Ask the Author: Al Philipson
Answered Questions (9)
Al Philipson
Since I'm a fictional character, Amazon doesn't allow me to review books.
Al Philipson
Don't really have a formal list. I spend a lot of time reading through my extensive SciFi library. Currently queued up:
-Restoree by Anne McCaffrey
-Children of Tomorrow by A.E Van Vogt
-Retief: Emissary to the Stars by Keith Laumer
-The Stainless Steel Rat Wants You! by Harry Harrison
-Spartan Planet by A. Bertram Chandler
I've also got some eBooks sitting on my Kindle that I'll intersperse with that list.
-Restoree by Anne McCaffrey
-Children of Tomorrow by A.E Van Vogt
-Retief: Emissary to the Stars by Keith Laumer
-The Stainless Steel Rat Wants You! by Harry Harrison
-Spartan Planet by A. Bertram Chandler
I've also got some eBooks sitting on my Kindle that I'll intersperse with that list.
Al Philipson
In my books: Rock and Rosemary Chandler from "Last Train from Earth" ("Holy Christian Empire" series). Their relationship with each other was modeled after the Geek's relationship with his wife.
I've finished the first draft of the next book in the series, "God's Assassin". Now the rewrite begins (groan) and the editing.
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In other people's books: "Slippery" Jim and Angelina DeGruiz from Harry Harrison's "Stainless Steel Rat" series. She's deadly and he's sneaky. A well-matched couple. Lots of fun.
I've finished the first draft of the next book in the series, "God's Assassin". Now the rewrite begins (groan) and the editing.
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In other people's books: "Slippery" Jim and Angelina DeGruiz from Harry Harrison's "Stainless Steel Rat" series. She's deadly and he's sneaky. A well-matched couple. Lots of fun.
Al Philipson
That's the "Geek's" problem. He invented me, so ideas have to come from him.
Unfortunately, new ideas for books don't pop into his head regularly. It's dark and lonely in here.
The ideas he does get seem to be mostly accidents (like the idea for "God's Assassin").
I treat writing like a job, rather than waiting on "inspiration". You come to work when your brain is at it's most creative, turn off any distractions, and start banging away at the keyboard. Without discipline, I'd find a hundred other things to fritter away my time.
When you have to work a "real job", you'll just have to settle on a time period when you're free (evenings, before work, weekends). Hopefully one when you can create the best -- not when you're so tired you can't see the screen.
For me, it's Sunday afternoons after church. The geek works M-F and is pooped when quit'n time rolls around.
Any Seahawks game is a legitimate distraction, by the way and has stopped all writing efforts since the football season started, (except when they play on a Thursday or Monday). We have guests in the house during the game and afterward, so there's no opportunity to write. I'll get back to work after we win the 2015 Super Bowl.
Unfortunately, new ideas for books don't pop into his head regularly. It's dark and lonely in here.
The ideas he does get seem to be mostly accidents (like the idea for "God's Assassin").
I treat writing like a job, rather than waiting on "inspiration". You come to work when your brain is at it's most creative, turn off any distractions, and start banging away at the keyboard. Without discipline, I'd find a hundred other things to fritter away my time.
When you have to work a "real job", you'll just have to settle on a time period when you're free (evenings, before work, weekends). Hopefully one when you can create the best -- not when you're so tired you can't see the screen.
For me, it's Sunday afternoons after church. The geek works M-F and is pooped when quit'n time rolls around.
Any Seahawks game is a legitimate distraction, by the way and has stopped all writing efforts since the football season started, (except when they play on a Thursday or Monday). We have guests in the house during the game and afterward, so there's no opportunity to write. I'll get back to work after we win the 2015 Super Bowl.
Al Philipson
I cry a lot.
Seriously, the tendency is to find something else to do, like waste a lot of time on Facebook or other social media. Wander around. Grab a snack. Whatever pops to mind.
This tendency MUST be fought! Get in there and grind away.
I re-read what I've written so far and that often gives me the ability to continue on when I get to the new section.
I have a tendency to outline, so I can always go back to the outline to see what I'm supposed to do next.
Seriously, the tendency is to find something else to do, like waste a lot of time on Facebook or other social media. Wander around. Grab a snack. Whatever pops to mind.
This tendency MUST be fought! Get in there and grind away.
I re-read what I've written so far and that often gives me the ability to continue on when I get to the new section.
I have a tendency to outline, so I can always go back to the outline to see what I'm supposed to do next.
Al Philipson
You get to live in an imaginary world of your own making. Also, you get to entertain a lot of people in the process. And what you create can live long after you're gone.
If you're good at entertaining and can get published, you get to call yourself an "author" instead of "writer".
If you're good at entertaining and can get published, you get to call yourself an "author" instead of "writer".
Al Philipson
Learn the craft. Join a peer-to-peer workshop. Write write write.
The saying is that you have to write a million words before you'll produce something worth publishing. However, if no one is around to tell you why your first million words need improving, you'll not learn anything, just waste time.
NEVER stop learning!
The saying is that you have to write a million words before you'll produce something worth publishing. However, if no one is around to tell you why your first million words need improving, you'll not learn anything, just waste time.
NEVER stop learning!
Al Philipson
Escape from Earth (working title). I'm not telling anyone the real title because I've had title ideas stolen in the past.
A group of wealthy people buy a planet in the early 23rd century and put together a group of settlers. The plan is to escape a tyrannical government. It sounds boring when I tell it that way, but it's not.
I'm trying something new and telling the story from the point of view of the "sidekick".
A group of wealthy people buy a planet in the early 23rd century and put together a group of settlers. The plan is to escape a tyrannical government. It sounds boring when I tell it that way, but it's not.
I'm trying something new and telling the story from the point of view of the "sidekick".
Al Philipson
I wrote a short story as part of a writing exercise for a workshop I belong to. Our "benevolent dictator" wrote a couple of sentences and we were supposed to develop a short story from that.
Someone in the group asked me when I was going to write the rest of the book. I got to thinking and I started doing just that. Unfortunately, it soon became obvious that I needed a prequel that explained why my "world" was the way it is. So, I started writing one and I'll finish the first draft in the first quarter of 2015.
I hope to get it to my publisher by June 2015 or before. THEN I can finish the original work (maybe published by the end of the year?).
If the question is about "Children of Destruction", I don't remember where the idea came from. Perhaps while I was falling asleep one night?
Someone in the group asked me when I was going to write the rest of the book. I got to thinking and I started doing just that. Unfortunately, it soon became obvious that I needed a prequel that explained why my "world" was the way it is. So, I started writing one and I'll finish the first draft in the first quarter of 2015.
I hope to get it to my publisher by June 2015 or before. THEN I can finish the original work (maybe published by the end of the year?).
If the question is about "Children of Destruction", I don't remember where the idea came from. Perhaps while I was falling asleep one night?
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