Ask the Author: C.R.J. Smith
Answered Questions (6)
C.R.J. Smith
I work a 9 to 5 (well, a 7:30 to 4 to be precise) and I spend a large part of my day thinking about writing. This can translate into getting home and throwing myself into writing with gusto or, too often, getting home and wanting to do nothing except crash on the couch. When this happens, it can be difficult to get into the head space to sit alone and write, no matter what ideas I've had.
My Fiancee helps a lot by kicking my ass until I go to my desk. Once there, I'm inspired by the books I love and the desire to create something that others may love and be inspired by.
My biggest driver is wanting to write things that my Fiancee wants to read. She's my first reader and if she's happy with something, then that's all that matters to me. (And if something doesn't work, she isn't afraid to tell me)
My Fiancee helps a lot by kicking my ass until I go to my desk. Once there, I'm inspired by the books I love and the desire to create something that others may love and be inspired by.
My biggest driver is wanting to write things that my Fiancee wants to read. She's my first reader and if she's happy with something, then that's all that matters to me. (And if something doesn't work, she isn't afraid to tell me)
C.R.J. Smith
I've loved zombie movies since I was a kid. The original Romero trilogy are some of my favourite films. When I decided to sit down and give writing a serious go, it was because an idea had been rattling around in my head for some time.
I had an idea about a zombie outbreak in a small town, but instead of just throwing in gallons of blood and guts to cover up the lack of a story, I wanted it to be focused on two friends stuck in their house. They were going to be the only human characters until the very end, and most of the story was going to be zombie free.
As it turned out, other characters turned up earlier than expected and demanded a bigger part. These interlopers drove the story in different directions and it ended up in an unexpected but, I think, better place.
And I managed to avoid it just being; Aargh, zombie, bite, blood.
So basically, I like zombie stories, and I wanted to write one.
I had an idea about a zombie outbreak in a small town, but instead of just throwing in gallons of blood and guts to cover up the lack of a story, I wanted it to be focused on two friends stuck in their house. They were going to be the only human characters until the very end, and most of the story was going to be zombie free.
As it turned out, other characters turned up earlier than expected and demanded a bigger part. These interlopers drove the story in different directions and it ended up in an unexpected but, I think, better place.
And I managed to avoid it just being; Aargh, zombie, bite, blood.
So basically, I like zombie stories, and I wanted to write one.
C.R.J. Smith
Keep writing. It sounds obvious and we've all heard it before, but there really is no better way to improve your craft. When I finished writing 'Semianimus' and did the first edit, I changed a lot at the start of the book, but as I worked my way through it, the major changes became less and less. Over the course of one book I noticed an improvement and that simply came from practice.
You'll be given plenty of advice and rules and must-do's, but the only thing you must do, is what works for you. By all means, try different ways of working, but discard anything that doesn't feel right. No one is going to write your story for you. It's a solitary undertaking and you have to be confident and put your own stamp on it, mistakes and all.
But then, what the hell do I know?
You'll be given plenty of advice and rules and must-do's, but the only thing you must do, is what works for you. By all means, try different ways of working, but discard anything that doesn't feel right. No one is going to write your story for you. It's a solitary undertaking and you have to be confident and put your own stamp on it, mistakes and all.
But then, what the hell do I know?
C.R.J. Smith
I'm working on a new novel and I also have some short stories in various stages of completion.
C.R.J. Smith
You can do whatever you want. No matter what is going on in your life, the stresses and obligations, when you sit down to write, there are no rules.
You can go to places that are unique to you, whole worlds of your own creation. It could be a fantastical, magical world or a version of your home town. It doesn't matter, what happens there is up to you.
Your characters can be extensions of you and you can speak to the reader through them or they might be so different from you that you become somebody else as you write them.
They can perform good, heroic acts that you would never be able to or they can be so evil and horrific that you may wonder what dark recess of your mind they crawled from.
Writing is fun, frustrating, therapeutic and maddening. But when you finish a piece of work and send it out into the world, there's no better feeling.
You can go to places that are unique to you, whole worlds of your own creation. It could be a fantastical, magical world or a version of your home town. It doesn't matter, what happens there is up to you.
Your characters can be extensions of you and you can speak to the reader through them or they might be so different from you that you become somebody else as you write them.
They can perform good, heroic acts that you would never be able to or they can be so evil and horrific that you may wonder what dark recess of your mind they crawled from.
Writing is fun, frustrating, therapeutic and maddening. But when you finish a piece of work and send it out into the world, there's no better feeling.
C.R.J. Smith
Fortunately, it's not something I have had to deal with yet. If/when it does happen, I hope it's more of a speed bump than a block.
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