An Interview with Tyler Wandschneider
I had a really good caving trip to Pridhamsleigh Cavern last weekend. Even though the water levels were very low, we still came out thoroughly muddy! Shame the ducks were gaping air passages, but it was still enjoyed by the whole group. The slides near the end were possibly the favourite of many.
Right, so today I am talking to Tyler Wandschneider, author of Lockheed Elite.
So. Why do you write?
I write because.
I know it sounds like a fake answer or a cop-out or maybe, if you know me, a bit of a widely missed attempt at a quick joke.
To be honest, I’m a pretty decent writer, but I wish I could tell you I write because I’m really good at it. That I have an extraordinary list of original prose that you’ve already enjoyed. I wish I could tell you about the many years I’ve toiled in front of a white screen staring back at me with a blank look. I wish I could tell you about the hundreds of rejection letters I suffered trying to get published only to find that one that changed everything.
But I can’t do that.
I can only tell you that I’ve been writing for the last six years, that I am a structural engineer and that day in and day out I’m face deep in calculations and drawings with an inbox relentlessly telling me what’s next; desperately eyeing the very first day I can write as a full-time writer. I can only tell you that my entire life has been one of countless immersions in stories both on the screen and in the pages of a binding. Inspiring me. Building me. Storytelling me.
I have been ripped from a typical daily grind over and over again and thrown into alternate realities only to walk next to the one who must take and destroy the ring, to follow the life of an orphaned boy as he seeks the ones who killed his troupe, to explore the London Underground while chased by two crazy men. These, of course, are stories by the greats that I dare not name here because truth be told, I can’t hold a candle to them.
I write because maybe, just maybe, I could lay down that one story that will take someone I will never meet on a ride they will always remember. Maybe some kid comes across one of my pieces and gets an inkling to pick up a pen and twenty years later their stories take the world by storm. I write because I love stories. I write because so many before me picked up their pen and poured out their heart and risked total vulnerability. Today, because they wrote, and some continue to do so, we have countless bookshelves littered with beautiful and amazing stories. Original pieces that inspire us and wake in us that addiction that says, "One more chapter, then I’ll go to bed."
I write because.
Some writers believe in Writer’s Block, others don't. Which camp are you in?
Honestly, I think writer's block is a myth. Sure you can stare at the page and wonder what to write but I don't think it's writer's block.
Consider it as I do - a moment of preparation. A calm before the storm of sorts where you gather the known elements of the scene and then let your fingers start going. I do A LOT of revising in my writing so when that moment happens that others might call writer's block, I just start writing. Anything. I'll even literally write, "I'm a little foggy on how to write this scene but it goes something like this..." And I go. My mind knows the story I want to write and once I get my fingers going, somehow I arrive there, I write what I want to say, and then later go back to make the changes the story needs.
It's your story. Own it. Take charge and write it down. Don't let little things like the myth of writer's block get in your way. That's just silly. :)
Do you proofread/edit all your own books or do you get someone to do that for you?
I edit like crazy! I write for awhile revise, rewrite, revise rewrite then move on to the next 5,000 words. I constantly follow an idea and then change what I said, go back and review, and when I finally gain some traction and lay down 10 or even 15K words, I realize I need to drop in some red herrings or a gun on the mantle some while back. Then all of a sudden I'm spending a month or two on my previous 25,000 words. It’s a constant back and forth, two steps ahead four steps back, process that requires patience, discipline and above all a desire, nay, a passion for telling that story.
That being said... :) ...when it's all said and done. I let my beta readers take a crack at it. Then I go through it again. Then I hand it over to my copy editor (professional) then I go through a couple more times myself. And then my proofreader (professional, again) does her magic. Boom! Then it's ready.
So the answer to the above is yes. I edit and I also hire pros to help. I'll never publish something without that. 'Cept wonderful interviews like this! :)
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Always, always, always finish every story you start. If you write more beginnings than endings then your endings will never be as good as your beginnings.
What was the hardest thing about writing your latest book?
I would say it was the times I'd read other books that were written really well. I have a proclivity for getting down on myself and thinking I'm not good enough. So when I read great books or even high praising reviews of great books, it puts me in place where I question my ambition to write. "Why am I doing this? There are so many more better writers than me." Then the itch to write strikes and I start to crawl out of that hole. I pick up my book Lockheed Elite and read a couple pages and actually feel better about myself. I can write. Maybe not as good as the greats but my writing will entertain and it won't pull you from the story. Then I might read a couple things others have said about my book. This helps too. So I keep going.
Thank you for taking the time to talk to me. Good luck with the next few months!
Tyler Wandschneider is a Seattle-based novelist working in the professional world. He and his wife are expecting their first child in October 2017. It is a girl, and he is delighted to meet her. Lockheed Elite is his second novel, and no, you cannot read his first. You can follow Tyler on some of the usual social media channels, and he has a website for you to check out as well, www.tylerwandschneider.com. You can subscribe to his newsletter there in which he shares all the trouble he gets into. He is also fond of hearing from those who have enjoyed reading Lockheed Elite.
Right, so today I am talking to Tyler Wandschneider, author of Lockheed Elite.
So. Why do you write?
I write because.
I know it sounds like a fake answer or a cop-out or maybe, if you know me, a bit of a widely missed attempt at a quick joke.
To be honest, I’m a pretty decent writer, but I wish I could tell you I write because I’m really good at it. That I have an extraordinary list of original prose that you’ve already enjoyed. I wish I could tell you about the many years I’ve toiled in front of a white screen staring back at me with a blank look. I wish I could tell you about the hundreds of rejection letters I suffered trying to get published only to find that one that changed everything.
But I can’t do that.
I can only tell you that I’ve been writing for the last six years, that I am a structural engineer and that day in and day out I’m face deep in calculations and drawings with an inbox relentlessly telling me what’s next; desperately eyeing the very first day I can write as a full-time writer. I can only tell you that my entire life has been one of countless immersions in stories both on the screen and in the pages of a binding. Inspiring me. Building me. Storytelling me.
I have been ripped from a typical daily grind over and over again and thrown into alternate realities only to walk next to the one who must take and destroy the ring, to follow the life of an orphaned boy as he seeks the ones who killed his troupe, to explore the London Underground while chased by two crazy men. These, of course, are stories by the greats that I dare not name here because truth be told, I can’t hold a candle to them.
I write because maybe, just maybe, I could lay down that one story that will take someone I will never meet on a ride they will always remember. Maybe some kid comes across one of my pieces and gets an inkling to pick up a pen and twenty years later their stories take the world by storm. I write because I love stories. I write because so many before me picked up their pen and poured out their heart and risked total vulnerability. Today, because they wrote, and some continue to do so, we have countless bookshelves littered with beautiful and amazing stories. Original pieces that inspire us and wake in us that addiction that says, "One more chapter, then I’ll go to bed."
I write because.
Some writers believe in Writer’s Block, others don't. Which camp are you in?
Honestly, I think writer's block is a myth. Sure you can stare at the page and wonder what to write but I don't think it's writer's block.
Consider it as I do - a moment of preparation. A calm before the storm of sorts where you gather the known elements of the scene and then let your fingers start going. I do A LOT of revising in my writing so when that moment happens that others might call writer's block, I just start writing. Anything. I'll even literally write, "I'm a little foggy on how to write this scene but it goes something like this..." And I go. My mind knows the story I want to write and once I get my fingers going, somehow I arrive there, I write what I want to say, and then later go back to make the changes the story needs.
It's your story. Own it. Take charge and write it down. Don't let little things like the myth of writer's block get in your way. That's just silly. :)
Do you proofread/edit all your own books or do you get someone to do that for you?
I edit like crazy! I write for awhile revise, rewrite, revise rewrite then move on to the next 5,000 words. I constantly follow an idea and then change what I said, go back and review, and when I finally gain some traction and lay down 10 or even 15K words, I realize I need to drop in some red herrings or a gun on the mantle some while back. Then all of a sudden I'm spending a month or two on my previous 25,000 words. It’s a constant back and forth, two steps ahead four steps back, process that requires patience, discipline and above all a desire, nay, a passion for telling that story.
That being said... :) ...when it's all said and done. I let my beta readers take a crack at it. Then I go through it again. Then I hand it over to my copy editor (professional) then I go through a couple more times myself. And then my proofreader (professional, again) does her magic. Boom! Then it's ready.
So the answer to the above is yes. I edit and I also hire pros to help. I'll never publish something without that. 'Cept wonderful interviews like this! :)
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Always, always, always finish every story you start. If you write more beginnings than endings then your endings will never be as good as your beginnings.
What was the hardest thing about writing your latest book?
I would say it was the times I'd read other books that were written really well. I have a proclivity for getting down on myself and thinking I'm not good enough. So when I read great books or even high praising reviews of great books, it puts me in place where I question my ambition to write. "Why am I doing this? There are so many more better writers than me." Then the itch to write strikes and I start to crawl out of that hole. I pick up my book Lockheed Elite and read a couple pages and actually feel better about myself. I can write. Maybe not as good as the greats but my writing will entertain and it won't pull you from the story. Then I might read a couple things others have said about my book. This helps too. So I keep going.
Thank you for taking the time to talk to me. Good luck with the next few months!
Tyler Wandschneider is a Seattle-based novelist working in the professional world. He and his wife are expecting their first child in October 2017. It is a girl, and he is delighted to meet her. Lockheed Elite is his second novel, and no, you cannot read his first. You can follow Tyler on some of the usual social media channels, and he has a website for you to check out as well, www.tylerwandschneider.com. You can subscribe to his newsletter there in which he shares all the trouble he gets into. He is also fond of hearing from those who have enjoyed reading Lockheed Elite.
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