Ask the Author: David P. Ervin
Answered Questions (6)
David P. Ervin
Life.
After finishing "Leaving the Wire" I realized there was a large audience interested in combat veterans' experiences. This next book is an extension of that idea in that it deals with a combat veteran's experiences after the war.
After finishing "Leaving the Wire" I realized there was a large audience interested in combat veterans' experiences. This next book is an extension of that idea in that it deals with a combat veteran's experiences after the war.
David P. Ervin
I've always found inspiration in experience, mainly. Other books or films sometimes spur ideas, but chiefly in how to shape my own stories.
The little secret about writing that I'll share here is that not a whole lot of it is "made up." There's a strain of thinking among readers that holds that writers create their stories out of thin air. That's not the case with my writing. We live these stories then record them. Even if it's recorded as fiction, it's still informed by life experience. You've probably read something that isn't, and you've probably noticed that something about it falls flat.
The little secret about writing that I'll share here is that not a whole lot of it is "made up." There's a strain of thinking among readers that holds that writers create their stories out of thin air. That's not the case with my writing. We live these stories then record them. Even if it's recorded as fiction, it's still informed by life experience. You've probably read something that isn't, and you've probably noticed that something about it falls flat.
David P. Ervin
I'm at work on a collection of fictional short stories. Lots of folks have asked about a sequel to "Leaving the Wire." This book will serve that purpose in a way. The short stories are all about an Iraq War veteran's navigation through life after returning home.
One of the stories that will appear in this book was published by Military Experience and the Arts. Check it out here:
http://militaryexperience.org/as-you-...
One of the stories that will appear in this book was published by Military Experience and the Arts. Check it out here:
http://militaryexperience.org/as-you-...
David P. Ervin
Read, read, read. Read within your genre, and read outside of it. Language is a tool that must be honed, and the more you immerse yourself in reading, the sharper that tool will be.
This is something you might not hear often, but get off the computer. When you're doing a rough draft, write it out in a notebook or a typewriter. Creating documents on a computer is, essentially, creating an image. When you write manually there's a real sense of connection with the words you're forming. This method also enforces an economical discipline in terms of the language you're employing to get the message across.
And about those rough drafts...they're going to be terrible. Writing is a process, one that doesn't end when you've finished a rough draft. The harsher you are with your work, the less criticism you'll deal with down the road.
This is something you might not hear often, but get off the computer. When you're doing a rough draft, write it out in a notebook or a typewriter. Creating documents on a computer is, essentially, creating an image. When you write manually there's a real sense of connection with the words you're forming. This method also enforces an economical discipline in terms of the language you're employing to get the message across.
And about those rough drafts...they're going to be terrible. Writing is a process, one that doesn't end when you've finished a rough draft. The harsher you are with your work, the less criticism you'll deal with down the road.
David P. Ervin
Providing a common frame of reference for complex experiences is truly the best aspect of being a writer. There is something about the written word that's much more powerful than, say, a film. The narrator has the power to bring a reader into his or her world; it's shaping a complete sensory and emotional experience for the reader.
The possibilities this opens up are limitless. My first book dealt with war, something that is, for most, something difficult to imagine. However, it's proven to serve as a translation for some.
In writing's unique ability to synthesize experience holistically, it can foster realistic empathy. That's powerful, and it's truly rewarding when I do it successfully.
The possibilities this opens up are limitless. My first book dealt with war, something that is, for most, something difficult to imagine. However, it's proven to serve as a translation for some.
In writing's unique ability to synthesize experience holistically, it can foster realistic empathy. That's powerful, and it's truly rewarding when I do it successfully.
David P. Ervin
There's no easy cure for writer's block. When faced with a problem within my work, I've learned that time is an effective cure. Letting a problematic piece lay for a while gives me the necessary distance to change up perspective and approach an answer in a different way. The desk drawer is a good editor sometimes.
Working on something else in the meantime keeps me productive while keeping my mind limber, as well.
Working on something else in the meantime keeps me productive while keeping my mind limber, as well.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more