Ask the Author: Erika Brickley
Answered Questions (9)
Erika Brickley
It depends on the day. Sometimes it's just a random association you make that demands to be expanded upon. Sometimes I make a list of words to force myself into creativity. Sometimes I watch a movie or read a book and think, "I really want to do that," though usually I get writer's block if my brain is still wrapped around somebody else's work. (I like to obsess like anyone else, so let yourself come down from that high before you think it's writer's block or lack of talent.) Sometimes I think about a book I wish existed or a dream I wish was a book, and I sit down to attempt it. Really, everyone will have a different process and one person can have several. I think this is illustrated really well in Stephen King's book Misery.
Erika Brickley
Be kind to yourself. The pessimist in you will say it's pretty much impossible. The realist in you will admit it's a bit unlikely. But the optimist in you will never lose hope. Don't let the pessimist rule your brain and make you feel worthless. Always try to be a realist with a strong optimist streak.
Erika Brickley
READ. If you feel like you're stuck trying to write, walk away and exercise a different part of your writer's brain. Go for walks, cook fun meals, hang out with friends, and read the books you have been thinking about but not touching for a long time. Yes, the nagging feeling in your brain will hang around, but fill in the rest of your brain with something else to boost your creativity again. Once you feel a little more mentally rested, come back and write lists of words for a theme (e.g. horror) or write about something in your life or skip to a different part of your story. There's no harm in walking away as long as you try again.
Erika Brickley
As a kid I would have said Harry Potter or Animorphs because I really, really wanted to have cool powers. Or be a mermaid. As a young adult I would have said Dragonflight, since I would also love to be a dragonrider and a leader of my people. As a college student I might have see the Weetsie Bat version of L.A. since it blends magic and reality and utter coolness. And now it's hard for me to decide because I love diving into all the books in my library. Maybe I will have a new answer when I hit my thirties.
Erika Brickley
I stopped at the top of the basement stairs.
The creaking footsteps didn't.
The creaking footsteps didn't.
Erika Brickley
I plan to reread a lot of manga/graphic novels just to relax and I want to get caught up on my class sci-fi reading list. There are so many good books out there! I just love the period of science fiction that came after WWII and ended in the 90s when people were really stretching their imaginations to portray what technology and space travel and future culture might look like. (See my Instagram @erikabrickley to see pics from my library.)
Erika Brickley
Send It Soaring was born from a dream I had in college. I woke up remembering several scenes and emotions very vividly, so I got up and spent an hour taking notes on what I remembered and sketching the aliens I saw. It took me many years to put it all together into a cohesive book. I wonder who can guess which scene is pulled directly from those dream images?
Erika Brickley
I would like to make a several book series within the same universe as Send It Soaring. That book takes place on the planet Maron. The next two I have in the works will be on planets Iris and Surasee.
Erika Brickley
There are a lot of art forms that cost a lot of money. To be a writer, you can start tapping away on a word processor and you're on your way! Of course, becoming a professional author is more challenging, but I believe making art of any kind for the sake of it is important to one's mental health, no matter what dreams do or don't come true.
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