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# Write Now With Michael P. Spradlin
- URL: https://justincox.com/blog/2024/09/write-now-with-michael-p-spradlin/
- Published: 2024-09-18T15:00:32.000Z
- Updated: 2024-09-18T15:00:32.000Z
- Description: Today's Write Now interview features Michael P. Spradlin, New York Times best-selling author of RISE OF THE SPIDER.
- Author: Justin Cox
- Tags: Interview, #michael-p-spradlin

## Who are you?

[Michael P. Spradlin](https://michaelspradlin.com/?ref=justincox.com), a writer and assassin based in Michigan.

## What do you write?

I typically write fiction and non-fiction for a middle-grade audience. As such, there are certain themes and stories I stay away from that are inappropriate for that age group. But for the most part, it has all the same elements of writing for any age. I love writing for this age group. 4-6th graders are great. They’re smart and funny, and they haven’t completely turned into angst-ridden, crabby teenagers yet. I love the fact that kids really appreciate a good story, and I love it when they share their insights and thoughts about what they took from it. They’re an incredibly involved and honest audience.

## Where do you write?

It really varies. I don’t have a set way, place, or method. 90% of the time, I use my laptop, but I will also occasionally use a Moleskine notebook. I find that writing in longhand makes the story feel more organic to me. Plus, when I do type those notes in later, it’s like an extra round of revision. I’m stuck with Word and know how to use about 10% of it. I’ve tried things like Scrivener, etc., but I find that ‘productivity apps’ require so much time for me to master that it leads to a big loss in productivity.

## When do you write?

I write at all different times of the day. Whenever the mood strikes. I don’t really set a time limit, just until I feel like I’m done. I do have deadlines, but I only pay attention to word count when it gets down to the nitty-gritty. I’m always extremely reluctant to turn in a manuscript. I will forever feel that with just a little more time, I can make it even two percent better. I guess it’s like the old saying that says “no book is ever finished, it is only abandoned.”

![](https://justincox.com/content/images/2024/02/Rise-of-the-Spider---Cover.jpg)

Photo courtesy of Michael P. Spradlin

## Why do you write?

It’s just another form of self-expression. We all have something we do to express our inner selves. For my wife, it’s gardening. Her gardens are works of art. Working with plants and the soil gives her a visceral connection to something that feeds her soul. For me, it’s writing. If I feel like I’ve written something good, effective, or passionate (choose your adjective), that almost creates the sense of a ‘runner’s high’ in me. So, that feeling in and of itself is a reason to continue writing.

When it comes to writing, I’m fairly self-motivated. I want to know how the story ends myself, so that keeps me going. Plus, I also really liked to be paid and buy things like groceries and housing. So that is also an incentive. I’m not very good at much else. I would say about 90% of my inspiration comes from reading other writers. I will read something particularly good, then ask myself, “Could I do this that well?” Could I write a line of dialogue the way Elmore Leonard does? Or create a down-on-his-luck, misfit character the way Steinbeck has? I’m certainly not at that level, but the challenge is what keeps you going.

## How do you overcome writer's block?

Thankfully, I’ve never really had writer’s block. If anything, I suffer from too many ideas. I did have an episode once where I had to finish a contract while I was incredibly sick with a post-surgical infection. After that, it took me a while to write anything productive again. It wasn’t that I didn’t have an idea or anything like that. I think I was just physically and mentally at a low point, and it took me a minute to get started again. If I’ve taken a break on a particular piece, almost all that it takes to get me started up again is to reread it, and I find that gets me back into the voice.

## Bonus: What do you enjoy doing when not writing?

The one thing I really enjoy is reading, and I find that unless it’s reading for research, I don’t get to do as much pleasure reading as I used to. But I rarely feel like writing is work, so I joke that I’m either starting to write, writing, finishing writing, or getting ready to write.

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*My thanks to Michael P. Spradlin for today's interview.*