Ask the Author: Brian David Bruns
Answered Questions (6)
Brian David Bruns
Writing when and where you want to. At a coffee shop? In your home office? Done. Of course that comes with responsibility, too. You need to have self discipline to avoid the fridge right over there, or the couch right over there.
Brian David Bruns
2015 is going to be my breakout year (I hope!) into the adventure thriller genre. I've always wanted to write fiction and have been sidetracked with too much narrative nonfiction of late. Time for suspense, for shadows, for ghosts, for all sorts of thrilling things! My first foray into fiction is called, appropriately enough, The Gothic Shift. This collection of four Gothic thriller novellas will get it's full release this spring. Also coming in 2015 is my first novel, In the House of Leviathan. Details of those are on my website, of course, at www.bdbruns.com.
Brian David Bruns
Identify your goals. Do you want that Hollywood version, when the aspiring writer opens the box of his/her first book and toasts a loved one? Yeah, that doesn't happen. If your goal is to live that fantasy, then just keep on dreaming. But do you want to see your name in print? Do you want to make money? On one book, or more than one? A career? Know what you want and then take the appropriate steps to get there. Identifying your goal is more important now than ever with both traditional and self-publishing models available. Like many professional authors, I'm a hybrid of the two depending on... you guessed it... my goals.
Brian David Bruns
I've never experienced writer's block, per se. I have so much I want to write about and the world is so fascinating and varied that I'll never run out of material. But being unable to wrap your mind around a conundrum in your manuscript is real to all writers. One tends to obsess over such moments when I think the answer is to get away from it completely. You know how they say your mind answers tough questions when you're asleep? It's because your subconscious works better without you messing it up! Just move onto a different part of your manuscript and come back to it later. It works. Trust me!
Brian David Bruns
The world is a very, very inspiring place. Anyone who isn't inspired isn't getting out there, isn't getting outside their comfort zone. We are all creatures of comfort to some degree or other, but you simply must peel yourself from your couch or your computer to experience the sights, smells, and sounds of the world. I understand that a trip to Venice isn't in the works for everyone, but what about a day trip? A hike? Something different, something that's not your same old couch and your same old wall and your same old routine. Getting inspired should be called going inspired.
Brian David Bruns
When approaching my first thriller fiction after years of narrative nonfiction—humor, no less—I had to ask myself what was my goal. I never wanted to be a travel writer and I certainly never envisioned winning humor awards! I'd always wanted to be a thriller writer, so I used my experiences in some pretty crazy places of the world to inspire some adventure thriller stuff. Contrary to common belief, not everything has been done. The challenge is to tap into the core in a new way—your own way.
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