Ask the Author: Shawn Kerivan
Answered Questions (7)
Shawn Kerivan
I love this question and I haven't given it a lot of thought in the past. I guess the first thing I'd like to know is how narrowly "couple" is defined. Garp and Helen in "The World According to Garp" are pretty extraordinary. And Wesley and Buttercup from "The Princess Bride" offer a different look at couples, especially in William Goldman's novel, as opposed to the movie. (The novel is one of the best teaching tools I've ever found.)
But my guilty pleasure is adventure/thriller/suspense novels, and I haven't read a lot of them with strong couples as the center of the writing. So I wrote one myself called "the nameless," and it features a great, dynamic fictional couple: Hunt McCoyne and Elise de Sancion. I was drawn to them as characters because of their complicated relationship, in which focus toggles back and forth, and is contrasted with the plot.
If anyone else has suggestions about great fictional couples in the thriller/suspense genre, I would love some recommendations.
But my guilty pleasure is adventure/thriller/suspense novels, and I haven't read a lot of them with strong couples as the center of the writing. So I wrote one myself called "the nameless," and it features a great, dynamic fictional couple: Hunt McCoyne and Elise de Sancion. I was drawn to them as characters because of their complicated relationship, in which focus toggles back and forth, and is contrasted with the plot.
If anyone else has suggestions about great fictional couples in the thriller/suspense genre, I would love some recommendations.
Shawn Kerivan
Watching the bemused expression spread across people's faces when I tell them I'm a writer. Then watching them take a step back.
Actually, the best thing about being a writer is knowing that I am a writer. That knowledge isn't something that can be taught. It simply exists within, and it's the writer's job to uncover it. That process produces access to stories. Then I write them down.
Actually, the best thing about being a writer is knowing that I am a writer. That knowledge isn't something that can be taught. It simply exists within, and it's the writer's job to uncover it. That process produces access to stories. Then I write them down.
Shawn Kerivan
Tell a story. The craft part will come with reading and practice, but first you have to tell a story.
Shawn Kerivan
In the fall of 2014 I'm working on a revision of an adventure/thriller novel I just finished. I'm also beginning work on my next writing project, which is going to be a historical/adventure/thriller. I think. I'm in the research and story development phase.
Shawn Kerivan
Beer and coffee.
Shawn Kerivan
My most recent book is the memoir A Brief History of Innkeeping in the 21st Century, and I was inspired to write it because I am an innkeeper. I wrote a column for the local newspaper during the first few years of owning the business, and that morphed into a blog (Innkeeping Innsights in Stowe), which turned into the memoir. It chronicles not only the innkeeping-specific hijinks we've endured, but also the challenges of being a small business owner. Like all my writing, it's a tragicomedy.
Shawn Kerivan
I don't believe in it. That's not to say I deny it, but I think it's one of those things that become something because somebody once talked about it and the word became flesh. Think of it this way: No matter what work you're engaged in, there will be times when you have no success at your task. Accept it. Seek help. Talk to someone. Move on. But don't walk around thinking that writer's block is this real thing and that it's stalking you. Be a pro and keep working. During every baseball season, hitters go through periods of time when they slump. They can't see the ball, they can't get the bat around fast enough, they foul everything off, or hit weak grounders back to the pitcher. They don't say, "I've got hitter's block, and it's this real thing, and it's picking on me." Instead they go for extra work with the hitting coach. They talk with their teammates. They try new rituals. But they keep swinging the bat and focusing on the goal, even though the results are shite. So keep writing, even if it's crap.
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