Ask the Author: John Prather
Answered Questions (8)
John Prather
I'm struggling to think of anything in my life that's particularly mysterious. Maybe the fact that (according to 23andMe) I'm 1/64 Kongolese. I have my suspicions about what happened, and the story behind that might make a good novel.
John Prather
The Jesus Nut came from a How to Write a Novel class. Someone used the term and I said, "That would be a great title. I don't know what it's about, but some day I'm going to write that novel." And, from the bare bones of that idea, I did.
John Prather
I am currently working on a novel about three people in search of a weird religious artifact. I'm going to keep the title to myself until I finish. The novel is a satire that also deals with homelessness, academic snobbery, the pervasiveness of advertising, and the innate value of every human being. With all that, though, it likely fits into the category of "offbeat/quirky."
John Prather
I plan to read Rules of Thumb, the debut novel by my friend Jerry MacNeil. That'll probably be my beach read. Jerry is a funny dude. I also try to challenge myself at least once a year, and I haven't done so yet in 2017, so I may finally get to Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond and/or Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. Always trying to learn. If anyone actually reads this, I would love to see your responses as to what is on your summer reading list. Thanks.
John Prather
I love Nick and Nora Charles (The Thin Man, Dashiell Hammett) because they are so witty, in the way that you wish you could talk to people but are afraid to get slapped, but in general I prefer Raymond Chandler to Hammett.
So with them eliminated, I think I'll have to go with Yossarian and the Girl in the Lime Green Panties. They weren't really a couple as much as Yossarian's lustful desire, but they were perfect for the tone of Catch-22, which is my favorite novel.
Contemporary, I really enjoyed Don and Rosie from The Rosie Project.
So with them eliminated, I think I'll have to go with Yossarian and the Girl in the Lime Green Panties. They weren't really a couple as much as Yossarian's lustful desire, but they were perfect for the tone of Catch-22, which is my favorite novel.
Contemporary, I really enjoyed Don and Rosie from The Rosie Project.
John Prather
Not very well, unfortunately. Both the minutiae and the important stuff of life get in the way too often, and I'll go long periods without writing much. However, the better answer would be to write. Songwriter Ira Gershwin said he loved when he wrote a bad song because it meant he was that much closer to a good one. And I have heard some of his bad songs--they're really bad. Yet he was perhaps the greatest and most prolific lyricist of the first half of the 20th century. Stephen King, who knows a thing or two about writing, says you write the first draft with the door shut and then you revise with the door open, meaning that by shutting out anyone else's opinion, a writer is free to flail about without recrimination. Another writer (I think it was David Morrell) once told me that there are three people in the writing process--writer, editor, and businessman--and that only one can be in the room at any given time. Point being, the best way to deal with writer's block is to write. Maybe it becomes something good. Maybe when you edit later you're able to salvage something. Maybe it's complete garbage, but it gets the juices going again. Writers write.
Of course, I can also add that running used to be a great tool. I solved many a narrative issue over a ten-mile run. The brain works best when it has blood flowing.
Of course, I can also add that running used to be a great tool. I solved many a narrative issue over a ten-mile run. The brain works best when it has blood flowing.
John Prather
Humorist Dave Barry once said that the best thing about being a writer was that he could work in his underwear. I suppose there are benefits to that but, to me, the best thing about being a writer is the opportunity to create your own unique world and the satisfaction when it works. Even when writing something realistic, every choice you make can propel you in a new direction or can stimulate something you had not considered. I had an outline or sorts for The Adminisphere, but John Woodacre, the Nerds, and Errol Strothers are among many characters who were created on the spot. I wish I played a musical instrument so I could get the satisfaction of knowing I nailed a certain riff or whatever, but I suppose this is the same feeling. And then, when some spontaneous idea makes a character or a scene turn out even better than anticipated, it's a magical feeling of creativity. In addition, the analytical side of me loves the satisfaction of working on a sentence until it's as good as I can make it.
John Prather
Experience stuff. Read lots. Pay attention in English class. Write often. Do not allow others to discourage you.
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