Ask the Author: Scott Driscoll
Answered Questions (7)
Scott Driscoll
Why my grandfather's Czech family stopped talking to the other side of the Czech family after both factions emigrated to Iowa. I have my theory, and it's a big part of what my novel is about, but with the exception of a few family documents and conversations, the source of the rift is lost and speculation is all we have.
Scott Driscoll
In the interest of full disclosure, old stories, most long ago published but never fully realized. Let's just say, I am borrowing disturbances and characters not altogether new to me, diving back into that murk with maybe a brighter light, a bit more equipment for hauling up treasures.
Scott Driscoll
Life provides plenty of inspiration, more, usually, than I prefer. But, given that, I find that I am like a character. When an event disturbs a value I hold deeply, I react. That's what I write about. Those disturbances and the quests they inspire.
Scott Driscoll
A collection of connected stories with characters who persist over time, grow older, have kids, break up, screw up, face challenges and generally push toward a tipping point in their lives. It's a bit like doing a longitudinal study, but you cheer them on. You whisper warnings. You step back and watch them make the mistakes you predicted they would. But, every now and then they surprise you.
Scott Driscoll
Don't assume you can figure it all out on your own. Most of the best known writers working today have been through writing programs. There's a reason for it. Inspiration and desire take you into the ballpark but not much farther. To be any good at this game you have to learn by example and practice practice practice. It's mostly hard work, like anything else that matters. but the rewards are so worth it.
Scott Driscoll
The worst part, is you have to be more honest with yourself. You have to be willing to dive into those deep dark repressed desires and anxieties. The best part is, you get to dive into those deep dark recesses and pull out little treasures. Not to mention, it's so absorbing. Life is so much more intensely lived in the moments when you're really writing.
Scott Driscoll
I push away from my clipboard or my PC and go for a bike ride. Or, if I can't do that, I scribble notes. Or, if I must keep at it, I take a really boring page or two and I start adding details, twisting verbs, pushing the atmospherics until it seems the Apocalypse is coming sooner than later. Suddenly, the forest of words is alive again with sounds and sights and smells you can't ignore.
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