Ask the Author: Jim Melanson
Answered Questions (7)
Jim Melanson
I would go to Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars and spend my time wind surfing/sailing like they did in Blue Mars (or was it Green Mars?).
Jim Melanson
Part prayer, part dogged determination, part fantastically deep imagination.
Jim Melanson
The Mars-One endeavour was part of the inspiration for the book. The idea of colonists on Mars is awesome. However, I'm a bit of a loner, I don't like a lot of people around at once, so that made me think, "What if a guy went to Mars alone?"
Honestly, my first sci-fi novel "On Mars: Pathfinder" was not the book I sat down to write. Yes, I had planned it to be one man alone on Mars, however, when I started writing all these great ideas started coming into my head. Ten chapters into the book, I scrapped it and started over, writing the story that I wanted to be able to watch on the big screen.
Honestly, my first sci-fi novel "On Mars: Pathfinder" was not the book I sat down to write. Yes, I had planned it to be one man alone on Mars, however, when I started writing all these great ideas started coming into my head. Ten chapters into the book, I scrapped it and started over, writing the story that I wanted to be able to watch on the big screen.
Jim Melanson
I"m working on volume 2 of The Mike Lane Stories. It's a sci-fi novel, set in 2019, on the planet Mars. It's title is "On Mars: Murder at Hellas Planitia". It is the sequel to my first sci-fi novel, "On Mars: Pathfinder"
Jim Melanson
No matter how many excuses you can come up with for not writing, I can probably give you more. However, the only way you will become a writer is to write. My writing background is in technical manuals and business proposals. For myself, every time I sit down to write, I give thanks to God for the skill he has given me, the time I have to write with, and the resources I have to make it possible. I think that the most important advice I can give is, just do it! Do it for yourself. Write for yourself, write for your story. The readers will come or they won't come but the most satisfying part of this, is the writing itself.
Jim Melanson
I get to read the story that I want to read. I'm amazed, all the time, at the words that come out of my finger tips. I'll set down thinking I'm going to write one thing, only to have something so much better staring back at me from the Word document. I'm constantly surprising myself.
Jim Melanson
Step away from the computer! Sometimes I need a day, sometimes I need a few weeks. Usually, working on something completely different will free up the creative muse to give me some ideas. I've found most often that after a few days away, sitting down and forcing myself to write the first paragraph of a new chapter will suddenly kick the creative juices into high gear... that and too much time watching BGT audtions on YouTube.
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