About Andrew Joyce:
Andrew Joyce left high school at seventeen to hitchhike throughout the US, Canada, and Mexico. He wouldn’t return from his journey until decades later when he decided to become a writer. Joyce has written four books, including a two-volume collection of one hundred and forty short stories comprised of his hitching adventures called BEDTIME STORIES FOR GROWN-UPS (as yet unpublished), and his latest novel, RESOLUTION. He now lives aboard a boat in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with his dog, Danny, where he is busy working on his next book, YELLOW HAIR.
What inspires you to write?
It’s more like a need to write than an inspiration. I hear a song on the radio and will knock out a story based on the title. I may see the sun reflecting on the water a write a 12,000 word short story. I have 150 short stories under my belt and four novels (500,000 words). All written within the last five years.
Tell us about your writing process.
I usually sit down to write a book with no idea where my characters will lead me. I start out with (I hope) a killer first sentence and the last paragraph of the book. Then I set out to fill the in-between space with 100,000 words. I find that the easy part. Sometimes I will bring my characters to a certain place, only to have them rebel when we get there. They tell me they want to go somewhere else and take off on their own. I have no choice but to follow.
I prefer to write in the early morning hours when things are quiet. I usually get up around 2:00 a.m. and go to work. The commute is not long . . . only a few steps to my computer.
What advice would you give other writers?
Read, read . . . and then read some more. Read everything you can get your hands on! Reading to a writer is as medical school is to a doctor, as physical training is to an athlete, as breathing is to life. When one reads stuff like the passage below, one cannot help but become a better writer.
“The afternoon came down as imperceptibly as age comes to a happy man. A little gold entered into the sunlight. The bay became bluer and dimpled with shore-wind ripples. Those lonely fishermen who believe that the fish bite at high tide left their rocks and their places were taken by others, who were convinced that the fish bite at low tide.”—John Steinbeck, Tortilla Flat
AND: Never, ever, ever, ever respond to a negative review!!!
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I had an agent and he got my first book published, but I had to do all the marketing. So, I figured if I had to do all the work anyway, I’d cut out the middlemen. Now I self-publish and get my royalties every month instead of twice a year.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think it’s going to be around for a while.
What do you use?: Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer
What genres do you write?: Historical Fiction, Action/Adventure, Westerns
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Andrew Joyce Home Page Link
Link To Andrew Joyce Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
Andrew, a to the point interview! No wonder you are a successful writer! You’re determined, detailed, word-wise, and passionate about writing. What better way to say it that your characters roam free, and you follow them to exciting places! Have an adventurous weekend! Pats for Danny! ? Elizabeth
Muchas gracias, mi amiga.
You start with a first sentence and last paragraph? That’s amazing. What an imagination to fill in that huge blank space between. I’m an early riser too, but not as early as 2 am, though it’s appealing. I came to the same conclusion about publishing as well. Live and learn. Happy Writing. 🙂
If I was Danny, I’d say, “Yes, I am amazing.” But I am not Danny, so I’ll only say that I muddle along as best as I can.
Reblogged this on Don Massenzio's Blog.