Author Mark Bliss details his writing process as his fourth book is re…

“As a newspaper reporter, you quote people, but you don’t really carry on a conversation, a dialogue,” Bliss said “But, I found actually, I enjoy doing that. I enjoy the dialogue part of things.”

He said getting better at writing novels is a lot like newswriting — the more “you write, the better you are”.

Bliss remarked that while he writes what he knows, he still does a lot of research. He said whether it would be how to write about a murder or how to blow up a flood wall.

His advice to new writers or independent authors is simple: “The big thing is, is to do it”.

“[I] have talked to people who have said, ‘I’ve been writing this book for 10 years or whatever,’ and they never get done with it. And my advice would be, ‘Sit down and write it and finish it,'” he said.

Bliss mentioned that authors can always go back and rework the story, but the first thing that needs to be done is to finish it. He said while working on a book, he will often pace himself by how many words he writes in a day and not pages or chapters. Bliss added that the hardest part of writing a book is getting started.

He said once he has an idea, he starts writing down as many as he can think of in a stream of consciousness, and then adds them to a file on his computer. He also added that sometimes ideas pop into his head, such as the time he came up with the surprise ending halfway through finishing a story, as happened with his second novel.

According to Bliss, signed copies of his new book can be purchased from VisitCape, the Glenn House or directly from him. His books also can be purchased on the Amazon website.