Ask the Author: Kelly Daniels
Answered Questions (8)
Kelly Daniels
Years ago I traveled in Guatemala. The buses there, called chicken buses, fascinated me. Then one day I boarded a strange looking bus driven by an obvious gringo. How does a white American end up in Guatemala driving a chicken bus? I kept wondering. Years later I wrote a novel to answer that question.
Kelly Daniels
Inspiration comes and goes. More often I write because a feeling of desperation builds up in me and if I don't put some words on the screen (or page, as I do sometimes write longhand) I feel like I'll blow up. That said, the novelty (and occasional boredom) of travel excites my imagination, as does meeting new people, and reading great books. I'm always searching for something new to think and write, something that breaks me out of the confines of current assumptions.
Kelly Daniels
A novel whose subject matter can not be commented upon at this time.
Kelly Daniels
Be patient. Plan on working hard on your craft for a decade before expecting results. Then write what you want to write, rather than what your culture is telling you to write. Tell the truth, in other words, even if the truth is not currently in fashion. You can find a little success towing the party line, but is that really why you first wanted to write?
Kelly Daniels
It gives my life purpose, and purpose, it seems to me, is in short supply these days. Also, unlike dreaming of being an elite athlete, or actor or rock star or whatever, writer's tend to peak later in life. I can always dream that the next book will be the one that launches me into the stratosphere -- although, as I write this I can't help but note that humans can't survive in the stratosphere.
Kelly Daniels
I don't, really. Sometimes I have to deal with doubts and periods where I feel uninspired or know for a fact I'm writing poorly. Sometimes I deal with a literary world that is changing around me, giving me the sense that I'm being excluded, almost--I think when I'm feeling self pity--by design. But when it comes to writing, I can always sit here and tap out words onto a screen. It's a physical motion I am capable of, like going for a run. I don't always want to run or write, but I always can.
Kelly Daniels
It was always Narnia or Middle Earth growing up. I'm not sure either of those would be as cool as I'd imagined as a kid. Think of dental care! I guess I'd have to say this world right here is about as good as it's going to get.
Kelly Daniels
I don't really make reading lists, but I do like to keep a few books waiting in the wings as I read. Some of my books to read are written by friends, and some are recommendations or reading projects or books whose reviews catch my interest. Recently, I read a ton of novels in translation from Latin America. I just wanted to see what else was out there besides Roberto Bolaño. Next up are three books: How to Walk on Water, by Racheal Swearingen; Flowing Water, Falling Flowers, by X.H. Collins; and The World Does Not Require You, by Rion Amilcar Scott. First I have to finish the final My Struggle novel.
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