Ask the Author: Miles Watson
Answered Questions (10)
Miles Watson
This is a tough one, but I think the world Frank Herbert created for the "Dune" series would be my choice. What would I do? For starters, I'd eat a lot of spice.
Miles Watson
She wanted to sing, to dance, to live, to laugh, to love; to be bold and brave and full of brio; to strut and fret and take the world by storm.
She never did any of these things.
She never did any of these things.
Miles Watson
I was way behind on my reading list this year, but then -- drum roll -- I started working again. Not writing-working; my Hollywood job. When you're on set, there is plenty of downtime and I'm burning through the large and dusty stack of secondhand books I bought late last year. This year I intend on reading more non-fiction: memoirs of soldiers from the Civil and Revolutionary wars, combat journalism from WW2, that sort of thing. Also some biographies -- I'm partial to actor's biographies of late. To switch things up, I intend to read the vast collection of novels put out in the DUNE series since Frank Herbert's death. I've just started PAUL OF DUNE, and while the writing style is simple bordering on simplistic, the story is good. But truly, I never stick to any list. I just go where curiosity takes me.
Miles Watson
Are we talking literary fiction or any kind of fiction here? I think my favorite screen couple was Xander Harris and Cordelia Chase on "Buffy," because they were such total opposites yet in spite (because?) of this had great chemistry. Also, I strongly identify with Xander -- especially in his high school incarnation -- so naturally I wanted him to land the hottest chick on the show. For novels it would probably be Victor Henry and Pamela Tudsbury from Herman Wouk's "Winds of War" series. They were so unbelievably star-crossed, it reminded me of, well, my own life.
Miles Watson
I suppose it's the ability to create worlds, places, and people who didn't exist previously, and give those things color and life, so that they become as real in the mind of the audience as something that actually exists. Extending that feeling, nothing is more satisfying than the realization you have created a character who has taken on a life of his or her own -- who isn't content to do what you want as the person plotting the story, but will only do as their personality demands. It didn't work out so well for Dr. Frankenstein but it's a great moment for a novelist.
Miles Watson
In my life I've worked as a parole officer, an investigator for the district attorney, a correctional specialist, a private investigator, a make up effects technician, an office coordinator for a make up effects studio, an actor (sort of), and a game capture technician for video game trailers. I've also been a writer...and being a writer is harder than any of those things. The writing itself comes naturally, but the "post production" -- editing, revising, submitting, and marketing -- does not. Most writers are introverts to some degree, and the necessity of having to get "out there" and represent yourself (sell yourself, to put it more bluntly) is very hard on the emotions, especially given the enormous amount of rejection and even disrespect writers have to deal with. So my advice is to try and work just as hard on the post production aspects of your writing as on the craft itself. Failing that, find someone who can handle those things for you, because the problem won't take care of itself!
Miles Watson
I wanted to tell a story about men on both sides of a vast conflict -- not merely what they were going through physically but spiritually and emotionally as well. It turned out the idea was too large for any one novel to contain, so I extended it into a three book series. I finished the first book and am now nearly done with the second. The origin of the idea probably lies in late childhood, when I began to read the history books of the Englishman Charles Whiting. His approach to history was to treat it as a story to be told and not facts to be related, and he told both sides of that tale without fear or favor. That's what I'm trying to do here.
Miles Watson
A WW2 novel, the second in a three-book series I want to finish before publishing any of the volumes. I'm trying to tackle a familiar subject in an unfamiliar way, concentrating more on characters and human emotions than on events themselves.
Miles Watson
Reading is always the best inspiration to write. A good book gets the creative fires going, gives you new ideas, and puts inert ones into motion.
Ironically, this is also true of bad books: they bring out the competitive instinct, the notion that "I can do it better." The truth is that I often find myself inspired by plays and films as well -- anything that tells a story or has dialogue. I was at an excellent play here in Los Angeles called "Something Truly Monstrous" and while it was riveting I could barely stay in my seat because I wanted to get home and have at the keyboard. You should never be threatened by other people's genius -- only inspired by it.
Ironically, this is also true of bad books: they bring out the competitive instinct, the notion that "I can do it better." The truth is that I often find myself inspired by plays and films as well -- anything that tells a story or has dialogue. I was at an excellent play here in Los Angeles called "Something Truly Monstrous" and while it was riveting I could barely stay in my seat because I wanted to get home and have at the keyboard. You should never be threatened by other people's genius -- only inspired by it.
Miles Watson
Writing is largely an act of momentum -- the more you write, the more you want to write. So I keep a journal, and start every day by writing in it. This gives me the momentum I need to transition elsewhere, be it a script, a short story or a novel.
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