Ask the Author: Louis Arata
Answered Questions (3)
Louis Arata
I'm working on the third draft of Reston Peace, a novel that examines the difference between "real life" and art. An adult survivor of sexual abuse, Kenny Reston agrees to act as a case study for a book. When the book becomes a bestseller, it is quickly optioned as a movie. Kenny watches as his life is converted into a gritty form of entertainment. But what emerges on screen stirs up the memories he has tried to overcome.
Louis Arata
Trust yourself. You know a lot more about storytelling than you think you do. When you read a novel or a short story, you know what you like. Also, no one knows your story the way you do, and no one else will write it in the exact same way. And most of all, allow yourself to have fun writing.
Louis Arata
The sense of discovery. I plan my novels but allow a certain amount of discovery in the writing process. The characters can surprise me with something entirely unexpected and can help give depth to the story. Every time I've written a novel, there's something I impulsively include that I have no idea why it's there. By the time I finish the first draft, that unexpected aspect somehow resolves a part of the plot. There's no way to plan for something like that.
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