Ask the Author: Joseph Legaspi
Answered Questions (7)
Joseph Legaspi
We all have tons of mysteries in own lives, but I think the mysteries from those we know could make for the best book plots. We may never be able to solve them, but in the process of writing, we may see how they affected us and how we can better deal with them. For example, has someone in your life left you without explaining why? If so, the experience may have left you with self-doubt or loneliness. Writing about them can be cathartic and could lead to insights you may never have considered.
Joseph Legaspi
Thanks for your question. Yes, the decision is actually made in the first installment of the trilogy. In "A Three-Year Minute", the protagonist makes his choice on either the love of his life or the life he loves. The next installments are about the consequences of that decision. I hope that answers your question.
Joseph Legaspi
Well, several reasons -- starting with the ending (of the entire three-part series). I wrote that first. It was very powerful and the first scene I envisioned. Then I wrote the rest of the story going backwards from that perspective. I thought it was a different way of writing and hopefully comes across as a strong, unique story because I always had this vivid ending in mind.
Second, I often wondered 'what if' a machine like this actually was invented in our lifetime. I think it would radically change life as we know it. At the pace we're producing new and once-impossible technology, I don't think this is too far-off from the realm of possibilities.
Finally, the biggest reason I wrote it was because it is all about relationships. When you strip down all the science and technology, the core of the story revolves around how we all deeply affect one another -- even people who left us long ago and also those who we think don't matter.
Second, I often wondered 'what if' a machine like this actually was invented in our lifetime. I think it would radically change life as we know it. At the pace we're producing new and once-impossible technology, I don't think this is too far-off from the realm of possibilities.
Finally, the biggest reason I wrote it was because it is all about relationships. When you strip down all the science and technology, the core of the story revolves around how we all deeply affect one another -- even people who left us long ago and also those who we think don't matter.
Joseph Legaspi
The best thing about being a writer is the process of telling a story about a greater truth and learning hard lessons, without having to go through the real ordeal yourself.
Joseph Legaspi
For me, it's all about the mystery of the process, never knowing what the final product will be and not having too many expectations. The stories that I love to read and also love to tell have an element of surprise. I've never been the type to "think" up a story or "feel" my way through one. It's all about putting down on paper what comes naturally to me at a given moment and finding a bit about myself in the end. I believe "thinking" is discovering what you know; "feeling" is discovering what you want, and "writing" is discovering what you didn't know you wanted.
Joseph Legaspi
Don't think too much. Don't be anxious. Writer's block is like insomnia. The more you worry about it, the harder it gets to overcome. Just write. Edit later.
Joseph Legaspi
Trust your gut. There is no better judge of your work than your inner voice.
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