Meet Allen Lyle

We were lucky to catch up with Allen Lyle recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Allen with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?

I have always thought of myself as a lazy person. I never tried too hard at my corporate job. I would see people sit down and work for eight hours straight and I never understood how they did that. It wasn’t until I started writing I realized I wasn’t that lazy. I had been valuing the appearance of work, not the work itself.

The way I write is the way I worked in my previous career. Write for ten minutes. Get on my phone. Use the bathroom. Write a little more. Pet my cats. Eat lunch. Write a little more. Take a shower. Write a little more. Make some coffee. Write a little more. Talk to my wife. Write a little more. Go get a drink. Write a little more. Get up. Write a little more. Get up. Write a little more.

And now, almost magically, I’m at one thousand words. My daily writing goal. My real work ethic is in my persistence, its not in sitting at my computer for eight hours. It’s sitting back down to write a little more.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I released my debut novel, Red Sun Rising, in July. The novel is a grab bag mix of my favorite literary genres and sub genres, but mostly science fiction. We are currently on a book tour, (see my Instagram for dates), which is doubling as a food tour. The book is the first one in a six part series and the second book will be releasing next summer. I also dabble in short stories. Sci-fi, fantasy, and horror are my favorite genres to write.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Consistency is by far the most important quality I have as a writer. Set a word goal and reach it every day. I do one thousand words, but it could be any number. As long as you are doing it every day. You will be shocked at how fast you write a book.

One day at a time. I never think “I am writing a book.” I think “I am writing one thousand words today.” Never let yourself think about the large task, think about the smaller one.

Read! I know this sounds obvious but read! Your favorite authors will show you all of their tools and their methods. All you have to do is pay attention. It can be as small or as large as you want. You could analyze how the entire book is a metaphor for societal struggles. You could analyze how they use their commas. Just read! This certainly applies to anything outside of literature as well: Movies, television, painting, poetry, music. Whatever it is, just be an avid fan of the art you want to make.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

Yes! I would love to write for anything. I am a giant nerd, so I would love to write for video games or develop lore for table top games. I would love to collaborate with other authors. I want to get outside of my comfort area. I am currently working on a monster romance novel with another author. I would love to do more things like that.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.allenlyleauthor.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allenlylewrites