Writing Advice with Dave Pratt

What is your favorite writing craft book?

The Deer on a Bicycle, Excursions into the Writing of Humor, by Patrick McManus.  Writing humor is one of the most challenging assignments I ever received. McManus’s advice not only helped me craft a humor column for a newspaper, but also shaped every aspect of my writing.

Which do you think is the most underrated writing craft book? Why?

Writing the Breakout Novel, by Donald Maass. This book identifies what I feel is the key and essential element needed for any successful novel or story: a compelling premise.

What is your favorite (or most anticipated) writers conference?

The Pacific Northwest Writer’s Association annual conference, since I just relocated from that area. Next year, I am looking forward to attending the American Cristian Fiction Writers conference.

What’s your favorite other source (YouTube, podcast, etc.) for writing tips/info?

I prefer first-person interviews with experts in topic my books address, such as human trafficking, intelligence operations, law enforcement, artificial intelligence, and so on.

Who is your writing mentor/inspiration? Why?

Zelma Orr. No person could write books that more different than what I write today. But this successful romance writer took the time to help me understand the meaning of show don’t tell, and if it doesn’t add to the story, delete it.

What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever received? Why was it bad?

Write for the market.  The source suggested that I would be more successful if I wrote what the market seemed to want.  The problem is that by the time I learned what that was, the market was saturated with that sort of material and editors wanted something fresh and different.

What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever received?

Write what you love. My short pieces were successful because I felt passionate about the topics. I’m told that passion came through to reader.

What would you say is the best writing tip for new authors?

Make your manuscripts easy for editors and publishers to use. Get the grammar, spelling, syntax, structure, continuity as perfect as possible. Magazine editors will often accept one manuscript that is well-edited over another less well-edited piece, even if the second piece’s story is more compelling. They often work against challenging timelines and don’t always have time to repair a poorly crafted piece. I wish I could say I’ve always gotten that right in all my own writing efforts.

What is your best self-editing tip or advice?

Find someone who doesn’t love you to read, edit and comment about your writing before you send it to a magazine editor or book publisher. People who love you simply won’t tell you the truth. They will be worried about hurting your feelings. Find someone to provide honest, objective feedback and your writing will improve.

Please share your most encouraging tip for frustrated/discouraged writers.

Keep trying, no matter how deep your rejection letter box. “Wear the publishers down” by considering each piece of feedback you get honestly and objectively. Over time, what you learn will become a part of you and your writing will improve. And so will the acceptance rate for your manuscripts.

Tell us about your newest release/upcoming release.

Home Team 2, book two in the Home Team series was published in November 2023.

In Home Team 2, Washington State Patrol trooper Ellen “Ell” Evander finds herself in deep water after going solo to break up a human trafficking ring, only to be taken herself and need rescuing by officers from Homeland Security Investigations and the Home Team, a U.S. State Department covert operations group. Rather than firing Ell for her reckless actions, the Chief of the Washington State Patrol assigns Ell to spend time with the Home Team as penance for her rogue activities. Instead of punishment, she finds a new home with the unique members of Home Team 2, a new organization activated by the State Department to fight against the very evil Ell is determined to bring down.

Will Ell overcome her rogue, often rash tendencies and see the strength and value of working with a team? Will her growing faith in God and the people around her disrupt her crusade against the evil or make her better at it? Her adventures, foibles and courage provide the answer in a unique and telling story with an end that will surprise you.

Please share a short biography.

I was raised between Bakersfield, California and Anchorage, Alaska. A graduate of Washington State University, Webster University and Baylor University, I spent twenty years in the Army, then another twenty as a project management consultant for government agencies and private sector companies. I started writing in 1977, after I was told that I was a horrible writer and I needed to fix that or fail in my army career. I enrolled in the Writer’s Digest Institute’s Short Story Writing correspondence course and have been writing ever since. I currently live in Middle Tennessee with my wife, and near our kids and grandkids. I have studied martial arts since 1982 and love anything to do with the outdoors.

Where can people find you online?

www.DavePrattBooks.com

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Writing is a pleasant illness that I hope never goes away.