Barry: I prefer to write in the early morning,
starting around 6:30 am. My ritual is pretty simple. Turn on computer. Make
coffee. Drink coffee. Write. I only write if the mood strikes me, although I
find that sometimes even if I’m not particularly motivated, once I have opened
the page the words start to come.
Paul: What types of books
do you like to read? Who are your favorite authors? Why?
Barry: I
can’t say that I have a favorite author as I like to read all types of books by
an assortment of writers and have been inspired by many. But I admire the fiction writer who can
capture the reader’s attention in the first few sentences and keep it
throughout, building the tension as the story moves along. I am fascinated by the well written nonfiction
book describing a challenge that someone overcame or that inspires me to do
something that I wouldn’t have otherwise done.
Paul: If someone had the
power to step into your creative mind what would they see?
Barry: They would probably see a struggle underway
between the left and right sides of my brain. I’m a professional accountant
dabbling in the arts so I suspect the numbers would be battling the pen for
domination.
Paul: How do you find the time to write?
Barry: I’m
in the happy place of being sort of retired. When I was working full time, I
found the time to do some creative things by stealing an hour or two at night.
It’s much easier now and that is why I was able to finish my first book and get
it published in a relatively short period of time. I know how difficult it must
be for writers who have small children. The creative process requires some down
time.
Paul: What is one thing you hope I do not tell the
readers?
Barry: I have Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” on my iPod!
Paul: Do you plot your stories or do you just get
an idea and run with it?
Barry: My
books have been nonfiction so far so I am writing what I lived. I didn’t feel
the need to plot them, although once I had written them, I had to rearrange
them to improve the flow. I’m in the very early stages of a fiction story and
I’m jotting down characters, character traits, storyline ideas, locales, etc,
as I think of them. I’m not sure that is
plotting the story per se. They are one line reminders to me to work them into
the manuscript.
Paul: Do you do a lot of editing or do you find
that as time goes on your writing is more fully-formed?
Barry: I
like to think I write fairly well, but I always hire a professional editor and
my books have been better as a result. The editor shouldn’t just be looking for
typos. They should be looking for grammatical issues and flow and suggesting
areas that require more or less detail, finding areas of redundancy, etc. A
second set of eyes is invaluable.
Paul: What is your most
recent book? Tell us a little about it
Barry: My book, I Guess We Missed The Boat is with
my editor now. It’s a travel memoir focusing primarily on the humorous side of
our travels. My in-laws are featured prominently throughout the book as we
often travel together. There is also a message regarding how fortunate we are
to have been born where we were and to be living where we do.
Barry: I enjoyed the experience of writing my first
book, Kilimanjaro and Beyond and wanted to write another. Because something
humorous happens every time we travel, the subject seemed to be a natural.
Since I started, a number of people have commented that we need more humor in
our lives in these troubled times so I am hopeful that people will enjoy it.
Paul: Do you enter competitions? Are there any you
could recommend?
Barry: I
have entered competitions with Writers Digest, Reader Views, Eric Hoffer and
The Authors Show. I would recommend the last three because I was successful.
Haha! I think the title of “Award Winning Author” helps with marketing and
would recommend to authors that they enter as many as they can.
Paul: How much marketing do you do for your
published works or for your ‘brand’?
Barry: I
have found that writing is a small part of the process. To sell books beyond their
circle of friends and acquaintances, the author has to be prepared to spend a
lot of time on social media, at book shows and making appearances wherever
possible. I’m on the computer every day doing some marketing. It has to be
selective though. Marketing to other authors may not sell many books since they
may not necessarily have time to read. You have to market to readers.
Paul: What do you do when you’re not writing? Do
you have any hobbies or party tricks?
Barry: When
I’m not writing, I’m organizing events to raise money to help the children and
young women of Tanzania, Africa. A portion of the proceeds of my first book
goes towards our projects. I also spend time enjoying our three grandchildren,
playing golf and trying to keep myself physically fit. The time seems to fly by.
Paul: Thanks, Barry, that was very interesting. I wish you every success for the future.
The experience of climbing Africa’s highest mountain at age 60 with one of his sons, and discovering the satisfaction of reaching a goal and giving others the opportunity to achieve theirs, was a book waiting to be written. Kilimanjaro and Beyond, written with input from his son Chris, has won numerous awards and Barry is one of the Author Show’s “50 Great Writers You Should be Reading.”
Barry is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee medal for his philanthropic work in Africa. He lives in Ottawa, Canada.
Barry's Blog: Keep On Climbing
Barry on Twitter: @Karver2
Barry on Facebook: Barry Finlay
Barry's latest book: Kilimanjaro and Beyond (Amazon)
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