Fiction Scribe

As you develop as a writer, you will (hopefully) come to find some voices of authority to help you on your way. Time will move on and those voices may fade or grow stronger, but there will be some you will never forget.

I know Chris as a fellow mentor on WritingForums.com and he is a voice of authority on the site (whether he knows it or not) when it comes to writing technique.

I am pleased to bring you an interview with Chris from Blogs from the War Room.

Hi there. Why don’t you tell us a little about yourself?

“Chris avoids developing banking software as much as possible by day, is a restaurateur (i.e. dishwasher) nights and weekends, and writes for love always, with a special fondness for the
short story and essay.�?—Libbon ISSUE 3.

“Christopher K. Miller is a Canadian systems programmer for Online Data and lives in Fergus Ontario. He has a degree in psychology and is married with two grown sons.�?—Cosmos ISSUE 12 DEC 2006/JAN 2007.

All I can add to the above is that I’m a good ping pong player, a sure indication of misspent youth.

How long have you been writing?

I’m 54. The other day, my mom (who’s 78 and has Parkinson’s) showed me a story I wrote when I was 9 about this fish who hooks some fisherman’s line to the bottom of his boat and then gives it a tug so that the guy capsizes himself when he yanks up on it. Mercifully I don’t remember having written it. Because I don’t think you could do that. It’d be like trying to pick yourself up by your shoelaces or something.

Are you a published author?

Self published a novel, of which over two dozen are in print. In the process of self publishing a collection of shorts stories which will enjoy an even smaller run, to then be thrust on a handful of friends and relatives, mostly as Christmas presents.

My only serious sale has been to these guys: http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/. They print one 4000 word piece a year. Last year, Joe Haldeman (famous for his “The Forever War�?) got the slot. This year’s was my Ganymede’s Song (which they changed to “Ganymede Dream�? for some incomprehensible reason… maybe to tone down its sexual motif). I’ve sold a few to much smaller publications, including one lit-zine (Libbon) and one anthology (The Harrow).

So, to answer your question: No, not really.

How did you get into writing?

Well, I did a lot of drugs. Then I did a lot of really shitty jobs like working in nursing and old folk’s homes as an orderly, in a cookie factory as a dough-crumbler (promoted to mixer), subcontract townhouse and apartment painting, technical writing for some nasty Cobol HVAC app, and some self-employed ventures most better not mentioned. I got a university degree and then a college diploma and also married, divorced and, ten years later, sort of married again somewhere during all of that. Writing is something I’ve always done, always had to do.

Always science fiction?

No, in fact I kind of detest genre. Genre is a marketing thing. Genre restricts. As soon as you start thinking romance or sci-fi or horror or fantasy or even, God forbid, Christian sci-fi fantasy, you start to rein in your imagination and honesty. You start to close your mind, to paint yourself into a corner.

What is it about science fiction that you like?

I like prophetic and philosophical themes and idea-density in fiction. I’m pretty big on research—and scientific theories, allegories and vernacular can lend interest and credibility to certain plots, settings and characters. But to me, the best “sci-fi�? is so much more that I tend not to even recognize or slate it as such.

Anything you dislike?

Are you serious? Is there some sort of word restriction here? I dislike George W. Bush, organized religion, lumbar punctures, visiting the dentist, big money cancer and all its schmaltzy fundraising gimmicks, pornography (even though I’m not immune), factory farming… Oh, you mean regarding writing? Sorry. I dislike elitist dead-tree publishing that flogs the same mediocre writers (or even good writers until they become mediocre) over and over and over, publishing that focuses on celebrity rather than effort and ability. I dislike shitty, poorly researched, idealess, pretentious, formula writing packaged for the masses. I doubt I’d enjoy Clinton’s tome. I dislike Dan Brown’s stuff. And all of Steven King’s work too except for “Misery�? and a few of his short stories. I always look for first-time authors and eschew “popular�? writers who do nothing but write, who crank out the same novel over and over to the beat of some publishing deadline. Happily, I think the internet is changing the face of publishing.

Who are your favorite science fiction authors?

I used to like William Gibson, Douglas Adams and Steven Donaldson, before over-publishing ruined them (especially Donaldson). I liked “Gradisil�? by Adam Roberts. I love David Foster Wallace. “Infinite Jest�? is my favorite novel of all time. And I think it’s science fiction too. I love the way Wallace writes what he wants, the way he wants, when he wants. How he’s managed to sort of transcend publishing. I hope he can keep it up, even if he has to starve or get a real job.

What forms do you prefer when it comes to science fiction - short story, novel, poetry - or do you like it all?

I like the idea density and symbolic richness of the short story. I like that they’re less time-consuming to finish and easier to cajole people into reading. Even the novels I’ve managed to read all the way through lately seem relatively flat and diluted. I love good poetry. But to me, “science fiction poetry�? is almost an oxymoron. Poetry, of all forms, cannot be genre-ized. The creative short essay form also appeals to me a great deal, the way you can opine and play with theme and voice. (I’m not talking about the heavily bibliographied essays you get assigned in school: like, “Bore me to death by discussing the theme of ‘eyes as windows to the soul’ in Wuthering Heights. Add those to my dislikes. Actually, add almost all “assigned�? writing to that section.)

When it comes to writing science fiction, is there anything you know now that you wish you would have known when you started out?

No. I believe you have to evolve as a writer. Even if I could, I wouldn’t want to go back and start fully developed, or stop now and say, here I am—all grown up. I don’t think I’d even want go back and dispel my early illusion that conventional publishing is in some way meaningful or gratifying, or discover internet forum work-shopping any sooner than I did.

What guilty pleasures do you have when writing?

Ah, finally an easy one: chocolate-covered almonds.

Do you have a muse? If so, who or what is it?

I don’t “believe�? in anything. But I “entertain�? a great deal. I see my muses as my connectedness to some great oneness that all things, living and dead, comprise. My muses are, as Nietzsche might put it—the “void�? looking into me. Of course there are people who inspire me too. But since I suffer from an almost total lack of personal discretion, I’ll just play it safe and not mention any names.

Any tips for science fiction writers?

Research. Write in many “genres.�? Never stop experimenting. Experiment with different voices and styles. Read only what you love best, and think about what makes it work for you while you’re doing this. Never finish a novel just because you started it. Read “Infinite Jest.�?

How about for writers in general?

Exactly the same as the above.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you for your interest.

Have more questions for this writer? Let me know and I’ll post up a part two of this interview if there are enough questions.