John Michael Flynn

My name is John Michael Flynn, though I often publish my work under the name, Basil Rosa. I live in England, just north of London, in the town of Watford.

Question 1: What have you written that you're the most proud of?

I suppose the most recent work I've published is always the one I'm most proud of. Here is a link to my 2022 collection of essays, How The Quiet Breathes.

Question 2: What do the words “writer’s block” mean to you? 

I don't believe in this. Some days are more productive than others. I write each day, best I can. When I go to my day job, which I need, of course, in order to pay my bills, do I complain of worker's block simply because I'm having an off day? I don't think so.

Question 3: What is your writing process like? Are you more of a plotter or a pantser?

I'm what F Scott Fitzgerald called in one of his essays, "a slasher." I dump it all out, non-stop, until I have a mound of material to work with and sift through and shape. This is the fun part. The hard work is then getting out my chisel and scalpel, working through endless revisions in order to form a publishable story, novel or essay.

Question 4: If you could spend a day with another popular author, whom would you choose?

Here in the UK, Lionel Shriver is quite popular and renowned. She strikes me as a very interesting woman.

Question 5: What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about writing?

I have two unforgettable moments to share regarding this question. Firstly, the late Trevor Preston, a screenwriter and playwright, on the Brixton set of his film, I'll Sleep When I'm Dead, having read my first collection of short stories, Something Grand, invited me to join him for an afternoon chat at the BBC studios in London. We spoke for two hours about my story collection, and at one point he looked me in the eye and said, "Write to the heart, the essence of the scene."

Secondly, the late poet laureate of Connecticut, Leo Connellan, having read my first book of poems, Moments Between Cities, phoned me one day out of the blue, and apparently he had my book is in hand, and he went through each of his favorite poems of mine, line by line, over the phone. After what was a very long one-sided conversation, he finished by saying, "Remember, Johnny, always get to the point, and try to keep one step ahead of all the pricks out there."

Question 6: What do you think is the best way to improve writing skills?

Practice, practice, practice. Subjugate your ego and desire for approbation to the higher cause of rigorously laboring in silence to master your craft. When I was very young, I was fortunate enough to befriend an older professional actor who had spoken a couple of times to T.S. Eliot. This man once asked Mr. Eliot what it took to write a great play. Mr. Eliot replied, and I paraphrase, "First, read 1,000 plays, write 100 of them, and then do it again. Maybe, after that, you will get lucky and one of them will be good, but don't count on it."

Question 7: Are there any books or authors that inspired you to become a writer?

I love to read. I read all the time, daily, and always have ever since a boy. Oddly enough, I seldom equate the experience of enjoying a good book with what I am trying to write at any given time. I read as much fiction as non-fiction, and plays, essays and religious works. One book that moved me profoundly is Autobiography of A Yogi. But what did it have to do with my writing? Very little. I go to books to be entertained or enlightened. My voice, as it were, is still developing.

Question 8: If you had to describe yourself in just three words, what would those be?

precocious, instinctive, subversive