Have you
ever wished you could ask one of your favorite authors to reveal some of their
writing tips? If so, today’s your lucky day!
We’ve got an interview with Wayne
Thomas Batson, best-selling author of the Door Within trilogy, Isle of Swords, Isle of Fire, The Berinfell Prophecies, Sword in the Stars, The Errant King,
and Ghost.
Today also happens to be the release day of DREAMTREADERS, the first
book in his new series. One of the things we’re requesting is if you want to
purchase his book, please consider buying it today on Amazon.
Here’s some info from Wayne about The Blitz, a
contest he’s running on his blog here: www.enterthedoorwithin.blogspot.com.
And now, for that author interview, where Wayne accidentally…I mean, on
purpose…reveals all his writing secrets including how he came up with the
concept for his new series, PLUS tips for writing Middle Grade stories.
RSM:
I love the concept for Dreamtreaders! I also read the sample chapters online
and it looks fantastic. How did you come up with the idea for this series and
how long did it take you to write the first book?
WAYNE:
Thank you kindly, Merrie. I’m thrilled that you enjoyed the sample chapter. The
idea for the Dreamtreaders Series came from a little video I happened upon
while surfing. The subject was Dream Science. I’ve always had vivid dreams, so
I thought the video was pretty compelling. I had heard of Lucid Dreaming
before, but not with the kind of detail presented in the video. Within minutes
of watching the video, the entire plot of Dreamtreaders Book 1 popped into my
head. I started thinking: What if there was a greater purpose for dreams? What
if there was more danger involved with dreams than we ever thought possible? It
was really kind of on a whim that I wrote up a brief proposal. I really didn’t
think anything would come off it, but Thomas Nelson / Harper Collins loved the
concept right away.
The
first book took me about 3 months to write. I already had an outline, so I shot
through pretty quickly. Thankfully, I had great editors like Steele Filipek and
Amy Kerr to help me bring the story up to its full potential.
RSM:
What do you think is the difference between writing for a Middle Grade
audience, versus either a Young Adult or an Adult audience? What tips would you
recommend for our blog readers who want to write for Middle Grade?
WAYNE:
For me, there’s not much difference between Middle Grade / Young Adult readers.
You can’t underestimate either. Kids are incredibly perceptive. You really need
to honor that in your stories. Writing for adults is a whole different
ballgame. Adults like the thrills, adventure, and creativity just as much as YA
readers, but adults demand a level of sophistication that is different. You
need to weave in layers of inference so that adults can figure things out on
their own. You need to be more subtle too. If you have themes you are
interested in, go for it, but hint at it, don’t drown them.
Tips
for Middle Grade Readers:
1)
Make sure you HOOK them early. I mean first sentence, first paragraph, first
page, first chapter. Make sure you have some very cool unusual events going on
right away. While kids are perceptive, they also are kind of quick to assess
the interest level of the material. If it’s a yawner up front, they will drop
it like rotten tuna sandwich.
2)
Don’t forget the power of humor. Middle Grade books can be so heavy handed.
Dogs dying, people getting diseases, concentration camps, government takeovers,
dystopia! EEK, run! You’ve got to lighten up here and there. I teach middle
school, and my students literally ask me sometimes: “Why are these books so
depressing?” Not my books, mind. I always lighten the mood with humor. It
really helps.
RSM:
Those are great tips! Thanks, Wayne. I’ve always found outlining for one book
hard enough. How do you outline for a series?
WAYNE:
When outlining for a series, you need to use broad strokes. In other words,
capture the headlines of each book. What are the major things you expect to
happen in each book? How can you have a beginning, middle, and legit end for
each story while maintaining a “greater story” for the series? Once you have
the broad strokes, you can then paint in the details when you approach each
book for a manuscript pass.
RSM:
I think it's great that you're working with Thomas Nelson again, this time on
the Dreamtreaders series—TN is an amazing publishing house! But I've noticed you
also have some self-published projects. Some are short stories, like The
Blackwood, and some are full length novels, like The Tide of Unmaking
(co-authored by Christopher Hopper) and Ghost. How and when do you decide to
self-publish projects?
WAYNE:
There are several variables that I consider to determine the direction of
publishing: traditional path or self publishing. 1) Is there publisher
interest? 2) If yes, then what are
the terms? Is the royalty /advance good enough? 3) Is the concept I have in mind appropriate for one of the
publisher’s age categories?
If
all the answers to the above are yes, then I might go traditional. If any of
the answers are no, then I’ll likely self pub. Another deal breaker with
traditional publishing is creative control. If the publisher won’t allow me to
take the story where it needs to go, then I might do it myself. My Dark Sea
series, for example, deals with themes TN didn’t want to touch, so I went
somewhere else. Then, the market
changed and ebooks put such a dent in print sales that I ended up getting back
the rights. I plan to completely repackage and self-publish the seven book Dark
Sea Annals series.
I
like to keep a foot in every market possible. Diversification isn’t just for
stock portfolios. Print publishers still rule a huge market. Why not be a part
of it?
RSM:
I completely agree about diversification. In fact, most authors I know are
doing both traditional and self-publishing. Is Spearhead Books your own
imprint? Can you tell me a little about the decision to create that publishing
company and what your goals are?
WAYNE:
Spearhead Books is a joint project from The Miller Brothers, Christopher
Hopper, and me. We aren’t a publisher per se, but we are creating a brand for
Christian readers to be able to trust. With self-publishing growing like it is,
we wanted to create a one-stop shop for trustworthy, positive fiction.
RSM:
It sounds like an awesome joint project and our blog readers can check out
Spearhead Books HERE. You have an impressive selection of books! Thank you very
much for answering all of my questions, Wayne!
WAYNE:
You’re welcome. Always good to connect, Merrie. Thank you for the opportunity.
If you want
to learn more about Wayne’s books, check out: Enter The Door Within, Heed the Prophecies, and Sword in the Stars.
Thanks again, Merrie! Great touching base again.
ReplyDelete