Ask the Author: Asher Price
Answered Questions (4)
Asher Price
Build an argument. Think about what it is you're trying to say and lay down the evidence. And avoid giving detail for the sake of detail.
Asher Price
I've been lucky enough to sidestep writer's block -- knock on wood! I think this is largely due to my day job: I'm a journalist, and that keeps me in the practice of coming up with ideas and banging out copy. I'm very fortunate that way. And while I think carefully about my reporting and writing and take pride in my journalism work (and I'm lucky to be working with excellent editors at my newspaper), working at a daily newspaper fast teaches you not to be too precious about it all -- your stories need to bend to the realities of space (or column-inches available to you) and the need to get your point across quickly to readers. In other words, you learn a certain kind of discipline.
Asher Price
For me, writing is like solving a puzzle. It's less about being inspired than about figuring out how to piece together disparate facts into an interesting narrative. This is what I try to do every day in my work, as a newspaper reporter in Austin, and it's the challenge I face, on a much wider scale, in my book writing. The most satisfying part of my work is when I land on a way to fit the pieces together.
Asher Price
I'm very excited about Year of the Dunk, the book that hits shelves in May 2015. I first got interested in dunking as a little kid -- one of my earliest memories is seeing footage of Spud Webb win the 1986 dunk contest -- and as an adult in my mid-30s, I found myself wondering whether I could dunk, if I put my mind (and body) to it. That led me to thinking about how we generally wonder about what talents we left on the table -- what hidden potential do we have? -- which is more broadly what the book is about.
I lucked into my previous book, about pioneers and politics in the Texas wind business. My friend Kate Galbraith, a fantastic journalist, invited me along for that project; the more we worked on it, the more fascinating the subject became, and we were able to fashion a story around a few great characters, some in the Texas hinterlands and some in the Capitol in Austin.
I lucked into my previous book, about pioneers and politics in the Texas wind business. My friend Kate Galbraith, a fantastic journalist, invited me along for that project; the more we worked on it, the more fascinating the subject became, and we were able to fashion a story around a few great characters, some in the Texas hinterlands and some in the Capitol in Austin.
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