Sonja Nitschke recently interviewed Ryan A. Span, author of Street.  Below, you’ll find his thoughts on writing in general and web serials in particular.  Enjoy!

Sonja:  I thought we could start with the very basics like . . . how long have you been writing?

Ryan:  I started toying about with writing when I was very young, but nothing serious, all in Dutch because I had no command of English at the time. Then I lost interest as I started to grow up. Didn’t really do anything creative until I picked up writing in English in 2001.

Sonja:  Wow, you speak and write English very well.  Do you write in Dutch at all now?

Ryan:  Thank you. No, I have a passionate dislike for the language.

Sonja:  Any reason why?

Ryan:  I’ve never been able to express myself the way I wanted to in Dutch. Either the vocabulary doesn’t exist, or the words and grammar are just too crude.

It’s not an elegant language.  :p

Sonja: Interesting.  I’ve always imagined how it would be like to write in a different language. When we were talking earlier you mentioned a medieval fantasy story you’re working on — what else do you write besides Street?

Ryan:  I’ll follow up on any idea that I really like just for the hell of writing it. For specific submissions I’ll come up with specific ideas. I’m writing a sociological sci-fi short for an upcoming anthology, I’ve recently finished a different sci-fi short for the Gryphonwood anthology, and I’m writing a medieval fantasy/steampunk story of indeterminate length because I think it’s fantastic so far.

But of course all of that plays second fiddle to Street.

Sonja:  You consider Street your baby, so to speak?

Ryan:  My baby of the moment, yeah. It all changes over time. I had a different baby before Street took over, and I’m sure that once Street’s finished I’ll move on to something else. It’s sad to ‘lose’ the characters you’ve spent so much time with but it’s gotta be done.

Sonja:  Would you mind telling me more about Street?  The writing process, inspirations, why you wanted to tell that particular story, that kind of thing?

Ryan:  The first scene of Street was actually written back in . . . 2005, I think.  And the first glimmerings of the idea that started it are even older, it’s been in my notes for god knows how long.  Either way, it was a long time ago, and it went through several stages of sitting on my hard drive gathering dust while I focused on other stories. 

Then in late 2006, when I decided I really wanted to start a web serial, I had that first scene ready and waiting to be revived as something in long format. I had absolutely nothing written up or plotted out for it, and I still don’t apart from a few planned events in the plot and a general sense of where it’s going. I don’t plan ahead in my stories.

In fact, when I first sat down with it, Gabriel didn’t exist. None of the characters had any kind of backstory. The setting was an empty canvas. It all just grew out to fill the void as the story evolved, and I think it helps tie the characters more closely to the world. It only ever exists and is only fleshed out in their perceptions.

My main inspirations for it have been, by far, Snow Crash by Stephenson and obviously Neuromancer.

It’s also been influenced by the Song of Ice & Fire series, of all things, in its way of weaving the echoes of past events into the current plotline.

Sonja:  Song of Ice and Fire is actually on my ever growing to read list. 

Ryan:  I -highly- recommend it. Only fantasy I’ve read in years that’s held my interest, my favourite series of books bar none. 

Still, I expect my favourite individual titles will always be Snow Crash and American Gods.

Sonja:  American Gods.  Loved it.

Ryan:  American Gods has influenced me as a writer in general more than inspiring any specific story. I learned to write dialogue by watching Gaiman and Joss Whedon.

Sonja:  Whedon!  <3 What is your favorite Joss Whedon work?

Ryan:  Firefly, by a mile.  Although I confess a great fondness for Dr. Horrible. 

Sonja:  I thought Dr. Horrible was amazing, a real boost for web media in general.

Ryan:  Yeah, I couldn’t really imagine myself actually enjoying a musical until I watched Dr. Horrible.

Sonja:  I should probably ask you my next question instead of getting giddy as a school girl about Gaiman and books and Whedon in general.  Ha.

So . . . back on track . . . (ahem) . . . why did you choose the web serial route instead of traditional publication?

Ryan:  At the time I’d had some bad experiences with traditional publishers and their reading times, poor communications, and general lack of approachability. I really couldn’t be bothered to wait to write the whole of the first book, edit it several times, and only then have a chance of getting it published.

An old submission of mine to a fairly big traditional publisher took a year to even get read, at which point the chief editor died and my sub got lost in the chaos. After some abortive conversations by e-mail, I ended up losing the mail address I submitted from, and despite multiple attempts to get them to correct my contact info I never received word back.

In the end it took three years to get a final answer out of them.

Sonja:  That does sound really awful.  :(  So how did Gryphonwood Press pick it up?

Ryan:  After I finished Empathy I was fairly disillusioned. At my lowest point I even considering self-publishing it, but rather than falling into that trap I instead put the feelers out for some POD publishers that I could contact who might consider web-published material.

It ended up reaching the editor of Gryphonwood, who read Street and was impressed by it. He contacted me quietly to establish what my goals were (a published novel series with high production values, as commercially successful as possible). After some messages back and forth he revealed his identity and made me an offer.

Sonja:  Awesome.  That’s great, I’ve heard from several people that most novels won’t consider stuff on the net, so congratulations. 

Ryan:  Yeah, most traditional publishers won’t go for anything that’s been seen anywhere before, including on the web. I thought it was a good deal to get my foot in the door as an author.

Sonja:  Do you have any other goals for your writing?

Ryan:  I’m aiming for mainstream success with both my fiction and my career in game design. I’m never going to exclude one for the other, though, and in the end I want as many people as possible to read, discuss, and buy my books for their quality.

Sonja:  What do you think is the most important thing you’ve learned during the years you’ve been writing?

Ryan:  My biggest lesson was probably the point where I realised that writing isn’t high art. It’s not something sacred that you should put on a pedestal, not something to agonise over or have pretensions about. You’re not doing anything revolutionary, and any unique visions you’ve got have probably been had a hundred times before.

You can’t blame muses or inspiration or any other bollocks for your own failures, either. It’s like driving a car, you’re the one behind the wheel, so just drive. You don’t have to feel like it.  It annoys me when people get mystical about their writing.  I’m a practical sort of guy.

Sonja:  Same here. 

Do you have any tips for “publishing” a story on the web in serial format?

Ryan:  Well, I’ve got three rules for Street that I try to live by.

1. Keep a regular schedule, update when you say you’re going to update. No excuses.

2. Have a buffer. Keep it steady or growing, never let it shrink unless there’s no other option.

3.Make sure as many people know about you and your story as possible.

Sonja:  A lot of web novelists that I’ve encountered have a difficult time spreading the word about their serial.  How did you do it?

Ryan:  It’s a tricky thing for web serials, they’re such a niche form of entertainment that it’s incredibly difficult to break out of the linkless quarantine zone that you tend to start out in. Street still hasn’t reached nearly as far as I’d like it to.

For the most part I’ve built my fanbase by taking on other, more easily accessible projects and making them successful, then bringing in the links from there. If you create one thing that somebody ends up enjoying, they’re a lot more likely to try out something else with your name on it, even if it’s a totally different thing.

That’s one of the reasons why I think anthologies are an important way of getting your name out there.

Published short fiction is a good way of getting established, each credit is a significant mark on your CV.

Sonja:  CV?

Ryan:  My apologies, you of the American persuasion would probably call it a resume.

Sonja:  Good to know.

I noticed that you don’t have a link to leave comments on Street, which surprised me as a lot of web novelists like the author -reader interaction.  Why did you choose to go away from that?

Ryan:  It wasn’t a conscious choice, we just didn’t integrate it into the design. The Street site is all hand-crafted work, not an off-the-shelf WordPress install.  The comments function on things like web serials and e-zines tend to go completely unused anyway, resulting in a kind-of deserted ghost-town feeling to the pages.

Sonja:  I see.

Ryan:  Maybe someday I can sweet-talk Olli (my web designer) into adding it.  We’ve always offered a forum for reader interaction anyway.

Sonja:  True.  Well, I think we’ve pretty much covered all the basics.  Do you have any closing thoughts to add?

Ryan:  I think you’re doing well with the WFG, it’s growing like mad, and webfiction needs a central community like that in order to stabilize and become more accepted.

Sonja:  Thanks!  Any last thoughts from a writerly perspective about web serials in general?

Ryan:  In order to spread your image as a respectable author, I firmly believe in putting your best foot forward wherever people can see you or your work. We may not all be professionals, but we can at least act like we are.

Thanks a lot for the interview.  It was a lot of fun.