Get Jack’d is happy to bring you today’s tour stop with writer David Lawrence. Once you’re done reading the interview, make sure to stop by David’s web site to find out more about this up-coming indie writer.
JW: Describe your book from a writer’s perspective (how you came up with the concept, the process in which you wrote the book, special character choices, etc). NOTE: If you have more than one book, use the most recently published or a book that is about to be published.
From Web to Page is a disparate collection of poetry, short stories, and essays, with no real pre-planned theme, due to the fact that its pieces were composed over a span of almost ten years. Although some of the stories were composed for a number of writing contests, most of the work in infinitebook is personal expression inspired by whatever happened to be going on in my life and mind at the time I wrote it down. Because of this, the conceptual theme of the book is essentially an afterthought, as I have arranged the pieces like songs in an album. So, if you read the book linearly from cover to cover, you should be able to sense a progression of emotions with peaks and valleys leading to the crescendo of the final short story, “ Center of Gravity” . But, just like a musical album, it can be equally satisfying to “ hit random” and simply flip through the pages in whatever order you choose.
JW: Describe that same book from the consumer’s perspective. (Why someone would want to read it. What about your book is different than other books in a similar genre.)
I think the main appeal of infinitebook is that it will surprise the reader, because in a lot of ways it surprised me, the writer. It is eclectic, being a grab bag of literary genres dealing with topics both sacred and profane. Some of the pieces in infinitebook are downright crude, while others soar to noble heights of idealistic perfection. And the best pieces in the book manage to do both at the same time, giving the reader an opportunity to reflect not just on the story at hand, but on his/her reactions to what is being read. In a lot of ways, infinitebook is a Rorshach window into the mind of the reader, even more than the mind of the author.
JW: Why did you start writing in the first place?
As far back as I can remember, I have always loved language. Words are beautiful to me, uniquely powerful and compelling. And, while the spoken word is gorgeous too, I find the written word to be a wonderful invitation for the reader to bring the sound of his/her own cognitive voice to the table. Even though the author’ s intended message is contained in the silence of the printed page, it is the task of the reader to lift it up into the music of his/her understanding. It is an act of co-creation, and I like that very much. Even if I never receive any feedback, I know that I have, through my writing, sent something out into the world that others may connect with, and that is exciting.
So, I guess I started writing because I wanted to experience the joy of reading from both sides. Having received so much through reading, I wanted to give back through writing.
JW: What aspect of writing do you like the most?
The opportunity to bring personal truths up from my subconscious and let them shine on the page in black and white.
JW: What aspect of writing do you like the least?
Finding the motivation to write when the motivation simply isn’ t there.
JW: How do you see the future of indie writers playing out?
Haven’ t really thought about this one too much, but it seems to me that indie writers are eventually going to be the primary source of literary creation. As technology continues to flatten the playing field, enabling independent authors to create, publish and promote their work with minimal monetary investment, publishing houses will find it necessary to make their services more accessible to attract indie authors into their fold. Houses won’ t disappear completely, but their hold on things is going to be seriously compromised, and indie writers will ultimately call the shots.
JW: What is your most important means of inspiration for creating ideas, characters, and story arcs?
I love taking a symbolic system, such as the Tarot, and using its structure as a template for the story arc of my novels. I then overlay this with ideas taken from my exposure to all sorts of books, movies, music, news and personal interactions. In other words, I am always drinking in the world around me, and then digesting it according to one or another metaphysical paradigms. It’ s a dangerous approach, in that my novels run the risk of being too rigid in their construction, rather than organically fluid. But I like that challenge.
JW: Do you “hire” editors, cover designers, and formatters? Or do you do it all yourself?
I usually ask friends to give me free feedback. Occasionally I have paid my writing coach for his editorial advice, but normally I rely on my own judgment. I did hire a cover designer for the covers of my first two self- ublished books, but did the cover of my third book essentially on my own. My significant other at the time looked over my shoulder as I assembled that one online (through CreateSpace), and then took credit for the design. As for formatting, that gets handled either by me alone or in conjunction with the POD company I happen to be using for publication.
JW: How do you promote your books? What is your secret?
I’ m a lousy promoter. I’ ve done some online interviews and submitted my material for a handful of reviews, but that’ s about it. I do have a website (www.infinitedot.com), as well as a blog, a Facebook author page, and a Goodreads account, but no secret. Not really. Wish I did, but I don’ t.
JW: Can you give us a hint about any upcoming projects or do you have any big news?
The biggest item in my writing pipeline is a memoir. I expect it to see publication sometime in the year 2013, and it will be unlike anything I have ever written (or even read). It is going to deliberately blur fact and fiction in a way that should leave the reader scratching his/her head trying to figure out which is which. Because life is crazy, and this book is going to reflect that in ways that would make a mirrored funhouse seem quaint and tame. Seriously.