Ask the Author: Landon Beach
Answered Questions (6)
Landon Beach
-The Wreck- [Lake Huron]
I was born and raised in Michigan, and we also traveled to Florida while I was growing up. My parents bought me my first mask, snorkel, and pair of fins when I was in middle school. Almost every time we visited the beach, I would put on my gear and swim around looking for buried treasure; I don't think the fascination ever left me. I am currently an educator (I love teaching!) and also served in the military. So, the premise of the story began with a series of questions: What if a teacher on summer break took a walk on the beach and stepped on a gold coin? What if a retired Coast Guard Officer helped the teacher unravel the mystery? What if a small town of cottage owners was slowly becoming dominated by beach mansions built by the mega-rich, and the teacher was one of the few remaining cottage owners--having inherited the house when his father passed away? What if there was gold carried on the Great Lakes? What would people do to get their hands on it and take credit for the discovery?
-The Sail- [Lake Superior]
We owned a sailboat while I was growing up, and I sailed in college. The upcoming novel will be about a family that thinks it is taking a relaxing summer sail on Lake Superior...that turns out to be something far more sinister.
-The Great Lakes Saga- [The remaining three books will take place on Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, and Lake Michigan]
The sea story novel market is saturated with underwater adventures off Florida's coast, the Caribbean, etc. However, the Great Lakes have arguably the best preserved shipwrecks in the world, sublime summer temperature and atmosphere, and if you are standing on the beach of one of the Great Lakes, it feels like you are on the ocean with the exception of no salt in the water or anything that will eat you! So, I decided to write a series that takes place there. I hope you enjoy the books!
I was born and raised in Michigan, and we also traveled to Florida while I was growing up. My parents bought me my first mask, snorkel, and pair of fins when I was in middle school. Almost every time we visited the beach, I would put on my gear and swim around looking for buried treasure; I don't think the fascination ever left me. I am currently an educator (I love teaching!) and also served in the military. So, the premise of the story began with a series of questions: What if a teacher on summer break took a walk on the beach and stepped on a gold coin? What if a retired Coast Guard Officer helped the teacher unravel the mystery? What if a small town of cottage owners was slowly becoming dominated by beach mansions built by the mega-rich, and the teacher was one of the few remaining cottage owners--having inherited the house when his father passed away? What if there was gold carried on the Great Lakes? What would people do to get their hands on it and take credit for the discovery?
-The Sail- [Lake Superior]
We owned a sailboat while I was growing up, and I sailed in college. The upcoming novel will be about a family that thinks it is taking a relaxing summer sail on Lake Superior...that turns out to be something far more sinister.
-The Great Lakes Saga- [The remaining three books will take place on Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, and Lake Michigan]
The sea story novel market is saturated with underwater adventures off Florida's coast, the Caribbean, etc. However, the Great Lakes have arguably the best preserved shipwrecks in the world, sublime summer temperature and atmosphere, and if you are standing on the beach of one of the Great Lakes, it feels like you are on the ocean with the exception of no salt in the water or anything that will eat you! So, I decided to write a series that takes place there. I hope you enjoy the books!
Landon Beach
I love brainstorming story ideas--could do it all day long. Once I start a project, I am one hundred percent invested.
Landon Beach
Right now, I am working on three writing projects: writing a new suspense novel, revising a drama screenplay, and finishing a science fiction screenplay.
Landon Beach
Balance. Find an evenness that works for you among reading books on writing, writing, and taking courses on writing. It is easy to a) get lost in a million different books on craft and never write a single word, b) become a professional conference attendee and/or student seeking degree after degree about writing instead of writing, and c) write with no direction because of a lack of both reading books on writing and taking courses on writing.
Cutting. Let your writing sit for as long as possible before editing it; cutting is difficult, but you'll be able to do it if you're more objective about your work. For this writer, time has been the only ally that has enabled me to cut.
Proportion. A typical screenplay is 110 pages, and (I didn't believe this when I wrote my first script) to get 110 good pages, you need to write about 1100. Did I mention that writing is a humbling experience?
Cutting. Let your writing sit for as long as possible before editing it; cutting is difficult, but you'll be able to do it if you're more objective about your work. For this writer, time has been the only ally that has enabled me to cut.
Proportion. A typical screenplay is 110 pages, and (I didn't believe this when I wrote my first script) to get 110 good pages, you need to write about 1100. Did I mention that writing is a humbling experience?
Landon Beach
The best thing about being a writer is the opportunity to create, which is also the scariest thing about being a writer.
Landon Beach
I write both novels and screenplays. When I experience writer's block, I usually do one of four things. One, if I have writer's block while working on a novel then I will switch over and continue working on my current screenplay and vice versa. Two, I pick up a good book and read until I am ready to write again. Three, I borrow a technique from screenwriter Eric Roth: I change the weather in the scene. Four, I go for a walk or hit the weights.
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