A writing career is basic maths – you write 1000 words a day, you have a book in 100 days. 500 words a day means a book in 200 days. If you break the big task into smaller, more manageable bites, it doesn’t seem so insurmountable.
With over 20 books to her name, thriller author J.T. Ellison talks to us about building a writing career, including how she thought it was initially out of her reach, her night owl writing routine and having the courage to try new things.
Please give us a brief overview of yourself and your work
I grew up on a dirt road in the foothills of Colorado, moved to D.C. during high school, attended Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, got a Masters at George Washington, worked in the White House, the Department of Commerce, and Lockheed Martin before moving to Nashville and starting my first novel.
I write character-driven thrillers. My debut came out in 2007, and I’m working on book number 24 right now. I’ve written two series of my own, one co-authored series, four standalone novels, and numerous short stories. I love golf, cats, yoga, excellent paper, and fountain pens, hockey, baseball, football, and my husband, not in that order.
What made you want to be a writer?
I think that was the Colorado roots. We lived in the middle of nowhere—literally, the closest thing was the post office and a gas station, and both were ten miles away. The nearest “town” was thirty. So we were very self-reliant, which meant lots of imagination time. Both of my parents were big readers (they still are) and allowed me to read anything I could reach on the shelves. I wrote a lot of poetry and short stories as a kid, plus excelled in English. I mean, come on, I read the dictionary for fun (granted, I was looking for the dirty words I could use in conversation and give the “proper” definitions.) I always thought I’d be a writer, but in college, my thesis advisor told me I wasn’t good enough to be published, so I quit and went to GW for my Masters in Political Management. Thank goodness she shot me down because I met my husband on the first night of classes. It wasn’t until we moved to Nashville several years later that I decided to give fiction another try. This time, it stuck.
Do you have a writing routine?
I normally do business in the morning and write in the afternoons. I’m a night owl; I’m not at my best first thing. I pour a huge cup of tea, clear out my email and deal with little things in the morning, then start writing around 1 or so. Fridays I dedicate to non-fiction writing. If I’m on deadline, though, I start writing at 10 am and go most of the day. I keep shop hours.
How do you outline your work and begin writing?
I don’t outline very much, usually just start writing, and when I hit 10,000 words, then I’ll start thinking about what the story needs. I’ll write a few page proposal at that point, nail the major beats, work on the characters, and then launch back in. Overthinking is the kiss of death for me. I don’t like to outline until I have at least half the book. That said… I just learned a great trick—don’t start until you have 40 scenes. I’ll be trying that in the next book.
Do you have any tips for a productive writing day?
Find your best time and stick to it, and touch your story every day. If you respect your writing time and expect others to, as well, you’ll be able to get those words down. Shut off the internet for a couple of hours and really focus on doing deep work at least once a day. A writing career is basic maths – you write 1000 words a day, you have a book in 100 days. 500 words a day means a book in 200 days. If you break the big task into smaller, more manageable bites, it doesn’t seem so insurmountable.
Is there any particular incident that has happened along your writing journey that you’d like to share?
I’m terrible at social stuff. I’m terribly awkward with strangers and almost always say the wrong thing. I could give you many examples but we’d be here all day. But the best – meeting Tess Gerritsen, and saying: “Tess, you’re my biggest fan!” That ranks up there.
Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
I don’t know any successful writers who aren’t big readers themselves. So read everything. In your genre, out of your genre. And don’t be afraid to try new things. Tropes exist for a reason—so break them. I also have a whole section of career advice on my website, if you want more. (www.jtellison.com/for-writers)
What do you think is the biggest challenge for new authors?
I think the biggest challenge is breaking out of the box. I think new authors are too often told the biggest challenge is building a platform. Trust me, if you write a book they can’t ignore, you don’t need a platform.
What methods of book marketing do you find the most effective?
Getting the book into the hands of bookstagrammers is now a very effective method for spreading the word about a book. So much depends on the publishers—distribution makes or breaks a book—that any chance you have to actually connect with a reader, a bookseller, or a librarian, take it. I wouldn’t have a career without that triad.
What struggles did you face in the writing and publishing process?
I think anytime you find an author whose been in the game for more than a decade, you’re going to hear all kinds of stories, and I certainly have my fair share. Regardless of what’s happened, though, I’ve been surrounded by an amazing team—my agent, my editors and publishers, my home support network of friends and family—so when things didn’t work out, I just wrote more, put more irons in the fire, tried new things, and they cheered me on. A writing career isn’t for the faint of heart. It waxes and wanes. The trick is to believe in your work, know when to compromise, and be a good teammate. Meet your deadlines, improve your editorial from book to book, and don’t be a jerk, and usually, that works out to the positive long-term.
What is the best writing advice you have received?
“The only rules are those you create, page by page.” Stuart Woods
“All good books find a home.” John Connolly
You can find out more about J. T. Ellison via her website, her newsletter, social media: Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook and her Facebook group.
