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Ask the Author: Steve Shahbazian
Answered Questions (6)
Steve Shahbazian
There’s no one right way to deal with writer’s block. Sometimes there is a problem with the writing, which needs to be teased out; other times it’s a mental block, which is much harder to deal with. Sometimes, it’s best to leave a work and come back to it when feeling fresh. Sometimes, it is good to give it to a friend to read or take it to a writing group for an external perspective. Sometimes, there is nothing to do but wait for the muse to return. Then, it's a case of being patient.
Steve Shahbazian
I got the idea for my novel Green and Pleasant Land way back after leaving university. I remembered the predictions in the 1980s of how Japan was destined to dominate the world economy and the books that explained how this was due to Japan Inc's keiretsu, MITI and the “iron triangle” of party, state and business.
Then, the Japanese bubble burst and the new books explained that Japan Inc was a myth, the keiretsu was a fable, MITI’s power was overstated and there never was any iron triangle. I then imagined a world in which a powerful businessman went searching for the centre of power, only to find nothing there.
Then, the Japanese bubble burst and the new books explained that Japan Inc was a myth, the keiretsu was a fable, MITI’s power was overstated and there never was any iron triangle. I then imagined a world in which a powerful businessman went searching for the centre of power, only to find nothing there.
Steve Shahbazian
Inspiration is all around - it is a question of being open to it. I look for situations or scenarios that intrigue, fascinate or move me in some way. Once I have a basic premise, it’s a question of working out whether there is a story within. Who is the main character? What is their attitude to their world? What obstacles do they face? If this produces a viable narrative arc, I jot down my thoughts for later. If not, it’s dustbin-fodder.
Steve Shahbazian
Oh dear, nothing! I was working on a set of short stories, but then I got sidetracked with these questions. The stories were nothing more than a bunch of ideas I had, but they’ve cross-fertilised each other and developed into a coherent set. My previous work had been more dystopian / concept-based, so I wanted to write some straightforward literary fiction. With some disturbing twists, of course.
Steve Shahbazian
Don’t! Seriously, write for the love of writing and remember: writing is a marathon, not a sprint. If you love writing, you will always be doing something you love, whatever else you achieve. The key to writing is persistence. Stick with it and keep going - eventually, something good will come (says he with fingers crossed).
Steve Shahbazian
The ability to create. By writing, we get to create whole fictional worlds that didn’t exist before and add to the collective imagination. To know that others are reading what I’ve created and being inspired by it is a magical feeling. Well, I say it is, but as I don’t have any followers yet, that’s purely conjecture. Would you like to know the worst thing about being a writer?
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