Welcome John Lansing

This week, I’ve invited author John Lansing to write a guest post after having read his latest, Embedded. It’s the start of a new series about jailed Army Ranger Dakota Judd who’s been offered a life-altering deal from the FBI: infiltrate a White Supremacist prison gang while he’s incarcerated, then embed himself into their militia on the outside and become the eyes and ears of the FBI. If successful, his record will be expunged and he can live a normal life. If he fails, he'll wind up dead. It’s a highly-recommended read and one you don’t want to miss.

Do you write from the heart, following your muse, not thinking about the reader at all; or do you write with the market in mind, thinking of the reader and how you can make the novel commercially successful; or somewhere in between? How would you advise an emerging author on this?

I write from the heart, always. And I write the kind of books I like to read. I never worry about what anyone else thinks once I start the process. I don’t want to second guess my work. It’s the reason I stay away from television dramas while I’m engaged writing a new book. 

After spending fifteen years writing network television, where an outline was demanded, I soon found writing from the seat of my pants was more exciting. 

I was clear what kind of protagonist I was after when I started work on Embedded. Although I let my muse have her way with the story, it was my characters who let me know what their next moves should be. At that point I wrote early in the morning and sometimes in the middle of the night. I’d jot down an idea on a yellow pad, scribble a bit, and come up with an answer to a question that had been haunting me, or a scene I wasn’t sold on. It’s not always easy getting into the zone, but once there, writing is a blast.

Trying to keep up with the writing marketplace is a fickle game. The market can change its mind three times before you’re done typing “The End.” I’m not good at giving advice…but when asked…I say read a lot, and write what you love. You’re going to spend a big part of your life with your characters. Stay honest, and let ’er rip.

Don’t stop until you finish a first draft. Then it’s time to corral the troops, call in your beta readers, find a great editor, and start your rewrites. Everyone has ideas, but always remember, it’s your book.