Ask the Author: J.B. Manas
Answered Questions (8)
J.B. Manas
As I gripped my work light and cautiously made my way through the crumbling cave on the unforgiving red planet, I couldn't shake the feeling something--or someone--was watching me. That's when I spotted Tim lying against the rocks--his half-chewed face distorted into a grotesque look of terror--and scrawled on the stone wall behind him in fresh, dripping blood were the words, "Watch out for the..."
J.B. Manas
The dimension through which lost socks, fallen blueberries, and dropped coins disappear.
J.B. Manas
For Atticus, I originally had the idea of a rookie female cop paired up with a gruff ex-Philly cop and they come across this amnesiac in the wreckage of a mysterious craft that crashed in their small Bucks County, PA town. I often start with a regular person and see what kind of strange situations I can put them into. Over time, I thought of some great twists about the stranger and his arrival (that I won't reveal here due to spoilers), and I was off and running. Next was creating a compelling antagonist with mysterious tie to the stranger and a world-threatening agenda that he believes is justified.
I had two inspirations for the story that helped with the "what if" exploration, but revealing either of them would be a huge spoiler. I can say that, aside from those two, the titular name, Atticus, takes some thematic inspiration from another famous Atticus -- Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird.
I had two inspirations for the story that helped with the "what if" exploration, but revealing either of them would be a huge spoiler. I can say that, aside from those two, the titular name, Atticus, takes some thematic inspiration from another famous Atticus -- Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird.
J.B. Manas
I think this is one of the biggest challenges, for me at least. For me to give my all to a book, I need an idea that really hooks me. I find it either comes to me or doesn't and there's little I can do to force it. Often it's when I least expect it that an idea comes to me. I do find If I'm reading, or watching movies, or driving around thinking of "what if" scenarios, sometimes an idea will just pop into my head. Those are usually the best ones.
Also, thinking of a premise is only the first step. To turn it into a story, you need a compelling lead character with a goal, a strong opposition, high stakes if he/she doesn't succeed, and ideally a touch of irony. I've had what seemed like great premises, but they fell short once I tried to build a truly compelling story based on it. But either way, for me to be inspired, it always has to start with a great premise that hooks me. Sometimes, I'll jot down a dozen premises until something jumps out.
Also, thinking of a premise is only the first step. To turn it into a story, you need a compelling lead character with a goal, a strong opposition, high stakes if he/she doesn't succeed, and ideally a touch of irony. I've had what seemed like great premises, but they fell short once I tried to build a truly compelling story based on it. But either way, for me to be inspired, it always has to start with a great premise that hooks me. Sometimes, I'll jot down a dozen premises until something jumps out.
J.B. Manas
I'm working on a sci-fi thriller titled Atticus, where a rookie policewoman must protect a downed pilot with amnesia and find out why he's being hunted in order to stop an Earth-dwelling alien race from terraforming the planet.
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I'm having great fun with this one. The young survivor that the protagonist finds in the wreckage of a strange military aircraft has amnesia, and his only memories are from World War II (70 years earlier), so there's a bit of mystery and a sci-fi angle to it. Then they find themselves chased by some pretty deadly characters while they try to figure out what's going on. There are quite a few twists. I've long been a fan of both Hitchcock and Spielberg, so this was my way of blending the two (suspense and wonder).
I've also always liked stories where an everyman (or in this case, everywoman) gets caught up in something huge and over their head. In this case, the hero is a rookie cop who's struggling to fit in with the "boys club" on the force when she comes across the crashed military craft. Then, in order to stay alive, she's forced to work not only with the stranger, whom she doesn't totally trust (with good reason), but with the one person she swore she'd never talk to again.
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I'm having great fun with this one. The young survivor that the protagonist finds in the wreckage of a strange military aircraft has amnesia, and his only memories are from World War II (70 years earlier), so there's a bit of mystery and a sci-fi angle to it. Then they find themselves chased by some pretty deadly characters while they try to figure out what's going on. There are quite a few twists. I've long been a fan of both Hitchcock and Spielberg, so this was my way of blending the two (suspense and wonder).
I've also always liked stories where an everyman (or in this case, everywoman) gets caught up in something huge and over their head. In this case, the hero is a rookie cop who's struggling to fit in with the "boys club" on the force when she comes across the crashed military craft. Then, in order to stay alive, she's forced to work not only with the stranger, whom she doesn't totally trust (with good reason), but with the one person she swore she'd never talk to again.
J.B. Manas
My advice to aspiring writers is, first of all, to write. I hear from so many people who want to write, but it's really a matter of scheduling or finding time each day to write something. Second, reading about the craft is equally important.
That's the paradox, in order to be effective, you really need to study the craft (i.e., plot structure, character development, dialogue, conflict and suspense, etc.), but you don't want to just become a student of writing. Sooner or later, you need to give it a try by practicing it. I think any writer will correctly say that, as a writer, you're both a practictioner and aperpetual student. You can't be a good writer with just one of those things.
That said, I did spent months reading about the craft before I actually tried may hand at fiction (I was already a nonfiction author for years, but it's a different animal). Some books I recommend are Conflict and Suspense by James Scott Bell, The Writer's Journey by Chris Vogler, and Save the Cat by Blake Snyder. Donald Maass's Writng the Breakout Novel is also a great one. Those are all excellent places to start. Then, to refine individual areas, it's a matter of progressing to books on dialogue, character, publishing, and so on.
That's the paradox, in order to be effective, you really need to study the craft (i.e., plot structure, character development, dialogue, conflict and suspense, etc.), but you don't want to just become a student of writing. Sooner or later, you need to give it a try by practicing it. I think any writer will correctly say that, as a writer, you're both a practictioner and aperpetual student. You can't be a good writer with just one of those things.
That said, I did spent months reading about the craft before I actually tried may hand at fiction (I was already a nonfiction author for years, but it's a different animal). Some books I recommend are Conflict and Suspense by James Scott Bell, The Writer's Journey by Chris Vogler, and Save the Cat by Blake Snyder. Donald Maass's Writng the Breakout Novel is also a great one. Those are all excellent places to start. Then, to refine individual areas, it's a matter of progressing to books on dialogue, character, publishing, and so on.
J.B. Manas
I think for me, it's a matter of being able to do what I love doing and, as Steven Spielberg said, "dream for a living." Money helps, but it's not why I do it. But if I had to think of a "best thing," it would be the ability to leave a legacy, to make at least a small contribution to the world--to make a difference. I think any writer wants that to a degree. But also to be able to say, "I gave it my best and served it up for others to absorb, judge, and hopefully enjoy."
J.B. Manas
I find some of my best ideas come from taking a break, and thinking while I'm driving, taking a shower, or doing something that involves moving around. It's been proven that motion helps spark creativity. Sometimes, I do the opposite and write anything, even if it's garbage. That tends to activate the left brain a bit (or so I hope!).
Also, sometimes when I sit to write, I end up rereading the last few chapters and making changes, and then I'm too mentally drained to be very creative on the new chapter. And that's okay. I stopped beating myself up over that. It's not a race (unless you're under a tight deadline from a publisher -- then it's a race.). It's sometimes a fine line between getting something finished that's "good enough" -- saving the polishing for the end, vs. wanting to really think through each chapter. Outlining certainly helps, though I often stray from my outlines.
Also, sometimes when I sit to write, I end up rereading the last few chapters and making changes, and then I'm too mentally drained to be very creative on the new chapter. And that's okay. I stopped beating myself up over that. It's not a race (unless you're under a tight deadline from a publisher -- then it's a race.). It's sometimes a fine line between getting something finished that's "good enough" -- saving the polishing for the end, vs. wanting to really think through each chapter. Outlining certainly helps, though I often stray from my outlines.
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