Today's interview is with Owen Banner, an author of political thrillers, who talks of his methods for writing and experiments with different tools and apps.
1. When did you first start writing?
I had a teacher in
seventh grade who stuck a poem of mine up in the middle school hallway. I always
look back to that as the inception of this itch to write. All I remember doing
was finding as many words that rhyme with “fire” and pasting them together, but
the public praise she gave me for it made me feel like a budding Henry
Wadsworth Longfellow. If you’re talking about when I set down to becoming a
published author, then I’d say it was 2008. It took me about three years to
write Hindsight, continuously learning and re-learning things along the way,
but after I published it, I couldn’t imagine not writing.
2. What are your books about? Are you
self / traditionally published or hybrid?
I’ve got two books out
right now (two in a series). They are about a guy from New Jersey named Shirley
(rough life already) who has spent some time in prison. Shirley’s family is
from Ireland, and he gets suckered into a revenge plot that goes back to his
grandfather. Shirley gets dragged deeper into this plot at the same time as he
starts losing his mind. Enemies become friends. Friends betray him. He’s
fighting for his life, his sanity, and his family. I’ve self-published both of
them on Amazon, at the moment, but you can get the first for free on my
website.
3. What led to your love for literature?
Any favorite books / teachers / writing mentors?
My love for literature
really stems from a love for story, and that comes from all over the place. My
dad used to tell us multi-episode bedtime stories. I became obsessed with the
X-men when I was young and, at night, would put myself to sleep replaying
episodes of the TV show with my own character in them. My dad gave me his
Norton Anthology of English Literature and The Complete Works of Shakespeare
when I was thirteen, and I devoured them. Shelley, Byron, Coleridge, and
Wordsworth were my Power Rangers.
I didn’t really get turned on to the novel, though, until one summer when I was staying with my grandmother in a small Pennsylvanian town. She’s intensely introverted, won’t let anyone take her picture, but a woman who speaks her mind with a sparky sense of humor. Ask Gram, “how are you?” She’ll answer, “fat and sassy.” Gram’s home is less of a house and more of a living, breathing pulp-fiction rack. There are paperbacks with splayed pages poking out of every crevasse. Her life in the house is a collage of other lives. While pounding out dough for bread on the kitchen table, she’s got a flour-dusted suspense-thriller held open by the salt and pepper shakers. When her laundry goes off in the next room, she leaves the gouts of blood spurting from that book to join Louis L’Amour on horseback with bullets ricochetting through canyon walls by her ears. A bath upstairs takes her down the Nile investigating a murder with Hercule Poirot. To bond with her that summer, I went to the library and checked out Tyrannosaur Canyon. It had been so long since I’d read a novel that I didn’t know what to expect. The immersive experience of wading into a book and not surfacing for days was something I quickly found myself addicted to. When I read Stephen King’s Needful Things, I knew I had found something like heroin.
I didn’t really get turned on to the novel, though, until one summer when I was staying with my grandmother in a small Pennsylvanian town. She’s intensely introverted, won’t let anyone take her picture, but a woman who speaks her mind with a sparky sense of humor. Ask Gram, “how are you?” She’ll answer, “fat and sassy.” Gram’s home is less of a house and more of a living, breathing pulp-fiction rack. There are paperbacks with splayed pages poking out of every crevasse. Her life in the house is a collage of other lives. While pounding out dough for bread on the kitchen table, she’s got a flour-dusted suspense-thriller held open by the salt and pepper shakers. When her laundry goes off in the next room, she leaves the gouts of blood spurting from that book to join Louis L’Amour on horseback with bullets ricochetting through canyon walls by her ears. A bath upstairs takes her down the Nile investigating a murder with Hercule Poirot. To bond with her that summer, I went to the library and checked out Tyrannosaur Canyon. It had been so long since I’d read a novel that I didn’t know what to expect. The immersive experience of wading into a book and not surfacing for days was something I quickly found myself addicted to. When I read Stephen King’s Needful Things, I knew I had found something like heroin.
4. What's
your writing process like? Do you outline? Do you write by hand / type /
dictate?
I wrote Hindsight by hand, but my scenes were so
intense and I was writing so furiously for a year that I ended up with damage
to the tendon in my finger (if that’s not going to sell you on checking out the
novel, I don’t know what will). Plus, it was taking me twice as long as it
should have with writing, then typing it up. On Fracture (book 2), I decided to give typing a go. I bought
Scrivener and never turned back.
As far as how I plan things out, on Hindsight, I knew how it was going to end (mostly). The book actually starts at the end, then rewinds and plays forward until it arrives at that end. I don’t, though, have a clear idea of how that end comes around at the outset. What I do have are some characters that fascinate me. My writing is more like chemistry. The last decision a character makes propels them into a meeting with another character. I put them in a situation and see what happens. That usually helps me see the chain reaction three or four more steps down the road. I’ve begun developing a different framework, though, for my third novel, based on Joseph Campbell’s “The Hero’s Journey”. This one combines what I have learned in my own experience as a writer and puts it together with that mono-myth idea and the writing lessons I’ve gleaned from other pros. It’s a bit to get into here, but I’m hoping to launch a podcast and blog this year on it called Storycrafting.
As far as how I plan things out, on Hindsight, I knew how it was going to end (mostly). The book actually starts at the end, then rewinds and plays forward until it arrives at that end. I don’t, though, have a clear idea of how that end comes around at the outset. What I do have are some characters that fascinate me. My writing is more like chemistry. The last decision a character makes propels them into a meeting with another character. I put them in a situation and see what happens. That usually helps me see the chain reaction three or four more steps down the road. I’ve begun developing a different framework, though, for my third novel, based on Joseph Campbell’s “The Hero’s Journey”. This one combines what I have learned in my own experience as a writer and puts it together with that mono-myth idea and the writing lessons I’ve gleaned from other pros. It’s a bit to get into here, but I’m hoping to launch a podcast and blog this year on it called Storycrafting.
5. What's your editing process?
Obviously, you don’t edit
as you write. You write down the bones, as Natalie Goldberg put it, then go
back when you’re done to flesh them out. That’s first. I usually do a few
passes. The first one is to fill in any blanks that I’ve left out in my story
due to a need for research, congruency, or just a gap in the plot that I
realized I needed to plug. The second is a narrative edit, where I try to
figure out what I like and don’t like about the story and change it. Then I’ll
do a general spelling and grammar pass. Then a last pass for words that may be
spelled correctly, but are grammatically incorrect in a sentence like “there”
and “their”, “from” and “form”. After this, I give it to my beta-readers, who
usually have a few missed grammar points and some narrative advice for me.
6. Any favorite apps / software /
technology for writing?
Scrivener, of course. You
can’t beat everything this program can do. Evernote for research and ideas.
Dropbox for storing all my files. Dragon Dictation for when I’m feeling confident
that I’ve got exactly what I want to say in mind. I’m experimenting with
Daedalus on mobile to see if it helps me do more than a basic text-editor can.
Stay tuned for those results.
7. Any favorite apps / software /
websites for marketing and promotion?
I won’t claim to have
this aspect of the author life figured out. This year I have a few strategies
I’m going to be engaging in, so you can track with me and I’ll keep you posted,
but for most of my marketing, I look to Twitter, Goodreads, and Wordpress.
There are a few new sites I’m exploring and new methods of connecting with
readers that I’m experimenting with, but it’s too early to say what works and
what doesn’t just yet.
8. What did you find most / least useful
in learning to write? Least useful?
Perfectionism. The
pressure to coin a phrase or revolutionize a genre does you no service. In all
honesty, nobody really wants that anyway. Writers are often drawn to
high-concepts and epic moments, but that’s not where people live. Besides,
those are the classics, which is an era that’s gone, baby, gone. When I sit
down to write, I don’t try to write phrases that will be written on epitaphs. I
just try to find a way to help characters interact in a real, human way and
figure out how to deal with life when it won’t cooperate.
9. Who or what inspires you? Where / how
do you get your book ideas?
I travel a lot. I was
raised in Jamaica and the Philippines. I live in Thailand now. I find some
questions about life, some burdens and joys to traverse cultural boundaries.
Each of those questions, burdens, and joys, though, is packaged completely
differently in each unique life, whether that person is a tuk-tuk driver in
Bangkok or an Amish farmer in Pennsylvania. That’s usually where my ideas
originate: the people I meet, the stories I hear, the conversations we have
will kick off an idea in my head that runs off the rails and into the next
county.
10. When in the day do you usually write?
For how long?
I try to write in the
mornings, but since having kids, that writing habit has taken a beating. Now, I
grab whatever time I can while I’m out during the day. I teach full time, so I
usually take my phone and a portable keyboard with me to lunch and pound out an
hour, if I can. On school breaks, I can work in three or more hours a day.
Ideally, I’d be spending a solid two hours in the morning because it’s always
better for me to write at the beginning of the day when my pragmatic mind
hasn’t switched on to go into whack-a-mole mode, knocking out the other tasks I
have on my plate that day. Getting my writing done early gives me a huge morale
boost, too, propelling me into the rest of the day with focus and confidence.
11. Do you have a writing routine /
schedule? Any specific rituals?
When I’ve got the house
to myself, I’ll hop on my desktop, where I’ve got Scrivener, go into
composition mode and lose myself in the story. When I’m writing away from the
desk, I usually find some way to close my eyes and take five deep breaths. Then
I take three more as I think about the character’s perspective I am about to
write from. It helps me to quiet myself and center in on one perspective and
voice.
12. Where do you feel most inspired to
write?
At home, in that
composition mode, but I can get into the flow anywhere, really.
13. Describe your desk / writing corner /
favorite writing spot.
I like wooden tones. I’ve
got a box for my pens, a lamp, a smattering of books and notebooks between
bookends, a bulletin board with character cards on it, and a collage of the
plot points in my novel.
14. Do you listen to music
while you write? What kind of music?
Sometimes
I hear a song in my head while I’m writing, but I’ve never been good at
listening to music when I’m trying to do something else verbally creative.
Turning down the sounds around me lets me tune into all that exquisite noise
between my ears.
15. Do you ever get writers' block? What
are some ways you get around it?
I don’t normally because
of the process I talked about earlier, but I’m taking on a new challenge with
this current novel that gets me stuck every now and then. Hindsight is written
from one character’s POV. Managing one character’s life is fairly easy. I added
another to Fracture and a few
vignettes. This third novel I’m on has around seven major characters who are
constantly ducking in and out of each other’s lives, so it can get a little
tricky knowing which way it’s going. It’s because of this that I am developing
a new plotting method to help me sort through all these character arcs and the
overall story arc.
Creatively, what often helps are three things. First, I try to finish a writing session in the middle of a sentence. This gives me a trail to pick up when I sit back down, instead of starting from a dead stop. Knowing the next few words you were going to say helps you to get a running start into the next sentence to follow. Momentum is what it’s really all about. Second, about 30 minutes before you’re going start writing, read the last few paragraphs you wrote. Don’t think too hard on it, but let your unconscious mind stew over it. Studies show it’s better at solving problems than your conscious mind is. Last, reading outside of your genre gives you brand new angles to take on your characters and the tracks your story can take.
Creatively, what often helps are three things. First, I try to finish a writing session in the middle of a sentence. This gives me a trail to pick up when I sit back down, instead of starting from a dead stop. Knowing the next few words you were going to say helps you to get a running start into the next sentence to follow. Momentum is what it’s really all about. Second, about 30 minutes before you’re going start writing, read the last few paragraphs you wrote. Don’t think too hard on it, but let your unconscious mind stew over it. Studies show it’s better at solving problems than your conscious mind is. Last, reading outside of your genre gives you brand new angles to take on your characters and the tracks your story can take.
16. Do you now, or did you ever have any
day jobs? Did they add to or detract from your writing?
I am, currently, an
English teacher in Thailand. It’s been great for my writing in that the reading
and development I do for classes I am running forces me into all kinds of
literature I may not have picked up otherwise. It’s a pain, though, when you’ve
got a lesson to plan on the perfect tense, but all you want to do is get back
into your story.
17. How do you make the time to write?
I take a portable
keyboard and my phone with me on my lunch break. I write at night when the kids
are asleep. If I can get up early enough, I’ll pound out an hour in the
morning.
18. How much research do you do? What
kind?
I’ll pour over the
internet. Wikipedia is a good place for background knowledge, but forums give
the most authentic and authoritative information on a topic when you can find a
community that is committed to the topic you’re talking about. There are plenty
of documentaries on Youtube. Google street view is great for physically walking
through a location you’re researching. If I can, I’ll go visit the place itself
and spend time talking with locals. The novel I’m working on now is set in
Belleville, Pennsylvania, which is right down the road from my Gram’s house.
What I usually do is spend a month or so researching in the beginning. When I
feel like I’ve got a handle on the major issues, vernacular, and particular
interests of the people I’m talking about, then I start writing. I might watch
a documentary every now and then or devote some of my reading time to a book I
pick up on the subject, but I won’t stop writing to do more research until I’m
done. When I’m writing, and I realize I’ve hit a gap in my research, I’ll just
hashtag that section with something like “#quilting pattern”. On my first edit,
I’ll just search my document for the hashtags and fill them in. The research I
do at the end helps me see how I could take the novel in different directions
during my next edit.
19. How much marketing
do you do? Which platforms are you most active on?
I’ve
been off and on with Goodreads, Twitter, and Wordpress for a year or two. This
year, I’m stepping it up. To keep it simple, and keep myself devoted to my
writing time, I’ve set myself a goal to engage three people online at the end
of every writing session. I’ll read a blog and post a comment, chime in on a
Goodreads forum, or tweet a reply to someone else’s tweets.
20. What's the most fun
aspect of marketing? The most challenging?
The most
fun aspect is building relationships and the repartee that you can get into
with other authors and readers. When you stop looking at it as selling and
start seeing it as any other human relationship, it stops feeling like you’re
getting your fingernails pulled and starts being something you actually look
forward to.
21. What project are you working on now?
It’s a genre bender that
I’m giddy about, but I don’t want to give away too much as I’m just about
halfway done. When I get closer to publishing, I’m going to let the cat out of
the bag, so you can join my mailing list for updates (and get a free book), but
until then, this cat is staying put.
22. What books do you like to read? What
are you reading now?
I read all over the
place. I just finished East of Eden and the Red Rising Trilogy. Both were
excellent, but for completely different reasons. East of Eden, you know. It’s an
American classic by Steinbeck about where people fit in the tumbling of the
world and whether evil is inborn or chosen. Red Rising is an incredible sci-fi
that reads more like a dystopian meets classical history meets space opera
novel. It’s some of the best plot writing I’ve come across. Add it to your
Kindle, your bookshelf or your Audible and you won’t be sorry.
Bio:
Owen Banner is a traveler and writer. He has lived in Jamaica, the Philippines, the US, the Czech Republic, and Thailand, traveling in between. Drawing from these travels, he writes vivid thrillers, sizzling with action and quick dialogue--but thrillers that never lose their focus on the complex humanity of their characters. He is the author of the thrillers Hindsight and Fracture, about an ex-con with family ties in a holdover terrorist group who has become a pawn in a dangerous game of revenge.
Website (Download Hindsight for free) | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon Author
Website (Download Hindsight for free) | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon Author
Hindsight
When Shirley got out of prison three years ago, he committed himself to being there for his sister, Haley, and his aunt, Winnie--the only family he has left. Then he met Isaac, a man with connections to his grandfather and to the IRA. Isaac said he owed Shirley's family a favor: deliver a package and get some money. But things are never that simple, are they? What should have been an easy drop-off blows Shirley's world apart. Now he's on the run, a continent away from those he loves, trying to figure out what he's gotten himself into, who he can trust and how far he's willing to go in order to keep his family safe.
But Shirley has a few skeletons of his own banging on the closet doors, and the hinges are starting to come off.
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