Ask the Author: Travis Stecher
Answered Questions (6)
Travis Stecher
The schedule is perfect. If the day ever comes where I can make a full living by writing, it'll have such a huge impact on my life. Allowing my body and mind to function the way they want to—sleep schedule, work schedule, recreation schedule—has made me more productive than ever.
Travis Stecher
Honestly? About six years ago, I got high and watched Cosmos: A SpaceTime Oddyssey. A little before that, I had read a basic overview of time dilation and thought "this is some bullshit," but I'm curious by nature so I kept looking into it.
Once I'd finally wrapped my head around it and accepted it as a real phenomena, a whole slew of ideas came and went about the possibilities. When I binged Cosmos, the idea came to me about being able to have people from across the centuries meet together at the same point in the future—most likely aided by the added "kick." Thankfully, I wrote it down, because I certainly wouldn't have remembered that one otherwise.
Once I'd finally wrapped my head around it and accepted it as a real phenomena, a whole slew of ideas came and went about the possibilities. When I binged Cosmos, the idea came to me about being able to have people from across the centuries meet together at the same point in the future—most likely aided by the added "kick." Thankfully, I wrote it down, because I certainly wouldn't have remembered that one otherwise.
Travis Stecher
I'm about 30,000 words into a dystopian sci-fi horror called "Venthralli"—a story about a colony at the very end of the universe, long after the stars are gone and space is nearing a state of total entropy referred to as heat death. Where Dilation had more influences from classic 50's-era science fiction, Venthralli is influenced heavily by 70's sci-fi—where space is viewed as the cold, dark, unforgiving killer it is.
In the past couple months, I've also written a few screenplays—two pilots and a feature—and continued preparatory work on the next two books after Venthralli—a ghost story I'm *hoping* to get published before Halloween 2023, and a technology-based urban fantasy I've been calling a "technofantasy."
In the past couple months, I've also written a few screenplays—two pilots and a feature—and continued preparatory work on the next two books after Venthralli—a ghost story I'm *hoping* to get published before Halloween 2023, and a technology-based urban fantasy I've been calling a "technofantasy."
Travis Stecher
Um... *looks at bookshelf of thrillers that would be entirely too stressful to live in* Dinotopia.
Travis Stecher
Research the industry. The writing, itself, is *maybe?* half of the work, and knowing which creative path works best for your goals will help you navigate all of the unexpected administrative work that goes along with writing. This isn't just for self-publishing authors, but bloggers, reviewers, non-fiction writers, and traditional publishing.
Travis Stecher
I once had a snake who stopped eating. When I took him to the vet, she syringe-fed him some liquid nutrients. Not just so he'd have food in him—snakes can go a while without eating—but so he'd remember the feeling. With writer's block, I just push through it knowing that I can always go back and fix, change, or even remove what I wrote.
If there's an issue of not knowing *what* to write, then I step back and deconstruct the scene I'm struggling with. Why do I need it? Why am I trying to write it? Can I add those elements elsewhere? If I can objectively look at the scene's structure, its tie to the overall plot, and the characters, I can usually "build" the scene intelligently, rather than creatively, and smooth out the edges later.
If there's an issue of not knowing *what* to write, then I step back and deconstruct the scene I'm struggling with. Why do I need it? Why am I trying to write it? Can I add those elements elsewhere? If I can objectively look at the scene's structure, its tie to the overall plot, and the characters, I can usually "build" the scene intelligently, rather than creatively, and smooth out the edges later.
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