Ask the Author: Brian Asman
Answered Questions (5)
Brian Asman
With #VANDEATH, the name popped into my head first--it's the antithesis of van life--but what really got my interested in the story was thinking about how we development parasocial relationships with online influencers, how the quest to create content can easily turn toxic, and what that can do to a relationship when your life, your business, and your BF/GF are all rolled up into one.
Brian Asman
Inspiration is nice, but overrated. Stories are works of engineering. They're devices, designed to elicit feeling. Study how they're built, how they work, how they do what they do. Start with the stories that've made the biggest impression on you. Diagram them. What is each scene *doing*? What is each line of dialogue doing?
Stories are like houses. Put a beam in the wrong place and it's an obstacle, not a support. Don't forget the sewage line. Where does that hallway go, anyway? Figure all that out, and the drapes and paint and furniture will suggest themselves.
Stories are like houses. Put a beam in the wrong place and it's an obstacle, not a support. Don't forget the sewage line. Where does that hallway go, anyway? Figure all that out, and the drapes and paint and furniture will suggest themselves.
Brian Asman
If you write, you're a writer, not an "aspiring" writer.
Treat every piece of writing advice as suggestion, not law.
Well, except for this--if you continue writing, and don't act like a jerk, you will achieve some sort of success. It might take years, and you might have to redefine what you consider success, but if you don't quit you will eventually place a short story somewhere, have a blog post go viral, get an agent or even get to hold a beautifully-bound hardback in your hands.
Couple years ago, when I was starting out, I hooked up with a like-minded group of inexperienced writers. In the intervening years, every single one of them has achieved some sort of success. Every. Single. One.
Treat every piece of writing advice as suggestion, not law.
Well, except for this--if you continue writing, and don't act like a jerk, you will achieve some sort of success. It might take years, and you might have to redefine what you consider success, but if you don't quit you will eventually place a short story somewhere, have a blog post go viral, get an agent or even get to hold a beautifully-bound hardback in your hands.
Couple years ago, when I was starting out, I hooked up with a like-minded group of inexperienced writers. In the intervening years, every single one of them has achieved some sort of success. Every. Single. One.
Brian Asman
I just wrote a blog post called "Five Aliens I'd Really Like to Eat." So, that.
Brian Asman
Writer's block simply means that you aren't writing. There are as many different reasons for not writing as there are writers, but a frequent one is lack of inspiration. But guess what, you actually don't have to feel inspired to write! Even if you don't feel like it, sit down to write for a few minutes. If you're stuck, have your characters discuss everything that's happened so far, the next beat will often suggest itself. Yes, you will end up deleting everything you've written, but if it puts you back in the headspace to write, it's worth it.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more