Ask the Author: Adam Wasserman
Answered Questions (5)
Adam Wasserman
I recently completed the second installment in the Bunker series, "Your Call Is Important To Us". This novel follows the original, "Thank You For Your Cooperation". The main characters are different, and each novel can be read independently. Of course, there are links between them, and some of the cast is recurring.
The Bunker, where the novels take place, is an underground world run by Control. Control means well, but due to a rather unfortunate confluence of events (not to mention duplicity, manipulation, and simple human greed) is obsessed with the constant threat of social deviancy. In the Bunker, the line between traitor and loyal citizen is often blurred, and each plot accidentally uncovered only serves to convince Control that the terrorist alert level ought to be raised yet again. Collateral damage is regrettable, of course, but an unfortunate side-effect of dealing with a hostile, invisible, and (by some accounts) nonexistent fifth column.
I've already got the beginnings of a concept for a third installment in the series. What's its name, and will there be any more?
I'm sorry, citizen, but that information is not available at your security clearance.
The Bunker, where the novels take place, is an underground world run by Control. Control means well, but due to a rather unfortunate confluence of events (not to mention duplicity, manipulation, and simple human greed) is obsessed with the constant threat of social deviancy. In the Bunker, the line between traitor and loyal citizen is often blurred, and each plot accidentally uncovered only serves to convince Control that the terrorist alert level ought to be raised yet again. Collateral damage is regrettable, of course, but an unfortunate side-effect of dealing with a hostile, invisible, and (by some accounts) nonexistent fifth column.
I've already got the beginnings of a concept for a third installment in the series. What's its name, and will there be any more?
I'm sorry, citizen, but that information is not available at your security clearance.
Adam Wasserman
I was sitting in the pub with some friends I sometimes play roleplaying games with. One of them was trying to explain the concept behind "Paranoia". This is a game that takes place in an underground world run by a computer. I was captivated by the notion because the players are not only rewarded for lying and betraying each other, but they are constantly being placed in situations where the only escape is failure and certain death. The futility of their puny little lives combined with the paradox of pledging allegiance to the very power that inevitably destroys them struck me as the perfect setting for a novel I wanted to write. After all, although not to such an extreme degree, here in the real world we like to pretend we are better, more wholesome human beings than we actually are. In our professional lives, we are often rewarded for stabbing our colleagues in the back, or firing hundreds of employees we will never know, mere numbers on a piece of paper, causing them real harm in the hope of a year-end bonus or a promotion. I wanted to shine a light on the friction between our desire to feel good about ourselves and the selfish choices we sometimes make with negative consequences for others. Of course, the Bunker - the world I created to tell my stories in - is a darkly humorous place. The books wouldn't be palatable otherwise. I enjoy comedy, so in making myself laugh, I thought I'd help you laugh, too.
There are currently two novels in the Bunker series, "Thank You For Your Cooperation" and "Your Call Is Important To Us". A third will appear sometime soon.
There are currently two novels in the Bunker series, "Thank You For Your Cooperation" and "Your Call Is Important To Us". A third will appear sometime soon.
Adam Wasserman
I started writing stories when I was still in grade school. One of those early outliers even made it into a chapter of The Grey Life, my first novel written during my college years. So for me "inspire" is not an accurate choice of word to describe what happens when I get down to writing. There are always ideas flitting through my head like kites, and if any of them takes hold of my imagination and germinates, then I'll eventually start writing it down. There is a reward factor involved, too. Often, I'm telling the story to myself as I work, and if I surprise myself with an unexpectedly poignant or revealing scene, or if the story takes a sudden turn in an inevitable but heretofore unknown direction, I'll end the session with a warm, rewarding feeling of satisfaction. So perhaps the best way to answer this question is to say that I have to be invested in the idea and the story that derives from it. The inspiration to write just comes naturally.
Adam Wasserman
Firstly, master the language you are writing in. Know the grammar. Taking a few courses in Latin will almost certainly help. English is a messy language, and learning Latin will provide some wanted clarity. Secondly, try not to repeat the same words too often within a few paragraphs. Spice up your diction - but try not to sound like George Will of the Washington Post either. Use words that most people will know. A reader shouldn't have to sweat to get through your text. Lastly, write only about topics and situations you are familiar with. Don't try and conjure up an Italian mafia family if you don't actually know how they would speak!
Adam Wasserman
I rarely suffer from writer's block. Or, rather, I don't experience it as a paralyzing obstacle to my work. If for some reason the next step in a story isn't clear or I'm having trouble getting it out, the difficulty is usually a sign that the next scene is flawed in some fundamental way. Usually, I'll find that the scene (or some part of it) isn't actually necessary and I'll just skip it and move on. Sometimes, however, the problem can lie in the story arc itself, and I'll have to go back and revisit what I've already written. In any case, I never force myself through a scene. If the next step doesn't feel right, then it probably isn't.
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