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URL:
www.jdelane.com
Contact:
jdelane@jdelane.com
ABOUT JAMES
James Scott DeLane
is a raconteur, currently living in Texas. He loves to ride
heavy motorcycles and create original fiction. He
specializes in stories of the heart because love is all that
matters.
INTERVIEW
Q: Where do your ideas originate?
A: I live in a dream world. My imagination works twenty-four
hours a day all year around. When I have an interesting idea, I
jot it down for later use. Over time, the idea connects with
other ideas until a visual story forms in my mind, much like a
movie. If the story falls together in an appealing way, I sit
down and work out the details. Where the ideas come from, I
really have no clue.
Q: Do your characters ever get away from you?
A: Of course. Many times I started to write the story one way
only to have a character inject themselves into the narrative
and simply take over. I never tell my characters what to do or
say. They act out the story; all I do is record the events.
Q: What makes a great story?
A: Emotions. Fiction is not journalism; we are not recoding
factual events for edification. A great story evokes powerful
feelings. Without an emotional impact, the plot, no matter how
clever, is wasted.
Q: What is your writing day like?
A: Time goes by so fast I don’t even know the day is over. I
have literally started at four in the morning only to find it
was midnight before I realized it. The story unfolds in my mind
as if I was there. Being deep into a gripping story is one of
the great highlights of my life.
Q: Is there such thing as a ‘new story idea?’
A: There are certainly new plots and new locations, but the
human heart has never varied. The same love, hate, rage, lust,
and envy that motivated past writers remain unchanged.
Q: How does one know if he/she is a writer?
A: If you have to ask, you are not a writer.
Q: Do you have a day job?
A: Sadly, yes.
Q: What is the sniffle test?
A: If I read the final draft without a sniffle, then I know the
story is junk. If the story does not move the reader
emotionally, forget it and start over.
Q: Are there any rules to writing fiction?
A: There is only one rule: Entertain the reader.
Q: Do you have any advice to a struggling writer?
A: We are all struggling writers, even those who have success. I
would suggest the writer read the works of classic friction
authors and learn the art of storytelling. Wordsmith skills are
certainly useful, but there must be a compelling story or it
just a pile of words.
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