An Interview with Scott Phillips

Scott Phillips is an award winning crime author. He began his career as a translator in France, than later a photographer. Scott Phillips is also a screenwriter and has three highly acclaimed crime novels published.

How did you get into writing? At what age did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I don't know. I always wrote for fun when I was a kid and didn't really think about doing it professionally until I was in my late teens or early twenties. Even then I was doing lots of other things for work and I was in my thirties before I started getting published and making money.

What was your first book or story that you completed? Did you ever get it published?

It was a science fiction novel that, looking back, I can see was unpublishable, but I don't regret it, because once I'd managed to pile up 250 or 300 pages worth of prose it wasn't intimidating any more. I just had to find a better book to write.

How did you finally get published? When were you able to write on a full time basis? Please explain your success story?

I was writing screenplays, and one of them got made into something I really didn't like, so I decided to go back to writing prose. When I'd finished this novel my office mate suggested I find a literary agent, and after a couple of false starts I found one and she sold it. The story is more complicated than that, but that's the gist of it.

How do you stay motivated to finish a novel? How do you stay focused?

Usually it's just a question of how much I'm enjoying the story. Sometimes it's a paycheck or a deadline that keeps me going, but even then if 'm not digging the story I usually have to step back and ask what's wrong, because if I'm not gripped then I can't expect anyone else to be, either.

What is your writing schedule like? Do you write in the mornings, evenings, and for how long?

It varies. Usually, though, I conduct business in the morning, go to the gym before lunch, and then go to work after that. Usually I've been thinking about what I'm writing most of the day, particularly at the gym, so I'm ready to start typing as soon as I get in to my studio. I might get off 1000 or 1200 words in an hour and a half, or half that in twice as much time.

How do you get your ideas? What is your method for remembering them?

Ideas come from all over. Old newspapers, anecdotes I've been told, the news. Sometimes I think about what an old character of mine might be doing ten years down the road.

If you get writer’s block, how do you get over it?

Charles Willeford had a great formula: write something, and no matter how bad it is, you've got something to rewrite. If I'm writing badly, I usually try to work on something else temporarily, or I draw or look at photographs. Often using a different corner of your brain will free up the writing part of it.

What are your thoughts on self publishing?

It used to be the kiss of death. It's less so now, but writers who self-publish should be prepared for the fact that no newspaper will review the self-published. One key thing is that a self-published book can't look amateurish, and a good art director/jacket designer is the best investment you can make. And you should have an idea in advance of where and how to sell them; if you have your own market for it--trade shows, etc., you can move quite a few. Keep in mind also that there are numerous small publishers now who do a very good job getting books into stores, and a small press will put its full weight behind publicizing and marketing every book they put out.

What piece of advice would you give to someone thinking of becoming a writer? What is a good starting point for them?

Just sit down in front of the keyboard and start typing. Write something you'd want to read yourself. Don't expect to make a fortune at it, but if you take it seriously and get lucky, you might do all right with it.

To find out more about Scott Phillips and his work, check out Scott Phillips's website.