We were lucky to catch up with Randall Lane recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Randall thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
I learned to write by . . . wait for it . . . writing. I just had an idea one day and decided to do something about it. It was a gnawing that wouldn’t go away. I had all these scenes and characters exploding in my mind, so I sat down and started taking notes of what I was hearing and seeing. The notes eventually transformed into scenes and chapters. After enough of that process, I had the basic essentials of a story. I felt like a caveman discovering fire for the first time. It was such a powerful and enlightening experience. I then began devouring every Mystery, Horror, and Suspense novel I could get my hands on. I also began reading tons of books on writing and ways to enhance my craft. Along with reading and writing, I also began attending numerous writing conferences and watching hours upon hours of YouTube videos to sharpen my skill sets.
Knowing what I know now, I wish I would have started even earlier. And I definitely wish I’d paid a little more attention during all of those English courses. Haha. That’d save me tons of time and heartache. Hindsight is always twenty-twenty though, isn’t it?
Other than the writing skills themselves, time management and discipline are two cornerstone skillsets I think every writer must have. I also think it is important to give yourself the freedom to write bad first drafts. Otherwise, you will find yourself stuck editing the same first fifty pages or so until your fingers bleed. The first draft is what I like to think of as a vomit draft. It’s where I just have to get the story out and on paper. I can worry about polishing things up later, but I can never edit a blank page.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Absolutely. Sure thing. So growing up, I was always kind of bent towards anything creepy or unexplained. My family tells me my nickname as a toddler was “Monk-Monk” because I would go around pointing under the beds and couches saying “Monk-Monk.” Which was my word for a monster at the time, so I was trying to tell them a monster was hiding beneath the bed and couches. I loved watching scary movies and shows and was a massive fan of RL Stine’s Goosebumps. I also enjoyed watching Sylvia Browne anytime she was on the Montel Williams show talking about ghosts and other things related to the paranormal or supernatural. Most of my family are horror fans as well, so we were always watching a creepy movie, or Tales from the Crypt, The Twilight Zone, you name it. My aunt is a huge horror fan herself, and as I was growing up, she lived in Key West but would visit us once or twice a year in South Carolina. Our ritual was to pick her up from the airport, grab some good Mexican food, and make a Blockbuster run for some scary movies. So, as you can see, the horror genre is something I’ve sort of grown up with and is a big part of who I am. It wasn’t until my sophomore year of college that I began writing fiction of my own. I was in a poetry course which happened to be an elective. I remember it was a fall semester because it was around Halloween, and our professor had us reading a lot of Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Dickens, and Robert Frost. For two weeks in October, he had us focus primarily on writing horror and mystery themed poems. It was during this time that I had my first taste of creating those creepy, atmospheric settings, and is where I learned to really make the words flow so they become like candy to the ears. It wasn’t until three years later after a cross-country road trip to Northern California that I found myself inspired to give my first attempt at writing a novel. It was at this point, I felt a fire ignite within me that continued to burn hotter with each passing day. While writing my first novel, I took a deep dive into the craft of writing and began devouring every horror, mystery, and suspense novel I could get my hands on. I also read countless writing books, watched hundreds of YouTube videos, attended numerous writing conferences, and joined several writing groups. By then, I had fallen completely in love with the writing process as a whole. Seven years later, the fire still burns hot, and I can proudly say I am the author of four novels, one novella, and over three dozen short stories. That’s not to mention the three-inch binder full of notes for over thirty story titles, plots, and characters I am constantly adding to each week. I continue to be a student of the craft and am an avid reader myself. Writing is my passion, and I am excited to see where the journey leads.
As I mentioned, I’m an author of all things Horror, Mystery, and Suspense. I write Novels, Novellas, and Short Stories. I’m known for being able to craft creepy atmospheres and eerie settings with interesting characters commonly based in small, rural towns. I am most proud of my ability to write characters that people can connect with and relate to. I enjoy writing blue-collar, underdog-type characters going about their daily lives before being stopped in their tracks and tossed up against impossible odds. That also goes along with what sets me apart. I grew up in the South and deeply understand how small towns operate. I can easily envision an array of unique personality types that are often fodder for the southern-type characters I tend to write about.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I think something that has helped me build my brand and readership is just being authentic in my writing. I try to write stories and characters that people can relate to. I strive to build normal, everyday type of characters who are faced with the same sorts of hopes, dreams, setbacks, obstacles, and life challenges as you and me. By doing that, I think my readers find themselves more engaged in the stories because they can envision themselves walking alongside the characters as if they are family or friends with them.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My hope is that people will connect with my books on a deeply personal level. I want them to feel the emotions my characters feel. I want them to find themselves in my stories and feel like they are part of the cast of characters. I want my stories and characters to stick with my readers long after they’ve finished the books. My ultimate goal is that people can escape for a little bit from the chaos of life and allow their minds to go on a mini vacation each time they crack open one of my books. I want my books to positively impact humanity and for each reader to grow as humans so they can honestly say their lives are better off for having read my work. That’s the kind of legacy I want to leave behind.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/randall_lane31/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/randalllanefiction/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@randalllane3508/videos