Ask the Author: Bryan Young
Answered Questions (8)
Bryan Young
I think it's a fascinating view of an early draft of To Kill A Mockingbird and a look at the ever-evolving nature of craft and not a definitive statement of what Harper Lee was trying to say, but a shadow of how she tried to get there.
Bryan Young
Why me? Why any of us?
Bryan Young
I think the thing they should be most excited about is the unfolding sense of mystery and the pace. I really went out of my way to try to make it a page turner and if you invest in the story and characters it's going to be a breathless thrill ride. Yes, there will be plenty of ’Mechs and all the hallmarks of a BattleTech book, but it's going to just start fast and never let you go.
Bryan Young
The election is over. Trump is President.
Bryan Young
I think both contribute to pace. A book with more succinct sentences will tend to take you through more of the story and more ideas in a quicker fashion, but that's not the right pace for every story. For Breakfast of Champions or The End of the Affair, it's difficult to say I'd want a more "long-winded" bit of prose, but take Michael Chabon's Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay or Patrick Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicle and I wouldn't want the longer prose to be any different.
I don't have a conscious preference between the two, though I tend to subconsciously gravitate to the shorter and more sparse, but have no aversions to the more long winded prose. It is so dependent on the story and the characters and the mood being evoked.
When you read something in that sparse style, I think when you're done you tend to focus on the overall story, like a movie, but in that longer story it draws out smaller moments and that's what you're left to digest.
I think...
I don't have a conscious preference between the two, though I tend to subconsciously gravitate to the shorter and more sparse, but have no aversions to the more long winded prose. It is so dependent on the story and the characters and the mood being evoked.
When you read something in that sparse style, I think when you're done you tend to focus on the overall story, like a movie, but in that longer story it draws out smaller moments and that's what you're left to digest.
I think...
Bryan Young
I'm working on two novels, currently. I'm drafting one and revising another.
The one I'm drafting is set in 1910 in California, in the early days of independent filmmaking.
The one I'm revising is a steampunk World War I novel that has elements of adventure, espionage, and romance.
The one I'm drafting is set in 1910 in California, in the early days of independent filmmaking.
The one I'm revising is a steampunk World War I novel that has elements of adventure, espionage, and romance.
Bryan Young
Making stuff up.
Bryan Young
I'll do entire panels on this at conventions, but I think the main thing is to keep writing no matter what. If you're stuck on one particular story, switch to a different story until you figure out what the block is. In other cases, it comes from a needed change in medium. Instead of working on your computer, switch to your notebook for a while. Or a typewriter.
My other favorite quote about video games comes from Brian K. Vaughan: "Writer's block" is just another word for video games. If you want to be a writer, get writing, you lazy bastards."
My other favorite quote about video games comes from Brian K. Vaughan: "Writer's block" is just another word for video games. If you want to be a writer, get writing, you lazy bastards."
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