Ask the Author: Bryan Timothy Mitchell
Answered Questions (7)
Bryan Timothy Mitchell
Hi Sam!
Sorry, I have left this unanswered for 32 days. I didn't see it. No Place Like Home doesn't qualify for Goodreads because it's a standalone short story. At some point though, I plan to add it to a collection and then it'll find its way here. I hope you enjoyed it. The freebie I'm working on now is The Dark Night. I'm not thrilled with the name and I'm releasing a chapter a month to my newsletter subscribers. I started writing it around the time I finished No Place Like Home. What I'm actually doing is more of an edit really. I feel like No Place Like Home could use a little of that. Thanks for your question and feel free to reach out any time.
Sorry, I have left this unanswered for 32 days. I didn't see it. No Place Like Home doesn't qualify for Goodreads because it's a standalone short story. At some point though, I plan to add it to a collection and then it'll find its way here. I hope you enjoyed it. The freebie I'm working on now is The Dark Night. I'm not thrilled with the name and I'm releasing a chapter a month to my newsletter subscribers. I started writing it around the time I finished No Place Like Home. What I'm actually doing is more of an edit really. I feel like No Place Like Home could use a little of that. Thanks for your question and feel free to reach out any time.
Bryan Timothy Mitchell
A whole slew of things brought on Infernal Fall. It was originally set in an afterlife dystopia that I imagined what Hell may be like. Considering I am unknown and really wanted to draw more interest in the story I thought about possibly setting the story in a version of Hell we're more familiar with, Dante's Inferno. I wondered how do we see sin today differently than how Dante saw it in his time. It was a fun exploration and the characters took on a life of their own. I learned a lot on the way. Also, I got ideas from C.S. Lewis's The Great Divorce. In that story inhabitants of Hell go on a holiday to Heaven via a bus.
Bryan Timothy Mitchell
What gets me going is finding interesting situations in the story that I can't wait to get to. If I feel a particular scene is dull but feel it is essential to the story, something usually happens that I don't expect making the scene way more interesting than I thought it would be.
Bryan Timothy Mitchell
Now that Almost Paradise is finished, I have a couple of stories brewing. Usually, I work on one thing at a time so I'm not sure how productive I'll be trying to write two stories at once. I do aim to finish at least one by June 2025 and be several drafts into the other. We will see.
Bryan Timothy Mitchell
Seek professional help. Sure a psychologist if you feel it necessary, but what I mean is that you should find authors who are willing to help you with the craft of writing. You can go for a MFA's degree, attend creative writing courses, watch youtube channels, and all sorts of things to build an arsenal but there's something special about one on one communication from a top-notch writer who is willing to take the time to help you hone your skills.
Bryan Timothy Mitchell
Sharing stories that you create with others is the best thing about being a writer. When you delight people with something that you created for their entertainment it is really rewarding.
Bryan Timothy Mitchell
I don't really get writer's block. My issue is procrastination. Though it can be a really great tool, I do lean on it too much. As for writer's block, I believe it comes about in various ways. I know some writers may reach a particular point in a story and not know how to get through it. In those cases, I think falling back to earlier chapters to edit and revise can help you discover creative solutions. For those who are simply feeling that their words are monotonous and can't get the right prose, I say just write it as you see it. It doesn't have to be perfect the first time or even the last time. The only other possibility I see being an issue is a lack of inspiration. In this case all you have to do is listen to some music that matches the mood you are hoping to write. It'll definitely draw your creativity out.
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