On: Samuel Dillie – Rising Author

James’s Word

February 23, 2020

Samuel Dillie is a writer and poet who is currently publishing his debut novel. He is a devout Christian and displays this in his art.

James: When and why did you start writing?

Samuel: I started writing a long while ago back before I was even in high school with just little pieces of writing that never really went anywhere. And then I watched “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” and that inspired the beginnings of the story I now have today. I was fourteen when I first penned the first words of the first chapter of the first book of the first saga. It’s been nine years almost and quite the journey. At first, I started writing because I wanted to stay in my world of the Pirates movies. But now I write because I know that my world will always be changing.

James: Does your family support your writing?

Samuel: Most of my family hasn’t truly supported my writing throughout the years. My mother has been the greatest supporter and everyone else is just waiting to see what real job I’m going to get. I’m not dismissing the value of a “real” job, but this writing is so important to me, I don’t need the support of those individuals closest to me to get it done! There are vague hints here and there that lead me to believe some other family members might, but I can’t go on approval.

James: What inspires you to write?

Samuel: Well, I’m inspired by many things. For fiction, seeing plot, setting, character, and storytelling elements in other stories are great inspirations. Music is a tremendous inspiration as well. Seeing characters face and wrestle with hard life decisions always triggers a nerve in my “writerly” self and gets me to writing.

James: What is your main writing goal?

Samuel: To share the story that the Lord has laid on my heart over the years of my life. My whole life has been building on itself, happy blocks give meaning to the heartbreaking blocks and vice versa. So, to share my writing to give readers a sense that they are not alone and to point them to Christ – that is my writing goal.

James: What is the process of publishing a book like?

Samuel: Well, for me, I’m self-publishing. And let me just say it is really tough staying on top of the game. I’m in charge of everything with marketing and consistency in addition to the rigors of the writing life. Everyone is different and they enjoy doing different things and prefer to not do other things, but I personally really enjoy the whole marketing game. I’ve always been rather an introvert, so using social media as a way to reach out to so many others all over the world has been a great tool that has been so very useful. Self-publishing and marketing for is always fun for me because I have total control over design and the feeling I can send my followers! It’s like being a professional without having gone to some school and go through thick textbooks just to prove to people you can do it. Just by pushing through the very hard beginnings of it, I’ve given myself the mental boost and enthusiasm that consistently tells me that I can do this!

James: Can you share one editing tip?

Samuel: One editing tip I would share would be to make sure you spill a whole lot out on the page when you’re actually drafting so that you can better be able to edit. If you put two “meh” sentences out there, it may look like trash but wait till you edit – you might be able to combine the two and get something you wouldn’t have without first made that “trash.” Think of it more like compost rather than trash!

James: How do you stay motivated to write?

Samuel: I’m not sure if I stay motivated to write but I do have ways of regurgitating the motivation. I think about the end result. The very end of this great journey I’m starting down. I’m a writer. I’ll be doing this my whole life. I want to live in a world where I have written a lot and published a lot. And every time I climb to the summit to look down to the end goal, I’m always motivated. Plus, getting my hands dirty with the writing and keeping them dirty by getting things done and written gets me excited and motivated to do more!

James: How often do you write? And how do you find the time?

Samuel: Not often enough! But I certainly try to take advantage of the little breaks in-between other things. I used to wait till I had big chunks of time, but now writing in little spurts helps big time.

James: In your opinion, what is your debut book’s best scene?

Samuel: My debut book’s best scene, off hand, I’d have to say is when most of a family that was torn apart at the beginning of the book returns to their home all together. They’ve been through so much at this point, I cried just as much as they did when I was actually writing it.

James: What is the most crucial part when writing a book.

Samuel: Writing. You don’t have anything as a writer if you’re not composing anything to work with. Write. Write. Write!

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