About Ryan D. Meier:
Ryan D. Meier is an American born fantasy author born and raised in the Hudson Valley region of New York where he lives with his wife and four children.
We love to hike, have lots of laughs, and enjoy life as much as possible. I'm passionate about storytelling and literacy, and advocate for the power of speculative fiction. I love a good story as much as I love telling one, and love to talk shop (writing & storytelling).
What inspires you to write?
I believe the power in storytelling lies in perspective. I try to focus on two things – illustrating real issues (whether they be social, personal, mental health, etc) in my fictional worlds. But I don't do it to be grim, I do it to inspire hope through character arcs and redemption. In other words, everyday life inspires me.
What authors do you read when you aren’t writing?
I've read a lot of great books and have been inspired by so many stories, but I always touch on two core authors as my favorites. Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman who wrote many of the Dragonlance series' and Brandon Sanderson. The Way of Kings will be difficult to replace as my favorite book ever.
I'm currently re-reading the Hobbit for a revisit video I'm planning on doing – but I've been trying to read more of my indie TBR list. My last indie book was C.T. Phipps' The Rules of Supervilliany.
Tell us about your writing process.
I'm a heavy outliner. I write three separate outlines: plot, setting, and character. Then, I build my story utilizing portions of each in the chapters. I am a visual (in my head) writer and imagine the scenes before I write them – sometimes drawing on pictures and places for inspiration.
I keep it simple and do all my writing in microsoft word. Utilize ProWritingAid as a grammar aid and do my own book formatting using Vellum.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I'd like to think my characters and I have a closer connection. I think of my characters in the same light that I think about method acting. I don't talk with them because I am them. I know that sounds weird, but I guess its more of a hive mind sort of thing!
What advice would you give other writers?
Take a deep breath. Everything moves slow in the writing world – it takes time to craft a good story, time to build a mailing list, time to network and learn from people who are already doing it. Get a routine, stick to it, ask questions, and absorb as much as you can. I find it easy to get overwhelmed, but abiding by a plan has made a big difference for me.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
There was never a doubt I was going to self publish. I write for myself (and now my supporters) and have very little interest in giving control of my work away. Like all great things in life it has taken years of preparation just to get to this point – and I consider my career in its infancy.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think we need to continue to innovate the way we get stories into readers' hands. Look at audiobooks – huge growth year over year. We're more engaged online than ever, and we need to work with this continued shift.
What genres do you write?: Fantasy
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Ryan D. Meier Home Page Link
Link To Ryan D. Meier Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
