Three Days with Nicholas Sparks

at the Podium event where he signed 1200 books. 

It was an exhilarating 3 days with Nicholas Sparks.  After all, it’s not every day that I get to hang out with a New York Times bestselling author, a prolific author of 17 novels, including the “The Best of Me” which he was here to launch. But as I learned, Nicholas Sparks is more than his novels. 6 of his books have become successful movies. He is now producing his own movies and tv shows.  He is also a husband and a dad of 5. He is an overall nice guy who was very generous about answering the same questions over and over again, signing books and meeting fans. 

Readers can’t help but be touched by your characters and relate to them.

As an author, I put myself in the readers’ shoes: What might you want to read? I try to craft a story along those lines.  A Walk to Remember was based on my sister. The Notebook was inspired by my wife’s grandparents.  Whenever you write anything, you have to draw on everything you can as an author to make that story come to life.  I’ll draw on my memories, my own personal experiences and the experiences of those I care for. To try to make the book the best that it can be. 

My books can be kind of sad at times.  It’s what helps you remember them.  Titanic, Romeo and Juliet were sad. You can’t have a real love story without sad.  You can have a romantic fantasy, but not a real story.  Every great love story by definition has to end in tragedy. It has to, because none of us live forever.  If you don’t love them, there’s no tragedy when they die. 

What is a day in your writing life like?

A typical day, I’ll workout, walk the dog, go through office paperwork.  I’m start writing at 10 and end at 3.  I write from January- May.  It takes me 70 days to write a book, though not continuously.  I take a month to edit.  When I write, I write 2000 words a day. 

Let me run through the math with you.  I write 2000 words a day which takes me 5 hours.  That’s 400 words per hour.  I type 60 words per minute.  About 7 minutes is spent typing at full speed.  53 minutes is spent evaluating what you wrote in 7 minutes, editing it, starting out the window, checking email, procrastinating like crazy. 

Do you read a lot?

I read anywhere from 120-150 books a year. You can’t be a writer if you are not an avid reader.  If you like what I write,  Linda Nichols wrote Handyman 12 years ago.  I’m a big Stephen King, Dennis Lehane,  Lee Childs, the Irish writer John Connoly.

I do both printed books and electronic books. But on this trip I brought book books.  I went on safari a few weeks ago.  I brought my kindle and it broke on day 1.  I was in the middle of the Kalahari dessert with no book , no internet, no tv, no radio, no nothing except a broken Kindle. 

What are you working on next?

For this next novel, it’s gonna be a college love story. One of the first things I consider for a new story is the age of the characters. The next novel is gonna be a college love story.   I’m working on the story arc.    I have to know how the characters meet. What is the conflict that is keeping them apart? I have to know what’s driving the story and how the story ends. 

Six of your novels have become movies.  How has your Hollywood experience been?

I’ve been very fortunate in the movie business.  When you start you don’t have a lot of power.  With that said, I was able to work with 3 producers most of my career.  They always respected my opinion.  Now, I’m producing the films with some friends of mine, and now have a lot to say.  I will be able to choose the actors in Safe Haven and the Best of Me. I oversee the script and get to choose the director. 

How did Miley Cyrus end up with The Last Song written for her?

A couple of years ago, I made the decision to write about a teenage girl, when Disney called.  Miley wants to do another movie after Hannah Montana, and she loved A Walk to Remember.  Do you have anything she might be interested in? I asked them to give me a few weeks, then flew to LA to tell the story to Disney and Miley Cyrus.   This is the next novel that I’m writing, do you want it. I swore them all to secrecy. Then Disney hired me to write the screenplay.  I asked Miley what was important to her.  She loved animals and so there are some sea turtles in the movie. 

Will you ever write your own love story?

My wife and I met on spring break in Florida while we were attending (different) colleges.  It’s wild, it’s drinking and bikinis.  I met her on a Monday, told her I would marry her on a Tuesday and we’ve been married for 22 years.  How can I write about it? No one would believe it.

My wife and I believe that the more you give, the more you receive. We founded the Epiphany school in our hometown.  It has a big international component in the curriculum.  We introduce the students to the world. By the time you graduate you will have visited 16 countries on 6 different continents, speak Spanish fluently and learn history, culture and economics of a lot of different countries in the world.

Do you believe in the one true love?

No, I think falling truly in love is rare.  If we find it once in our lifetime, we’re lucky.  When you’re young, you are so much more open and you believe anything can happen.  When you have a little more life experience, your passions are tempered by reality.  I do believe in true love. I believe there are those who can love, but when they lose someone, they can find another true love.  I don’t know that there’s only one single person meant for you. 

At the more intimate gathering (of 400) in Powerbooks Greenbelt.

Most of the answers were punctuated by screams from the audience. He is after all the writing equivalent of a rock star.  One of the fans told me I was so lucky, I guess for spending all the time with Nicholas, and getting to know him up close and personal.  And I am.  This is why I am sharing our conversation in my blog.

Nicholas, we can’t get enough of your stories.  Thanks for choosing Manila to be your only Asian stop in this tour.  Hope you come back soon.