Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a screenwriter and film-director and my co-author, Sho Kosugi, was a well-known actor and martial artists. This made our working together on a novel a very natural extension of we were doing in film. Sho was a native of Japan and I had lived there for almost 3 years, so it was easier to incorporate both our cultures into what we were writing. We both wanted to create a fictional work that would show a side of the Japanese culture that might surprise many non-Japanese readers. I love action-adventure and a good love story, so the Yin-Yang Code became an excellent writing vehicle for both of us.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I am a screenwriter and film-director and my co-author, Sho Kosugi, was a well-known actor and martial artists. This made our working together on a novel a very natural extension of we were doing in film. Sho was a native of Japan and I had lived there for almost 3 years, so it was easier to incorporate both our cultures into what we were writing. We both wanted to create a fictional work that would show a side of the Japanese culture that might surprise many non-Japanese readers. I love action-adventure and a good love story, so the Yin-Yang Code became an excellent writing vehicle for both of us.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I always go to bed at night, thinking about what I will write the following day. In my mind, I develop “film images” of what I hope to see on paper. The following morning after a ritual of twin mugs of strong coffee, I begin the chapter. As with screenwriting, it’s important to me to first get my thoughts and story down on paper. Later, I will return and rewrite and rewrite and rewrite.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
My favorite book is Charles Dicken’s, David Copperfield. I have also enjoyed Naipaul’s, A Bend in the River, Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander, and John’s Grisham’s, The Firm and The Chamber.
Charles Dickens, Ken Follett, A. S. Byatt, Harper Lee, and Victor Hugo.
What are you working on now?
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
There was a considerable amount of research that was required for the novek, Yin-Yang Code: Drums of Tenkai-Bo. Much of it was specific to certain cultures, not all Japanese. For example, there is a martial arts culture, a UCLA culture, an L.A. culture all in addition to the Japanese culture and its counterparts. I spent a great deal of time researching on line as well as by phone and email to some who populated those cultures. Some of the “settings” that are in the book required time to assimilate and affix in my mind. Fortunately, my co-author, Sho Kosugi, and my co-illustrator, Shinobu Ohno, are Japanese and both were always willing to help me.
Aside from the location and cultural settings, there was a need to “get the martial arts” correct for the time, place, and area. Fortunately, Sho Kosugi, expert that he is, knew all there was to know about martial arts. If he didn’t know it, he knew someone who did and if they didn’t know it, it hadn’t been discovered yet and wasn’t to be know.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
The most important thing for a writer to do is write. When a book, screenplay, or article is sent off for publication consideration, don’t stop writing. Continue to write even if you get a rejection slip. If you believe your writing to be good, consider what the rejection comments may be, see if they have value to you, and then forget them and continue on.
Secondly, the most important facet of writing is rewriting what you have written. Never fall in love with the words that you write so much that you are unable to cut. A motion picture is made better by editing and post production. The same is true for writing. The writer is the first editor and the work should pass their muster before being passed on to knowledgeable others. Always heed what your publisher’s editor has to say. They may not be writers, per se, but they have experience in what sells and what doesn’t. When they make suggestions, listen.
Thirdly, never let “ego” take over your writing. A writer must have a strong ego to withstand rejections, a norm of the business, but never so much so that you lose reality in what you are writing. Never try to argue an editor off a point as a mode of self-defense. Listen to their input and thank them for it. Afterwards you can decide whether it is of value to you or not.
Finally, be nice. Mistakes happen and you will make your share. So, will your editors, publisher, printer and best associates. As an aspiring writer, your career is just beginning and you are starting the climb upward. It will have peaks and valleys, ups and downs and the people you are nice to on the way up will still be there. Those you are nasty to are also there on the way down. Over a lifetime of writing, you will be shocked at those who can help you or hurt you and often both come from areas of life where you least expect it.
What’s next for you as a writer?
My goal for writing is always the same. I want the reader to read it, enjoy it, and share in the same mind pictures that I created when writing it.
Author Websites and Profiles
Warren Chaney Amazon Profile