Ask the Author: Lyle Milton
Answered Questions (6)
Lyle Milton
I'm a Jumper; I jump between plotting & pantsing, as needed. Up to this point, that *had* help me avoid writer's block. *Had*.
Writer's block is a symptom of a greater problem: a lack of imaging and/or planning. Case in point, in my current WIP (the second novel in my Man Zero series), I recently ran into trouble in the 3rd act. The reality is that I hadn't fully visualized what should happen, which means I wasn't at the "couldn't *not* write it" stage. So, even plotting couldn't help me. The best solution was to forget about what I'd already written and be willing to throw it all away. And when I became detached from what was already on the page, new images came to me, *building* on what was already there. Now I'm chomping at the bit to write them. And now... I must get back to it....
Writer's block is a symptom of a greater problem: a lack of imaging and/or planning. Case in point, in my current WIP (the second novel in my Man Zero series), I recently ran into trouble in the 3rd act. The reality is that I hadn't fully visualized what should happen, which means I wasn't at the "couldn't *not* write it" stage. So, even plotting couldn't help me. The best solution was to forget about what I'd already written and be willing to throw it all away. And when I became detached from what was already on the page, new images came to me, *building* on what was already there. Now I'm chomping at the bit to write them. And now... I must get back to it....
Lyle Milton
Oh, I don't know....... it's not programming? LOL! I say that as someone who's written commercial software in one of the more complex areas: computer graphics. One of my projects in the past was rather large, and I'm currently working on a creative software platform that's become much bigger than intended. I've been working on this thing for yyyyeeeaaarrrss. In contrast, the first draft of Loophole of the Gods only took me ~2.5 months at 135K words, writing only in evenings and on weekends. With writing, it was so refreshing to immediately be able to make changes and see the results and not have to worry about a catastrophic cascade, hunched over a screen, squinting at cryptic code in a debugger! I'm now a writer for the rest of my life--LOL!
Lyle Milton
If you're a visual person, start with vivid imagery in your mind. This isn't simply about having ideas, but about placing yourself in an environment. *Immersing* yourself. Again, it's not about flashy ideas; it can be as simple as, say, a person entering a room. Let the image play out. Keep revisiting it, and your mind will fill in the blanks over time. Eventually, that person will become someone. The room will become a real place. More characters will emerge. Things will begin to happen. More images will come. Soon, you will reach a point where you can't *not* write it.
Lyle Milton
I'm currently I'm hard at work on the sequel to Loophole of the Gods as part of the Man Zero series, which is a pentology.
Lyle Milton
Since Loophole of the Gods is my debut novel, and I wrote it much later in life than the average writer write his/her debut, I don't have a wonderful story about a childhood love of writing. In truth, the same things that inspired my debut novel are the same that inspired me to write... because Loophole of the Gods is also my *first* novel. Yes, I'm sure that's setting off alarm bells for some. However, what I've always had going for me is a respect for the expertise of the who came before in my chosen areas of focus; I put in the effort to understand not just the technical aspects of writing, but to learn what makes for *good* storytelling. And I'm still learning and discovering new things every day. Fortunately, my "newness" doesn't show as all my betas were shocked that Loophole of the Gods is my very first novel.
Lyle Milton
First and foremost, for decades, I still felt (and feel) the loss of my sister. But, while Loophole of the Gods isn't about her, her energy propelled me onward. Also, the state of A.I. and the sensationalistic manner in which it's treated in pop culture really made me want to present a greater understanding of the problems and pending issues we face as a society with regards to A.I.. However, through a central character's journey, I sought to present it in a way that's not simply engaging, but illustrating the complex issues in deceptively simple ways; blink and you may miss them ;^)
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more