Ask the Author: Dan Burns
Answered Questions (6)
Dan Burns
That's easy. I'd hop in my car and drive to Green Town, Illinois, the fictional town of Ray Bradbury's Dandelion Wine. It is a place that reminds me of my youth, of a simpler time, where kids run free in green spaces that span for miles in a place where families gather to relish in the magic and majesty of a small rural town.
I've read Dandelion Wine many times. I'm drawn to the book often, for I need to escape this life and all its distractions in search of the meaningful, to put on my cherished gym shoes and run through the ravines and streets with my brother, from sun up until the street lights go on, kicking up the newly cut blades of grass, running until breathless, exploring the wonders of each new day and hoping to see the fire balloons rise again in the summer evening sky.
It seems I long for the past.
I've read Dandelion Wine many times. I'm drawn to the book often, for I need to escape this life and all its distractions in search of the meaningful, to put on my cherished gym shoes and run through the ravines and streets with my brother, from sun up until the street lights go on, kicking up the newly cut blades of grass, running until breathless, exploring the wonders of each new day and hoping to see the fire balloons rise again in the summer evening sky.
It seems I long for the past.
Dan Burns
In my short story collection, No Turning Back, there is a story titled Letting Go, which introduced the character of Sebastian Drake. In writing the story, it was my first effort to find out for myself who Sebastian Drake really was, and what he had the potential to become. I needed to know what he was doing now, and at the same time, I needed to get some insight into his past, his demons, his special skills, and his possibilities for the future. I sat down in front of my computer, pictured Drake in my mind, sat him at a table in a coffee shop, and set the wheels of imagination into motion. When I finished the story, I found that I had created more questions than I’d answered. Actually, I’m not sure I answered many questions about Sebastian Drake at all. But I was intrigued by what happened in the story and I thought I might want to know more. Actually, I needed to know more.
After writing a screenplay for a feature film with Drake in the lead role, I embarked on a project to bring Sebastian Drake to his ultimate story platform: the novel. In a reverse adaption and using the screenplay as a basis (the same process that I used for my first novel, Recalled to Life), I am happy to say that as of this writing, the initial draft of A Fine Line: A Sebastian Drake Novel is complete. After a few more revisions, and after Sebastian Drake has finally closed this chapter of his story, the book will be published, and we’ll see where it goes from there.
After writing a screenplay for a feature film with Drake in the lead role, I embarked on a project to bring Sebastian Drake to his ultimate story platform: the novel. In a reverse adaption and using the screenplay as a basis (the same process that I used for my first novel, Recalled to Life), I am happy to say that as of this writing, the initial draft of A Fine Line: A Sebastian Drake Novel is complete. After a few more revisions, and after Sebastian Drake has finally closed this chapter of his story, the book will be published, and we’ll see where it goes from there.
Dan Burns
It’s simple: get the words down onto the page.
In my business career, I always tried to focus on setting myself apart from the competition. The approach worked for me, and I felt so strongly about the importance of making such an effort, that I wrote a book about the concept and idea, and in 2009, The First 60 Seconds: Win the Job Interview Before it Begins, was published.
One of the ideas that formed the foundation for the book is that beating out your competition is all about differentiation—setting yourself apart from the masses by showing your unique strengths and qualities. The simple key to differentiation is making a focused and concerted effort to surpass what is normally expected and to go above and beyond, if only a small amount, what everyone else is doing.
This idea is especially true in the world of writing and publishing. Everyone talks about wanting to be a writer but few actually take the step necessary (actually writing) to make the dream or desire a reality. Do you want to set yourself apart from everyone who talks about being a writer? Sit down and write. Do you want to set yourself apart even more? Publish a book. Do you want to set yourself apart from the small percentage of the population that is made up of real, published authors? Publish two books.
Differentiate yourself, and get the words down onto the page.
In my business career, I always tried to focus on setting myself apart from the competition. The approach worked for me, and I felt so strongly about the importance of making such an effort, that I wrote a book about the concept and idea, and in 2009, The First 60 Seconds: Win the Job Interview Before it Begins, was published.
One of the ideas that formed the foundation for the book is that beating out your competition is all about differentiation—setting yourself apart from the masses by showing your unique strengths and qualities. The simple key to differentiation is making a focused and concerted effort to surpass what is normally expected and to go above and beyond, if only a small amount, what everyone else is doing.
This idea is especially true in the world of writing and publishing. Everyone talks about wanting to be a writer but few actually take the step necessary (actually writing) to make the dream or desire a reality. Do you want to set yourself apart from everyone who talks about being a writer? Sit down and write. Do you want to set yourself apart even more? Publish a book. Do you want to set yourself apart from the small percentage of the population that is made up of real, published authors? Publish two books.
Differentiate yourself, and get the words down onto the page.
Dan Burns
I truly enjoy writing on a daily basis, and my day feels incomplete if I’m not able to empty the ideas, characters, and stories from my head. There is nothing more rewarding then getting words, the paragraphs, and the stories down the page and then in retrospect wondering where it all came from. Every new word on the page is an accomplishment, and I take great pride and comfort in knowing that the words, once written, are mine and are available for me, and others, to read an enjoy. Even better is going through the process of writing, editing, and publishing a book and holding the physical copy of the book in my hands and knowing (and hoping) that the book will soon be on the shelf of a library, bookstore, and reader very soon.
Dan Burns
People often ask me how I came up with a certain idea or why I decided to write a particular story. Those are tough questions to answer. All I can say is that ideas come, at any time of the day or night, and it is usually something I saw or read or heard that inspired them. The ideas come, and when they do, it is prudent for me to jot them down so I do not forget them. I realize there is a reason the ideas come to me, and it is not up to me to judge the source. However, it is up to me to trust the source, because the ideas germinate from the combined experiences of my lifetime. The ideas are me. I think it is true that I do not have a say in which stories I write. I do not write a story because I think it will lead to fame or fortune. I write a story because I have to, because the idea nags at me and will not leave me alone until the words are down onto the page and the story is finished.
I wrote the stories for my most recent book, No Turning Back, over a period of six years, from August 2006 to September 2012. I took the title for the book from the final story in the collection. No Turning Back is actually the first story I wrote, and the story is about a man put in a predicament where the only option is to jump forward, into the unknown and on to whatever comes next. I had no prior intention, but as I was pulling together the stories for this book, it was clear to me that all of the stories were linked by a similar theme: that every day we come to a crossroads in life and going back the way we came is not an option. No Turning Back is not only a fitting title for the book, but it also provides a sound mantra for living our lives: don’t try to re-live the past, for the future has so much in store for us. Just keep moving forward.
I wrote the stories for my most recent book, No Turning Back, over a period of six years, from August 2006 to September 2012. I took the title for the book from the final story in the collection. No Turning Back is actually the first story I wrote, and the story is about a man put in a predicament where the only option is to jump forward, into the unknown and on to whatever comes next. I had no prior intention, but as I was pulling together the stories for this book, it was clear to me that all of the stories were linked by a similar theme: that every day we come to a crossroads in life and going back the way we came is not an option. No Turning Back is not only a fitting title for the book, but it also provides a sound mantra for living our lives: don’t try to re-live the past, for the future has so much in store for us. Just keep moving forward.
Dan Burns
I have never had writer's block because I always make sure I have multiple projects going on at the same time. If the words aren’t flowing on one project, I shift over to another one. Minimally, I'm always publicizing the last book (which requires a lot of writing for marketing and publicity), working on the current book, and planning and sketching out the next one (or two). Along with that, I set a goal to write two new poems each month and I try to be fairly regimented in my approach to writing in my journal. Writing in my journal provides me a great opportunity to write out, in long hand, whatever is racing around in my head at the time, which often leads to another story idea or writing project.
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