Exclusive Interview with
L. R. Lane
When did you start writing?
I became most serious about writing when my junior high school English teacher gave us an assignment and randomly selected students to present their work orally in front of the class. I was worried, concerned and scared all at the same time which led to a serious writer's block until I found a way to enjoy the prospect of seeing what I could do with the written word. I wound up writing a poem and the school scheduled to publish it in the yearbook.
What makes writing your passion?
I know what it is like to be stifled by my own insecurities or other people's lack of encouragement and support, but I discovered how much better life becomes by bringing the best out of one's self and writing is a perfect way to see how productive I can be.
How long have you been writing?
For me writing has been an everyday requirement in the same way practicing my musical instrument was an ongoing process to become proficient, so I have been doing it all my life for one reason or another depending on the application.
What was the feeling when you published your first book?
A feeling of arrival might be the best description because everything was uphill until I could see my book encapsulating everything that I worked hard to create and convey to an audience through my music and stage performance. It was something I could never have anticipated achieving.
What’s the story behind your choice of characters?
My characters chose me. I had to give them a name however and they are around us everywhere we go. What is interesting is how even the ordinary ones play a major role in the outcome of a day. I decided that was worth writing about.
What annoys you the most in pursuing a writing career?
The fact that you have to pursue it is probably the primary annoyance considering that nothing can be taken for granted, nothing can be planned out perfectly and there are many variables.
How do you get over the “writer’s block”?
As I mentioned before it has only happened to me once and it was due to the fear of not being able to produce. I just keep in mind while I am in the process of putting it together how rewarding it will be to show people what I have done.
We all know the writer’s path is never easy, what makes you keep going? What advice would you give to new authors?
To keep writing I just get started then critique (read over) what I've done as though it's something unfamiliar in need of expert evaluation.
I would emphasize not to take advice from me for becoming an author because anything said could be out of context for the changing demands of today.
If you could go back in time and talk to your younger self, what would you say?
Not as an advisor, but rather as a personal manager I would insist that I focus on positive self-development and rational decision making.
Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with the bad ones?
Yes, I love any valid feedback. I read other people's book reviews also, because it keeps me aware of the many perspectives observers come from and sometimes it is valuable to keep what they say in mind in regard to what I do.
What is the feeling when you get a good review?
It is a feeling of harmony.
Have you ever incorporated something that happened to you in real life into your novels?
Everything about me that has happened is in my novel even though my book is entirely fictional. There are no specific occurrences because focusing on any one thing that I have done would seem too plain for storytelling. Much like in music which I devoted a lot of time to - the amplification of every meaningful expression becomes a story when it is composed well.
Which of your characters you can compare yourself with? Did you base that character on you?
I'm sure my voice is bound to come through at least one of the characters I've invented , so rather than depicting myself biographically I really hope readers will appreciate the exaggerated personality of my antagonist and his contribution to the protagonist's life.
What do you think, the book cover is as important as the story?
I wouldn't say it is any more important than the story because it is all part of a package. Therefore one with no appeal would have the same impact as a poor preface or badly written first chapter. My website
https://www.allinadaysdance.com/welcomepage.htm
provides more insight into my story than a book cover could.
Do you connect with your readers? Do you mind having a chat with them or you prefer to express yourself through your writing?
Interviews such as this are ideal for connecting to readers. However, I do like talking to people and in most cases my book All in a Day's Dance is never the subject, but the subject in my book is often the discussion.
How do you feel when people appreciate your work or recognize you in public?
Being recognized for the right reasons is the name of the game here and I have had some encouraging commentary and rewarding insights from other people.
Who is your favorite author? Why?
I don't have a favorite author because writing style is the only thing that makes any difference for me and that comes in many different formats. Sometimes just hearing how people express themselves is inspiring.
I am aware of the remarkable depth and longevity of Shakespeare's writings and the heroic character in the approach of Charles Dickens for instance. Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland always has a fascination for me considering its effectiveness as an unbelievable portrayal of a made-up world.
What’s the dream? Whom would you like to be as big as?
I am not much of a dragon-slayer when it comes to fulfilling a dream - in other words fantasizing another lifestyle or living vicariously through the achievements of others is not really me.
My gut tells me the wave of the future desperately needs creativity at its forefront to break new frontiers and solve breakdowns of communication and such relevant problems. However, the main character in my story is inventive in an extraordinary way.
So any author creating characters for the world to embrace and learn from is relevant today making it a better place - this is what I aim for.
In particular my story combined with music - an "unknown" suite designed by the protagonist (which can be listened to as a playlist on my website) is available in a way never done before.
The term "big" as in reference to the three authors I mentioned I think usually implies popularity and economic success, but it is important to understand that in most cases the greatest stories were not simply transferred from the author's desk to the publisher while the ink from the pen was still drying.
No matter how often I research the background of E. T. A. Hoffman's story about a nutcracker I'm flabbergasted - trying to fathom what the threads of logic were for bringing it through the various influences that surrounded it.
Otherwise the ultimate dream for me is to be appreciated by many for my work.
Would you rewrite any of your books? Why?
Rewriting anything would be acknowledging that I did not complete my work. I edit and analyze constantly to the point where I even annoy myself and others around me, so to go back and do that again is out of the question.
If you could switch places with any author – who would that be?
Fun question considering so many authors are dead - not meaning to be a smart aleck, but out of anyone dead or alive if I could claim their work to be my own and have a happy life in doing it it would probably be Lewis Carroll.
What would you say to the “trolls” on the internet? We all know them – people who like to write awful reviews to books they’ve never read or didn’t like that much, just to annoy the author.
Come to my All in a Day's Dance website. There is plenty to criticize, make things up about and twist for all the kinds of reasons they do what they do.
What would you say to your readers?
Appreciate the work of others when it is sincere.
Share a bit about yourself – where do you live, are you married, do you have kids?
I live in a condo in Canada with my wife and grown-up daughter who is engaged to be married and building her own career. Together we have done many creative and adventurous things.
What is your day job if you have one?
I am happily retired from the world of employment which now gives me a chance to encapsulate all of those characters "of all sorts" I have interacted with. Music and writing is the perfect vehicle for a colorful representation to express the ups and downs of the emotional journey and go beyond what could be described as not being very productive.
What are your hobbies? What do you do in your free time?
I've always loved playing sports, tennis, table tennis and swimming for example, but now that I am older I exercise and run regularly. Other than that I just like being a family guy playing cards or strategy board games. I am also a capable software programmer, not as a career, but neither as a hobby.
Did you have a happy childhood?
I had many happy parts to my childhood which enabled me to overcome a lot of confusion and imperception around me. I think to this day I've been able to carry the insight gained with me over the years and use it for writing and producing to wind up with a book, music and my All in a Day's Dance website.
https://www.allinadaysdance.com/welcomepage.htm
Is there a particular experience that made you start writing?
As I mentioned earlier the most outstanding occurrence for me was my English teacher's audacity to inspire the class through the fear of embarrassment by not being prepared.
Do you have unpublished books? What are they about?
Early on I wrote a couple of stories for children and submitted one to a publisher. They wanted illustrations to go along with it and at the time it was not within my capability.
I did write a different book and converted it into a play for a local community theatre and when the director rejected it I lost interest. The book was about a critic.
I knew upgrading to an intellectual style of production and applying it to
technology was the only way to go. I focused on finding an audience within a mature crowd. The hardest part in doing that was to rise above regurgitating other methods and holding onto an inventive approach.
A lot of what my previous works were about are incorporated in my All in a Day's Dance story.
What do you think should be improved in the education of our children? What do we lack?
My wife and I wrote theatre works for our school performances for a short while attempting to broaden the perspective from mere clown tricks evoking laughter to storytelling with characters using dancing and music. It became obvious that inventive descriptions in the context of a story were not a high priority. To me it is imperative that children start early to connect with what they learn about. Things that make a difference to them in diverse ways as they grow are vital.
If you were allowed 3 wishes – what would they be?
1. That wishes could be granted as in a fairytale.
2. That people would automatically become smarter with age.
3. That I could see the guarantee of a marvelous future.
What is your favorite music?
Anything that draws its strength from melody is good music to me. I composed my music The TW Suite for my book based on that.
https://www.allinadaysdance.com/welcomepage.htm
Share a secret with us 🙂
First of all there is a riddle in my book All in a Day's Dance. The answer to it will never be divulged, yet it is universal.🙂