A few minutes with...
Author Scott Berndt
(From his website): Scott is a proud resident of Saint Paul, MN. It is here where he indulges his passion for history as a public school teacher, drinks an obscene amount of coffee, succumbs to crippling bouts of nostalgia-induced daydreams, and raises two kids with his amazing wife.
Sometimes he does all of this at the same time.
He’s just published his first book, John Cleese Saved My Life! ...And Other True Tales Of Pop, Politics, And Prayer. It's a Gen X mash-up where memoir meets history book. Set in Ronald Reagan’s America, he unravels his adolescence and the political and pop culture forces that shaped his character and transformed his religious faith.
Buy the book here
In my former book blog, I designed and used a brief questionnaire to get inside the process of writing for writers. Scott was kind enough to respond to my query on Bluesky, and you can read the result below.
1. After the research is done, do you have a specific writing process that you follow?
For my book, which I refer to as, "The Only Memoir With Footnotes!", writing and research went hand in hand. I identified and outlined the stories I wanted to tell from my life, and then researched the relevant historical people/places/events/ideas. This helped illustrate causation, consequence, and significance in a way that I hope readers find educational as well as entertaining.
2. Do you prefer writing in the morning, during the day, or late at night? I tend to be productive in the early mornings and late evenings. At both times, a cup of coffee is close by.
3. Do you have a writing place or do you write wherever you happen to be?
I have a writing nook in my basement with a desk and easy access to my bookshelves. I also like writing at coffee shops.
4. How many hours a day, typically, do you write?
Between being in grad school, my teaching job, and then "author stuff", probably between 1-3 hours a day. Now, how many hours a day do I THINK about writing - that's a double digit numeral, right there.
5. If you could tell your younger self any advice about writing, what would it be?
"Keep a journal, you dumb shit!"
6. What does literary success mean to you?
This is something that changes for me on a daily basis. I think it comes down to "firsts". Just the act of publishing - giving birth to a book - was something I deemed a "success". Then the first sale, first review, first public reading, first interview, and so on. Recently, a local independent bookstore started stocking my book. That was another milestone I wanted to reach. On a daily basis, when someone visits my website or likes and re-posts something I wrote on Bluesky, I consider that a success.
7. Who are your writing heroes? I've always read A LOT of history/non-fiction. Some faves (in no particular order)
- Howard Zinn
- John Hope Franklin
- Stephen Kinzer
- Manisha Sinha
- David Blight
- Heather Cox Richardson
- Stacey Patton
- David Halberstam
Singer/Songwriters:
Paul Westerberg (The Replacements)
Jagger/Richards (Rolling Stones)
Cleaver/Walker (Wussy)
Jonathan Richman (Modern Lovers/solo artist)
Bill Fox (The Mice/solo artist)
Tom Waits
I would like to thank Scott for participating. Please check out his website, his Bluesky account, and his YouTube channel.
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If you are an author who would like to participate, send your answers to the above questions to bookwriterdude at dot com.
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wonky formatting thanks to my behind-the-curve online skills