Interview: Far Sector SFFH

Shaun Farrell has asked me several fun questions for Far Sector SFFH.  I'm the June interview.  Among other topics, we talk about Everfree, screenwriting, music, higher consciousness, perspective shifts, and my staccato writing style.  Here's an excerpt:

SF: You have a very interesting style, using lots of fragments to create a staccato feel. It works beautifully with Everfree.

NS: Thank you. I do tend to write in fragments—Amazon.com has text stats where you can compare books with others in the same genre. Idlewild averages 8.9 words a sentence, which is more staccato than 94% of other SF/F novels. I expect Everfree follows suit.

SF: How did you develop your writing style?

NS: Hollywood, first and foremost. There’s a screenwriter’s adage: “If you can say something in three words, but you see a way to say it in two, try saying it one.” Bit Zen, that, and it’s a good way to keep the action moving and not waste the reader’s time. I try to write works that are “unputdownable,” where readers feel compelled to keep turning the pages. I’m always honored when someone tells me they blazed through one of my books in just a day or two—I just wish I could write them as quickly! Beyond the screenwriting training, I’d site Chuck Palahniuk as a major influence. Crisp, weird, edgy writing. I’ve also been influenced by the simplicity of language Raymond Carver used, by the grittiness of detective fiction, by the crazy energy of Vladimir Nabokov, and by the multiple perspectives of Akutagawa. And countless others have inspired me as well. Everything I read I try to learn from—what do I like, what don’t I like, what works and what doesn’t.

You can read the complete interview here.

Comments

[Ângelo Fernandes]

“If you can say something in three words, but you see a way to say it in two, try saying it one.”

that's good for reflection :)

when I "grow up" I would like to give many interviews as you do :)

ângelo