Ask the Author: Brian Asman
Answered Questions (6)
Brian Asman
JAILBROKE began life as a potential submission for a Splatterpunk in Space anthology. It quickly grew beyond the confines of a short story, and probably isn't really splatterpunk anyway (I'll leave it to readers to categorize the book, genre-wise). Once I started building out the world of the future, a lot of different plot points began to reveal themselves. Even though I didn't know what the book was *about* when I began, a theme soon emerged: in a future dominated by AIs, what exactly would human beings DO with themselves?
I hope I've answered that question in a fun and thought-provoking way. But if not, there's still lots of blood, guts, and jokes about sex robots!
I hope I've answered that question in a fun and thought-provoking way. But if not, there's still lots of blood, guts, and jokes about sex robots!
Brian Asman
Inspiration is nice, but overrated. Stories are works of engineering. They're devices, designed to elicit feeling. Study how they're built, how they work, how they do what they do. Start with the stories that've made the biggest impression on you. Diagram them. What is each scene *doing*? What is each line of dialogue doing?
Stories are like houses. Put a beam in the wrong place and it's an obstacle, not a support. Don't forget the sewage line. Where does that hallway go, anyway? Figure all that out, and the drapes and paint and furniture will suggest themselves.
Stories are like houses. Put a beam in the wrong place and it's an obstacle, not a support. Don't forget the sewage line. Where does that hallway go, anyway? Figure all that out, and the drapes and paint and furniture will suggest themselves.
Brian Asman
If you write, you're a writer, not an "aspiring" writer.
Treat every piece of writing advice as suggestion, not law.
Well, except for this--if you continue writing, and don't act like a jerk, you will achieve some sort of success. It might take years, and you might have to redefine what you consider success, but if you don't quit you will eventually place a short story somewhere, have a blog post go viral, get an agent or even get to hold a beautifully-bound hardback in your hands.
Couple years ago, when I was starting out, I hooked up with a like-minded group of inexperienced writers. In the intervening years, every single one of them has achieved some sort of success. Every. Single. One.
Treat every piece of writing advice as suggestion, not law.
Well, except for this--if you continue writing, and don't act like a jerk, you will achieve some sort of success. It might take years, and you might have to redefine what you consider success, but if you don't quit you will eventually place a short story somewhere, have a blog post go viral, get an agent or even get to hold a beautifully-bound hardback in your hands.
Couple years ago, when I was starting out, I hooked up with a like-minded group of inexperienced writers. In the intervening years, every single one of them has achieved some sort of success. Every. Single. One.
Brian Asman
I just wrote a blog post called "Five Aliens I'd Really Like to Eat." So, that.
Brian Asman
Writer's block simply means that you aren't writing. There are as many different reasons for not writing as there are writers, but a frequent one is lack of inspiration. But guess what, you actually don't have to feel inspired to write! Even if you don't feel like it, sit down to write for a few minutes. If you're stuck, have your characters discuss everything that's happened so far, the next beat will often suggest itself. Yes, you will end up deleting everything you've written, but if it puts you back in the headspace to write, it's worth it.
Brian Asman
I'm currently putting the finishing touches on NUNCHUCK CITY, a bizarro martial arts novella. It'll be out April 20th!
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