They're called the Skids. They've got three eyes, tank treads, and a
bucket-full of attitude. They play the games and the few that don't get
vaped in the first weeks still die at five years old. Game over, thanks
for playing. Johnny Drop's the best skid the Skidsphere's seen in
generations, but he won't get to enjoy it. Because his world is going to
die.
Gef: What
was the impetus behind The Skids?
Ian: This
is going to sound ridiculous, but…it came to me in a dream. No
really. About 20 years ago, I woke up and wrote down what I
identified at the time as the first chapter of the weirdest novel I
was never going to write. Sometime not long after that, I added a
second chapter on a whim. Those two pieces are the bones of the first
two chapters.
Then
I didn't even think about it for a decade, until I hit a period where
I didn't have any new short stories to send out for submission. I dug
through my files, found The Skids and realized that the first chapter
was actually self-contained and just needed a little world-building
to make it a decent short-story. And while I was doing that
world-building, I realized that I kinda liked the world I'd built. So
that sat for a while, I wrote couple of other novels, and then one
day—again between projects—I realized I wanted to actually write
the novel. So I did…and here we are.
Gef: With
a debut novel under your belt now, how would you gauge your
progression as a writer thus far?
Ian: Ha.
Well, I started pursuing this dream when I was 12 and now I'm 45 and
I'm finally releasing my first novel, so, uh…slow? ☺ No, really,
I'm thrilled to finally hit this milestone. It's been a long road—I
wish I'd worked harder when I was younger. If I had any advice to
young writers, it's this: work hard, then work harder. This isn't an
easy career, but it's worth it.
Gef: Who
do you count among your writing influences?
Ian: Whew…lots
of people? My first was Gordon Korman (there's a bit about that in
the acknowledgements of the book). Douglas Adams was a huge influence
when I was younger—my first novel is basically a Hitchhiker
rip-off. Guy Gavriel Kay is my favourite author and a big influence,
but really, it comes from all kinds of places. Authors from Neil
Gaiman to Robert Charles Wilson; screen-writers like William Goldman,
Aaron Sorkin, or Charlie Kaufman. A lot of graphic novelists: Alan
Moore, Frank Millar, Brian Michael Bendis. Heck, video games. I hope
someday I write something as funny as Borderlands 2.
Gef: How
much emphasis do you place on setting as character?
Ian: I
tend not to think of setting that way, although I think setting is
huge and influences everything. I like to give the reader enough to
inspire their imagination, but that's it, especially when it comes to
world-description. Still, with The Skids, the setting often drives
the narrative, and yeah, you could argue it's a character.
By
the way, you asked about influences in the previous question: I gotta
give a nod to Tron, new and old. It was a big influence on how I
perceived the setting.
Gef: Is
theme something you have in mind when your writing the story, or is
that something that kinds of reveals itself later in the process?
Ian: I
usually don't have any idea of theme for the first draft, I'm just
trying to tell a story. During the second draft, I start to get a
feel for themes that might be present and then I might start trying
to make some connections here and there. I try not to be heavy-handed
when it comes to message, I really am just trying to tell a kick-ass
story, first and foremost.
Gef: What
do you consider to be the biggest misconception of YA fiction?
Ian: That
it exists? That probably seems weird given the novel I'm putting out,
but I'm a bit old-school, so I remember when The Hunger Games
would've just been a great science fiction novel. I get that labels
help the market and also can help readers find books they might like,
but sometimes I feel that it can also get in the way of a book and a
reader finding each other. In YA, the misconception is that the
writing is only for teens, and I think that's so wrong.
Gef: What
is the worst piece of writing advice you ever received? Or what piece
of writing advice do you wish would just go away?
Ian: That
there are ways you shouldn't write. I hear it a lot at conventions;
the one that's affected me the most is that you're only supposed to
write in the 3rd person, past tense. Don't use 1st person, and don't even think about writing in the present tense—which
I like to do sometimes in my short fiction.
To
me, there are only two rules with regards to what style you want to
use in your writing. 1) Be aware of the current trends and respect
them: if you're going to write outside the norm, you better get darn
good at it. Also don't think you're re-inventing the wheel if you do,
everyone thinks they're a genius when they discover something for the
first time. 2) If you do know of a particular editor or publisher who
hates a particular style, then respect that. Don't try to change
their mind. Send them your best thing, great, take the shot. After
that, respect their choice.
But
however you want to write, give'r. You can write a novel in the 2nd person, past-future tense if you want, with every character named
Stanley The Firth. Just make sure it's a really good book.
Gef: Do
you have any guilty pleasures when it comes to books or movies or
whatnot?
Ian: Craptacular
movies. If a movie establishes early on that it's just going to take
the rules and say screw it—especially if it does it with verve—I'm
in. Armageddon, Reign of Fire, Road House…so good.
Gef: What
projects are you cooking up that folks can expect in the near future,
and how can folks keep up with your shenanigans?
Ian: I'm
working on the 2nd draft of the sequel to The Skids now (the third book terrifies me),
so that's the big thing. I'm terrible with social media, but I'm
working on it. You can follow me on Twitter at @KeelingIan. My
website is a work in progress, but it's at, iankeeling.com.
The original interview can be found on "Wag the Fox" at https://waggingthefox.blogspot.ca/2016/09/keeling-me-softly-with-his-words.html
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