Tips from Robert T. Hunting, Awesome Author of Historical Fiction

 

Robert Hunting and his wife, Carrie

“Tips from Robert T. Hunting, Awesome Author of Historical Fiction” by Joan Y. Edwards

Today it is my honor to interview author, Robert T. Hunting.

Thank you for coming to visit, Robert. My readers are anxious to hear all about you and your writing. Especially your writing tips.

I’m excited to be here. Let’s get started.

1.  Where were you born?  Munich, Germany. I live in Canada now.

2.  Where was your favorite place to live as a child? Visit, but not live in the Bavarian mountains with their natural beauty, clean air, pure waters and lots of elbow room.

3.  Did you have a favorite place to read a book as a child? Where and why? Anywhere quiet.

4.  How do you keep yourself physically fit? Exercise and walking.

5.  What do you do when you think about giving up? Take a break, leave whatever bogs me down, and come back to it later.

6.  Do you set goals for yourself as a writer? What helps you reach them? Do you reward yourself when you reach them? No, other than I treat writing like a job and commit myself to its daily tasks.

7.  Do you consider yourself a risk taker? Why? Like it or not, to live, to breathe, to finish out the day, every day is its own risk.

8.  If you go to an amusement park, which ride do you go to first? Now it would be a carousel. As a young person, the roller coaster, I suppose.

9.  What is your favorite genre to write? Why? Historical fiction. As silly as it sounds, I think it chose me.

10. What’s your favorite book? Why? One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich. The human condition, the struggle for human dignity is universal and always under attack—by fellow humans.

11. When did you decide to become an author? 12 years ago, although I never decided “to become,” but rather evolved.

12. Authors or Books that inspire you. Far. Far too many to mention.

13. Who or what has been the most help and inspiration to you as a writer? The inner drive that affects all writers, to share something by way of story.

14. What are you writing now? A novel about the shot heard around the world, the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in 1914.

15. What has been the most exhilarating moment as a writer, so far?Seeing my first book in print.

16. Do you outline and plan your plot first or let the characters develop their own plot as you write? Somewhere in-between: I have the story in my head, and go from there. In particular, I never know how it will end until it does  end.

17. You’ve been a Pub Subber since December 16, 2015. How has Pub Subbers group helped you? Connection, and especially knowing you’re not alone, that others are struggling with their craft too, including having their voices heard.

18. How do you know your manuscript is ready for submission to an editor or agent? You have to figure it out for yourself, but never after the first draft. The second or third will usually bring a sense that it’s time and that you can’t do any more.

19. Do you plan to self-publish? Why?  No, but it’s not one size fits all. Me, I’ve never self-published or used a vanity press. I’ve always believed in my stories (and sometimes it’s as much as 300 or more queries before I find a home for my book).

20. Are you going the route of traditional publishing? Indies.

21. Do you plan to get an agent? No. I flew the flag of surrender years ago, and have managed without one.

22. What is your Facebook Author page?  https://www.facebook.com/Literary-dimensions-779535308897741/

10 Tips for Writers from Robert T. Hunting

In no particular order…

1.     Read, read, and read. Anything; everything you can.

2.     Work on your craft; improve, get better.

3.     Following from that, learn and follow the rules of grammar.

4.     Learn to toughen your skin. Success isn’t for wimps. You’ll get tons of negativity before you find the hopefulness and assurance.

5.     Join writing groups/forums.

6.     Even if you’re successful, don’t take yourself too seriously.

7.     On your way to being published, brace yourself for meeting a lot of charlatans.

8.     Pay it forward. No one, no one ever became successful without the aid of others.

9.     Write each day. Treat writing like a job.

10. Always remember a bad story is always better than no story. You can always improve a bad story. The same can never be said for no story.

Bio
Robert T. Hunting writes historical fiction (not exclusively). He first picked up the proverbial pen about a dozen years ago and has never stopped since then. He is the author of 8 books. Here are 7 of them..

  1. A Soldier Far Away: A Historical Novel of the Swedish Campaign of the Thirty Years War Merriam Press
  2. The Value of Men: A Novel of the Great Depression  Open Books
  3. High Metal Fences Black Rose Press
  4. Never a Good War: A Novel of the International Brigades Educational Publisher at Smashwords
  5. How Things Unravel Line By Lion Publications

Two latest books: Published after this blog post. Hurray for Robert!

6. To Bear Hard Things
https://www.amazon.ae/Bear-Hard-Things-Robert-Hunting/dp/B08JF17PWM/

7. The Misguided Thief
https://www.amazon.in/Misguided-Thief-Robert-T-Hunting-ebook/dp/B08HLDTQDQ

Robert, thank you for sharing information about you and your great writing tips with us. 

Thank you for reading this blog post. If you have questions or comments for Robert Hunting or me, please leave a comment. We’d love to hear from you!

Never Give Up
Joan Y. Edwards, Author
Copyright © 2020 Joan Y. Edwards

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10 thoughts on “Tips from Robert T. Hunting, Awesome Author of Historical Fiction”

    1. Hi, Carol. Okay, for me to answer is subjective; yes, there are odd writers who buck the odds, but they’re rare, really rare. Two of my indie publishers are adamant they will not take on any previous self-published work. Why? Because for the most part (and this is borne out in opinions across the board), they’re generally not good and rife with errors. That said, going with an indie publisher gives you some street cred immediately, Especially when shopping out successive novels. And last, (for me) it’s satisfying to know you’ve cracked the traditional publishing nut. Others may disagree, but there it is.

      1. Good answer. I may go indie at some point…glad it worked for you. And yes, my experience with self-published books seems similar to yours. There are exceptions, of course.

      2. Dear Robert,
        Thank you for allowing me to interview you on my blog. You gave a lot of thought to your answers. Thanks for replying to Carol’s comment. It sounds like you and Carol both agree that many self-published books have errors and that Indie Publishers do us a good service. Enjoy your day!

        Never Give Up
        Joan

    2. Dear Carol,
      Thank you for writing. Glad you enjoyed the interview and asked Robert a question.
      Glad you liked his answer and that you both agreed some self published books have a lot of errors and that Indie Publishers provide a service for us.
      Good luck with the publishing of your work.

      Never Give Up
      Joan

  1. Robert,

    Great interview! In your response, I see Interview #5 and #7 as having a connection. Never giving up and seeing each day as a risk. That has me thinking!

    Wishing you continued success in your writing and risk-taking.

    1. Dear Linda,
      Thank you for writing. I’m glad you liked the interview with Robert. Glad you liked his never giving up and his idea that every day is a risk.

      Believe in you!
      Never Give Up

  2. Dear Linda,
    Thank you, and as for never giving up in finding a home for your book.. I use as a mantra a piece of advice I was once given: No is just a starting pot.

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