Ask the Author: Stephen Vaughn
Answered Questions (5)
Stephen Vaughn
The Room - Hubert Selby Jr.
Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace
Re-reading Catch-22 - Joseph Heller
Re-reading House of Leaves - Mark Z. Danielewski
Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace
Re-reading Catch-22 - Joseph Heller
Re-reading House of Leaves - Mark Z. Danielewski
Stephen Vaughn
M.I.N.D. came from wanting to emulate people like Philip K. Dick and Kurt Vonnegut. It's a shameless rip off of their writing styles, really because I never realized until reading most of their books that those two wrote the way I think and that's why I love them. The idea to do something with memory came because I have a morbid fascination with memory decay and insanity. The breaking down of reality to where you can't tell what's real and what's imagined is a dark and scary alley I enjoy walking down. But past all the intellectual, artsy-fartsy stuff I really just wanted to write a story about what happens before something like 1984 happens. What happened to the people who were originally involved in it, did they know what they were doing? That kind of thing. I don't know if I succeeded but I wouldn't be surprised to find myself walking down that alley again someday.
Stephen Vaughn
Usually if I have writers block it' because I'm not inspired. If not then it's often due to being burned out on whatever I'm writing.
People always tell you to just write constantly, but sometimes the best thing you can do for your story is to stop and walk away for a few days.
People always tell you to just write constantly, but sometimes the best thing you can do for your story is to stop and walk away for a few days.
Stephen Vaughn
My next novel has a working title (subject to change) of Fade To Black. It's another noire-ish kind of story that involves some sci-fi element.
Stephen Vaughn
It's going to hurt, it's going to make you uncomfortable, and you're probably going to hate what you write and yourself during the writing. Stay strong and don't be afraid to expose yourself. There are few feelings that match the rewarding euphoria of finishing something and being proud of it.
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