Ask the Author: Tom Calen
Answered Questions (5)
Tom Calen
There's a reason every author says an aspiring writer needs to read (all genres) and write (constantly). It's the best advice one can give.
The only thing I'd add to that, is to be observant. Watch people interact. Look at the buildings you pass on the way to work. Study the stray dog walking down the street. There are stories everywhere. We just have to see them.
The only thing I'd add to that, is to be observant. Watch people interact. Look at the buildings you pass on the way to work. Study the stray dog walking down the street. There are stories everywhere. We just have to see them.
Tom Calen
I think creative personalities can find inspiration in anything, and often when we least expect it. For instance, I recently watched an episode of Hoarders, and was consumed by a small detail in the episode that had me immediately jotting down notes for a possible horror novel.
That happens a lot. For me, inspiration is synonymous with day-dreaming, observing the mundane and thinking, "What if..."
That happens a lot. For me, inspiration is synonymous with day-dreaming, observing the mundane and thinking, "What if..."
Tom Calen
My forthcoming sci-fi series, Scars of Tomorrow, grew out of speculation. The last half of the 20th century was really about the rise of the corporation. I wondered where such a rise was headed. It wasn't much of a leap to foresee a future where the corporation is the ultimate form of government.
Tom Calen
Perseverance. If I find myself stuck, I keep writing. Maybe a different scene, maybe a short story that will never see the light of day. But, for me, the key is to keep writing. And if all else fails, a good cocktail goes a long way!
Tom Calen
I am currently working on the fourth book in The Pandemic Sequence series, The Tilian Relapse. After that, it's on to the last books in the Scars of Tomorrow series. I'll be busy for a while!
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