Stephanie Payne Hurt
by Susan Reichert
S
he is a Children’s Minister, Accountant, wife, mother,
in the publishing business, blogger and writer. So how
does published author, Stephanie Payne Hurt, write
and publish so many books? As of this counting, she has
39 published and 3 more due out this year—Promises Kept
and Holly Cottage and a full schedule next year starting with
Inlet Circle.
“I do lead a busy life, but writing is my passion.”
Also a priority. Her secret? She schedules time. Serious
writers know it is necessary to schedule writing time.
“I usually get up early so all the characters that have been
screaming in my head all night can have an escape before
I open my office. I continue writing mornings, it’s quiet
and everyone is gone to work. After work, instead of
watching TV to unwind I write. Just for that moment,
I get lost and the worries of the day disappear. Even when
it is hard to fit time in for writing, I get a few hundred
words in.”
What is her word count? “I strive to get in two thousand
words a day during the week and three to five thousand on
6 Southern Writers
the weekends. Some days I go over my goal when the muse is
in overdrive.”
You may be surprised as to how long it takes her to write
a book. “It takes about two months per book from start to
finish. However, it does depend on the book. Some books
come into my head from start to finish and those usually take
a couple of weeks. However, sometimes the plot line changes
and it takes me a little longer.”
What about choosing plots and characters? “Most of my
books the plot is automatic. When the story comes into my
head, I see the whole thing—play by play what is about to
happen. Not that it always sticks. My characters have a mind
of their own. I tend to start with a solid plan, but as the story
comes along, inspiration strikes, and the story can take a
180-degree turn. Everything then changes. I try hard to make
the plots in my stories believable but in fiction, we tend to
embellish a little.”