Shane Barker's Blog - Posts Tagged "thrillers"
Time Snap Interview
After reading "Time Snap," an eighth grader named Max interviewed me for his English class. Here is part of our conversation:
Max: Do you outline your stories?
Shane: No, never. Sometimes I'll have an idea of where I want a story to go, but I like the surprise of making things up as I go. A lot of times I'm as surprised as anyone by what happens. Have you read my book, "Demon's Treasure?"
Max: Oh, yeah. That's the reason I was so excited to read "Time Snap."
Shane: Cool. One of the main characters started out as one of the "good guys" but went bad, and one of the "bad guys" ended up being a hero. When I started writing, I had no idea that was going to happen. And then the guys "flipped," I remember thinking, "I can't believe that just happened!"
Max: Did anything like that happen in "Time Snap?"
Shane: Not exactly. But I was surprised by the dinosaurs that kept popping up out of nowhere. I didn't really know I'd be writing about them until they came jumping out of the darkness.
Max: Like the "dinobirds?"
Shane: Exactly! One minute Chase was sneaking up on that clearing in the woods, and the next instant those dactyl things were dropping out of the sky. I really didn't know ahead of time that was going to happen.
Max: What about the tyrannosaur?
Shane: The tyrannosaur was different. I knew he was going to play a huge part, so he was part of things right from the start.
Max: Do you have any favorite scenes?
Shane: All of the scenes with the tyrannosaur. They were so much fun to write. I love action sequences anyway, but the rex added an extra jolt of energy. I just had a great time with them.
Max: So, I'm not supposed to ask where you get your ideas--
Shane: Really? Why not?
Max: It's supposed to be too obvious a question, I guess. Like one you get asked all the time? But I'm curious . . .
Shane: It's okay. I actually like hiking around the desert looking for fossils, and when I'm doing that I can't help thinking of dinosaurs. You know, picturing what things must have been like back in the day. And then picturing what it might be like to actually run into a bunch of them. And then finding a way to make it happen in a story . . .
Max: So do you have any weird writing habits?
Shane: A few, I think. At least I think they're unique to me. The first thing, probably, is that I can't write at the computer. I have to write everything out longhand, and then type it into the computer later.
Max: How come?
Shane: Probably 'cause that's how I learned to do it. I started writing before we had word processors, so it's still easiest for me to write everything out first. It takes a lot more work that way, but for me, it's a tough habit to break.
Max: Anything else?
Shane: Well, I can do my editing when I'm sitting at my desk, but when I'm actually writing--when I'm actually creating stuff--I hate being cooped up. I like going to ball games and sitting in the bleachers and doing my work there. Before I moved to the country, I often went to one of the local malls and found a table in the food court where there were a lot of people around and worked there. I don't know why, but being around lots of people like that always sparks my creativity.
Max: Isn't that distracting?
Shane: Sure. But it's also energizing. I can come home from the mall, or a ballgame, and feel like I've got a lot done. But when I'm cooped up at my desk, I get bored, and tired, and it's easy to get lazy.
Max: So is there going to be a sequel to "Time Snap?"
Shane: There wasn't going to be. But I've been surprised by how much people like reading about dinosaurs. I actually had another project I've been getting ready to jump into, but I might put that off and do another dinosaur book.
Max: Sweet! Will you tell me when it comes out?
Shane: Count on it!
Max: Do you outline your stories?
Shane: No, never. Sometimes I'll have an idea of where I want a story to go, but I like the surprise of making things up as I go. A lot of times I'm as surprised as anyone by what happens. Have you read my book, "Demon's Treasure?"
Max: Oh, yeah. That's the reason I was so excited to read "Time Snap."
Shane: Cool. One of the main characters started out as one of the "good guys" but went bad, and one of the "bad guys" ended up being a hero. When I started writing, I had no idea that was going to happen. And then the guys "flipped," I remember thinking, "I can't believe that just happened!"
Max: Did anything like that happen in "Time Snap?"
Shane: Not exactly. But I was surprised by the dinosaurs that kept popping up out of nowhere. I didn't really know I'd be writing about them until they came jumping out of the darkness.
Max: Like the "dinobirds?"
Shane: Exactly! One minute Chase was sneaking up on that clearing in the woods, and the next instant those dactyl things were dropping out of the sky. I really didn't know ahead of time that was going to happen.
Max: What about the tyrannosaur?
Shane: The tyrannosaur was different. I knew he was going to play a huge part, so he was part of things right from the start.
Max: Do you have any favorite scenes?
Shane: All of the scenes with the tyrannosaur. They were so much fun to write. I love action sequences anyway, but the rex added an extra jolt of energy. I just had a great time with them.
Max: So, I'm not supposed to ask where you get your ideas--
Shane: Really? Why not?
Max: It's supposed to be too obvious a question, I guess. Like one you get asked all the time? But I'm curious . . .
Shane: It's okay. I actually like hiking around the desert looking for fossils, and when I'm doing that I can't help thinking of dinosaurs. You know, picturing what things must have been like back in the day. And then picturing what it might be like to actually run into a bunch of them. And then finding a way to make it happen in a story . . .
Max: So do you have any weird writing habits?
Shane: A few, I think. At least I think they're unique to me. The first thing, probably, is that I can't write at the computer. I have to write everything out longhand, and then type it into the computer later.
Max: How come?
Shane: Probably 'cause that's how I learned to do it. I started writing before we had word processors, so it's still easiest for me to write everything out first. It takes a lot more work that way, but for me, it's a tough habit to break.
Max: Anything else?
Shane: Well, I can do my editing when I'm sitting at my desk, but when I'm actually writing--when I'm actually creating stuff--I hate being cooped up. I like going to ball games and sitting in the bleachers and doing my work there. Before I moved to the country, I often went to one of the local malls and found a table in the food court where there were a lot of people around and worked there. I don't know why, but being around lots of people like that always sparks my creativity.
Max: Isn't that distracting?
Shane: Sure. But it's also energizing. I can come home from the mall, or a ballgame, and feel like I've got a lot done. But when I'm cooped up at my desk, I get bored, and tired, and it's easy to get lazy.
Max: So is there going to be a sequel to "Time Snap?"
Shane: There wasn't going to be. But I've been surprised by how much people like reading about dinosaurs. I actually had another project I've been getting ready to jump into, but I might put that off and do another dinosaur book.
Max: Sweet! Will you tell me when it comes out?
Shane: Count on it!
Cracked the Top Ten!
I had to take a second to tell everyone that "Time Snap" just made the Top Ten in its Amazon sales category. (The ranking changes from day to day, but right now it's ranked No. 7.) I'm pretty jazzed, obviously, and I'm hoping to reach No. 1, so if you know any teenage readers, I hope you'll pass it along. (You can see it at amazon.com/author/shanebarker )
