Ask the Author: Michael Jan Friedman
Answered Questions (10)
Michael Jan Friedman
Sure. As long as it's not too long. A few sentences on each aspect, I imagine?
--Mike
--Mike
Michael Jan Friedman
It wasn't the way his head sat on the kitchen table, surrounded by a pool of dried blood, that sent chills up the rungs of her spine. It was the way the rest of him came lurching at her across the linoleum, hands outstretched, making noises in its chest that she recognized even in the depths of her fear as their song.
Michael Jan Friedman
Daniel,
I always have more stories to tell--Stargazer and otherwise. They wake me up in the middle of the night, demanding to be told. And I do expect to write some more Trek books in the near future--I've had discussions with the publisher. However, no plans to write 'gazer books in particular.
Yet.
In the meantime, you may want to check out my Kickstarter campaign re: Cabal and Other Irresponsible Invocations of The Muse. It's for a volume of my original short fiction. If you like the idea, great. If not, no problem. I'd just be grateful if you took a look.
Best regards,
Mike
Daniel,
I always have more stories to tell--Stargazer and otherwise. They wake me up in the middle of the night, demanding to be told. And I do expect to write some more Trek books in the near future--I've had discussions with the publisher. However, no plans to write 'gazer books in particular.
Yet.
In the meantime, you may want to check out my Kickstarter campaign re: Cabal and Other Irresponsible Invocations of The Muse. It's for a volume of my original short fiction. If you like the idea, great. If not, no problem. I'd just be grateful if you took a look.
Best regards,
Mike
Michael Jan Friedman
The book I'm working on now is Lost Days. It's about the ten days eliminated by Pope Gregory when he instituted the Gregorian calendar in 1582, what really happened during those days, and what a teenaged boy has to do about it. The idea came to me while I was researching something else and found out about the ten-day gap. Naturally, I was intrigued. To me, it wasn't just a logistical move on the part of the pope--it was an opportunity for me to play out a supernatural fantasy in a place where it had never been done before.
If you're interested, I'm in the middle of a Kickstarter campaign for Lost Days. Here's the link:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...
If you're interested, I'm in the middle of a Kickstarter campaign for Lost Days. Here's the link:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...
Michael Jan Friedman
Thanks for the question, Andrew. An idea can come from almost anywhere--an experience, the newspaper, a book you're reading, a picture, etc. The key is to know what to do with it. I once saw a news story about a guy who had been killed in the polar bear habitat at a zoo. I wondered who he was, and how he had gotten into the habitat, and why. Once you figure those things out, you have a character and you know what his problem (or conflict) is. And when you know that, you go on to elements like theme and setting. Take my latest book, for which I'm running a Kickstarter campaign even as we speak: I was reading about the ten days Pope Gregory eliminated in 1582 when he switched to the new (Gregorian) calendar. "Eliminated ten days..." I thought. "Did something happen in those ten days that compelled him to eliminate them?" And away I went.
Michael Jan Friedman
I don't. If I waited for inspiration, I'd probably still be working on my first book. That's one of the qualities that separates professional writers from every one else: We don't wait for the Muse to visit. We write whether we feel like it or not.
Michael Jan Friedman
Of my licensed work, I'd say Starfleet Year One. It's about the origin of Starfleet and the Federation, written before Enterprise went on the air. Originally, it was supposed to be a seven-book series (Year Two, Three, etc.) but its conflicts with Enterprise put the kabosh on that idea. I'm also quite partial to my creator-owned work: The Vidar Saga, Fight The Gods, the Aztlan stories, and I Am The Salamander. But Lost Days, which is the currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, may supplant them all as my favorite before it's done.
Michael Jan Friedman
I've started a book called Lost Days, for which I've launched a Kickstarter campaign. Lost Days is about the ten days that were eliminated in 1582 when Pope Gregory initiated the new (Gregorian) calendar. Was it just a clerical change...or did something mind-blowingly hideous happen during those ten days? Anthony Borelli, a 21st-century kid, has to go back to Renaissance Italy to make sure the ten days are eliminated--and thereby save the world. It's a fun idea that I've been kicking around for a long time. If the Kickstarter campaign is a success, I'll finally be able to get it out there.
Michael Jan Friedman
Write a lot. Every day, if possible. And finish whatever you write. Professional writing is about the ability to end stories more than about the ability to start them.
Michael Jan Friedman
There's a reason for every instance of writer's block. Maybe you're trying to be perfect. Maybe you've written yourself into a corner (a good reason to start out with an outline). Maybe you're trying to get a character to do something he or she wouldn't do. Maybe it's just not as long a book as you figured it would be. Maybe you're wondering if it's too long. You have to figure out that's stopping you. Once you do that, you can move forward again.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more