Ask the Author: David Lawlor
Answered Questions (3)
David Lawlor
Yet again you bombard me with undeserved compliments. Thanks so much, Claire, for taking the time to read some of my posts and to comment. Your encouragement is a great support. I only wish I could reciprocate to the same extent.
I always enjoyed writing school essays as a teenager. That was my favourite element of my English class. However, other than those fortnightly forays into story-telling, I didn't do any other writing. After leaving school, I did a degree in English and History in University College Dublin, followed by a graduate diploma in journalism.
I'm a production journalist - editing and designing news pages, so, despite being a journalist for 25 years, I haven't written that many newspaper articles (maybe 30 or 40).
I wrote my first novel about 10 years ago. It's a story about the Choctaw indians and the aid they gave to the Irish during the famine.I had always been impressed by the Choctaws generosity and felt compelled to write that story. I though that once I had, then it would be out of my system. The opposite happened. I am hooked on writing novels. If I had the money, I would retire and write my books all day long. Unfortunately, that's not possible, so I squeeze in some writing on my commute to work and on the way home. From time to time, I'll squeeze in a blog post, too.
I didn't take a writing course. I do think though that as we age, we lose the fear of criticism in our writing. I'm fascinated by history and wonder how I would have coped in various eras. History is made by people. That is such an obvious statement, but what tends to be overlooked in studying history, I think, is the humanity of those history makers. I try to get across a small sense of that humanity when I write my posts.
You're a great writer, Claire . . .very spiritual and attuned to those around you. I enjoy your posts. Your writing is precise and evocative, filled with a deep love of your subject. Thanks for giving me such great support. If I can be of any assistance to you in the future, just ask. I will do my very best to help. Take care. - David
I always enjoyed writing school essays as a teenager. That was my favourite element of my English class. However, other than those fortnightly forays into story-telling, I didn't do any other writing. After leaving school, I did a degree in English and History in University College Dublin, followed by a graduate diploma in journalism.
I'm a production journalist - editing and designing news pages, so, despite being a journalist for 25 years, I haven't written that many newspaper articles (maybe 30 or 40).
I wrote my first novel about 10 years ago. It's a story about the Choctaw indians and the aid they gave to the Irish during the famine.I had always been impressed by the Choctaws generosity and felt compelled to write that story. I though that once I had, then it would be out of my system. The opposite happened. I am hooked on writing novels. If I had the money, I would retire and write my books all day long. Unfortunately, that's not possible, so I squeeze in some writing on my commute to work and on the way home. From time to time, I'll squeeze in a blog post, too.
I didn't take a writing course. I do think though that as we age, we lose the fear of criticism in our writing. I'm fascinated by history and wonder how I would have coped in various eras. History is made by people. That is such an obvious statement, but what tends to be overlooked in studying history, I think, is the humanity of those history makers. I try to get across a small sense of that humanity when I write my posts.
You're a great writer, Claire . . .very spiritual and attuned to those around you. I enjoy your posts. Your writing is precise and evocative, filled with a deep love of your subject. Thanks for giving me such great support. If I can be of any assistance to you in the future, just ask. I will do my very best to help. Take care. - David
David Lawlor
I've only ever written one short story, Carol, the one in For Whom The Bell Trolls. My third historical fiction - A Time of Traitors - is more a detective thriller and doesn't include any battles or bloody gore, but is based around historical events. My WIP is wrapped around the Irish Civil War and is particularly tied to an actual ambush - the most famous in Irish history - so I have to be careful with that one and get my facts right. It's tricky getting the balance between action and emotional development. You don't want the action to dominate things, but yet you do need to convey the times as they were. Tricky, but an interesting challenge...
David Lawlor
Hi Julian. Sorry for not replying sooner. I've been away for a few days. I'm not sure I'll be much help to you. I had an agent a few years ago who tried, unsuccessfully, to get my novel Tan published. The agency folded a year or so later. I then tried to find another agent but it was a very slow process. Eventually, I decided to put my energies into doing what I love - writing - and forget about the agent. I now self-publish my books, using a team of beta readers to give me feedback. I engage a designer for the book cover (my only expense) and that's about it. I use tweeting groups on Twitter to publicise my books. I also use my blog (historywithatwist.wordpress.com) facebook, tumblr, Pinterest, Readwave and various writers' groups to try to get the message out about my books. Had I more time, I would be much more thorough, but I have a full-time job, a wife and four children, as well as the small matter of writing my own books and editing other peoples, so time is limited.
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Nov 14, 2015 04:17PM · flag