Ask the Author: Warren A. Shepherd
Answered Questions (5)
Warren A. Shepherd
It's mostly the plot that dictates what characters populate it. But there have been occasions when I think, "Wouldn't it be great to have such and such a character in my story." But it can't seem contrived, it has to feel organic. And sometimes the addition of such a character fuels new plot ideas that I may not have previously considered. It's an exciting process, to be sure.
Warren A. Shepherd
When I was a wee lad, the answer would have been, without hesitation, Narnia. So complete was my captivation with that world that I even used to imagine I could talk to our cat. (I think she was ignoring me just to keep up the pretence.) As I grew older, I would have given anything to co-pilot the Millennium Falcon with Han Solo. (Now that universe seems to revolve solely around Tattooine.) So I say without ego or conceit, that I would choose to live in the world of my own book, Sex, Bugs & UFOs. (Why do you think I wrote it?) And what would I do there? You'll have to read the book to find out...
Warren A. Shepherd
Sometimes I'll back up and re-read the previous chapter I've written. This is like taking a run at the blank page in the hopes I can just push through the block. Barring that, I'll steer around it, working on something that doesn't give me an aneurysm, in the hopes that I'll be able to come back once the juices are flowing. But above all, keep writing -- you can't steer a parked car!
Warren A. Shepherd
There are as many different writing styles as there are people -- what works for one, doesn't necessarily work for another. But the one inescapable truth is that writing is hard. If it weren’t, everyone would be doing it. (Though it sometimes seems as if everyone is.) Splaying your heart and soul for all to see is not for the faint of heart and requires a thick skin, an open mind, and heaps of discipline. It forces you to confront your weaknesses but it also allows you to revel in your strengths. Hold on to that thought; it will get you through the dark times when no one is on the road but you, and you must rely on your own will and determination to reach your destination.
Warren A. Shepherd
First and foremost, my novel explores the feelings of alienation, literally and figuratively. The genesis of the book was a single line: "It was Wednesday, and Morrissey was still on the wrong planet." It encapsulated the feelings of isolation and alienation I felt when I came to Canada from England at the age of seven, one foot in both worlds but belonging in neither. As the years wore on, I began to question the very meaning of life (thanks, Douglas Adams) and my reason for being became less and less clear, charting me down a dark path of existential angst throughout my twenties. While I've come to terms with my tenuous place in the universe and my hopes for the future, the search for meaning continues, and the indelible stamp that search puts on my creativity is inescapable.
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