photographer and author. His non-fiction books are The 5 Day Novel, Finish the Script, and the most recent Story Pitch. His fiction books for kids included The Zimmah Chronicles (Book 1 Cupcakes vs Brownies, Book 2 Mermaids vs Unicorns, and Book 3 Genies vs Djinn), The Eye of Hastur, and National Cthulhu Eats Spaghetti Day.
In this interview, Scott gives great advice and tips on how to structure your middle-grade novel. He covers:
- What you need to know to write middle-grade books – know the story you want to tell and the appropriate age group for your book.
- How writing a “story pitch” can help you write your novel.
- Every good book needs a protagonist that wants something and there needs to be something or someone who stands in their way of getting it.
- Every story will have a theme or themes – discover them early on and decide how you use them to tell a better story. A theme is what your story is ultimately about eg. loneliness, ambition, betrayal, coming of age, courage etc.
- Know WHY you’re writing. Recognize the difference between the CRAFT of story telling and the BUSINESS side of publishing. You need to write a great story that works and that readers want, but then you also need to market it effectively.
- The difference between writing a screenplay versus a novel.
- The differences between a middle-grade novel versus a young adult novel.
- How to write quickly but well.
- Finding and developing your AUTHOR VOICE.
- Developing confidence in your story telling ability.
- And more!
Enjoy the show.
You can find Scott online at www.ScottKing.info, follow him on AMAZON, get social with him on Twitter, and tune into his podcast The Creators Cast.
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