Ask the Author: James Bishop
Answered Questions (6)
James Bishop
The Apotheosis Trilogy all started as an idea for a fable grounded in religious fiction. God mythology from several religions and historical time periods have always fascinated me, and I felt a story about the end of the world would make a compelling narrative about religious warriors in a literal sense.
I also have always been more intrigued by the concept of demons as a physical enemy that a motivated man or woman could fight on even terms. Often in horror we are seen as prey, or victims of these incredibly powerful if not omnipotent beings... and I don't see it that way and I never have. I feel very strongly that the story of good and evil is more compelling if we have a stronger voice as a species in its outcome.
I also have always been more intrigued by the concept of demons as a physical enemy that a motivated man or woman could fight on even terms. Often in horror we are seen as prey, or victims of these incredibly powerful if not omnipotent beings... and I don't see it that way and I never have. I feel very strongly that the story of good and evil is more compelling if we have a stronger voice as a species in its outcome.
James Bishop
The truth is I haven't found any job that I enjoy and feels creative and fulfilling like writing does. I'm blessed and cursed in that I am a realist, so I've always prioritized having an income for my family. This means that I've written only as a hobby or side-project, and am simply unwilling to risk putting all of my energy into it. I would love to "quit my day job" and write as a career, since I love it, but in being realistic I have to make money doing what I do now... even if it is not remotely as rewarding as punching in the last words on a manuscript.
James Bishop
My third book in my trilogy. I have enjoyed writing the first two, and now that they are out I've already started thinking about the stories I want to tell afterwards... but the trilogy needs to be completed first. It would be nice to move on, so I'm quite motivated to finish this up.
James Bishop
Get your idea for a story and commit to a timeline for finishing it. If you have this great idea for a novel, get a rough idea for how long it ought to be then give yourself a realistic time frame for finishing it. Make progress every day, even if it is just a paragraph, and focus on finishing the story. Polish and refinement can always come later.
James Bishop
Being creative and crafting my own world and characters. Writing is like playing in a sandbox for grownups.
James Bishop
Set an exact length of text to write and just hammer it out. I can always go back later and adjust anything I want, but the best way to make progress is to simply get words down on paper.
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