Ask the Author: Thomas Allbaugh
Answered Questions (9)
Thomas Allbaugh
I loved entering the world of C.S. Lewis's _Out of the Silent Planet_. I would love to be stowed away with Ransom into that twilit journey to Malacandra. I would love to be learning the languages of that world and experiencing the values of their goodness. That world as Lewis created it seems almost palpable to me. It seems secluded and removed from our world.
Thomas Allbaugh
I loved entering the world of C.S. Lewis's _Out of the Silent Planet_. I would love to be stowed away with Ransom into that twilit journey to Malacandra. I would love to be learning the languages of that world and experiencing the values of their goodness. That world as Lewis created it seems almost palpable to me. It seems secluded and removed from our world.
Thomas Allbaugh
Two books I really hope I get to this summer are Josephus' History and Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War. I hope I can get to them. I am also reading some memoir by Patti Smith and Dostoevski's The Double
Thomas Allbaugh
The idea for my book, Apocalypse TV, started with a character. From there, I got to know his family and his struggles, and then it seemed that he was having trouble at work and thinking about solving his problems. From another angle, I did some reading about how people get on reality TV shows, and the rest came together. It took a long time, though, to make the story work.
Thomas Allbaugh
I think that a number of incredibly talented writers have weighed in on the inspiration problem. So I don't have much to say. Inspiration usually comes to me after I've been working at something for a while. It comes as a new way of seeing a problem or a character, or as a way of seeing new combinations. But first I had to put in the hours and just work, without glory or light--just work. Inspiration is over-rated and not very well understood. I think Woody Allen said that writing was 90% just showing up (I may be wrong about the number). Flannery O'Connor said that for her, writing was a question of putting the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair and getting to work. From them, I've gotten the idea that if I wait for inspiration, I will have to wait a long time.
Thomas Allbaugh
I deal with writing by writing. Sometimes this amounts to little more than keeping my journal. At other times, I pick up a draft of something I've written before and rework it. At other times, I make sure that I sit down and commit to writing for a set period of time, and I won't leave that commitment until the time is up, even if I haven't produced much. This is all to say that I don't usually struggle with the problem of the writing getting blocked.
Thomas Allbaugh
The best thing about being a writer is something that I wish everyone would learn about and internalize. It is the value of writing to help me process my life and the world around me--the value of writing as part of existing. Writing helps me to think and to see. Reflection is such a value.
Thomas Allbaugh
The best advice I've been given amounts to three things:
Stop being a perfectionist.
Get inspired by sitting down and writing. Writing generates more writing.
Get good feedback from people you trust to be honest and helpful with you.
Stop being a perfectionist.
Get inspired by sitting down and writing. Writing generates more writing.
Get good feedback from people you trust to be honest and helpful with you.
Thomas Allbaugh
My novel, _Apocalypse TV_, has been accepted by a publisher, and an early October release date is scheduled. The novel will be available on the publisher's website on September 12, at eLectio Publishers. I just finished some final revisions for them and will be doing final edits on the galleys in two months. I am looking forward to seeing my first novel in print. Right now, I am working on an article for a composition journal. I teach writing, and I am hoping to give support for personal writing assignments in the schools.
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