Lynette Feeley Interview Published on: 05, Apr 2024

My passion for words developed in grade school despite struggling with dyslexia and ADHD. Compensatory strategies like memorization and scanning for keywords helped me learn the gist of sentences. Once strategies were in place, my passion flourished—my first poem (at age seven) was about a horse. It wasn't great, but it was lyrical. I loved bringing home my Scholastic order sheet—I'd have nearly every book ticked! During family road trips, I collected voluminous amounts of pamphlets to read in the car. When I was twelve, I recall reading Pet Sematary with a flashlight under the sheets when my parents thought I was sleeping. 

My journey to becoming a writer has been challenging. I've had minor successes, but last year (2023), my debut poetry collection, Why Be Eye Candy When You Can Be Soul Food?, illustrated by the multifaceted and talented artist Carol Gazso Kushion, won the bronze medal for the poetry category in Reader Views Literary Awards, a red ribbon in The Wishing Shelf Awards, and was nominated for an Eric Hoffer Book Award. As of this interview, I'm awaiting the results of a few other contests for 2024.

I've had near misses going the traditional route but collected enough rejection slips and heartbreak to wallpaper my bathroom. Such disappointments were the catalysts for pursuing self-publishing. Once, out of sheer frustration, I wrote a poem titled "A Pitch and a Prayer!" and sent it to agents and publishers with my queries. I heard back, "Your book isn't for us, but we LOVE the poem!" I submitted the poem to Writers' Journal and got my first paid gig. I never cashed the check—it's nestled inside my complimentary copy of the magazine. 

It's tough. Most days I feel like an acrobat balancing on a highwire with a stack of spinning plates on my forehead while riding a tricycle. There's a trade-off to having autonomy. I need to wear all of the hats instead of just being creative. There was a steep learning curve to all the moving parts. I first published lower-content books to learn the process before graduating to higher-content projects. I still have to work full-time to pay bills. I work and write seven days a week. Any royalties and extra money get reabsorbed into marketing, editing, contests, or the next project. 

Like anything else, self-publishing is a competitive field. It's hard keeping books in the number one or top ten slot. I've learned to cut back on marketing and focus more on writing. I'm working towards various goals on my own terms. Like building a house from scratch—there's pride in getting my hands dirty and observing what emerges.

I have eclectic tastes. My life is studded with unusual experiences that fuel my writing. My content is based on what I know or desire to learn. For every project, I use a three-act structure—even with poetry. The process works like a vehicle that propels you forward—there's a beginning, middle, and end—complete with an inciting incident, an arc, and a climax. I call the first draft ground zero. I allow the story to flow freely without editing. I silence the inner critic, allowing the story to meander and breathe. Characters come alive and tell me where the story wants to go. I'm just an observer and a reporter. My second draft is what others call their first. The critic is let loose, and like a Michelangelo sculpture, she chisels away at content that refuses to propel the story forward. It hurts but creates a consistent flow to the work for creative truth to emerge. The remaining drafts look at isolated things—adverbs, syntax, grammar, and plot consistency. I let the story breathe between drafts. 

I wrote four screenplays as a writing exercise to learn how to use Final Draft software and keep my writing focused. I loved the process. With film, there's a sense of urgency. You get roughly 160 pages for scene and dialogue—there's little room for fluff. One quickly learns about the importance of "show, don't tell" and the necessity of structure. There isn't room for meandering exposition. I use my screenplays as outlines for the novel. If the screenplay is the meat and bones of the story, then the novel, with all the exposition, is the soup.

I submitted my screenplays to Screenplay Readers for critique. In film, a script earns either a "recommend," "consider," or "pass" rating. The readers' feedback was brutally honest, somewhat subjective, and valued. None of my scripts were recommended or even considered, but their feedback gave me lots to think about. I revised the scripts and resubmitted the one I felt was the best. To my surprise, it received an elusive "CONSIDER" rating. My writing was compared to Stephen King and J.J. Abrams, describing my script as "Shaun of the Dead meets Super 8!" They even suggested the script, if made a movie, could become a cult classic—talk about knocking me out with a feather! A consider rating is almost as good as a recommendation because the latter is a rare event like finding a missing Pokémon card in a Cracker Jack box—it isn't likely to happen. The highest compliment came when they said that my script had above-average prose. Poetry is everywhere, and sometimes it gains recognition.

After gaining confidence, I decided to submit all four of my screenplays to various film competitions. I was surprised to learn they all placed in the semi-finals or finals. The screenplay earning the "consider" rating from Screenplay Readers finished fifth out of over 5,000 entries in one of the competitions. I was ecstatic but heavily disappointed too because I missed the chance to be flown to Hollywood by one spot. It sometimes feels like my creative life is a never-ending cakewalk. When the music stops, I'm standing on square ten and they always seem to call eleven.

That's a fun story. When I entered film comps, my boss asked if I was any good. I told him, "I think so." He asked to see one of my scripts and must have liked it because he sent it to his brother, Brumby Broussard, who happened to be a producer and former production assistant to Julia Roberts. He met his wife, Misti See Broussard on the set of America's Sweethearts. Brumby called me and said that he and Misti wanted to develop a concept they had for a TV show but needed a writer. The project would have to be on spec (speculation) with the hopes it would get picked up. It was a match. They needed writers, and I needed connections. 

I worked for eighteen hours a day, every day, for three months straight. During the day, I conducted title examinations in various courthouses for my paying job. At night, I helped develop the concept, create characters, and outline a thirteen-episode season. I also wrote the treatment, pilot, and character breakdowns. Bryan Lourd at Creative Artists Agency (CAA) told Brumby he would give it to his TV department. If they recommended the show, he would read it, package it, and send it to three networks. To our surprise, the TV department recommended it. Mr. Lourd read the TV bible and told Brumby that he liked the show and was sending it to Nickelodeon, ABC, and ABC Family—but wait. Not so fast—ABC announced they had a similar show (nothing like ours) piloting that season. In two weeks, just as quickly as we got off the ground, we were shelved. (Brumby warned me not to tell anyone but my mother about the TV prospect, because the wind can change so frequently in Hollywood.) People in the TV department asked, "Who's this Lynette Feeley?" They were curious, yet I didn't even land an agent out of the deal. It's like I went on vacation to Hollywood, and all I got was the invaluable experience and a lousy t-shirt that read, "You're a talented writer." Pfffttt. . . Hear that? It's the sound of my soul deflating.

Getting certified in proofreading and editing was the smartest thing I did to elevate my craft. Writing tools, syntax, and language are like air. No one asks about or notices them when they're there, but they sure do notice when they're not there. I still make mistakes (editors and writers are human), but they aren't the same eyesores they once were. My writing has a better overall quality.

My debut novel explores the question, "What if I'm a science project for the universe?" It's one girl's quest through her lifespan on the wheel of karma to seek answers to that question and find her place in the world. The story is loosely based on surreal experiences from my life. There's a Truman Show meets Sliding Doors feel to it. I need to get this story out of my head so I can get back to writing thriller/suspense stories. My goal is to publish in the next year or two. The process is slow because I only get a few hours to write per day.

I would tell any aspiring screenwriter to write the book and the screenplay. If you land an agent for the novel and option film rights, then you can ask for the right of first refusal to write or co-write the screenplay and you'll already have it in your arsenal. Few films get made, and Hollywood isn't kind to the newcomer. Brevity is key. Try writing scenes and dialogue without the narrative first. Using software like Final Draft takes most of the thinking out of formatting. Take the story as far as you can, then send it to Screenplay Readers, or enter a few competitions that offer feedback. If you get an opportunity to write on spec, take it. Your situation might turn out differently than mine, and it's invaluable experience. 

If you have a golden idea, DON'T enter it into competitions. Write the novel and publish it first. Trust me on this. With literary contests, books are already published and better protected by copyright. With screenplay contests, you're less protected—even registering your work with WGA (Writers Guild of America) costs money and expires after five years. Plagiarism can be costly and difficult to prove. There's nothing stopping someone from taking your idea, dressing it up in different clothes, and blaming the similarities on the collective consciousness. With big money on the line, the industry caters to proven money-makers. There's too much risk involved to take a chance on a newcomer.

I took traditional routes early on, but after a few minor successes and a ton of rejection, I sought self-publishing. Only a select few are lucky enough to snag traditional publishing deals. As a result, a lot of hidden talent never gets discovered. As evidenced by the boom of self-published authors, people seek and read these works. The traditional routes have their frustrations as well—you get very little say in what happens to your book or how it's marketed, and fewer royalties once you sell your rights. There are pros and cons to both options—it's a trade-off.

It's easier for me to turn a screenplay into a novel. The screenplay is a tossed salad of action and dialogue. Exposition is the dressing. The first comes easily to me—it clips along. The second takes time to marinate while I build a world that I hope readers can immerse themselves in. Adapting a novel into a screenplay is harder. You're trimming away all the fat until you find the heart of the story. That's why film is nearly always more disappointing than the book. You don't have the same length of runway for your plots to take flight and your characters to arc.

I was approached by a lawyer to adapt Chet Nicholson's Dream Room novel about The Dixie Mafia. Bruce and Crispin Glover were optioning the film rights. I wrote a sample adaptation of several chapters, but ultimately, the Glovers wanted their own writer. I don't think the film got made—many never do. A lot of stars need to align. I hope to revisit the story someday. I envisioned it so clearly. I even wrote with a soundtrack playing in my head; that was wild.

I Am a Rock God! and its counterpart, I Am a Rock Goddess! were labors of love. My brother-in-law was a musician. He played guitar. He was diagnosed with stage four skin cancer and passed away a few months after his diagnosis. He was a wonderful man and is sorely missed. My sister and I found stacks of his lyrics and poetry (mostly unfinished) in the basement. His writings were provocative and profound. I wanted to honor him, so I completed many of his works and turned them into lyrical activity books for musicians. It was a cathartic process. All the lyrics and poems are original works and felt like a celestial collaboration—I felt him with me throughout the process. I got validation from my sister because after I came up with the title and idea, she told me that he used to tease that he was a rock god and it was a dream of his to be published. 

Authenticity. I'm drawn to any work that comes from a place of honesty. In his memoir On Writing, Stephen King told writers not to come to the page lightly; that has always resonated with me. Whenever I watch or read a piece, I'm always thinking about structure and craft. Any work that turns off that part of my brain and pulls me into the story has my admiration. I have a knack for predicting plot twists and endings.

It's a juggling act. I prioritize and compartmentalize. My younger sister is also a writer and literary translator, and she taught me to unplug and set timers. I give myself little rewards for reaching milestones. The only way you get something done is to chip away at it until it's complete. I immerse myself totally in the moment of whatever is in front of me. I do this repeatedly throughout the day, every day. That's how I wear so many hats. If there's a better way, I haven't learned it. However, things do get placed on the back burner. I have a screenplay marinating until my debut novel is complete. It will be there when I'm ready, but I will have a fresh pair of eagle eyes to see more clearly what works and what doesn't.

I take the advice of Eckhart Tolle and try to live in the now. You never know where the current might lead. I used to swim upstream—that made life difficult. It's much easier to go with the flow. After my debut novel, I plan to get back to my campy thriller. I like switching it up. I could never understand why creatives are boxed into one genre for branding like cattle. Artists should follow their passion; sometimes, that's more than one thing. And if it is one thing, then give that your all.

My endgame is to build enough perpetual royalty so that I can retire and write full-time. I'm happiest and most fulfilled when I'm creating. I make sacrifices because I wouldn't be fulfilled doing anything else. There aren't any shortcuts that I know of. Hopefully, the sacrifices will pay off long term. The only difference between a patented inventor and a person with an idea is that the former never stops failing until he succeeds. The world would be dim if Edison stopped on the thousandth try.

I found AllAuthor online. I needed another way to market myself but grew frustrated with my futile attempts to build a website. I’m a creative not a techie. I needed to promote my books without running expensive ads, and I won't use more than two social networks. The spinning plates that I'm juggling would become unbalanced. I don't want marketing to become a full-time job. 

AllAuthor is an affordable and helpful marketing tool. I like that I have two price plans so I can push with the pro plan when publishing a new book and return to the basic plan when I'm writing. I LOVED that a simple author site was built into the platform. This was the selling point for me. The only thing I haven't liked is some of the spam I get, but it was taken care of immediately upon request. AllAuthor is a valuable, and well-thought-out site designed specifically to fill the needs of authors trying to promote their work. I'm grateful for your services. Writers need a lot of tools in their toolbox.