In the meantime, there is a pre-order sale until the end of the week. This e-book is available for $4.95 ( about £2.97) instead of $6.95 ( about £4.17) from the Old Schoolhouse.
Bonnie Rose Hudson, the author of Asia: its People and History has answered a few questions.
When writing a new book, how do you go about planning for it? Do you have a method you use, or is each one different?
I'm a planner by nature. I love to lay out all the details and know where I'm going before I take the first step. But, I've noticed that God often likes to remind me that I'm not the one who is in charge of my life, He is! So I usually start a project with a hook and an outline. I need to know the heart of the project before I start. That's what gets me excited about writing it. What will its purpose be? What will it illustrate? I write an outline, or have one in my mind, but the story or project always takes lots of unexpected twists and turns. Sometimes the research doesn't pan out and I have to choose a different direction. Sometimes the outline doesn't go far enough. I remember working on the first book-length project I tried to write. I had a beautiful outline for the entire book. I had covered the entire outline in four chapters! I had some major re-planning to do on that one!
What other projects will you be working on in the near future?
That's a hard question to answer. I can tell you what I think I'll be working on next, but as I said earlier, God likes to surprise me and rearrange my carefully laid plans often! Right now I'm busy writing curriculum for SchoolhouseTeachers.com and an occasional article for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. I wrote a children's book that is waiting for an agent or editor to pick up so that it can move to publication. I am working on the process of querying agents and editors with it now, but it is a very long process. Meanwhile, my book's main character, a boy named Jake, blogs every week on my blog Exploring with Jake (http://writebonnierose.wordpress.com/). In the next few weeks Jake will wrap up a study of India and start a series of posts about Christians who are being persecuted today for their faith in places around the world. I'd also like to continue creating copywork and printables for my website, WriteBonnieRose.com.
What is one lesson you learned from writing this book?
That God's plans are far better and wiser than any we could make on our own.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging about writing a book?
Making the time to do it.
Did you always have a talent for writing, or is it something you wanted and needed to work harder to achieve?
I think it's important to realize that there is a difference between a talent and a skill. To me, a talent is a God-given desire and gifting to do something. It's part of who you are. I can't not write. It's part of me. If I don't take the time to be creative and write down what is going on inside my heart or my mind, I get cranky--just ask my family! But just because I love to write doesn't mean I automatically know how to do it right or just sit down and write perfect rough drafts! There is always more to learn about how to use the best words to express what you want to communicate, how to craft a story that holds a reader's attention, how to avoid grammar mistakes, etc. Learning never ends, and most of the time, I wouldn't want it to.
Do you have a certain writing space, somewhere you go *just* to write your books? An office, a lake cabin, a hotel? What do you love about that space? How does it inspire you?
I don't have a writing space. I do have an office/library that I enjoy sometimes when I write because I can close the door and enjoy being surrounded by books! But I will write anywhere, anytime I get the chance, including on grocery lists at the store, in the car (provided I'm not driving, of course), on a notepad by my bed, it really doesn't matter. I can get lost in an idea almost anywhere!
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