EXCERT FROM AN INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR OF
"BEING HAPPY MATTERS"
What was behind writing a book about happiness?
It's interesting: I know a gentleman, Rick, who has had more bad things happen to him than anyone I've ever met. I mean, we're talking deaths of people very close to him, accidents... just a number of things that should never occur to anyone. And yet, despite all the tragedy, Rick maintains a level of happiness that is quite astonishing. I ended up asking him several questions about this and discovered a lot. I won't take you through it here (you have to buy the book!) but it's really all about attitude. In Rick's case, it's about how he perceives life and the world and his role within it. I truly found this to be quite breathtaking and I remember saying to myself, "If I find this intriguing, chances are pretty good others will too. Perhaps there's a book here." 37 interviews with people from around the world later, "Being Happy Matters" was published.
37 people... how did you find them all?
They hail from Canada, the U.S. Europe, Australia, Asia... all over the place. Where I found them is a question I get asked a lot. In fact, when I'm talking with aspiring writers, I always tell them that in composing the kind of books that I write – non-fiction works that I hope will be a resource and inspire readers towards better lives – the first job is to be a reporter. Everyone wants to get into fancy writing, and believe me, I love the art of writing. Always have. And, I'll boast a bit here and tell you I'm pretty good at it. It's a wonderful, creative pursuit. But with this kind of book, your first job is to dig up the facts. Find the people that influence the story. Poke and prod and discover the details, just like a good reporter. Now, in the case of "Being Happy Matters", this meant months and months of research on the internet to detect people who I thought were genuinely happy. Yes, it's subjective, but it's my book so... Then, you have to track them down and see if they'd be open to doing an interview. In the case of well-known people, this can be frustrating because they're often surrounded by "handlers" and you have to break through those folks. It's a ton of work. But the fun part starts once you've done the interviews and compiled all the info. That's when the creative writing part take's over.
So what's the ratio between research and creative writing?
O gosh... hmmm... probably something like 75% research and interviewing, 25% writing. But I'm guessing... I'd have to think about that a bit more to be accurate.
That's OK. Tell me about the interviewing part. Is that something you had to learn to do?
Actually, I'm lucky there. Going back to my radio days (and that's going back a long way!), I gravitated early on to interviewing. I really like the challenge of getting underneath a story, asking questions others might not think of, discovering little bits of arcane information that can set a story apart. I wasn't afraid to do the research work up front either. And the skills I learned on the job back then have stayed with me. In fact, I recently had a TV show taped before a live audience, "Be My Guest", where I had conversations with some really fascinating people, like newsman Lloyd Robertson, CARP head Moses Znaimer, authors like Terry Fallis and Paula Todd... really fascinating people. And I try to use that same approach when talking with people for my books.
You say 'conversations', yet we were talking about interviewing people.
You're right, I should draw the distinction. When it was first suggested I do this show, I looked back at TV hosts I'd admired, like the people who'd starred in the late-night talk shows over the years. And two names stood out to me: Jack Par (not as host of the Tonight Show but on the Friday night show that followed that) and Dick Cavett. (Aside: The younger people reading this are probably saying, 'Who the hell are these guys?' You'll have to Google 'em.). Anyway, both of them were really good at having conversations with people. And I really admired their skill in doing that. So I've always avoided the, "Quick, tell me about your new book/show/record..." approach in favour of having an in-depth discussion. Makes for far more interesting, engaging programming. At least, to my way of thinking...
It would seem that the kind of non-fiction work you do is a lot more work than writing fiction. Yes or no?
I suppose so. I mean, if you're spinning a fictitious tale, you do get to sit there and let your imagination go, and have fun writing about the characters you create. I'm actually working on a fiction book right now in my spare time, just for fun. So yes, maybe it's... I'm not going to say easier... maybe it's less work to write fiction than it is to do all the detective work and interviewing tasks involved in the kind of non-fiction writing I do. But fortunately, I do find it rewarding: it's worth the effort. To me, anyway. And to be clear, I'm not dissing fiction writing. It's not an easy discipline.
Another question about interviewing: what's your process?
Here again, it's a personal approach that works for me but might not be right for other writers. I have a small, digital recorder that I use to record my discussions. It allows me to focus on the person at hand and not have my head buried in a binder writing notes. I simply set this little devil down and we talk. Now, later on, I'll take the recording back to my office and transfer it to a QuickTime format, then import that into iTunes where I can listen to it, stopping and starting as I make notes.
You are aware there are apps that can take spoken words and pull them into Word documents...
Oh yeah, for sure. And if I was looking for expediency, I'd be all over that. But I find that when I'm listening back to my conversations, I often pick up on nuances I may have missed before. To avoid hearing the person I talked to would be like watching the ball game without the audio on. And then there's that old adage about, "Hearing or listening: which one are you doing?"
Good point. Let's talk about the office you referred to. Where do you work? And how do you work?
As little as possible! No seriously, I have an office in my home. It's at the back of my house. I live on the water and my first inclination was to place my office where I'd be able to look out on my beautiful view of Georgian Bay. But I figured that would be too full of distractions, so I avoided the temptation.
As to how I work: I'm a lucky guy in that I've never faced writer's block. If I'm on deadline, I can spit out the words and phrases with pretty good effectiveness. But normally the only target dates are those established by me as goals. I don't subscribe to having a certain number of words I have to write each and every day. And if I wake up at 3am with a neat idea – which has happened a number of times – and I recognize I won't get back to sleep, what the hell, I'll head down stairs, fire up the computer and get to work. Generally I've always got jazz on in the background accompanying my work, occasionally symphony.
What kind of computer?
I'm an Apple guy. Work on an iMac. When I'm on the road, I move files over to my MacBook Air laptop. And I'll even use the Notes function on my iPhone to write up an idea if some "brilliant" thought comes to me and I don't have access to a computer. Hey, do I get product placement dollars here (laughs)?
'Fraid not. Peter, you're known as a writer who actively markets your books, right?
For sure. It's a reality of our time that publishers just don't have the budgets available that they used to in order to support their authors. So yeah, I'm on the front lines when it comes to marketing my books. I'm lucky that when I was running my corporate communications agency in Toronto, Harlequin Books was a client for several years. I got to know many of their people and learned a lot about the publishing biz. So that, and my own branding and marketing experience, has allowed me to develop a lot of expertise. But all that takes work too. When I'm not writing, I'm promoting. It never ends. I've done well over 100 presentations at Probus Clubs and Rotary and libraries and business associations... and each and every one of them I've had to set up myself. Same with TV, radio, newspaper and magazine interviews... you have to court the press and be available as a commentator based on the skills you've developed as a writer. For instance, Dr. Christine Carter of the University of California calls me a "Happiness Expert" based on all the people I interviewed for "Being Happy Matters", which included 7 Ph.Ds. So now I get reporters wanting my opinion when something happens about happiness.
Sounds like a lot of work.
It is. But it was Allan Fotheringham who told me writing is the loneliest profession. It's the only job you do entirely on your own. So getting out to meet readers is rewarding. I always have a Q&A section at the end of my presentations and it can be revealing: you learn about trends from the questions and if maybe you missed out on something when writing the book. It's all a learning experience, just like life itself.
What are you working on currently?
I've recently completed my fourth book, "Pushing The Boundaries! How To Live a Fearless Life." (profiling 30 people from around the world who take risks most of us won't, think outside the box, color outside the lines). It's being considered by publishers right now. And I'm working on "Until I Smile At You" which depicts the life of Ruth Lowe who famously wrote the song that electrified Frank Sinatra's career back in 1940. And there are other manuscripts I'm working on.
Sounds like you keep busy.
Oh yeah... no problem there! Little too busy at times. But, as they say, keeps me off the streets and out of the pool halls!
Always a good thing! Thanks for you time.
My pleasure, thanks for asking.
EXCERT FROM AN INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR OF
"BEING HAPPY MATTERS"
What was behind writing a book about happiness?
It's interesting: I know a gentleman, Rick, who has had more bad things happen to him than anyone I've ever met. I mean, we're talking deaths of people very close to him, accidents... just a number of things that should never occur to anyone. And yet, despite all the tragedy, Rick maintains a level of happiness that is quite astonishing. I ended up asking him several questions about this and discovered a lot. I won't take you through it here (you have to buy the book!) but it's really all about attitude. In Rick's case, it's about how he perceives life and the world and his role within it. I truly found this to be quite breathtaking and I remember saying to myself, "If I find this intriguing, chances are pretty good others will too. Perhaps there's a book here." 37 interviews with people from around the world later, "Being Happy Matters" was published.
37 people... how did you find them all?
They hail from Canada, the U.S. Europe, Australia, Asia... all over the place. Where I found them is a question I get asked a lot. In fact, when I'm talking with aspiring writers, I always tell them that in composing the kind of books that I write – non-fiction works that I hope will be a resource and inspire readers towards better lives – the first job is to be a reporter. Everyone wants to get into fancy writing, and believe me, I love the art of writing. Always have. And, I'll boast a bit here and tell you I'm pretty good at it. It's a wonderful, creative pursuit. But with this kind of book, your first job is to dig up the facts. Find the people that influence the story. Poke and prod and discover the details, just like a good reporter. Now, in the case of "Being Happy Matters", this meant months and months of research on the internet to detect people who I thought were genuinely happy. Yes, it's subjective, but it's my book so... Then, you have to track them down and see if they'd be open to doing an interview. In the case of well-known people, this can be frustrating because they're often surrounded by "handlers" and you have to break through those folks. It's a ton of work. But the fun part starts once you've done the interviews and compiled all the info. That's when the creative writing part take's over.
So what's the ratio between research and creative writing?
O gosh... hmmm... probably something like 75% research and interviewing, 25% writing. But I'm guessing... I'd have to think about that a bit more to be accurate.
That's OK. Tell me about the interviewing part. Is that something you had to learn to do?
Actually, I'm lucky there. Going back to my radio days (and that's going back a long way!), I gravitated early on to interviewing. I really like the challenge of getting underneath a story, asking questions others might not think of, discovering little bits of arcane information that can set a story apart. I wasn't afraid to do the research work up front either. And the skills I learned on the job back then have stayed with me. In fact, I recently had a TV show taped before a live audience, "Be My Guest", where I had conversations with some really fascinating people, like newsman Lloyd Robertson, CARP head Moses Znaimer, authors like Terry Fallis and Paula Todd... really fascinating people. And I try to use that same approach when talking with people for my books.
You say 'conversations', yet we were talking about interviewing people.
You're right, I should draw the distinction. When it was first suggested I do this show, I looked back at TV hosts I'd admired, like the people who'd starred in the late-night talk shows over the years. And two names stood out to me: Jack Par (not as host of the Tonight Show but on the Friday night show that followed that) and Dick Cavett. (Aside: The younger people reading this are probably saying, 'Who the hell are these guys?' You'll have to Google 'em.). Anyway, both of them were really good at having conversations with people. And I really admired their skill in doing that. So I've always avoided the, "Quick, tell me about your new book/show/record..." approach in favour of having an in-depth discussion. Makes for far more interesting, engaging programming. At least, to my way of thinking...
It would seem that the kind of non-fiction work you do is a lot more work than writing fiction. Yes or no?
I suppose so. I mean, if you're spinning a fictitious tale, you do get to sit there and let your imagination go, and have fun writing about the characters you create. I'm actually working on a fiction book right now in my spare time, just for fun. So yes, maybe it's... I'm not going to say easier... maybe it's less work to write fiction than it is to do all the detective work and interviewing tasks involved in the kind of non-fiction writing I do. But fortunately, I do find it rewarding: it's worth the effort. To me, anyway. And to be clear, I'm not dissing fiction writing. It's not an easy discipline.
Another question about interviewing: what's your process?
Here again, it's a personal approach that works for me but might not be right for other writers. I have a small, digital recorder that I use to record my discussions. It allows me to focus on the person at hand and not have my head buried in a binder writing notes. I simply set this little devil down and we talk. Now, later on, I'll take the recording back to my office and transfer it to a QuickTime format, then import that into iTunes where I can listen to it, stopping and starting as I make notes.
You are aware there are apps that can take spoken words and pull them into Word documents...
Oh yeah, for sure. And if I was looking for expediency, I'd be all over that. But I find that when I'm listening back to my conversations, I often pick up on nuances I may have missed before. To avoid hearing the person I talked to would be like watching the ball game without the audio on. And then there's that old adage about, "Hearing or listening: which one are you doing?"
Good point. Let's talk about the office you referred to. Where do you work? And how do you work?
As little as possible! No seriously, I have an office in my home. It's at the back of my house. I live on the water and my first inclination was to place my office where I'd be able to look out on my beautiful view of Georgian Bay. But I figured that would be too full of distractions, so I avoided the temptation.
As to how I work: I'm a lucky guy in that I've never faced writer's block. If I'm on deadline, I can spit out the words and phrases with pretty good effectiveness. But normally the only target dates are those established by me as goals. I don't subscribe to having a certain number of words I have to write each and every day. And if I wake up at 3am with a neat idea – which has happened a number of times – and I recognize I won't get back to sleep, what the hell, I'll head down stairs, fire up the computer and get to work. Generally I've always got jazz on in the background accompanying my work, occasionally symphony.
What kind of computer?
I'm an Apple guy. Work on an iMac. When I'm on the road, I move files over to my MacBook Air laptop. And I'll even use the Notes function on my iPhone to write up an idea if some "brilliant" thought comes to me and I don't have access to a computer. Hey, do I get product placement dollars here (laughs)?
'Fraid not. Peter, you're known as a writer who actively markets your books, right?
For sure. It's a reality of our time that publishers just don't have the budgets available that they used to in order to support their authors. So yeah, I'm on the front lines when it comes to marketing my books. I'm lucky that when I was running my corporate communications agency in Toronto, Harlequin Books was a client for several years. I got to know many of their people and learned a lot about the publishing biz. So that, and my own branding and marketing experience, has allowed me to develop a lot of expertise. But all that takes work too. When I'm not writing, I'm promoting. It never ends. I've done well over 100 presentations at Probus Clubs and Rotary and libraries and business associations... and each and every one of them I've had to set up myself. Same with TV, radio, newspaper and magazine interviews... you have to court the press and be available as a commentator based on the skills you've developed as a writer. For instance, Dr. Christine Carter of the University of California calls me a "Happiness Expert" based on all the people I interviewed for "Being Happy Matters", which included 7 Ph.Ds. So now I get reporters wanting my opinion when something happens about happiness.
Sounds like a lot of work.
It is. But it was Allan Fotheringham who told me writing is the loneliest profession. It's the only job you do entirely on your own. So getting out to meet readers is rewarding. I always have a Q&A section at the end of my presentations and it can be revealing: you learn about trends from the questions and if maybe you missed out on something when writing the book. It's all a learning experience, just like life itself.
What are you working on currently?
I've recently completed my fourth book, "Pushing The Boundaries! How To Live a Fearless Life." (profiling 30 people from around the world who take risks most of us won't, think outside the box, color outside the lines). It's being considered by publishers right now. And I'm working on "Until I Smile At You" which depicts the life of Ruth Lowe who famously wrote the song that electrified Frank Sinatra's career back in 1940. And there are other manuscripts I'm working on.
Sounds like you keep busy.
Oh yeah... no problem there! Little too busy at times. But, as they say, keeps me off the streets and out of the pool halls!
Always a good thing! Thanks for you time.
My pleasure, thanks for asking.
