I used to think blog hops were like chain letters, but after taking part in a few, I now liken them to conversation starters.
Today, my taskmaster is a UK-based writer who goes by the unique moniker, The Parasite Guy. At first I thought maybe he was a biologist who specialized in parasites, but later found out it has to do with the main character in his novel.
Enough chit-chat! On to the Q&A:
Give a quote that you like.
“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”
– Louis L’Amour.
This quote is taped to my monitor on my desk. I like it because it tells me to show up every day as a writer. What better person to give that message than the author of 105 works!
Why do you create what you do?
I write mostly sci-fi/fantasy because that’s what I like to read. My series The Dream Guild Chronicles started out years ago as a fantasy story that featured a kid who loved Legos. It’s changed a lot over time (as has my Lego-playing son).
Last summer, I started co-writing a military-political thriller called Weapons of Mass Deception. Prior to becoming a full-time writer a year ago, I was a corporate type, the kind you see in airports pulling a roller bag and talking on a cell phone. After publishing four sci-fi books, I decided I'd like to write something for all my former business colleagues.
How does your creative process work?
I tend to be a very goal-oriented person, so daily word counts are important to me. When I am writing a first draft, my goal is at least 2000 wpd. I try to write every day and I don’t do any editing of the first draft until it is complete.
I use an outline as a guide and allow the story to take me where it wants to go. I’m happy to rewrite the outline as much as needed, but I always force myself to take the narrative all the way to the end. If you’ve read the book, 2K to 10K, by Rachel Aaron, she makes the point that having an outline allows you to write faster and more consistently—very true.
How does your work differ from others in your genre?
As a newer writer, I didn't pay much attention to genre for my first series, I simply wrote the kind of story that I wanted to read. My stories tend to dance along the line between sci-fi and fantasy. Some of my readers love that, others not so much.
As an example, in Irradiance, the main story is set on an alien planet peopled by a dystopian society called the Community. They have telepathy and space elevators and deep-space travel technology. Pretty clearly sci-fi. In Book 2, called Sight, one of the main characters is adopted by an indigenous tribe of hunter-gatherers on another planet. Parts of that story read more like Clan of the Cave Bear than Star Trek.
I released Sacrifice, the third book in the series last week and this one has a better blend between both genres. Sacrifice is the story of a boy who is stranded on a pre-Columbian Earth and has to navigate his way through tribal kingdoms at war, like what you might get if Lost in Space crashlanded into the ancient Incas.
What are you working on right now?
In addition to the third book in my sci-fi series, I also just released a piece of fan fiction based on Michael Bunker’s PENNSYLVANIA, called The Yesterday Adjustment If you’ve never written (or read) fan fiction, I highly recommend it. It was really fun to write and I’ve gotten a few emails from readers who enjoyed reading it, too.
As I mentioned above, I’m co-writing a military thriller called Weapons of Mass Deception, based on the premise that Saddam Hussein really did have nuclear weapons at the start of the Gulf War, and put them in the hands of the most unlikely of caretakers. Think the Iranians don’t have nukes? Think again.
The Hand Off Goes To…
The next victim volunteer on the hit parade is the talented Ashley Carlson. Her first YA fantasy novel, The Charismatics, will be born on December 13, 2014. Mark your calendars, people!
David Bruns is the creator of the sci-fi series The Dream Guild Chronicles, and one half of the Two Navy Guys and a Novel blog series about co-writing the military thriller, Weapons of Mass Deception. Check out his website for a free sample of his work.
