Ask the Author: T.J. Berry
Answered Questions (7)
T.J. Berry
I definitely have more stories to tell in this world, but I've only been contracted for two books. If you love our misfit crew, let Angry Robot know you'd like to see more!
T.J. Berry
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! There are only two books planned for the series from Angry Robot right now, but I have lots of adventures outlined for the gang, so there may be more stories in the future via other avenues! (As you can see from the ending of Five Unicorn Flush... there are a few threads left hanging) ;-)
T.J. Berry
It is! I'm currently writing the sequel. Angry Robot has the option of picking it up, but even if they opt not to, I'll find a way to get it out to readers. I really love Gary, Jenny, and Ricky--I'd love to keep telling their stories!
EDITED: The sequel is officially a go from Angry Robot!!! It will release in May 2019!
EDITED: The sequel is officially a go from Angry Robot!!! It will release in May 2019!
T.J. Berry
I find inspiration all the time, everywhere. Watching films, joking with family, doing literally anything… I always write down the ideas. But getting inspiration and writing are two very different processes.
Inspiration are those little shining ideas that you have to capture while they sparkle in your brain. I have a text file about thirty pages long with ideas, snippets of dialogue, titles, character names, etc. When I’m stuck for inspiration, I go back to that file.
I waited to be inspired to write, my work sessions would be few and far between. It’s hard to feel inspired when you’ve got a load of laundry 20 minutes from finishing, you just cleaned your kid’s face with a napkin dipped in orange juice, and the cat is making horking sounds over in the corner.
For those times, you need the discipline to write anyway. Inspiration will come after you begin.
Inspiration are those little shining ideas that you have to capture while they sparkle in your brain. I have a text file about thirty pages long with ideas, snippets of dialogue, titles, character names, etc. When I’m stuck for inspiration, I go back to that file.
I waited to be inspired to write, my work sessions would be few and far between. It’s hard to feel inspired when you’ve got a load of laundry 20 minutes from finishing, you just cleaned your kid’s face with a napkin dipped in orange juice, and the cat is making horking sounds over in the corner.
For those times, you need the discipline to write anyway. Inspiration will come after you begin.
T.J. Berry
Make writing a habit. You don't need to write every day, nor do you need to write a large amount, but you do need to treat it as something that you simply sit down and do without agonizing over it.
I write on weekdays. I show up at the same time each morning, accomplish the day's goal (whether it's a blog post, a word count, or an editing pass). I take lunch, then finish my work day and go on to other things. Even when I'm not making much income from writing, I still treat it like a job.
Work on getting yourself to a point where you can sit down and start working without getting too in your head about it being "writing time." Just do it.
I write on weekdays. I show up at the same time each morning, accomplish the day's goal (whether it's a blog post, a word count, or an editing pass). I take lunch, then finish my work day and go on to other things. Even when I'm not making much income from writing, I still treat it like a job.
Work on getting yourself to a point where you can sit down and start working without getting too in your head about it being "writing time." Just do it.
T.J. Berry
Space Unicorn Blues came out of a bet between my wonderful husband and myself. I was lamenting yet another rejection on a bizarre short story in which a woman has a magical portal between her uterus and her grandmother’s attic, when my husband said, “You could just try writing a plain old adventure story without any, you know, weirdness in it.”
Reader, I got so mad at him. I love my weirdness and the quirky stories that bloom from it. Over the next few weeks, I spite-wrote the strangest book I could come up with—a magic vs. science space opera with unicorns, dwarves, and spaceships carved out of asteroids.
I lost the bet, obviously, but the joke was on both of us when I sold the book two years later. Don’t ever let it be said that spite isn’t an effective writing tool!
Reader, I got so mad at him. I love my weirdness and the quirky stories that bloom from it. Over the next few weeks, I spite-wrote the strangest book I could come up with—a magic vs. science space opera with unicorns, dwarves, and spaceships carved out of asteroids.
I lost the bet, obviously, but the joke was on both of us when I sold the book two years later. Don’t ever let it be said that spite isn’t an effective writing tool!
T.J. Berry
Usually, when a scene is difficult to write, it's because something about it isn't working. When I've been sitting for a while with no new words, I try a different approach--change the POV or tense. That usually shakes loose the block!
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