Ask the Author: R.C. Dilan
Answered Questions (11)
R.C. Dilan
I hate sleeping in a made bed, and would much rather just have a mess of blankets and pillows waiting for me to fall into. So, when I was single my bed was never made. Now that I'm married, things are a bit different and I no longer have final say in this decision.
I do find the idea of making the bed, in a room that no one else ever sees, only to mess it up again later, is a bit psychotic.
I do find the idea of making the bed, in a room that no one else ever sees, only to mess it up again later, is a bit psychotic.
R.C. Dilan
Two writers that really influenced me were Haruki Murakami and Hunter S. Thompson. I don't know if my writing is very similar to either author, and I know for a fact that I'm no where near there level, but their writing style really gets to me.
For Murakami, the thing that sticks out the most is how strange his books are sometime. He takes the character and the story to such unbelievable places at times, but he does it in a way that still feels real. I love that, and it really gave me the courage to push the boundaries of what is considered normal. Kafka's Metamorphosis also taught me a lot about pushing that boundary.
With Thompson, I just love the voice of his writing. Maybe it's because of Johnny Depp's portrayal in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, but I find the sound of his writing to just be incredible. He also has my single favorite passage of all time; it's the one in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas about the 60's and the wave. I read it over and over.
For Murakami, the thing that sticks out the most is how strange his books are sometime. He takes the character and the story to such unbelievable places at times, but he does it in a way that still feels real. I love that, and it really gave me the courage to push the boundaries of what is considered normal. Kafka's Metamorphosis also taught me a lot about pushing that boundary.
With Thompson, I just love the voice of his writing. Maybe it's because of Johnny Depp's portrayal in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, but I find the sound of his writing to just be incredible. He also has my single favorite passage of all time; it's the one in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas about the 60's and the wave. I read it over and over.
R.C. Dilan
I think it's important for new writers to work with some sort of an outline. Before I wrote my first book, I had this image in my head of great writers and how they sat down at a computer or typewriter and wrote an entire story off the top of their head, while drinking scotch and smoking cigars.
After trying to write a book without an outline a couple of times, failing to get past the first couple of pages, and now after finishing my first novel, I realized it is really hard to write an entire book that way. Looking at an empty page with only vague ideas of what you want to say, and knowing that you have to try to fill a couple hundred sheets of them with words is intimidating and can seem impossible. When I broke things down into smaller parts and chapters, and then wrote a vague outline of what I wanted to say and do with each chapter, it made the whole project feel more manageable.
Also, writing an outline doesn't mean you are beholden to it—unable to change ideas as you go. It just gives you a general idea of where your runaway train of ideas is going to end up.
After trying to write a book without an outline a couple of times, failing to get past the first couple of pages, and now after finishing my first novel, I realized it is really hard to write an entire book that way. Looking at an empty page with only vague ideas of what you want to say, and knowing that you have to try to fill a couple hundred sheets of them with words is intimidating and can seem impossible. When I broke things down into smaller parts and chapters, and then wrote a vague outline of what I wanted to say and do with each chapter, it made the whole project feel more manageable.
Also, writing an outline doesn't mean you are beholden to it—unable to change ideas as you go. It just gives you a general idea of where your runaway train of ideas is going to end up.
R.C. Dilan
Do I have fans?!?! That would be awesome.
If I have fans I would to tell them, thank you; hopefully I can repay you later by becoming super famous, and then you can to tell everyone that you knew I was awesome before anyone else did.
It's not important who you like, it's that you liked them before everyone else, right?
If I have fans I would to tell them, thank you; hopefully I can repay you later by becoming super famous, and then you can to tell everyone that you knew I was awesome before anyone else did.
It's not important who you like, it's that you liked them before everyone else, right?
R.C. Dilan
My favorite book when I was a kid was "Harris and Me," by Gary Paulson. I loved it. Harris was hilarious. Before I read it, I remember all my friends telling me, "You have to read it, there's a part where the kid pees on an electric fence!" Once I heard that, the nine year old me was sold that it was probably the greatest work of fiction of all time.
I also read a lot of R.L. Stine's Goosebumps books. They were pretty entertaining and my brother was really into Stephen King at the time, so I think a part of me was trying to copy him with the kid version.
I also read a lot of R.L. Stine's Goosebumps books. They were pretty entertaining and my brother was really into Stephen King at the time, so I think a part of me was trying to copy him with the kid version.
R.C. Dilan
The best thing about writing is just being creative. Creating something new is a really cool feeling. When I wrote the final word of my first novel and put that last period down, I felt a body high and warmth in my face that I never thought was possible from non-mind-altering substances.
R.C. Dilan
I am inspired to write by my desire to have a job that no longer requires me to shave or wear pants. Ahh, just thinking about the scruffy beard, and freedom of only wearing boxers brings a big smile to my face.
That and of course the whole writing good books and exploring ideas about society and life thing.
That and of course the whole writing good books and exploring ideas about society and life thing.
R.C. Dilan
The idea for my first book actually had a little bit of a strange beginning. I was on the train, listening to this techno song that sampled JFK`s Ich Bin Berliner speech; I was just starring forward when the line, "I`d rather die young, trying to improve things, then to die old and broken with a lifetime of regret." I didn`t really know what it meant, or why I was thinking about it, but it was soon accompanied with an image of a divided Berlin and the sound of JFK`s speech drifting over the wall to a group of men struggling to stay alive. This turned into an idea for a historical fiction book about an attempted revolution in Germany at that time, and then the idea evolved into the book I actually wrote about a revolution taking place in a future dystopian society.
R.C. Dilan
I think the best advice I could give to a new writer is to not read all those articles about how to write a novel. I think books on writing are great, and studying the creative process can be helpful, but most of those articles are just trying to sell you an easy way to write a book. And the truth of the matter is, there is no easy way to do it. It`s hard and takes a lot of work. The best way to figure out how to write a book is to jump in feet first and find the way that works the best for you and your lifestyle.
R.C. Dilan
I`m currently working on the sequel to my first book. It`s fun and exciting to start the brainstorming process again and to try to think of new places to take the story. It`s been a little bit easier in some ways to work on my second novel, because I know what to expect and how I want to do things, but the beginning is always a little intimidating because it`s such a long process to write a book and I always wonder if I`ll be able to make it to the end.
R.C. Dilan
I think the best way to deal with writer`s block is to write about your book. Anytime I get stuck on something, I take a break from book writing, and do some freewriting about my ideas instead. It really helps flush out the images and story lines that I want to put into my book. And it`s really exciting because that`s usually where I get my best content from.
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