Interview with:Christian Abresch [xiagan]
WRITING
 | What did you first read? How did you begin to write? Who were the first to read what you wrote? Children's books of course. The 'Trip to Panama' by Janosch, 'The adventures of Pippi Longstocking' by Astrid Lindgren and 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' by Ian Flemming to name a few.
We started writing stories in elementary school and I soon discovered that I liked it a lot. First stories and poems, usually as an easy-made but greatly appreciated present for relatives followed. I started to write a fantasy novel with fifteen. I finished a few hundred pages but not the book.
Like everybody else, I found my first readers in my circle of relatives and friends. |
| What is your favorite genre? Can you provide a link to a site where we can read some of your work or learn something about it? My favorite genre, by far, is fantasy. What most people who don't read fantasy books fail to see, is the variety and hugeness of this genre. Crime, Adventure, Mystery, Horror, Erotic, Comic, Philosophical, Romance, Political, Satire, ... You name it and I'm pretty sure I'll be able to find a fantasy book fitting the sub-genre. There are deep and shallow, funny and tragic, entertaining and food for thought-stories out there.
I recently published an anthology of short stories revolving around the concept of time in contemporary and science fictional settings. Learn more about them on www.xiagan.net |
| What is your creative process like? What happens before sitting down to write? My stories usually start with a sentence which suddenly pops up in my brain.
("Inspiration Particles sleet through the universe, each heralding a moment of brilliance: a new symphony, a way of getting from A to B quicker than before, lines for a new play, or deeper understanding of something than was previously comprehended.
Most of them are doomed to miss, or to reveal their brilliance to a brick wall or a starling, which is totally unequipped to deal with the revelation.
Some however, hit the right mind at the right time, and a little later you are blinking foolishly in the TV lights and wondering how the hell you thought of sliced bread in the first place...", Terry Pratchett)
Most of the time when I'm not at home. I try to remember this sentence or word sequence or, if possible, write it down. Usually it is and stays the first sentence of a story. From there on I just start writing, not all the time knowing where this will lead me or where the story ends.
One of those sentences was "I am the last one of a dying race" and it is the starting sentence of my story "Last one standing". |
| What voice do you find most to your liking: first person or third person? Depends. When writing a short story, I usually go with first person. You don't have a lot of space to get the reader involved and first person is closer and more immediate.
When writing longer stories or novels, third person suits me more because you can illuminate a setting/situation from different angles. Having more - and probably contrary - viewpoints helps keeping the reader interested. |
| What well known writers do you admire most? Looking into my favorite genre, fantasy, there are quite a few. (This will get longer.)
Terry Pratchett writes the best humorous fantasy and he's a master of reflection. He once wrote that his discworld is a mirror of our world and it's astonishing how he manages to reflect social, every-day and even personal problems in his stories. His characters aren't wiser or better than we are and watching them struggle and solve their world's and their own problems is quite inspiring and motivating.
Late Robert Jordan is a master in creating real full-blooded characters and to show their development. He has quite a bunch of main characters and even if they are completely different, one is able to identify with most of them. Brandon Sanderson does a really good job in finishing his Wheel of Time epic. One of his talents is adaptation. I didn't consider it possible to pick Jordan's story up and write on like Sanderson does it.
Tamora Pierce writes fantasy books about (and for) girls. I'm neither female nor young but her truly magnificent writing style captivated me. I read her books more than once because I enjoy her style that much. There is a lot of heart and understanding how people work in her stories and she has splendid ideas.
Another female author with splendid ideas is late Diana Wynne Jones. Her books for children and young adults hold more every-day magic than any other.
I haven't read a lot of Scott Lynch (because he has published only two books so far) but his pace is amazing. And every time you think the protagonist couldn't get deeper in the mess, it gets worse. Fascinating and quite entertaining.
Last but not least Neil Gaiman earns a place on my list. His short stories, especially 'Smoke and Mirrors', inspired me to write some of my own. He writes a darker fantasy than most and does a really good job at it. |
| Is writing a form of personal therapy? Are internal conflicts a creative force? Yes it is and yes they are. Luckily (or not in this case) I'm a quite happy and content person - which therefore isn't the best condition for writing.
For this reason I have to empathize with my character beforehand. I'm often able to feel my way into the (for example) desperate mood of my protagonist.
Feeling like him helps a lot to write authentically and to breath life into your character. |
| What do you surround yourself with in your work area in order to help your concentrate? Alas, I'm easy distracted. I found that my best writing is done on a train, listening to calm music. I'm not that much traveling with trains, so having a netbook without internet access (or at least with only limited access to dictionaries, thesauri, wikipedia) is working to. Mostly while sitting on the sofa. Funnily I'm more creative there than at my desk. |
| 
286 visits Whohub
Christian Abresch
Berlin
|
95746 interviews created
![[xiagan] Christian Abresch](http://www.whohub.com/_pics/74484.png?1337677358)
INVITE YOUR FRIENDS