Ask the Author: Jay Lemming
Answered Questions (8)
Jay Lemming
Great question. I'm a little less than halfway through A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin, book 2 of A Song of Ice and Fire (or, as it's more commonly known, The Game of Thrones series). I've also inherited a few books recently, which I expect to get to next: Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan, which is a Pulitzer Prize-winning book about the author's obsession with surfboarding. And then there is Nabokov's Favorite Word is Mauve by Ben Blatt, which has as its mysterious subtitle: "What the Numbers Reveal About the Classics, Bestsellers, And Our Own Writing". So it looks like non-fiction is on my horizon. I wonder what you, my rocking readers, have on your lists for the upcoming summer.
Jay Lemming
I got the idea for my most recent book from my previous novel, Billy Maddox Takes His Shot. Originally, after I finished Billy Maddox, I was going to move on to a novel about his great-grandfather, Glen Marshall, in Wichita, Kansas in the early 1900s. That novel, called Wichita Snake, is actually under development. But then I thought that if readers enjoyed Billy Maddox Takes His Shot, they may want to read more about the characters. You know how in the Star Wars movies, there are all these great characters who die in the one movie they're in--Darth Maul, Chirrut Imwe, etc.? I wouldn't want my readers to enjoy Billy Maddox Takes His Shot without having an opportunity to revisit the characters' lives. So that's why I came up with the idea of Three Billy Maddox Stories as my next book. It will contain, obviously enough, three stories, each of which will have a very respectable length.
Jay Lemming
That question is too fluffy. I don't get inspired. I just do it.
Jay Lemming
I'm working on the second story in my upcoming collection of short stories, Three Billy Maddox Stories (scheduled to publish in Fall 2017). The story in progress, Green Bay Outsiders, is getting close to 200 pages now. It's a novella at this point rather than a short story. Although I'm a little surprised by how long it's gotten, I'm not disappointed. I like how the story has developed.
Jay Lemming
Writing well requires significant sacrifice from other areas of live that most people consider "normal" - such as regular socializing, catching up on favorite television programs, clubs, you name it. Focus and discipline are incredibly important. When you get to the point as a writer where you begin to recognize the hardship that you have to experience to do what you do, then you've made it. That's the irony. Don't get caught up in the drama of what it means to be a writer. Just do the work, attempt to improve your stories by improving your craft and don't look back. The reward is not financial, at least not right away. The reward for a good part of your writing journey will simply be the way itself.
Jay Lemming
Probably the ability to be unfettered from the blood and bone of real physical living. The freedom from disappointment and pain. Plus the wonders of making connections between characters and situations, and knowing how the story is supposed to progress. I also think you can learn about your values and priorities, especially after you've written a story and can look back at the words you put down. You can look back then and say, ah-hah, I didn't know that was me, but now I do.
Jay Lemming
No such thing as writer's block, in my opinion. The only time I've had problems coming up with ideas is when I was worried about something in my life and my head was spinning. At that point, you have a bigger problem than something called writer's block. You've got a problem in your life to take care of. Once you handle that, the mental energy that feeds your imagination can return to provide the details for your next story.
Jay Lemming
I think the challenges of single parenthood represent a great plot for a book. I have a six-year-old son but no family in the area to speak of. Difficulties, which make up the basis of any good story, are pretty obvious to my situation. How does one balance work with parenthood with one's own sense of well-being? And oh yeah, how does one find the time to write too? I'm not sure one can call my situation a "mystery" per se. But I would say there is a kind of transcendental quality to the love one must feel for his son given the lack of social and family support. The motivation to keep on can only come from a deep place inside.
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