Today I want to welcome the incredibly talented Bryan Hall. There are a handful of writers out there who are GROSSLY under-read. Bryan is one of them. If you haven't checked him out yet, you are missing an amazing talent. So, take some time and get to know him.
You
have been at this for a little while now, what are some of the best and worst
things about being an author?
The
best? Getting emails from readers who enjoyed a story, or reading a review from
someone who really got what I was trying to say in a book. The worst? Probably
the doubts that creep up from time to time and make you wonder if what you’re
working on is really good enough. Those happen to all writers, I think, but it’s
important to fight through them. Important and really tough to do sometimes.
What are some of the lessons you have
learned as a writer that caught you off guard?
That the oldest writer clichés out there
aren’t just clichés, I guess. Things like “My characters just did the complete
opposite of what I planned on them doing” or “I woke up in the middle of the
night with the perfect idea for a novel but didn’t write it down and now I can’t
remember it”. They happen. They’re real, along with hundreds of other examples.
Other things like how long it can take to go from submission to a publisher to
the release date or how hard marketing is I was already aware of, but those
clichés surprised me when they proved their existence.
What can you share about your writing
process with new or up and coming writers?
Heh. I don’t know if I really have an
actual process. I don’t outline, but I keep a list of notes at the bottom of
the document and add to it as I think of things – plot twists, scene ideas,
character information, underlying themes to focus on, little passages of
dialogue to include later, the ending (if I figure it out before I get there).
I try to always stop writing for the day
when I’m at a point where I know what’s coming next – it doesn’t always work
out that way, but I find that a walk, a drive with some music playing, or even
a shower usually gets my mind working and I figure out the next part. And I’m
constantly editing. I’m not one of those authors who ‘barfs onto the page’ and
just writes straight through, then cleans up later.
And the first thing I do when I start a
new writing session is go pack over the last couple thousand words and edit it.
By the time I’m finished with a novel or story it’s not really a first draft –
it’s more like a second draft. It takes me longer to write than most because of
that, but it’s just how I do it.
If you were to up and change genres,
what would be your next choice?
Pure southern gothic, no horror
involved. I’ve got a lot of stories that involve families in rural Appalachia
that I plan on getting to, just stories like Sling Blade in terms of tone and
setting (nothing LIKE Sling Blade, just an example of what I’m talking about).
First I’ve got to finish up these horror stories that keep climbing into my
head.
What could traditional publishing learn
from the Indies? And how about the other way around?
Traditional publishers could learn the
reasons that a lot of indie authors choose to go indie. There are a lot of
indies who are doing it just because they don’t like to wait two years from the
day they submit a manuscript to their release date, or because they want more
than 10 percent of the royalties. I understand the huge workload major
publishers have, and I understand why those wheels turn slowly. But at the same
time I think there’s room for improvement.
Indies could learn to get over the
romanticism of writing and actually focus on writing. Instead of spending time
defending your choice to be indie or posting random little inspirational
writing memes trying to let people know how awesome it is to write, actually
writing is a better idea. There aren’t a lot of major authors that are worrying
with trying to make sure that someone else knows they’re a writer and that they
create worlds with their words. They’re too damn busy actually creating those
worlds to care what other people think about them. Getting better at writing
and releasing the highest quality work you can is way more important than
spending six hours on Facebook complaining because a traditionally published
author said that indie writers are lazy.
The writing community can be its own
worst enemy at times. What are some of the issues you see cropping up in the
Indie world? Solutions?
The simplicity of publishing your own
stuff these days has bred laziness, impatience, and thin skin in the writing
world, plain and simple. A lot of people don’t bother to edit or strengthen
their story, they expect to sell fifty thousand copies in their first month out
and will try to make it happen at any costs, and they take EVERYTHING
personally. There’s a “trad pubbed versus self pubbed” thing going on, too, and
it’s only creating more issues – everyone’s pointing fingers and laying blame.
Simple fact is that the only solution is to wait. Wait for the authors who don’t
want to bother honing their craft to give up. Wait for the readers to catch on
to the scams. Wait for authors to grow thick skin and take a real, hard look at
themselves and their writing and realize that just because they don’t like what
someone says, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t try to learn from it.
The social media is…
The greatest tool ever created to share
information… that increasingly finds itself being used to spread
misinformation. I know you meant in
relation to the writing world, but that’s the first thing that comes to mind.
Share some information about your work
with us:
Permuted Press picked up my debut novel “Containment
Room 7” and released it last year. It’s a sci-fi horror novel with some zombies
and Lovecraftian undertones throughout. Angelic Knight Press is releasing my “Southern
Hauntings Saga”, a southern gothic paranormal series about a drifter who’s running
from a deep rooted terror in his past. He sees ghosts, and has turned it into
his livelihood. But now the past is catching up with him and he’s getting drawn
back to the very things he’s running away from. “The Vagrant” and “The Girl”
are the first two instalments and they’re both available now. Several more are
coming.
I try to focus on a specific theme for
each book in the Saga – grief, revenge, the divide created between wealthy and
poor. I hope I’m successfully at exploring the themes, and based on some of the
emails I’ve gotten I guess I do.
What is one question you are sick of
being asked—not in interviews, but by individuals who know you write?
Honestly, everyone so far asks me a wide range of
questions so I’m not really sick of anything yet. I like responding to
questions, no matter what they are…so far at least.
How do you deal with negative reviews?
I read them and try to see if there’s anything in
them that I can use to improve my writing. If there is, I keep it in mind when
I’m working and try to grow from it. If there’s not, I forget about it. It’s
just an opinion. A negative review can be one of the absolute best tools for
improving your ability.
How much reading do you get in, and can
a writer excel at his or her craft if they do not read?
I read a lot. Not as much as I’d like, but I usually
finish at least a novel a week, maybe two. I also read a lot of nonfiction to
help stimulate my mind. Can one excel at their craft if they don’t read?
Maybe…but it will take a helluva lot longer to do so. Read fiction and you’ll
pick up things that an author does that you like, as well as things that you
don’t. You can learn from every book, no matter how good or bad it is. Read
nonfiction and you’ll probably get a lot more ideas for stories than you
realize. So yeah, maybe you can excel at it without reading a lot, but it’ll be
a long, hard, winding road. Besides…why wouldn’t a writer want to read? That’s
like being a filmmaker who never watches movies or a musician that doesn’t
listen to music.
When does self-promotion cross the line
and become a nuisance?
Quickly. I know the need to self promote, and I
certainly do my share of it. I know that people are on Twitter or Facebook or
blogs at different times of day, and it makes sense to get your name out there.
But if you’re posting the same copy/paste post in a dozen Facebook groups twice
a day or sending Private Messages and emails to people about your stuff who
didn’t ask for it, you’re walking a fine line. I have an author friend who
celebrated a birthday. Another author wrote “Happy Birthday” on their Facebook
wall…followed by a huge paragraph talking about his newest release. How does
someone even think that’s going to work out for them? Like I said – I know we’ve
gotta do what we can to get the word out, but a little common sense and respect
is important as well.
What projects are you currently working
on?
Along with the next book in the Southern Hauntings
Saga I’m in edits on a new novel – I have two that I’m shopping around now, but
this one is one of the best things I’ve written in my opinion so the edits are
really taking up a lot of my time.
What is one thing about you that would
surprise the readers who do not know you personally?
Lots, probably.
Let’s see…how about that I got ordained online in “Dudeism” and
officiated a wedding for a friend of mine a couple of years ago? That was way
more nerve wracking than writing a book. They’re still happily married, though,
so I guess my mojo was working that day.
If you could team up with another Indie
writer…who would it be and how would you work? (Alternating chapters, total
co-op, etc.)
This is actually something I’ve thought of a couple
of times in the past. Honestly, I don’t think I could do it. Not because of anyone
else, but because of my own writing style. I’m too slow compared to most of the
other writers out there. I agonize over every sentence, spend time sounding out
every line of dialogue. I would drive them crazy.
Is there anyone you’d like to give a mention?
The list is too long to write in terms of people who’ve
helped me, whether with emotional support or beta reading or anything else. And
there are too many great authors who deserve a mention as well; I know I’d end
up forgetting at least ten people so I’d rather just stay mum.
What is in your “to be read” pile right
now?
I’m in the middle of
re-reading a lot of Stephen King and Clive Barker books I haven’t read in
fifteen years or more, so those are in there along with a few nonfiction titles
and a lot of indie/small press stuff. The Fading Light anthology Tim Marquitz
edited and some stuff from people like Kat Yares, Suzi M, Armand Rosamilia, and
more, for example. Plus stuff I received for Stoker Award consideration from
other HWA members. In other words, a LOT of stuff is in my to be read pile
right now.
Links:
Main website: www.bryanhallfiction.com
Amazon author:
Southern Hauntings
Saga: www.whoiscratenorthgate.weebly.com
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