To avoid pre-conceived notions which can
sometimes be connected with certain genres, the number of books
published and/or an author's appearance, none of that information will be
revealed until the bottom of the interview. So pour a cup of
coffee, have a seat, and check out this interview - see how much, or how
little, you have in common with this published author.
ON WRITING:
What is
your favorite part of being a writer?
Well, I get treated
differently. When I’m asked what I do, I don’t have an answer like I’m a rocket
scientist or a marine biologist. I’d probably get treated special if I did.
No. When I tell
people I’m a writer, they normally perk up interested. We talk about what I’m writing and how I got
into writing before I find a way to divert the conversation back to them. That’s when I find out that they’re a marine
biologist.
I would have to say
the sense of self-discovery is the greatest part of writing. It doesn’t matter
what I’m writing. I always learn something new about myself. There’s always
something deeper, something interesting, something out there in left field that
I hadn’t noticed before. These things
come out when I’m writing.
What is
your least favorite part?
My least favorite part of writing is not
having anything to write! Could you
imagine an architect not having a building to design or a doctor not having a
patient? What is my purpose if I’m not
writing? Sitting in front of my laptop with nothing to
write is like sitting in the dark without any thoughts! It makes me feel like I
should just wrap it up and join the circus. But then, I’d be running away and
that’s far worse.
Name one obstacle you’ve
had to overcome.
The main obstacle has always been
finding the time with all the other demands placed on me. My first professional
writing opportunity was for a publisher who wanted me to write a topic of his
choosing. That was great! I loved every
minute of it. And then, another
opportunity came along and I loved it too.
Soon I was writing books for other
people and hardly able to find the time to write for myself. It’s tough to want
to write a book, but there is so little time left at the end of the day. Then,
you promise yourself that you will write your book next, no exceptions, no
excuses. That’s when another opportunity
comes along and you just can’t pull yourself away from it. It’s what’s paying for your daughter’s phone
and the college she’ll go to one day.
What part
of your writing makes you particularly proud?
I like the fresh
perspective I bring to issues. I am not normally influenced by what others have
to say. I listen to their thoughts and ideas. But, I do my own investigating. I
make up my own mind. That’s what I like most about writing, that sense of
self-discovery. Writing gives me the venue I need to talk about the things I
find important. In this day and age, I can put my thoughts out there as fast as
I can spit them.
Do you do a lot of research
for your projects or do you only write about what you already know?
It’s a combination of both. Obviously, I don’t know everything. So, I have to do quite a bit of
research. Even when I do know something,
I still make sure I have my facts straight.
But, there’s a good bit of the time when I can start writing off the top
of my head. I get it all down with what
I already know and then go back to fact check.
How do you use the internet
for your writing?
The internet is a major part of my
writing. Of course, there is a good bit of information that is false. But, I’m no beginner. I know the sources that are valuable. I can discern between good information and
bad. But, the internet allows me to
write and fact check in no time at all.
In fact, I hardly even try to guess
anymore. When I have friends over and
something comes up that stumps us, I might take a minute or two to try to get
it on my own. But then, I’m off to the
internet for the answer.
What one marketing tool have
you had good success with?
Word of mouth is always the best. I like staying active online and interacting
with people in different social networks.
I try to keep my sites as interactive as possible. I love hearing what people have to say about
my work and commenting back.
But, word of mouth is highly
effective. When a person recommends my books, their friends buy it. I can’t
beat that with any horn I can toot myself.
What good writing habits
have you developed that you think would be helpful to someone starting out?
One good tip I could impart would
be to know the beginning, the middle and the end before you start writing. I have always loved diving in and just
writing, seeing where the story goes and letting it take me there itself. When
I have writer’s block, that’s not a bad idea.
But, it’s a good writing habit to
map the story out first. Keep the details straight so that no wires get
crossed. An intricate story with complex
twists can get really confusing to write and to read if the details don’t make
sense. Proper planning prevents that
from happening.
Do you have any bad writing
habits that you’d advise writers to avoid?
Try to let go of self-editing when you are first
writing a book. You’ll have time to edit later and you can always have someone
else edit your work. You’re your own
worst critic and if you self-edit as you are writing, you’ll never get
finished. The occasional second look at the wording of a
sentence is fine. But, grammar and
spelling errors can be left alone until you have penned the last word of your
book. Then, you can go back and look it
over.
Do you have any strange
writing habits?
I think the strangest thing about
my writing is that at home, I can’t have any distractions. But, I often write
in public and that’s fine. I can’t
explain it! People in public tend to be more
distracting. I’ll have people peer over my shoulder to see what I’m
writing. Then, they’ll sit down beside
me and start asking questions. But at home, people knocking on my
door and calling my phone while I’m trying to write takes me off my game. I didn’t
say it made sense. In fact, the question
was about strange habits right? Well,
that’s one of them right there!
What are
you trying to accomplish with/through your writing? There really is no goal.
I just want to write. I love
getting my thoughts out there and letting people know what I’m thinking. I love giving people a different perspective
than the ones they are hearing everywhere else. Self-discovery encompasses some
huge territory. I’ll figure out where I’m going with it when I get there.
ADVICE TO OTHER WRITERS
What words
of wisdom do you have for young writers?
The main words
of wisdom I would impart to someone just getting started in writing are to take
the time to write. Procrastination is everyone’s problem. But, we can’t be writers
until we’ve actually written something. There
are people who talk about wanting to write a book. But, they never do. They put
it off and put it off always thinking in the back of their minds that they will
start writing their best seller tomorrow.
Sometimes, they don’t have anything to write about and sometimes they
just don’t know where to begin.
I once had an
English professor when I was going through college who used to say that
everything has a beginning, a middle and an end. He preferred them in that order. But, they don’t have to be written in that
order. Start where you know. Writing doesn’t have to be that organized. Just
get something down and figure out what it is later, the beginning, the middle
or the end. Just make sure you write! I know that seems
contradictory to advice I gave earlier, but this is in a different
context. This is to break the writer’s
block and get started on something.
Then, get organized.
What advice do you have for
someone looking to get published?
Writers always have the dream about
the traditional publishing contract and having a publisher take the book and
handle the rest. But, it’s a process
that has come full circle.
Centuries ago, which is where some
people would argue we received our greatest literature, people would often
self-publish. They would finish their
manuscript, walk it down to the printer, and order a number of copies. It didn’t matter how the book was offered to
the public, just that it made it. Somehow, we lost sight of that
fact. But, we’re slowly getting it
back. Self-publishing isn’t any less
legitimate. It actually gives me the
chance to put my book out right now without waiting years for a publisher to
finally print it. I’ve had that happen
and it’s not fun. I have written a book that hasn’t been published yet because
the publisher has it on his shelf. That
was ten years ago.
Any thoughts on what this author
writes? How many books published? Here's a little more information
about the author...
How many published books
are to your credit? Two
Do you have an agent? No
Are you self-published? Yes
How many different
companies have you published with? Two
How long have you been
writing? I’ve been writing since I was about six
years old. My memory can only go back that far to a time when I wrote a poem
entitled Slick Move. It was a poem
about people slipping on bananas and oil slicks. What can I say? I was six.
Do you write full-time? I write full-time
So, any thoughts? Here's the full
scoop:
In Author Michael Allen’s words: First
and foremost, I am the father of a wonderful daughter. We live in Clearwater, Florida
where the beach has become my second home. I was once in the Marine Corps and I
was once an English teacher. But, the greatest thing that I am is the father of
a wonderful daughter.
I’ve written novels
and screenplays for a handful of clients over the years. I love the variety
from which I have been given. I have
written books about video game warriors coming to life and racial
discrimination by one of the biggest corporations in America. One of my most recent
books was for an NFL Football player who wanted to teach students how to
achieve success.
Michael is the
author of When You Miss Me - a
children’s book, and A Danger to Society
- a true crime comedy. His books are
available on Amazon in print and on Kindle.
THE FUTURE
What are
you working on now? I’m working on an interesting true crime
story that pulls out elements of A Danger
to Society, the hysterical novel about a man who falls victim to a very
serious case of mistaken identity. It
isn’t exactly a sequel. The story doesn’t simply continue. It takes it to
another level.
How does a man get
stabbed and get arrested for it? Only in Smallton,
America can
things get that twisted. It will be out
early next year.
PARTING WORDS
Anything else about being a
writer that you’d like to share?
It is certainly the most rewarding thing I’ve ever
done. To be able to write a story and share it with readers is something not a
lot of people get to do. I’m glad that at six years old, I picked up a pen and
started writing. It seems like it was destiny. So, I’m very blessed that I get to do what I
love. I just hope that I’ll be able to
do it for a long time. It’s either that or
the circus. I don’t know how well I can handle
a high wire.
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