Ask the Author: Trevor D. Richardson
Answered Questions (8)
Trevor D. Richardson
I love this question! I've never thought about it much, but the first that came to mind was Wash and Zoe from Firefly. I love that the show starts off with this strong, sexy, happy, mixed-race couple where both have their strengths and see each other as equals. We skip over the cutesy dating stuff and the "will they/won't they" tropes and get right into a real marriage with all the conflict and affection that goes with it. Plus, they're cool and hilarious.
Trevor D. Richardson
Frustration. I've never had to deal with writer's block because I tend to write from a place that is very similar to feeling blocked already. When the heaviness of my own personal circumstances, those of my country, or even something global feels heaped up on my brain like a cartoon anvil, that's when I start typing to purge that frustration. It's a constructive way to deal with negative emotions.
Make no mistake, negative emotions have value and can be transmuted into something epic if you use them right. You're told to strive for happiness at all times, and that people who are angry are bad. Not true. There is good anger, and I think I have it. I'm betting you have some too.
--TDR
Make no mistake, negative emotions have value and can be transmuted into something epic if you use them right. You're told to strive for happiness at all times, and that people who are angry are bad. Not true. There is good anger, and I think I have it. I'm betting you have some too.
--TDR
Trevor D. Richardson
I like the rich, privileged American approach to the problem: I just pretend it doesn't exist and go on with my life.
I don't believe in letting anything happen to me in my writing life. It is my writing, it is my skill, and I don't believe in "waiting for my muse" or trying to get inspired. I view writing as a skill set, a muscle, and I have trained that muscle to the point that writing is something I can do as naturally as riding a bike.
When the story is not going quite right, instead of staring at a blank screen, I write too much. I over write and then cut down afterward, not unlike the way movies are filmed and then edited down.
I don't believe in writer's block.
I don't believe in letting anything happen to me in my writing life. It is my writing, it is my skill, and I don't believe in "waiting for my muse" or trying to get inspired. I view writing as a skill set, a muscle, and I have trained that muscle to the point that writing is something I can do as naturally as riding a bike.
When the story is not going quite right, instead of staring at a blank screen, I write too much. I over write and then cut down afterward, not unlike the way movies are filmed and then edited down.
I don't believe in writer's block.
Trevor D. Richardson
The greatest thing about being a writer is this perfect moment in time when you conceive of a specific idea, maybe it's a bit of dialogue or some imagery in your story, and when you sit to write it the whole thing just goes so well that it's as if it already existed and you discovered it. It's almost like discovering a new element. Then, after that hard work is done, someone reads an entire book you wrote and picks that thing, that little moment, as the part they loved and they tell you about it. When this happens, as rare as it may be, you feel as if you, that reader, your story, and the entire universe have come together to form a single point.
Trevor D. Richardson
If you are trying to become a professional writer, then remember that this is a job. On any other job, you don't get to just show up and work when you're feeling inspired. You show up and work because it's your job. You have to train yourself, understanding that writing is a skill, no different than carpentry, welding, or automotive repair. Hone that skill like it is a muscle and trust that muscle memory to kick in whenever it is time to write.
Another piece of advice I never got that I wish I had is that your job as a writer does not end when you get your book published. You then have to become a publicist and a salesman, so start sharpening those skills now and build your network as much as you can.
Another piece of advice I never got that I wish I had is that your job as a writer does not end when you get your book published. You then have to become a publicist and a salesman, so start sharpening those skills now and build your network as much as you can.
Trevor D. Richardson
I am currently working on a nonfiction novel about my experiences working in a party supply and costume shop in Portland, Oregon. I am also at work on "Corporate Hun," the sequel to "Dystopia Boy," and a couple of graphic novel script ideas.
Trevor D. Richardson
I listen to Tom Waits. That's the short answer.
The long answer is I don't believe in waiting to write when I am inspired. I write when I decide it is time to get some work done. Most of the time I can just sit down and work, but when I'm not in the mood I listen to Tom Waits. There's something about that creepy, apocalyptic circus vibe in his music that fills me with this need to put words on the page.
The long answer is I don't believe in waiting to write when I am inspired. I write when I decide it is time to get some work done. Most of the time I can just sit down and work, but when I'm not in the mood I listen to Tom Waits. There's something about that creepy, apocalyptic circus vibe in his music that fills me with this need to put words on the page.
Trevor D. Richardson
I was inspired by the television broadcast changeover to HD in 2007. There was all this talk in the media about how you had to go buy an HD television or a little box to convert your television to receive HD transmissions. What I got from that was this idea about how spooky it would be if these new appliances we were required to buy were hiding hidden cameras. Imagining who might be receiving the footage on the other end is how I imagined The Watchers from Dystopia Boy.
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