Ask the Author: Erik Didriksen
Answered Questions (7)
Erik Didriksen
For now, yes. After writing 161 pop sonnets in a little under two years, it started to feel like I was forcing it. I'm sure I've got a few left in me, though, and when they emerge, I'll be sure to post them!
Erik Didriksen
While his greatest works are doubtlessly among the tragedies, I have a soft spot for his comedies. "The Taming of the Shrew" or "Much Ado About Nothing" are probably of my favorites; the dialogue between Katherine and Petruchio or Beatrice and Benedick are razor-sharp and incredibly funny. I also think "Comedy of Errors" often gets short-shrifted because the comedy is lowbrow and the scenario is ludicrous, but it's a blast to watch.
Erik Didriksen
Ooh, that would be a good one -- I'll have to put it on my list! There's no plan for a second book right now, but I'm not averse to the idea, either.
Erik Didriksen
Lear strikes me as the more realistic and more tragic depiction of family relationships. The plot of Hamlet hinges on Claudius being essentially evil: he murders his own brother simply as a power grab. Lear, on the other hand, doesn't have an evil plan; he's (way over)reacting to his pride being wounded. While the plot of King Lear is just as full of terrible things as Hamlet's (including the thematically-parallel sororicide), it feels rooted in the devolving situation as much as the maleficence of the characters.
All I know is I'm glad I'm not in either one of those families!
All I know is I'm glad I'm not in either one of those families!
Erik Didriksen
"The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" was definitely the easiest. It wrote itself, which I'm grateful for, because I wouldn't have done as good a job.
The hardest one is a little tougher to answer; there are some songs my brain's been working on for years! Out of the finished sonnets, I'd say "Material Girl" was the hardest to write. My editor's sole request was to write a Madonna song, so I tried on and off for months to write it. I finally finished it -- at 3am the day I turned in my manuscript!
The hardest one is a little tougher to answer; there are some songs my brain's been working on for years! Out of the finished sonnets, I'd say "Material Girl" was the hardest to write. My editor's sole request was to write a Madonna song, so I tried on and off for months to write it. I finally finished it -- at 3am the day I turned in my manuscript!
Erik Didriksen
None of them got stuck too badly, but some songs really grew on me as I worked on their sonnets. Rick Springfield's "Jessie's Girl" springs to mind; I listen to that song all the time now. It's so catchy, and there are so many wonderful musical details. The way he plays with the rhythm in the lyrics of the prechorus is just brilliant!
Erik Didriksen
I'm still amazed Pop Sonnets is a book, much less a Goodreads Choice Awards finalist! I can't imagine what I'd do if I win. Probably run around the neighborhood screaming.
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