Ask the Author: John R. Bancroft
Answered Questions (9)
John R. Bancroft
Still working on The Super-Organism (Holldobler and Wilson) and Handbook of North American Indians, vol 11 (Smithsonian).
Need to find a good text on bristlecone pines. Any suggestions?
Need to find a good text on bristlecone pines. Any suggestions?
John R. Bancroft
My father's father is a missing piece in our family tree. My brothers and I were told one story, which turned out not to be true. Not even sure my mother ever got the full story.
John R. Bancroft
Do Huck Finn and Jim count as a couple? Honestly, I wondered about this question for a couple days and even tried cheating ... consulting Google for "best fictional couples" when I realized I could barely think of any. I don't read enough fiction, or haven't in a while.
By the way, most of the Google answers involved movies (Harry Potter and his girlfriend) and TV shows (Ross and Rachel).
By the way, most of the Google answers involved movies (Harry Potter and his girlfriend) and TV shows (Ross and Rachel).
John R. Bancroft
It's what I like doing. There is probably still an absurd fantasy about becoming rich and famous lurking around in my psyche.
John R. Bancroft
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John R. Bancroft
In journalism or non-fiction, don't be afraid to ask stupid questions. You may discover that the source is not as knowledgeable as he, she or it appears to be.
In fiction, finding a specific genre may be a clearer path to getting published, but I don't have any first-hand experience.
In fiction, finding a specific genre may be a clearer path to getting published, but I don't have any first-hand experience.
John R. Bancroft
When I became a business journalist, I found a profession that challenged and interested me. Most of my working life has been in newsletters and tabloid newspapers, and I like the feeling of producing something that people find useful enough that they will pay to get it.
Writing fiction is a different cat. It takes a lot longer to finish a novel, and the rewards are less tangible because it is so difficult to get noticed.
Writing fiction is a different cat. It takes a lot longer to finish a novel, and the rewards are less tangible because it is so difficult to get noticed.
John R. Bancroft
A don't feel much time pressure to produce, so this isn't a big problem for me. I find that exercise -- jogging, biking -- clears my head and lets ideas come up from somewhere. Sometimes I'll get an idea in a song or the newspaper. Serendipity is a good tool if I keep looking.
John R. Bancroft
Two things about Moby Dick really struck me: Melville's daring use of language, and the infusion of facts about the whaling industry and culture into his story. I didn't try to mimic his narrative style, but AutoFlick is stuffed with references to the times in which it takes place.
Keeping a log of people throwing cigarettes from their cars is something I did for a little while when my kids were young. It became the whaling voyage that carries the story in AutoFlick.
Keeping a log of people throwing cigarettes from their cars is something I did for a little while when my kids were young. It became the whaling voyage that carries the story in AutoFlick.
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