Who: Richard A Clarke. Author of  eight books, both fiction and nonfiction, including the national number-one bestseller Against All Enemies and Warnings: Finding Cassandras To Stop Catastrophes

Claim to fame: served for over a decade in the White House as National Coordinator for Security and Counter-terrorism, Assistant Secretary of State, Special Assistant to the President for Cyberspace and Global Affairs, Counter-terrorism Chair for the National Security Council, and other roles under three different Presidents.

Why’d we pick him, in ten words: Richard’s served in the White House–and wrote eight books.

Where to find him: Through his website

Age when he started:  “I enjoyed writing since my days in high school, but I spent 30 years in the government. The writing style in federal agencies is stilted. Not until I left government could I begin to explore writing in a serious manner.”

Let’s start with the basics: What time of day do you start writing? Is it easier for you to write early in the morning? Late at night?

I begin writing around 4pm and write until 2 in the morning. If I do anything earlier in the day, its junk and has to be discarded.

What’s your preferred tool for writing—a word processor like Microsoft Word, Google Docs, etc.? A pen and paper?

I’m an Apple guy: Macs and Pages.

Do you listen to music when you write, or do you prefer silence, or something else in the background?

Music is a must, usually jazz but sometimes classical, even Gregorian chants.

Do you have a writing space—an office, kitchen table, etc.? Or do you move around? Change locations? How does your physical environment affect your writing process?

I write at my country home, but I change rooms just to break things up.

Do you have any pre-writing rituals or habits?

Coffee, lotsa coffee.

How many words a day do you produce, or try to produce? How much of that ever sees the light of day?

I try to do 3000 words a day. The best I ever did was 9000. Almost all of it survives. By the time I am writing, I know what I want to say.

When you first sit down to write, how do you begin?

I usually already have the opening lines or paragraphs in my mind and have had for hours before I start writing on a given day.

What’s your process for editing your work?

I like to see the draft on paper before I edit. Then I edit on screen.  

How do you finish out a day of writing? Do you have a process, or is it just that you know you’ve hit a natural stopping point?

When it stops coming, or when a chapter is complete.

How much of a day for you is spent in research versus writing, or are you doing both at the same time?

I do the research and the thinking through before writing, although there may be a detail I stop writing to go find. Usually, however, if it the text is flowing out of me, I do not stop to research a detail. I write what I think is correct and then mark it to verify and amplify in editing.

Are you consciously trying to emulate the style of another author or authors? Do you have people who you look to as models for your writing?

Well, we would all like to be Hemingway. He wrote clearly. Hemingway used short, spare sentences. Nonetheless, he conveyed imagery. There is a beauty in his unadorned prose.   

Do you consider writing to be easy? Would you say it comes to you naturally?

Writing is not easy, but it need not be grueling. Indeed, once you are in a grove, it can be a great pleasure to write. Some brains are wired better for writing than others, but we can all learn to do it better. The best way to learn how to write, my tenth grade English teacher told me, is to write and to do it often.

When did your aspirations to become a writer begin, and at what age did you start writing in hopes of living off of it/making a life out of it?

I enjoyed writing since my days in high school, but I spent 30 years in the government. The writing style in federal agencies is stilted. Not until I left government could I begin to explore writing in a serious manner.

Which book would you say was your favorite to write?

I have written four non-fiction and four fiction. Let’s be clear: fiction is more fun to write. Fiction allows for greater creativity and is free of bothersome fact checking. Of my four novels STING OF THE DRONE is perhaps my favorite, but it is a bit like choosing your favorite child.

What are your favorite books on writing if you have any?

I have never read one.  Perhaps it shows.

How do you think about the audience you’re writing for? Is there one in your head, or are you basically writing for yourself?

I assume a basic understanding of international affairs, defense, and intelligence among my readers. I also assume they can Google what they do not know. It is not my job in writing to be giving a tutorial for the novice, but I do try to explain more complex things for the intermediate level expert reader. My goal is that a reader will learn from my books, even from the fiction.

Given the public consequence that your books and ideas have, what’s your process for fact-checking and reviewing? Related: How do you prepare yourself for the public scrutiny that your books cause?

I always hire my own fact checker(s). Then the publisher hires one after my review. I try to imagine comments, questions, and criticisms that the book will generate. Then I try to rehearse the reply or answer. My friends are great critics of my writing and I always make sure they have read the drafts and galleys and been brutally frank with me about their reactions. They know I can take it.