Ask the Author: Chris Sykes
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Chris Sykes
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Chris Sykes
Life has its own uncanny way of flinging inspiration around. You need to be in the right place at the right time with the right mindset and inspiration will find you. Only don’t come running to me if inspiration finds you unprepared. Inspiration can be quite a handful, at times loving and kind but at other times, between 2pm and 4pm, mean as a miser who has had no sleep for 39 hours and thinks that you owe him big time.
Chris Sykes
The best thing is that you’re allowed imaginary friends, without people thinking that you’re crazy.
Tom Delargy
I have a serious question about this comment. In the last few days I've considered the potentially harmful consequences of knowing lots of backstory f
I have a serious question about this comment. In the last few days I've considered the potentially harmful consequences of knowing lots of backstory for all the characters in a novel/play etc, but keeping them to yourself. Creative writers need to do this. But what about the rest of us? My mind works a bit like Christopher's from A curious incident. Imaginary facts are confusing to me. My extreme adhd makes it hard to learn new facts. All the effort I put in to learning facts that are unreal may give me an insight into parallel universes where these events and characters actually breathe. But is there not a risk the iaginary friends could drive some people to lose track oof what is real and what is false memory? This is an attempt to find an answer. I'm not asking a rhetorical question. I hope you don't think I'm wasting your time. I'd would value your opinion on this.
...more
Dec 05, 2015 05:17AM · flag
Dec 05, 2015 05:17AM · flag
Chris Sykes
Hi Tom, thank you for your question. Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you but I've not been on here for a while.
Your question is not an ea Hi Tom, thank you for your question. Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you but I've not been on here for a while.
Your question is not an easy one to answer. I think on certain levels everything is real to a degree. What one person creates in their head, in their imagination, can be real to them but it does not necessarily make it real to anyone else. My characters are not physically real but I often think about what they would do in certain, 'real life', situations. This does not make them real in the world we live in, nor do I think that they live in a parallel universe (perhaps they do, there is a story there). This is because only I have had that thought. No one else has had access to that thought and as such the idea and concept is only real to me.
Just think about religion, to a religious person their belief can be everything; it can warm them and reassure them, it can help and guide them. But that alone does not make it real to an unreligious person, nor does it make it imaginary.
There is a fine line between what is imaginary and what is reality. A person's perspective on reality is a very personal thing but it is important to understand how society works and what is real in that society, ie. being able to understand other peoples' perception of what is real. Knowing that difference is very powerful.
It is the job of a fictional writer to create something imaginary and convince others that it is real. I hope this answers your question. Again, I am sorry to respond so late to you. ...more
Feb 13, 2018 07:16AM · flag
Your question is not an ea Hi Tom, thank you for your question. Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you but I've not been on here for a while.
Your question is not an easy one to answer. I think on certain levels everything is real to a degree. What one person creates in their head, in their imagination, can be real to them but it does not necessarily make it real to anyone else. My characters are not physically real but I often think about what they would do in certain, 'real life', situations. This does not make them real in the world we live in, nor do I think that they live in a parallel universe (perhaps they do, there is a story there). This is because only I have had that thought. No one else has had access to that thought and as such the idea and concept is only real to me.
Just think about religion, to a religious person their belief can be everything; it can warm them and reassure them, it can help and guide them. But that alone does not make it real to an unreligious person, nor does it make it imaginary.
There is a fine line between what is imaginary and what is reality. A person's perspective on reality is a very personal thing but it is important to understand how society works and what is real in that society, ie. being able to understand other peoples' perception of what is real. Knowing that difference is very powerful.
It is the job of a fictional writer to create something imaginary and convince others that it is real. I hope this answers your question. Again, I am sorry to respond so late to you. ...more
Feb 13, 2018 07:16AM · flag
Chris Sykes
Learn how two spell and cheque you're gramma four mistakes. Ewe nose wot eyes mean?
Tom Delargy
Do you have no sympathy for the guy (GBS?) who said the problem was the archaic rules of English spelling? My major problem is double letters. Spell c
Do you have no sympathy for the guy (GBS?) who said the problem was the archaic rules of English spelling? My major problem is double letters. Spell check can fix anyway. Grammar is much more serious problem, especially if you're a dyslexic. I find rereading a book, and coomparing it to an audiobook best helps me get to grips with grammar. I suspect this would help all those with adhd/dyslexia. Wish I worked this out decades ago. Then again, there were no audiobooks back when I was a whippersnapper.
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Dec 05, 2015 08:46AM · flag
Dec 05, 2015 08:46AM · flag
Chris Sykes
Hi Tom, again I am sorry for the very delayed reply.
You make a very valid point and I am sorry if this comment came across in any way offensive to yo Hi Tom, again I am sorry for the very delayed reply.
You make a very valid point and I am sorry if this comment came across in any way offensive to you. It was simply a play on words. I love the way the English language works and I like to have fun with it. Yes, it is not easy and it is often confusing. I don't know how many times I looked up the correct way to use different words and the correct grammatical structure of sentences. And I still get it wrong sometimes.
Your tip about listening to an audio book is great advice. It is a great way to enjoy the story on different levels.
Whippersnapper is such a great word by the way, I haven't heard it in a long time. ...more
Feb 13, 2018 07:30AM · flag
You make a very valid point and I am sorry if this comment came across in any way offensive to yo Hi Tom, again I am sorry for the very delayed reply.
You make a very valid point and I am sorry if this comment came across in any way offensive to you. It was simply a play on words. I love the way the English language works and I like to have fun with it. Yes, it is not easy and it is often confusing. I don't know how many times I looked up the correct way to use different words and the correct grammatical structure of sentences. And I still get it wrong sometimes.
Your tip about listening to an audio book is great advice. It is a great way to enjoy the story on different levels.
Whippersnapper is such a great word by the way, I haven't heard it in a long time. ...more
Feb 13, 2018 07:30AM · flag
Chris Sykes
The best way to deal with a writer's block is to go for a walk. A long walk, or a short one, it does not matter. The length of your walk will really depend on where your nearest hardware store is located. You don’t really have to walk either, a car, scooter, bus, etc. offer a much easier way of fulfilling the same task. Anyway, enter your nearest hardware store and find the largest hammer available. You can then use the hammer to smash the writer's block to pieces. If you are unable to do so yourself, or you are simply not inclined to use hammers, a friendly store assistant will more than likely leap at the chance to help you out.
There is of course a non-violent way to deal with such blocks and that is often found in a bottle, a rather large bottle containing a hammer. Okay, so it is not exactly non-violent but those blocks are awfully mean.
There is of course a non-violent way to deal with such blocks and that is often found in a bottle, a rather large bottle containing a hammer. Okay, so it is not exactly non-violent but those blocks are awfully mean.
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