Guest Feature: Homer Hickam
Wednesday Writing Weekly No #77
The best way to get writing advice is to learn from other writers and authors. Back in 2015, when I was graduating high school, I interviewed several authors about their work and experiences as writers. An author at the top of my list was Homer Hickam, author of October Sky (originally titled Rocket Boys). I first met Hickam on a middle school trip to his hometown, Coalwood, West Virginia. I remember I was literally shaking in my boots with excitement as he signed my book, "Aim High." It’s a day I’ll never forget and looking back as a fiction writer now, I’m so grateful for that experience and Hickam’s help when I was seeking advice in high school.
Every writer has a different experience and a way to go about their work. By learning from others, we can further expand our own writing toolbox when reading about different ways to navigate the world of writing, editing, and publishing.
In this weekly, you will find Hickam’s bio, interview, and publications. Be sure to check out his work and websites at the end after reading through his helpful advice!
Homer Hickam: Bio
Homer Hickam is an American author from Coalwood West Virginia. Hickam has written multiple novels including his well known, Rocket Boys. Hickam went to Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University for college after the 1960 National Science Fair, where the BCMA (Big Creek Missile Agency/ the Rocket Boys) won a gold and silver medal for propulsion. Hickam is a Vietnam veteran, and a former NASA engineer.
Interview
Here is a selection of questions and answers from Homer about his work and process as a writer. Asking these kinds of questions are great ways to gain insight on the writing process and to see how it works for others.
1. How do you find an Agent/Publisher for your book and how do you find one that you can trust?
Finding an agent can be difficult. I had my first book Torpedo Junction published without an agent. For Rocket Boys, I already knew people in the publishing industry and got Mickey Freiberg and Frank Weimann. I wrote about that process in my short book, From Rocket Boys to October Sky. You can find it on Amazon.com.
2. Are you satisfied/happy with your book?
Which one? I've had 18 published. Yes, I've been happy with all of them.
3. How would you describe the moment when you first held a published copy of your book?
That was TORPEDO JUNCTION. I was absolutely thrilled. The excitement has quieted a bit as I've had all the others published but it's still fun.
4. What is your motivation? How do you keep working on something that takes so long?
I usually have a book contract that stipulates when the book must be ready. Since we authors like to get advances, we keep our eye on that date! But even if I didn't have a contract, I just love to write. I would write for nothing if I had to. As I've often said, I wanted to be an engineer but I HAD to be a writer.
5. Did you have a contract with your publisher? Was there a set time that your book(s) needed to be finished?
Yes, as mentioned above. I've had contracts for all my books before I've written them since Rocket Boys/October Sky with the exception of two that I self‐published through the Amazon Kindle Single program. Those were From Rocket Boys to October Sky and Paco: The Cat Who Meowed in Space.
6. What is your process in writing a book? Ex. Writing from beginning to end or at random until you piece the whole work together?
I write from the beginning to the end although I often double back and fix earlier chapters as I go.
7. What is your view on the beginning of a book? The first page is what the reader depends on to judge it all. How do you overcome that first part?
The first part of a book is the most important part. It has to hook the reader to read the rest. I write and rewrite and rewrite the first chapters to get them right. I don't always succeed but I try!
8. When did you start writing, why and how?
In the third grade, my teacher told me someday I would be a professional writer. She was right! It just took me awhile to realize that was what I was meant to do. I wrote for the college newspaper, then after I got back from Vietnam for lots of scuba diving magazines. That ultimately led to my first book, TORPEDO JUNCTION.
9. Did you ever feel lost while writing your book? If so, how did you get your focus back?
No, never. Even when I'm not sure if I'm going in the right direction, I keep going. If it's wrong, then that's why a writer must go back and revise. If there is any magic in my writing, it always comes out in the rewrite.
10. Why did you become a writer?
Because, as mentioned, I had to. It was what I was meant to be.
11. If there was one, what was the biggest obstacle or problem that you had to overcome in the writing? – Anything within the entire process.
Deadlines are always a problem. With more time, I can make anything I write better. That's dangerous, though. I might not ever finish!
12. Did you have a lot of say with how the cover was made?
Yes. Editors will generally defer to my judgment but not always. Publishers and editors vary on how they handle covers.
HOPE THIS HELPS!
Publications
My favorite book by Homer Hickam is Carrying Albert Home.
Amazon Synopsis:
Big Fish meets The Notebook in this emotionally evocative story about a man, a woman, and an alligator that is a moving tribute to love, from the New York Times bestselling author of the award-winning memoir Rocket Boys—the basis of the movie October Sky.
Elsie Lavender and Homer Hickam (the father of the author) were high school classmates in the West Virginia coalfields, graduating just as the Great Depression began. When Homer asked for her hand, Elsie instead headed to Orlando where she sparked with a dancing actor named Buddy Ebsen (yes, that Buddy Ebsen). But when Buddy headed for New York, Elsie’s dreams of a life with him were crushed and eventually she found herself back in the coalfields, married to Homer.
Torpedo Junction: U-Boat War Off America's East Coast, 1942 (1996)
My Dream of Stars: From Daughter of Iran to Space Pioneer (2011)
Crater Trueblood and the Lunar Rescue Company (A Helium-3 Novel) (2014)
Carrying Albert Home: The Somewhat True Story of a Woman, a Husband, and her Alligator (2015)
A Most Unwelcome Adventure: A Rocket Boys/ October Sky story (2016)
Conclusion
When I first received Homer Hickam’s advice, I found his notes on deadlines the most helpful. Sometimes us writers (those of us new to the field) focus so much on coming up with a story, it can be difficult to adjust and navigate writing an entire book in a set time. Deadlines drive my entire world nowadays and I’m happy to say I am comfortable with them but as a student, this seemed like a daunting challenge!
Overall, I am always so thankful for these past interactions and emails. I know I have some books of Hickam’s to catch up on and I’ll be sure to think about this advice as I continue writing. I love how fresh and helpful it is every time I look back through these notes.
Social Links
Let me know in the comments below if you all would like to see more writer/author interviews in the future!
Best,
Danni Lynn