Interview with Barry Eisler

Author Pen Name: Barry Eisler

CA: What genre(s) do you write? Why do you write the stories that you write?

BE: I write thrillers. Why? It just seems to be the way I’m wired… give me a set of otherwise neutral story points, and my mind will weave them into a thriller.

CA: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

BE: I’ve been writing something or other since I was a kid, but it wasn’t until I was thirty and living in Tokyo that a story idea came to me that eventually felt right for a novel.

CA: Who or what was your inspiration for writing?

BE: I actually have no idea! I just love to express myself on the page—stories, of course, but also on politics on my blog, The Heart of the Matter.

CA: When writers block attacks, what do you do to get back on track?

BE: This is one of those places where an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If you’re constantly feeding your mind by indulging your interests, I’ll wager that you won’t suffer from writer’s block. In fact, you’ll probably have the opposite problem: too many ideas, not enough time to develop them all. As for mini-block, which any writer can encounter here and there, that’s what those magic questions are designed for. Just keep asking who, what, where, when, and why, and you’ll find your story in the answers.

CA: What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

BE: I like to get an early start, but real life, including promotion, can get pretty intrusive. So I just write when I can, longer and longer stretches as the book develops and the deadline nears.

CA: Your book is about to be sent into the reader world, what is one word that describes how you feel?

BE: Excited!

CA: What do you like to do when you're not writing?

BE: Work out, read, watch movies, take walks, spend time with my little girl…

CA: What is something shocking or weird about you that your readers don’t know about?

BE: I own a book called “Contingency Cannibalism.” It’s billed as “the ultimate survival book” and the jacket says, “Where all other survival books end… this one begins!” It also says:

Contingency Cannibalism is the book that answers all the questions you’ve been afraid to ask. Such as:

Will it taste like chicken?
Will I catch a disease?
What will my friends say?
What if I like it?!

I guess not many people knew that about me. I feel better now, like I’ve unburdened myself or something.

CA: LOL, Barry glad that you’ve unburdened yourself! And I too am one of those people that wonder if it tastes like chicken!

CA: How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

BE: I’ve written seven—six in the John Rain assassin series, and now a new standalone, Fault Line, which will be out in February. I couldn’t pick a favorite; I love ’em all for different reasons.

CA: Do you tend to base your characters on real people or are they totally from your imagination?

EB: It’s a mix. Some characters, like my series protagonist, half-Japanese, half-American assassin John Rain, seem to come mostly from my imagination. Others, like Rain’s partner, former Marine sniper Dox, have a definite provenance: in Dox’s case, a CIA paramilitary instructor of mine.

CA: Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

BE:
1. Keep writing. Can’t emphasize this one enough. Every day is ideal, but the goal is to just be as regular as you can. Same as learning a language, or a martial art, etc.

2. Reread passages from books you love and ask yourself, what is the author doing here that’s working so well? And if you see something that you think is bad, ask yourself, why is this bad? What could the author have done differently to make it work?

3. Read books on writing. Stephen King’s “On Writing” helped me a lot. David Morrell’s “Lessons from a Lifetime of Writing” is also terrific. There are many others. But don’t read the how-to books at the expense of your own writing. Whenever you have to choose, practice your writing instead.

4. If you’ve got time and you’re serious, a writer’s workshop can be a huge help with motivation, feedback, and discipline. Google “Writer’s workshops” and the name of your city and you’ll probably be able to find a bunch.

5. When you think your book is as good as you can possibly get it, it’s time to try to find an agent. The way to do this is to go a library or bookstore and get a book like “The Writer’s Digest Guide to Literary Agents.” Identify the ones that handle your kind of book and contact them in exactly the manner they request.

6. One of your best friends as a writer is what I think of as the “what if” question. “What if someone cloned dinosaurs and planned to open a dinosaur theme park on a remote island?” (“Jurassic Park”). “What if a yuppie drug dealer were about to do a seven-year prison stretch?” (“The 25th Hour”). Etc. If the what-if question interests you enough, it’ll lead you to other questions, all of the who, what, where, when, why, how variety. Follow those questions and you’ll start to find your story.

7. For more, check out the For Writers page on my website – www.barryeisler.com

CA: How can a reader contact you or purchase your books?

BE: I’m pretty reachable on my website discussion board, or on myspace at:
www.myspace.com/barryeisler

CA: Is there anything you would like to add?

BE: Believe in yourself! And keep on writing.

CA: Barry, thank you for such an awesome interview! I really liked the points that you included for aspiring writers! Your books sound really interesting and are definitely something I need to read! Thanks again Barry!