Ask the Author: Ben Lyle Bedard
Answered Questions (10)
Ben Lyle Bedard
Amanda,
Thanks for the comment! I'm sorry it took so long to respond. I just came back from vacation, and I purposefully stayed away from the Internet. . .
It's very flattering to get such praise from a librarian because you do know your stuff! It's heartening too, so I really appreciate the time you took to write to me.
Now, to answer your question: yes, I do plan on writing more books like "World Without Crows." In fact, I'm neck deep in writing the sequel to it, "The World Without Flags." I can't say too much about it yet, but it takes place ten years after the events of the first book. It's different from the first book, but it follows the same characters as they deal with a very different world than the first book. I don't know how much more time it will take me to write it, but I'm hoping I will finish before 2020.
Thanks again for your comment!
Thanks for the comment! I'm sorry it took so long to respond. I just came back from vacation, and I purposefully stayed away from the Internet. . .
It's very flattering to get such praise from a librarian because you do know your stuff! It's heartening too, so I really appreciate the time you took to write to me.
Now, to answer your question: yes, I do plan on writing more books like "World Without Crows." In fact, I'm neck deep in writing the sequel to it, "The World Without Flags." I can't say too much about it yet, but it takes place ten years after the events of the first book. It's different from the first book, but it follows the same characters as they deal with a very different world than the first book. I don't know how much more time it will take me to write it, but I'm hoping I will finish before 2020.
Thanks again for your comment!
Ben Lyle Bedard
Hi Tina, thanks for the question!
The Slinger Trilogy began as a vague desire to write about pioneers on another planet. However, I didn't want to write a book from the perspective of cold, white walls and expensive science fiction gadgets. I wanted to write about how I thought the pioneering experience would be for most people. I wanted it to be down in the mud and real and I wanted to talk less about the people who change the world and more about the people who are caught up in that change.
That was my desire. I didn't know the best way to do that. At the time I was interested in dialect writing of all kinds and just in dialects in general. It came to me that a good way to talk about ordinary people was to speak in dialect, and what better way to portray a frontier world than the use of the western dialect? Once I started writing it, I thought it worked very well, and it propelled the entire Trilogy.
As to point of view, the book is written in third person, limited omniscience. The point of view changes from time to time from one character to another to best tell the story. Sometimes the narration pulls back into full-blown omniscience.
I hope this answers your question!
The Slinger Trilogy began as a vague desire to write about pioneers on another planet. However, I didn't want to write a book from the perspective of cold, white walls and expensive science fiction gadgets. I wanted to write about how I thought the pioneering experience would be for most people. I wanted it to be down in the mud and real and I wanted to talk less about the people who change the world and more about the people who are caught up in that change.
That was my desire. I didn't know the best way to do that. At the time I was interested in dialect writing of all kinds and just in dialects in general. It came to me that a good way to talk about ordinary people was to speak in dialect, and what better way to portray a frontier world than the use of the western dialect? Once I started writing it, I thought it worked very well, and it propelled the entire Trilogy.
As to point of view, the book is written in third person, limited omniscience. The point of view changes from time to time from one character to another to best tell the story. Sometimes the narration pulls back into full-blown omniscience.
I hope this answers your question!
Ben Lyle Bedard
When she dreamt, there were blue skies and green fields, but when she woke there was always blood. The skies had turned dark a long time ago and she knew while that was true, she could not be stopped.
Ben Lyle Bedard
"The World Without Crows" came from three separate ideas in my head that suddenly became one idea. I always wanted to write a post apocalypse book. I also wanted to write a book with an RPG gamer as the protagonist. Lastly, I like writing about hiking, so I wanted to write a book just about that. One morning I realized I could do all three as one book, and the book was born.
Ben Lyle Bedard
Reading a great book makes me want to write.
Ben Lyle Bedard
Secret. It can be poison to talk too much about a work-in-process. I'll let you know when it's ready!
Ben Lyle Bedard
Try to read more and expand your tastes. Read different genres. Read work that is too difficult for you. Don't be afraid of to be influenced by other writers.
Ben Lyle Bedard
The best thing is when everything is going along great and you write a beautiful sentence. Or your character says something surprising. Or you have a thought that you never had before, and it's a discovery. the best thing about writing is when something new happens.
Ben Lyle Bedard
I actually have the opposite problem. I write too much. I have to work to get myself to write well and not just keep writing. My great goal is to write a wonderfully slim novel like "The Old Man and the Sea" or one of the Earthsea books. Instead, my books tend to EXPAND.
Ben Lyle Bedard
I think I'll be reading more Isabel Allende this summer to polish my Spanish!
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
Dec 16, 2019 07:35AM · flag