Author Sean Benham agreed to answer some questions today and give us some insight on who he is and how he crafts his stories.
Tell us a little bit about you. Where are you from? What kind of books do you write? How many books have you written? Do you set your stories in the area you live in?
I write ‘strange’ fiction, which is just my sneaky way of saying that I don’t like to lump myself into one genre. My work is largely science fiction based, but it sometimes leans towards horror, fantasy or crime fiction as well. I love creating alternate realities, some which mirror our world pretty closely and some which are way off the mark.
To date, I’ve written two novels – White American and its sequel, Bastard Son – and a handful of short stories. All of which are available on Amazon (wink, wink, nudge nudge).
I’m a proud Toronto native (that’s the Canadian Toronto, not the little one in Ohio). The majority of work is set elsewhere, but my short story The Dance Prospect is set in and around my hometown. It was a lot of fun peppering specific Toronto details into the story. While that approach might not be appropriate for most of my work, it’s something I look forward to doing again in the future.
Most writers I know are voracious readers. What kind of books do you like to read? What's your favorite book?
These days I’m reading an awful lot of independent and semi-independent fiction. As a small time author, I like to support other people in my boat and hope that they do the same in turn. It’s a bit of a mixed bag in terms of both content and quality, but there’s some really solid stuff out there that you’ll likely never find on a Barnes & Noble bookshelf.
I actually tend to prefer non-fiction to fiction, especially if it’s a little odd – true crime, the occult, that kind of thing. I recently enjoyed Popular Crime by Bill James, it’s a baseball statistician’s take on society’s fascination with violent crime.
My favorite novel is Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo and if I can compile a collection of short stories half as good as Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected I can die a happy man.
Let's play a quick game of "This or That".
"Real" books or e-books? Real books at home, e-books on the train.
Coffee or tea? Coffee.
Sweet or savory? Savory, spicy in particular.
Dogs or cats? Cats in general, but my dog’s awesome.
Summer or winter? Trick question! Fall, all the way.
Morning or night? Night.
Would you mind telling us about your writing style? Such as: Do have a routine? Do you need complete silence or blaring music? Early morning writing or late nite writing?
This might sound pompous, but I do the vast majority of my writing in my head. I like to have the characters, setting and plot all worked out long before I begin to type. I find that letting my mind wander on vacation works best for developing new ideas; staring out the window as foreign landscapes whiz by works wonders, I guess.
I tend to do most of my writing during down periods at work (don’t tell my boss) which usually means I’m only able to crank out a couple thousand words a week, at best. I revise heavily as I write and I leave plenty of ‘fix this up later’ notes. The self-editing process is one of my favorite parts of writing. If I were to actually tally up different drafts, I’d say I generally go through twenty or more passes on each piece I write. I prefer not to write to music, but I’ve grown far too accustomed to writing to ambient office noise.
Do you have a favorite “writing” snack?
I’ve never even considered snacking while I write! Which is a long winded way of saying ‘no’. Screw brevity.
Which do you think is the hardest to write: the first sentence or the last one?
That’s a tough one! I think the first sentence is harder. Coming up with a good hook isn’t quite as easy as coming up with something pithy to wrap things up.
What is your biggest distraction while writing?
Real life! If I didn’t have a slew of bills and a 9-to-5 to pay ‘em, I’d be far more productive when it comes to writing.
What is the best writing advice you’ve ever received?
Honestly, the only advice I can really recall is that a paragraph has to contain at least two sentences. It’s not flashy, but it’s certainly a rule I stick to.
Do you have any advice for new writers?
I have so much advice I have to break out the bullet points. In no particular order...
- If you don’t love to write, don’t write.
- If you’re expecting to make a dime, set those expectations lower.
- If you don’t have a solid grasp of grammar please don’t self-publish, you’re only making yourself look bad.
- Praise from your friends is nice, but it’s meaningless. Chances are they like you as a person a lot more than you as a writer.
- Follow the rules until you’re good enough to break them. If you have to ask, you’re not good enough.
- Develop a ‘voice’. This’ll only come through lots of practice.
- Love language.
- Know that bigger words are not always better words.
- Learn to self-edit. Read your work out loud to yourself. If it sounds stupid when you say it, it’ll sound stupid when I read it.
- If it’s not novel length, don’t go calling your work a novel. There’s no shame in writing a novella.
- If describing a character’s outfit is more important to you than developing a solid plot then you should consider leaving fiction behind and writing for a fashion blog.
- This one might be controversial, especially online, but fan fiction is intellectual property theft. If it’s not a parody, come up with your own ideas. If it is a parody, it had better be funny.
- Be sure to come off as a snide dick when someone asks for advice.
What’s next for you? What do your readers have to look forward to?
I’m plugging away at my next novel, Prison of Heroes, but that’s likely over a year away from completion. It’s the third book in a series of five and it seems to take me about three years to wrap a novel. So if you really dig waiting, I’ve got you covered until around 2024!
In the meantime, I’m also working on a new short called The Howling Windsors. It’s a weird crime piece about a murder for hire pyramid scheme. If all goes well, that’ll likely hit the digital shelves this fall.
I’m also about to regain the publishing rights to one of my shorts. Look for M/F/P Circle One with a shiny new cover! (Cover may not actually shine).
Where can we connect with you? Tell is where to find you online.
I’m a borderline Luddite when it comes to social media, I’m active on Facebook and pretty much nowhere else. But, I love talking to other authors and fans, so please feel free to add me as a friend or to send a message my way. (I’m the handsome, conceited Sean Benham on Facebook).
BONUS!
It would be great to get a plug for all of my work, if you’re cool with that.
Novels
White American
Bastard Son
Short Stories
Coin-Op Carter
The Dance Prospect
The Details
Double or Nothing
The Locked Woman
Skratch N Lik Pistolz
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