A service that strives to connect authors with publishers asked me to answer a couple of questions. The first was about writing style. I said:
I’m inspired by screenwriter Joss Whedon’s talent for crafting impossible settings in a way that makes them seem natural and even commonplace.
The other was about the qualities a writer brings to the table, and where they come from.
Being raised overseas has given me an eye for cultural idiosyncrasies and an ear for dialect. I see archetypes and genre traditions in the same light. I try to tread on the edge of this space, acknowledging the reader’s expectations when I must, and staking out new territory when I can.
If you’re curious about process, or what I’m trying to accomplish, please visit the essay “What you might like about my books“.
I’m having a great time telling stories. I hope you enjoy reading them.
John Dyer Writes 
I like your page – keep up the good work
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Do you have a Twitter-handle I could use to tweet about Anzu?
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I do!
@JohnDyerWrites
Thanks!
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Love this, “I am inspired by screenwriter Joss Whedon’s talent for crafting impossible settings in a way that makes them seem natural and even commonplace.” A noble pursuit, indeed. I’m glad you found my little corner of the world. Thanks for reading and welcome to the fence jumpers and thanks for following my blog. @sheilamgood at Cow Pasture Chronicles
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are you any relation to Dr. Wayne Dyerm
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It’s not impossible. He bears a resemblance to members of my family. You’ve inspired me to look him up on ancestry.com. thanks for checking in.
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John,
What a find your writing and your stories are for me! We had to overlap at the American school as I was born in Manila in 1952 and left there to finish out boarding school in Massachusetts. We lived directly across from the old American school on Donada Street, and we frequented many of the same haunts, including the Polo Club and the Army and Navy Club. I am the only one in my family who was not interned in Santo Thomas during the war. My parents and three older brothers went into Santo Tomas in February 1942 and were liberated in March (I believe) of 1945.
The father of a friend of mine at the American school named Rich Zautner worked at Meralco. In fact I am planning to visit Rich in Maui in October .
My Dad worked at Atlantic Gulf & Pacific until he passed away in 1965. Leaving Manila was devastating under those circumstances.
You are absolutely correct: living in Manila when we were there was an unforgettable experience. When you mentioned a Russian music teacher I knew exactly who it was: Olga DeWitt, née Ifland! I’d be thrilled to speak with you but I don’t want to provide my cell phone on this board. Why don’t you email me directly?
Mabuhay! Bill
PS I’m in the Boston area.
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It’s terrific to hear from you! I’ll message back if I don’t have your email in the users file. JGD.
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Dear John,
Thank you very much for perusing and commenting on my post entitled “📝 Manuscript Assessment Criteria ☑️” published at
I am grateful that you have provided delightful feedback on the said Manuscript Assessment Criteria, which provides a complete checklist for writers to evaluate and inspect their own works (either by themselves or with a group of readers or editors) before submitting their manuscripts to publishers, and also during successive edits after the previous submission(s) and before the next submission.
Since then, I have had the great pleasure of visiting your blog and getting to know you and what you do. You are obviously an accomplished writer favouring and focussing on science fiction, as mentioned in your excellent and revealing post entitled “Goaltending – John Dyer Writes”.
I am multitasking at the moment, and am in the process of responding to your comment with a very long and bespoke reply that is forthcoming in my said post. As I need to attend to some errands, it may take me an hour or two (or even longer) to finish and submit my reply. Please bear with me.
Once again, thank you for interacting with me. Wishing you a wonderfully productive mid-season doing or enjoying whatever that satisfies you the most! Take care and prosper!
Yours sincerely,
SoundEagle🦅
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What a wonderful missive! I can hardly wait!
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what a lovely surprise for me to get a positive feedback on my meandering search just on a lark about my beloved Russian piano teacher who lived in the Philippines and taught at the American School there as well as the University of the Philippines in the 1960s!
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Olga DeWitt. I remember her well.
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