Thursday, April 18, 2013

An apocryphal interview with an aspiring book author

By Dennis Mellersh

Many people say they want to write a book, but what is driving this desire? And, what are such people doing to realize their dream of writing a book, of becoming a writer?

Following is a synopsis of a fictitious editor interviewing a fictitious aspiring book author: the editor is on a quest to discover the answers to these questions.

Editor: From the research I have done I believe that you are a good example of the 81% of the North American population that wants to write a book.  So I thought we could discuss your ambitions, motivations, and the steps you are taking to writing a book. Perhaps we could start with your motivation: could you explain why you want to write a book?

Mr. Abookinsideme: Frankly, it’s just a vague, hard-to-describe feeling. I just have this desire, this urge to write a book a book I can call my own. It’s hard to explain in precise terms.

Editor: Is there any particular type of book that interests you; any genre that has more of an attraction than others?

Mr. Abookinsideme:  I’ve decided that I want to write a novel.

Editor: That’s an admirable goal. Are there any novelists that you particularly enjoy reading; authors that you look to for inspiration? Books in your personal library perhaps?

Mr. Abookinsideme:  Well, actually, I’ve only read a couple of 19th century English novels, back in high-school, so, no, I don’t have any novelists as role models to speak of. I took engineering in university, so I thought I might write a novel related in some way to the engineering profession. I don’t really have a library as such, just professional books to do with my job.

Editor: It would probably interest our readers, who also express an interest in writing books, to know what instructional books you have read about the craft of writing, or any courses or writing workshops you might have taken, particularly with novel writing, to help you in this process.

Mr. Abookinsideme: So far I haven’t read any books on the topic or taken any courses or workshops. My thinking is that I have life experiences, and I keep up with current events on the Internet, so I thought I would write the novel based on my experiences with life in general.

Editor: You mentioned the Internet; there are a lot of good websites and blogs and videos on YouTube about the subject of writing. Have you found those to be helpful?

Mr. Abookinsideme:  To tell you the truth, I just don’t have the time to spend on that; wish I did.

Editor: Are there any noteworthy moments or general experiences in your life which you think could be the foundation for your debut novel?

Mr. Abookinsideme:  Not really, but I’m observant, so I believe I can just draw on that.

Editor: Would it be imposing if I asked to see some of your work to date? Some of your early drafts?  I know, however, that some writers don’t like to discuss their work-in-progress.

Mr. Abookinsideme:  Right now I’m not working on anything; sort of just taking things in for when I feel inspired. Then I’ll sit down and start writing my novel.

Editor: Well, I know you are a busy person, so I would like to thank you for taking this time with us. Good luck on your novel.

Mr. Abookinsideme:  Thank you; I’ll send you a couple of copies when it’s published.

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