Ask the Author: Tom Goss
Answered Questions (6)
Tom Goss
I interpret this question two ways: Where do I get my ideas and what makes me sit down and write?
My inspirations are as varied as the stories I tell. Sometimes it's a local news story that gets me thinking (Specter of Grief), sometimes it's an idea like the colonization of Mars (Throwback), and sometimes it's just a challenge I set for myself--like writing a sci-fi version of The Hobbit (Menace in the Goldilocks Zone).
As for what makes me sit down and write, it used to be excitement about a particular idea--but as any writer knows, that excitement ebbs with the hard work of putting the right words in the right order on paper. So it did with me for many years. I would start something with great enthusiasm and get discouraged by the work. These days, while the work is often still hard, I look forward to it. Indeed, it is something I need to do.
My inspirations are as varied as the stories I tell. Sometimes it's a local news story that gets me thinking (Specter of Grief), sometimes it's an idea like the colonization of Mars (Throwback), and sometimes it's just a challenge I set for myself--like writing a sci-fi version of The Hobbit (Menace in the Goldilocks Zone).
As for what makes me sit down and write, it used to be excitement about a particular idea--but as any writer knows, that excitement ebbs with the hard work of putting the right words in the right order on paper. So it did with me for many years. I would start something with great enthusiasm and get discouraged by the work. These days, while the work is often still hard, I look forward to it. Indeed, it is something I need to do.
Tom Goss
The best thing about being a writer is the thrill of creating characters that somehow wind up with minds of their own. Writing is the most fun when I realize that a character I've created wouldn't say or do something I think they need to in order to move the story forward. Very often, what the character would say or do sends the story off in a different--and better--direction.
Tom Goss
Read, read, and then read. When you tire of reading, write, write and then write. Then go back to reading.
Tom Goss
I am actually between books right now. I am deciding between a sequel to The Rewards of Virtue, or diving right into Throwback Book II.
Tom Goss
I heard an interview with Joan Didion and she said that she didn't believe in writer's block. She said you just write something, even if it's terrible--because she said, you can fix terrible. If you don't write, on the other hand, you have nothing.
That made a lot of sense to me, so I always try to write at least 3 whole sentences every day. That way the work moves forward.
That made a lot of sense to me, so I always try to write at least 3 whole sentences every day. That way the work moves forward.
Tom Goss
Years ago, I became fascinated with the Mars rover missions and the assertions of how "earthlike" the Red planet was. I began thinking about how colonization of the planet might happen. I wrote the first draft of the first chapter, and set it aside for 10 years. I came back to it with very different ideas and thoughts on the subject.
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