The Author Interviews, Round 4: #2: Jeff Lyons
A new round of author interviews needs new questions! AuthorJeff Lyonsstopped by.
You are living in the world from your latest novel. Where are you? What is it like?Ninth century Europe. Life is hard, brutish, and short, especially if you are a woman. It is a world of opulence, excess, gluttony, starvation, disease, stink, and grinding poverty. If you can get into the clergy you have a chance for a reasonably safe life, but no guarantees.You are your most recent protagonist. Who are you? What is the first thing you do?I am Mae, a special ops operative who finds herself trapped in a room with four strangers and no way out. Every 13 minutes we’re being killed one by one and the first thing I do is avoid telling the group the truth about why I’m there. Things will not go well.Who is your favourite author? Why?My favourite author is actually a screenwriter: Billy Wilder. He does comedy or drama equally well, and is as deep and human and spiritual as any great novelist. He proves that screenwriting can be as rich and fulfilling as any novel and that screenwriting is not some “second cousin” to long-form prose.Where do you get your ideas?The same place Billy Wider got his ideas. I leave an empty milk bottle out on the stoop at night, and when I wake up in the morning an idea is sticking out of it. I don’t really get ideas—they get me. They just slap me upside the head when I least expect it. Some are crazy, hit me and then run off. Some just push me hard and stick around and have a conversation. A few become friends.Why do you write?Well, the romantic answer is, “Because, I have no choice; I must express myself or die.” But, the real reason is I have a talent for it and once you discover your talent you are morally obligated to exercise it. It’s a moral question for me; a question of personal character.How do you deal with bad reviews, rejection and criticism?HA! I’ve been working in Hollywood for thirty years as a screenwriter/ story consultant. Rejection is something you put in your coffee every day. I say, “Take it like a writer,” meaning get over it. Rejection is meaningless, for the most part. What I mean by that is that people say “no” for myriad reasons, seldom are any of those reason due to the actual writing. They have business agendas, and if your work doesn’t meet that agenda you get a “no.” It’s not personal, it business—kind of like with the mafia. Rarely, someone will reject my work and have a good note, in which case I can take it or not and then move on. People who say “no” and give me reasons why they said “no” are valuable because they help me fix unseen problems or improve a story that was not really ready for primetime. Bottom line for me, rejection is just a part of life and you can’t dwell. Reviews (especially Amazon reviews) are usually useless to read and carry no weight, other than the stars they give you, which are all people really look at anyway. I don’t read reviews, really. But, I do listen to criticism, as it can help me as a writer. So, I laugh at most reviews and rejection, but take real criticism seriously.What do you find difficult about writing?All of it. It’s all hard. It’s all like torture. Anyone who says it’s easy, they love it, it all comes so elegantly and naturally that there is no struggle or pain are liars. Writing is the literary equivalent of water boarding. Welcome to my world.Do you ever outsource (editing and cover design) your work?I outsource all line editing work, as I can’t spell or use punctuation. Developmental editing I do myself, as I’m a developmental editor. I also do the interior designs and typesetting (Indesign) of my books. But, I hire a designer for my covers. I do all the computer-related setup for marketing myself (Createspace, KDP Direct, Draft2Digital, etc.). I never outsource the actual writing. But, now that I think about it ... given my previous answer ... hmmmm.What is your opinion on the indie vs traditional publishing argument?I think the argument is over. As someone has already said, “The publishing problem has been solved.” There is no question in my mind that self-publishing is the way for all authors to go. For the first time in literary history a writer can find an audience, make some money, find satisfaction as an artist, and make their dream of being a published writer come true. This was not possible even five years ago, but it is not. The tools are there, the platforms are there for sales and marketing, and the audience is HUGE. But, I think writers have to be in both spaces: traditional and non-traditional. I am traditionally published with a major publishing company, and I self-publish. My traditional deals suck, but they give me certain advantages self-publishing doesn’t. Self-publishing gives me total control and 70% of the profits, but is a huge amount of work and responsibility. If you are not entrepreneurially inclined, then self-publishing is not the way to go. Go find an agent, write your books, and let other people do the work. You will get pennies on the dollar for your efforts writing, but you might get some books into the traditional pipeline—over time. But, if you want to really have a career, then self-publishing is a solid choice. Become an authorprenure, and don’t look back. You won’t become a millionaire like Hugh Howey or Amanda Hocking, but you can actually make a living, or pay the bills. I am, and I’ve only got a couple self-published novellas done (more on the way). There is no argument anymore; you have to do both: traditional and self-publish. And the great news is that you can actually make money doing what you love.Talk us through your creative process from start to finish.Well, that would take a lot of pages. I refer you to my creative process, as I wrote it down in my book Anatomy of a Premise Line: How to Master Premise and Story Development for Writing Success (Focal Press). I’m serious, not just plugging my work. Premise development is where is all starts—and where it all fails. Almost all writers will fail at the premise level, way before they even begin to write pages. This is a huge problem, and one that I try to address in all my teaching at Stanford, UCLA, and at other schools where I teach story development classes, because development is not something that is taught in MFA programs, or even in film school for screenwriters. Now, I and one or two other people I know, are teaching these ideas in some major university extension programs, but “story development” is still not something most writers “get.” Most people just dive in and start writing their books. “Just do it,” because we’re taught that stories write themselves, characters write themselves, etc. These are lies, and writing memes that derail almost all writers in their writing process. Like I said, this is a huge problem and one that leads 90% of writers into the story woods, where they get lost, frustrated, and despairing. I teach people to separate the development function from the writing function. Storytelling and writing are two different things—they have nothing to do with one another. You don’t need a pencil or a pen, or a piece of paper any where hear a story to tell it. Stories can be mimed, painted, danced, spoken, etc., stories don’t need writers, but they do need storytellers. I’m all about the story function, not the writing function. I am a good writer, but I’m a great story guy. Story is the part most writers are weak with; that’s why I wrote Anatomy of a Premise Line. So, to answer your question, my writing process begins and ends with the development of my story premise BEFORE I write a single word of actual text. This is the alpha and the omega of any writing process, IMO.What advice would you give to aspiring writers?Read my previous answer! Learn story structure. Learn story development. Maybe you are a good writer, but writing is not storytelling. Learn the basics of narrative design and classic story structure principles. If you don’t know what I’m talking about and you don’t know story structure from a steak sandwich, then get educated. There are lots of wise, experienced, and thoughtful teachers out there—there is also a lot of snake oil. My mantra: Listen to everyone, try everything, follow no one. You are your own guru. But, don’t give your power away to any writing gurus (even me, especially me!). But, learn your craft skills for story development, this will serve you better than “just going for it.”Would you agree a good book must withstand more than one read?No necessarily. I’ve read many books more than once, and some only once. The one-off reads have stayed with me just as strongly as the multiple-reads. I don’t think this is the measure of a good book.What do you look for when shopping on Amazon for a Kindle book? Are any of them more important to you than others?Cover / Title / Author / Price / Description / Publisher / Sample Chapter / ReviewsI’m a consumer, so I get suckered into a good cover like anyone else. Covers are so critical, that’s why I spend so much money on my book covers. I look are the number of stars for reviews (never read reviews) and then I check out the sales standings in the categories list for the book. I’m drawn to books that have a higher position in category standings, as this usually means more people are reading them, but not necessarily. The algorithms are so complicated now you have no real measure for how well a book is really doing.Do you have a favourite genre? Tell us more!Favourite genres are fantasy, sci-fi. I grew up with monster magazines, Isaac Asimov, and comic books, so these genres are in my blood.What would it take for you to leave a review on Amazon/ Goodreads?Great question. Getting reviews is like pulling teeth—even from friends! So, if I see something I like I always leave a review. I go out of my way to leave reviews. So, it doesn’t take much to get me to leave a review, but writing a good book is a sure bet.After downloading book one of a series for free or discounted on Amazon, do you ever go back and pay more for book two? If not, why?Yes. I did that with Hugh Howe’s Wool series. I read the first book for free then went back for more and paid. It’s a good sales strategy.Do you ever visit an author's website? If so, what do you look at?Always. I’m always looking for better ways to design my own site. I look mostly for design and ease of navigation. Sites are getting very sophisticated now, so it’s hard to stand out.If an author offered you a free book, would you sign up to their mailing list?Not necessarily. I’m on so many lists now that I almost never give my name out. I’m just not that in love with any author to the point where I want to get their newsletters, etc. Sorry, but I just hate that stuff. I’m a big boy and I’ll keep track of your career and what you’re writing on my own. The only one I really follow that way is Hugh Howey, because he has such great insights into the publishing world and gives a lot of value-added. Most authors just fill your inbox with fluff and promotions.Many thanks to Jeff Lyons for this wonderful interview and we wish him all the best with his upcoming releases. To support the author, please consider downloading a copy of the book.
You are living in the world from your latest novel. Where are you? What is it like?Ninth century Europe. Life is hard, brutish, and short, especially if you are a woman. It is a world of opulence, excess, gluttony, starvation, disease, stink, and grinding poverty. If you can get into the clergy you have a chance for a reasonably safe life, but no guarantees.You are your most recent protagonist. Who are you? What is the first thing you do?I am Mae, a special ops operative who finds herself trapped in a room with four strangers and no way out. Every 13 minutes we’re being killed one by one and the first thing I do is avoid telling the group the truth about why I’m there. Things will not go well.Who is your favourite author? Why?My favourite author is actually a screenwriter: Billy Wilder. He does comedy or drama equally well, and is as deep and human and spiritual as any great novelist. He proves that screenwriting can be as rich and fulfilling as any novel and that screenwriting is not some “second cousin” to long-form prose.Where do you get your ideas?The same place Billy Wider got his ideas. I leave an empty milk bottle out on the stoop at night, and when I wake up in the morning an idea is sticking out of it. I don’t really get ideas—they get me. They just slap me upside the head when I least expect it. Some are crazy, hit me and then run off. Some just push me hard and stick around and have a conversation. A few become friends.Why do you write?Well, the romantic answer is, “Because, I have no choice; I must express myself or die.” But, the real reason is I have a talent for it and once you discover your talent you are morally obligated to exercise it. It’s a moral question for me; a question of personal character.How do you deal with bad reviews, rejection and criticism?HA! I’ve been working in Hollywood for thirty years as a screenwriter/ story consultant. Rejection is something you put in your coffee every day. I say, “Take it like a writer,” meaning get over it. Rejection is meaningless, for the most part. What I mean by that is that people say “no” for myriad reasons, seldom are any of those reason due to the actual writing. They have business agendas, and if your work doesn’t meet that agenda you get a “no.” It’s not personal, it business—kind of like with the mafia. Rarely, someone will reject my work and have a good note, in which case I can take it or not and then move on. People who say “no” and give me reasons why they said “no” are valuable because they help me fix unseen problems or improve a story that was not really ready for primetime. Bottom line for me, rejection is just a part of life and you can’t dwell. Reviews (especially Amazon reviews) are usually useless to read and carry no weight, other than the stars they give you, which are all people really look at anyway. I don’t read reviews, really. But, I do listen to criticism, as it can help me as a writer. So, I laugh at most reviews and rejection, but take real criticism seriously.What do you find difficult about writing?All of it. It’s all hard. It’s all like torture. Anyone who says it’s easy, they love it, it all comes so elegantly and naturally that there is no struggle or pain are liars. Writing is the literary equivalent of water boarding. Welcome to my world.Do you ever outsource (editing and cover design) your work?I outsource all line editing work, as I can’t spell or use punctuation. Developmental editing I do myself, as I’m a developmental editor. I also do the interior designs and typesetting (Indesign) of my books. But, I hire a designer for my covers. I do all the computer-related setup for marketing myself (Createspace, KDP Direct, Draft2Digital, etc.). I never outsource the actual writing. But, now that I think about it ... given my previous answer ... hmmmm.What is your opinion on the indie vs traditional publishing argument?I think the argument is over. As someone has already said, “The publishing problem has been solved.” There is no question in my mind that self-publishing is the way for all authors to go. For the first time in literary history a writer can find an audience, make some money, find satisfaction as an artist, and make their dream of being a published writer come true. This was not possible even five years ago, but it is not. The tools are there, the platforms are there for sales and marketing, and the audience is HUGE. But, I think writers have to be in both spaces: traditional and non-traditional. I am traditionally published with a major publishing company, and I self-publish. My traditional deals suck, but they give me certain advantages self-publishing doesn’t. Self-publishing gives me total control and 70% of the profits, but is a huge amount of work and responsibility. If you are not entrepreneurially inclined, then self-publishing is not the way to go. Go find an agent, write your books, and let other people do the work. You will get pennies on the dollar for your efforts writing, but you might get some books into the traditional pipeline—over time. But, if you want to really have a career, then self-publishing is a solid choice. Become an authorprenure, and don’t look back. You won’t become a millionaire like Hugh Howey or Amanda Hocking, but you can actually make a living, or pay the bills. I am, and I’ve only got a couple self-published novellas done (more on the way). There is no argument anymore; you have to do both: traditional and self-publish. And the great news is that you can actually make money doing what you love.Talk us through your creative process from start to finish.Well, that would take a lot of pages. I refer you to my creative process, as I wrote it down in my book Anatomy of a Premise Line: How to Master Premise and Story Development for Writing Success (Focal Press). I’m serious, not just plugging my work. Premise development is where is all starts—and where it all fails. Almost all writers will fail at the premise level, way before they even begin to write pages. This is a huge problem, and one that I try to address in all my teaching at Stanford, UCLA, and at other schools where I teach story development classes, because development is not something that is taught in MFA programs, or even in film school for screenwriters. Now, I and one or two other people I know, are teaching these ideas in some major university extension programs, but “story development” is still not something most writers “get.” Most people just dive in and start writing their books. “Just do it,” because we’re taught that stories write themselves, characters write themselves, etc. These are lies, and writing memes that derail almost all writers in their writing process. Like I said, this is a huge problem and one that leads 90% of writers into the story woods, where they get lost, frustrated, and despairing. I teach people to separate the development function from the writing function. Storytelling and writing are two different things—they have nothing to do with one another. You don’t need a pencil or a pen, or a piece of paper any where hear a story to tell it. Stories can be mimed, painted, danced, spoken, etc., stories don’t need writers, but they do need storytellers. I’m all about the story function, not the writing function. I am a good writer, but I’m a great story guy. Story is the part most writers are weak with; that’s why I wrote Anatomy of a Premise Line. So, to answer your question, my writing process begins and ends with the development of my story premise BEFORE I write a single word of actual text. This is the alpha and the omega of any writing process, IMO.What advice would you give to aspiring writers?Read my previous answer! Learn story structure. Learn story development. Maybe you are a good writer, but writing is not storytelling. Learn the basics of narrative design and classic story structure principles. If you don’t know what I’m talking about and you don’t know story structure from a steak sandwich, then get educated. There are lots of wise, experienced, and thoughtful teachers out there—there is also a lot of snake oil. My mantra: Listen to everyone, try everything, follow no one. You are your own guru. But, don’t give your power away to any writing gurus (even me, especially me!). But, learn your craft skills for story development, this will serve you better than “just going for it.”Would you agree a good book must withstand more than one read?No necessarily. I’ve read many books more than once, and some only once. The one-off reads have stayed with me just as strongly as the multiple-reads. I don’t think this is the measure of a good book.What do you look for when shopping on Amazon for a Kindle book? Are any of them more important to you than others?Cover / Title / Author / Price / Description / Publisher / Sample Chapter / ReviewsI’m a consumer, so I get suckered into a good cover like anyone else. Covers are so critical, that’s why I spend so much money on my book covers. I look are the number of stars for reviews (never read reviews) and then I check out the sales standings in the categories list for the book. I’m drawn to books that have a higher position in category standings, as this usually means more people are reading them, but not necessarily. The algorithms are so complicated now you have no real measure for how well a book is really doing.Do you have a favourite genre? Tell us more!Favourite genres are fantasy, sci-fi. I grew up with monster magazines, Isaac Asimov, and comic books, so these genres are in my blood.What would it take for you to leave a review on Amazon/ Goodreads?Great question. Getting reviews is like pulling teeth—even from friends! So, if I see something I like I always leave a review. I go out of my way to leave reviews. So, it doesn’t take much to get me to leave a review, but writing a good book is a sure bet.After downloading book one of a series for free or discounted on Amazon, do you ever go back and pay more for book two? If not, why?Yes. I did that with Hugh Howe’s Wool series. I read the first book for free then went back for more and paid. It’s a good sales strategy.Do you ever visit an author's website? If so, what do you look at?Always. I’m always looking for better ways to design my own site. I look mostly for design and ease of navigation. Sites are getting very sophisticated now, so it’s hard to stand out.If an author offered you a free book, would you sign up to their mailing list?Not necessarily. I’m on so many lists now that I almost never give my name out. I’m just not that in love with any author to the point where I want to get their newsletters, etc. Sorry, but I just hate that stuff. I’m a big boy and I’ll keep track of your career and what you’re writing on my own. The only one I really follow that way is Hugh Howey, because he has such great insights into the publishing world and gives a lot of value-added. Most authors just fill your inbox with fluff and promotions.Many thanks to Jeff Lyons for this wonderful interview and we wish him all the best with his upcoming releases. To support the author, please consider downloading a copy of the book.
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