Ask the Author: Fred Burwell
Answered Questions (5)
Fred Burwell
Two things: the joy of writing and the contact with readers who like what I write.
Fred Burwell
The germ of Prairie Hill hails from "Jimmy Lathrop," a short story published in 1991 (reprinted on my website). I loosely based the story's setting on one of my high school baseball games played against a reform school run by monks. I based the central character on what I imagined might have happened to a long ago friend. Over the years, the character stayed with me and I began to take notes about Jimmy and his family and others and explored both their history and a possible setting. Eventually I knew that I had a novel waiting to be written and then I absolutely had to write it. Prairie Hill is not an autobiographical novel. However, I can trace many bits and pieces to observations made over the years, to people I've known or simply come across and places I've visited or lived in. My long-time journal keeping helped, too, although I didn't lift anything directly from it. One of the fleeting images I wrote about in my journal was of a man wearing a cow costume, waving at passersby and hawking the "best burgers in town." By the time I wrote Prairie Hill, however, the cow had grown feathers and the costumed stranger, Jimmy Lathrop, was advertising the "best chicken in town."
Fred Burwell
I don't need inspiration at first. Inspiration often comes during the actual writing. I might think that I don't feel like writing and then when I begin to write, something clicks in and it feels right, as if it's exactly what I want to do, after all. Inspiration may seem elusive, but it's there waiting for pen on paper or the click of fingers on keyboard. Ideas may appear when I'm taking a walk or riding my bike or mowing the lawn. In other words, I try to let my mind go free whenever possible and I carry a pocket notebook so that I may capture the idea before it flutters away.
Fred Burwell
I haven't had to deal with writer's block in a long time. At some point I realized that a first draft did not need to be perfect. Tell the story. If need be, skip over those worrisome first sentences or parts that need deeper thought or write brief notes, but don't let it slow things. Get it down and then have the fun of filling in the color and expanding and/or cutting where need be. Above all, I don't worry myself over whether it's any good or not during the early stages. Another strategy that helps is to write extensively in my journal or other informal notebooks. That feel of free flowing writing may then carry over into a more creative project.
Fred Burwell
I am well into the first draft of a novel I'd describe as a "comic fairytale for all ages." It's quite a departure from my first novel, Prairie Hill! However, I am also eagerly taking notes for several novels set in Prairie Hill during various time periods and featuring some recurring characters and places.
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