Ask the Author: D.F. Pieper
Answered Questions (9)
D.F. Pieper
Unlike all the other professions I've had (if you can call this a profession), I get to do this for me and use my imagination to bring my own ideas to life, rather than for a paying client.
D.F. Pieper
Sure. I'll start this Summer, but I probably won't finish until Summer 2026. With holding a full-time job, raising kids, and trying to write my own books, I don't have that much time to enjoy reading. Right now I'm reading Project Hail Mary. After that I might read Network Effect or Memory Called Empire. I have a list, it just might be Christmas before I finish. By then, no one will read books, we'll just download them into our brains.
D.F. Pieper
The sequel to Day of the Devourer.
D.F. Pieper
Where did I put my car keys? It wouldn't be a very interesting book. That's why I never wrote it. It would feature a lot of long passages where I look in the freezer and the cat litter box. I don't recommend that one.
D.F. Pieper
The original idea came from a kooky thought I had: What if John Buchan wrote a space opera? Buchan wrote some of the first espionage thrillers in the early part of the 20th century. Most of the stories take place during or around WWI. Hitchcock made a film of one called The 39 Steps.
D.F. Pieper
I would go to Middle Earth and find some nice Hobbits to hang out with and have a beer. I'd probably choose The Prancing Pony because the Bree Hobbits are probably a lot more interesting in conversation than Shire Hobbits, but I might make my way over to the Green Dragon too to see if I'm wrong.
D.F. Pieper
My advice is don't ask another aspiring writer for advice.
D.F. Pieper
I have been working in advertising, marketing and design for several decades. In that field, you often don't have time to "get inspired" before you do something creative. It's an industry of creativity on demand. So, I've just gotten used to finding inspiration in everything and looking at each creative project as a problem to solve rather than a big fluffy balloon of "what ifs". If I sit around waiting to "get inspired" I'm terrified nothing will actually get done.
That said, I look for inspiration everywhere: movies, tv, searching for interesting images online, reading the news (science news, archaeology news, technology news, whatever...), and daily life. I write for humans, so it's really smart to spend time with real humans too and embrace the good and the bad things in life. That's how you learn and mature and grow as a writer and as a person.
That said, I look for inspiration everywhere: movies, tv, searching for interesting images online, reading the news (science news, archaeology news, technology news, whatever...), and daily life. I write for humans, so it's really smart to spend time with real humans too and embrace the good and the bad things in life. That's how you learn and mature and grow as a writer and as a person.
D.F. Pieper
Planning. Planning. Planning. If I have a strong story structure from the beginning, I know what I'm writing today and tomorrow. Take baby steps one day at a time and so far, I haven't experienced writer's block.
I also had a great piece of advice from a writing teacher years ago. He said "If you experience writer's block it's a sign that you are not satisfied with your writing and you need to grow." If I get stuck, I usually just take a step back and try to figure out what's not working in the current scene or idea. That usually works for me too.
I also had a great piece of advice from a writing teacher years ago. He said "If you experience writer's block it's a sign that you are not satisfied with your writing and you need to grow." If I get stuck, I usually just take a step back and try to figure out what's not working in the current scene or idea. That usually works for me too.
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