JAN: Today, I have the privilege of introducing you to Ron Hughes, a writer and veteran host of his own radio program. Welcome, Ron. How long have you been writing and how did you come to it?
RON: I wrote and produced a radio documentary while I was a student at Ryerson University in 1972. CBC bought it. So, if you’re talking first paid work, that would be it. I didn’t really pursue writing after that. My interest lay in the technical aspect of radio. Later, after attending a Write! Canada conference, the spark was fanned into a flame. My first book was published in 2011.
JAN: Who are some of the people who most influenced your decision to write?
RON: American author, Michelle Buchman, led an intensive workshop that I attended and probably gets the most credit. Wendy Nelles also played a big role in encouraging me to get serious. After an intensive workshop with her, I asked, “Do you think I have the chops to write a book?” and she said, “Yes.” So I did!
JAN: That’s the kind of motivation we need! What’s your preferred genre?
RON: I like writing fiction, but it’s pretty bland. (My life has been so placid; I don’t handle conflict well.) Other than one short fiction piece in the second “Hot Apple Cider” series, I’ve only published non-fiction. I also dabble in poetry, but never published any.
JAN: I know what you mean about wanting to avoid conflict. I always want to help my characters out of their dilemmas instead of adding tension! Why do you write?
RON: For the money, of course. But seriously folks, I enjoy sharing things the Lord has taught me and my friends with the wider public.
JAN: “Many a true word has been spoken in jest…”
How and where do you write? Are you a plotter or a pantser?
RON: I’ve written hundreds of radio scripts at my FBH International office (Faith By Hearing). The books were all written in various places around my home and farm (Yay! Laptops). I’m pretty much in the middle of the plotter/pantser continuum.
JAN: Where do you get your ideas? What inspires you?
RON: Simple answer: life. I observe and write about what I see in my own life and the lives of others.
JAN: How do you research and how do you know you can trust your sources?
RON: The majority of my non-fiction writing is based on first-hand accounts directly from the mouths of the people who have lived through the scenarios I write. I know these people personally so have no doubts about their authenticity.
JAN: What do you like most / least about writing?
RON: Most: The joy of creating and the feedback that my writing helped people.
Least: Always feeling pressured as I try to fit my writing into the cracks of my life. One day, I hope I’ll actually be able to move it up in the priority list so I can write at a leisurely pace.
JAN: Good luck with that! Until that day, what are some of the best methods of promoting your work?
RON: I have a fairly broad platform from my speaking/preaching ministry. That is really the only means I’ve used in the book department. I started blogging at FellowPilgrim.org in the spring and am experimenting with Google Ads and Facebook with no remarkable success, so far.
JAN: What are your favorite / most effective social media?
RON: I really only use Facebook and I can’t say it’s been particularly “effective” to this point.
JAN: How do you balance professional time with personal time?
RON: With great difficulty.
JAN: That seems to be common among writers. What are you currently reading? Do you prefer digital or print?
RON: I’m enjoying Spent Matches by Roy Moran. It’s a book on disciple-making that challenges a lot of my old assumptions and approaches. I don’t have a strong preference regarding digital or print. Each has its advantages. If you pushed me, I’d say I prefer digital for fiction and print for non-fiction.
JAN: What are some of your favorite things? What makes you unique?
RON: Other than my psychological quirks (which, I’m told, we all have), I guess my eclectic interests surprise people. I write, do radio, and public speaking. I also make music, wooden spoons, and walking sticks. I play at casting resin and trying to keep our 120-year-old farm house livable. Oh, and I’m a passably good cook.
JAN: A man of many talents! What keeps you going in your writing career?
RON: I see people who are struggling with some of the things I’ve struggled with and think: I can help you with that. So, I write to be voice of encouragement in the ear of the weary.
JAN: Wonderful. How is your faith reflected in your writing?
RON: It’s central. Because I’ve really only published non-fiction, my work overtly points to Jesus and how He changes our lives. In my experiments with fiction, I always seem to have a Christian character or two who season the work with a godly perspective.
JAN: What are some things you learned from your own writing?
RON: One of the painful lessons is that the editing process could go on into eternity. I’ve experienced this for myself and have heard highly accomplished writers mention it. We can be sure we’ve got it just right but as soon as it’s in print, we think things like “I could have expressed that better.”
JAN: I concur. There are always ways to improve. What is your ultimate writing goal?
RON: I guess I want to help people see that the best life is the one walked close to Jesus regardless of our individual circumstances. I’ve seen this in the life of those I would call “privileged,” those I would call “deprived” and everybody in between. It often amazes me that people choose to live without Him. Even more surprising are the believers who want to live as far from Him as they can get and still have some assurance of Heaven when they die. What’s with that?!
JAN: Food for thought. Do you have any advice for beginning writer?
RON: This must be the most trite of all possible responses: Write. Farmers farm; teachers teach; writers write. That’s the first thing. The second important thing is share it. Find people to read your work. Lastly—people love it when I use that word when I preach—learn. Keep honing your craft. Embrace suggestions. Trust your editors.
JAN: Thanks so much, Ron, for taking time to share your life and writing world with us. Readers, if you’d like to read more of Ron’s encouraging words, visit FellowPilgrim.org.
In 1995, Ron obtained a Master of Arts in Leadership Studies from Azusa Pacific University. Semi-retired since November 2018, he maintains a busy preaching ministry, speaking about 60 times a year in churches. He also writes books and blogs at this site: FellowPilgrim.org.