Word Weaver Winner’s Profiles: Honorable Mention Winner Scott Skipper

1. DAN: Did you write your story for the contest or was it part of a larger piece or something you had written before?

SCOTT SKIPPER: I wrote The Stainless Steel Coffin as a standalone short story many years ago when I was in the metal fabrication business. It’s based on something that actually happened to a business associate.

2. Tell us about your writing process. What is the journey from idea to published piece /completed story?

When I a story idea creeps into my brain, I develop an outline and/or timeline. Keeping the timing straight is often my toughest challenge. Before I start to write, I create character profiles. I like to give characters traits that I borrow from people I’ve known.

3. Where do you do your writing?

I write with a laptop in front of a picture window with a rose garden in the foreground and the San Gabriel Mountains in the background. When I get stuck, I enjoy the view.

4. Do you have a writing goal you want to achieve?

In fact, yes. I’d like to earn some money, at least enough to support my gin habit.

5. What helps you the most when it comes to writing?

Spell check.

6. What does writing success look like?

   

The only thing better than accolades and glowing reviews is runaway sales.

7. What are you working on now?

A disaster romance. It’s about a couple who meet on the beach below the San Onofre nuclear power plant during a major earthquake. Watch for it. It will be called Half Life.

8. There are a lot of writing contests out there. What drew you to this one?

The fact that you plan to consider using entries in an anthology.

9. Have you ever entered a writing contest before?

Only one other, but the results have not been released as of this writing. Most contests are too restrictive, either with regard to genre, word count, or onerous entry fee.

10. Will we see you again in the October Word Weaver Writing Contest?

Probably.

11. Did you know the piece you submitted was special?

Special? Hell, I think everything I write is special. Some of it is especially bad, but I won’t publish it if I’m not proud of it. I will say; however, that I think A Little Rebellion Now and Then is the best thing I’ve written to date.

12. What’s next for you?

After I publish my eleventh novel, Half Life, I’ll begin working on number twelve.

13. What is your opinion of self-publishing?

I think it’s the greatest thing since sex. Not only because it frees writers from that tiresome refrain: “Thank you for your submission, but it’s not what we are looking for at this time,” but it gives readers access to great work that does not fit the mold. Traditional publishers loathe to take risks. I read almost exclusively self-published authors these days. I enjoy its freedom and quirkiness.

Where can my readers find more?

• My website is: https://www.scottskipper.com/
• My blog is: http://ScottSkipper.blogspot.com
• My Facebook author page is: https://www.facebook.com/ScottSkipperAuthor/
• I have a personal Facebook page:
• https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008974519195
• Twitter is: @SSkipperAuthor
• My Amazon profile is:
• http://www.amazon.com/Scott-Skipper/e/B007BQDCWO/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1458504751&sr=1-2-ent
• My Smashwords profile is: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/SSkipper

Scott, congratulations again and thank you so much for sharing your insights. Gang, we’ll have more Q&A and profiles of the winners coming up, so stay tuned!