Ask the Author: Cameron Loris
Answered Questions (6)
Cameron Loris
Erich's family is a somewhat distant presence in the book. His mother died in childbirth and his father keeps him at arm's-length. In the only scene where Erich's father appears, he's described just as a pair of hands.
The closest familial connection Erich has is with his Aunt Mila, who is really more of a surrogate parent. After he arrives at Rouhhenberg, we don't see much more of Aunt Mila, but the stethoscope that she gives him becomes something of a stand-in for her. To Erich, it begins to represent the alternate path he could have taken.
At first, that's a source of comfort, but the older Erich gets, the more seeing it frustrates him. The stethoscope becomes a painful object. What ultimately happens to it tells us a lot about the choices Erich has made and what he values at that point in time.
The closest familial connection Erich has is with his Aunt Mila, who is really more of a surrogate parent. After he arrives at Rouhhenberg, we don't see much more of Aunt Mila, but the stethoscope that she gives him becomes something of a stand-in for her. To Erich, it begins to represent the alternate path he could have taken.
At first, that's a source of comfort, but the older Erich gets, the more seeing it frustrates him. The stethoscope becomes a painful object. What ultimately happens to it tells us a lot about the choices Erich has made and what he values at that point in time.
Cameron Loris
I lower my standards (not permanently, I promise!).
If you can't write something good, write something bad instead.
I keep lowering the quality bar until the words coming from my head are able to clear it. Then I come back later and fix it. And then later I fix it again. And again. Until, eventually, it's good enough to meet that original standard.
If you can't write something good, write something bad instead.
I keep lowering the quality bar until the words coming from my head are able to clear it. Then I come back later and fix it. And then later I fix it again. And again. Until, eventually, it's good enough to meet that original standard.
Cameron Loris
A science fiction piece tentatively titled "We Frighten the Stars." It's about two people stranded in a part of space so distant that the light from the birth of the universe has not yet reached it.
Cameron Loris
Everyone has the same advice here: write. And it's not wrong. So I'll focus on the how. How do you get yourself to write and keep writing.
A lot of people say "F-- motivation, cultivate discipline." But I've never been very good at that. For me, the key is to get enough motivation and excitement about a project that you can start to generate momentum. Once you've been working on something for long enough, it becomes a natural part of your life. To *not* spend time on it would feel strange.
That's why I prefer larger projects to short stories.
A lot of people say "F-- motivation, cultivate discipline." But I've never been very good at that. For me, the key is to get enough motivation and excitement about a project that you can start to generate momentum. Once you've been working on something for long enough, it becomes a natural part of your life. To *not* spend time on it would feel strange.
That's why I prefer larger projects to short stories.
Cameron Loris
I walk. All my best ideas come to me when I'm on my feet.
Cameron Loris
I've had more than one history professor in my life who has figured out that the secret to teaching my generation is to relate everything back to Harry Potter. I have to assume that's what put these two concepts into adjoining rooms in my brain.
In a class on Historical Dystopias, I watched a documentary based on Alfons Heck's memoir, Child of Hitler, and it struck me that the emotions preyed upon by the Hitler Youth were not that different from those that made myself and so many other young people of my generation fantasize about getting that letter from Hogwarts. On the way home from lecture, The Downcast Wolves was born. Four years later, I finally started writing it.
In a class on Historical Dystopias, I watched a documentary based on Alfons Heck's memoir, Child of Hitler, and it struck me that the emotions preyed upon by the Hitler Youth were not that different from those that made myself and so many other young people of my generation fantasize about getting that letter from Hogwarts. On the way home from lecture, The Downcast Wolves was born. Four years later, I finally started writing it.
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