Ask the Author: Tim Bridwell
Answered Questions (7)
Tim Bridwell
I would love to descend into Toru Okada's well (from Haruki Murakami's WIND-UP BIRD CHRONICLES), waiting for the passage...
Tim Bridwell
That would be the novel Sophronia L. I like writing about strangers in strange lands, yet, time and time again, I’ve been told I should write about places and characters familiar to me. The place I am “from” is Martha’s Vineyard Island. In the 19th century the Vineyard had a substantial, well-integrated deaf community (with their own sign language) and was a major whaling center, producing many Captains and Wampanoag native "boatsteerers" (harpooners). This seemed like a good place to start. Along the voyage I was able to incorporate the "strangers in strange lands" motif to my liking.
Tim Bridwell
In a global sense, the things that inspire me to write are the things that inspire me to live. That's a long list. On a day to day basis I would say music inspires my writing more than anything. For example, when writing "Sophronia L." I listened to Wagner's "Der Ring des Nibelungen" (one opera per day, repeating the cycle on the 5th day) and quite logically "Der fliegende Holländer," with lots of hard-style techno at the end when I needed to focus my mind and speed my pace. John Coltrane inspires me to create just about anything; he is always in my inspiration "toolkit."
Tim Bridwell
I’m writing a literary fiction novel set aboard a dilapidated container ship, abandoned by its owner and doomed from the onset. Two Taiwanese officers, five Sindhi/Pakistanis crew, one Malian stowaway, and their human rights advocate in Lisbon. Yes, I find myself again on a ship, but this time in the present day. This ship is a vessel—if you will— for dealing with themes of ontology.
Tim Bridwell
The obvious answer here is "write!" That is also the correct answer... DING Congratulations! The process of writing is always a learning process, no matter how accomplished a writer you are. Trial and error. Being afraid to write crap is probably the greatest hinderance to any aspiring writer, but it's part of the process, steps A to H of writing's "A to Z."Reading is also an important component for you to identify what you admire in other writers, and what might work in your own fiction. In the process of writing—thousands of pages later—the writer will recognize their own voice, then the serious stuff can begin.
Tim Bridwell
I love the control you are able to have over your artwork. In cinema or the so-called "plastic arts," (my previous experience) you have so many logistical and financial concerns en route to seeing a work through to conclusion. Writing a novel, the polished words on a page constitutes the work. It is sharing that work with others on a large scale that is the tricky part. I love being a fiction writer because I love spending time in my character's worlds.
Tim Bridwell
In the case of blank page "snow blindness" I feel it's best to just write anything—I mean ANYTHING. Let's face it, any first-words-on-paper are likely to be substantially edited, as it is. In the case of writer's block occuring in a work-in-progress, sometime's it is best to take a break—a walk, clean the kitchen, play guitar—anything to clear your mind. Other times, though, I just continue to bang my head against it until it comes. There is no easy way out.
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