r/books • u/NickyDrayden AMA Author • Aug 15 '18
ama I’m Nicky Drayden, genre-bending author of THE PREY OF GODS and local authority (spanning several suburban blocks) on the challenges and joys of writing WEIRD fiction. Ask me Anything!
I’ve been writing weird short fiction for years, walking right up to genre boundaries and poking them in the eye. I’ve recently published two novels: THE PREY OF GODS, winner of the Compton Crook Award and the newly released TEMPER, both through Harper Voyager. Check out my work at http://www.nickydrayden.com, or catch me on twitter: https://twitter.com/nickydrayden.
Proof: /img/wxlk5bqsewf11.jpg
2
u/JosephDoftheWords Aug 15 '18
What's your process for creating characters who are interesting and that we can empathise with and want to follow? Do you do the whole bio sheet questionnaire or do they pop out fully formed? Thanks!
3
u/NickyDrayden Aug 15 '18
They do spring forth, but usually not fully formed. I'll just have a little bit of their history, some of their challenges, and the main goal or thing they want most out of life. From there, my mind just starts twisting about, spinning up details.
The real magic happens on the second draft, when I dive deeper into who they really are. I have a tradition of giving each main character a birthday and looking up their horoscope (using a combination of Eastern and Western astrology) to find out more about their personalities, then going back and working those details into the manuscript.
1
u/JosephDoftheWords Aug 15 '18
Thanks for the response. Huh. Interesting that you use a horoscope to draw out personality traits. I've got a book on tarot cards and creativity and sometimes I will refer to that to draw up character traits.
So would you say that you create the character voice organically as a consequence of writing from that point of view or do you have to work to construct it? I seem to be having trouble as of late with getting the character's voice to come through and I'm not sure why. For some reason I just don't feel like a lot of them are compelling. So I'm interested in hearing how you make a character's voice come through.
→ More replies (2)
3
Aug 15 '18
3
u/NickyDrayden Aug 15 '18
Hands down, The Haunted Vagina by Carlton Mellick III. It's not as weird as it sounds. Or maybe it is. I also was an editor for The Drabblecast for a while if you like listening to short weird fiction.
2
u/MRMaresca Aug 15 '18
Hey, Nicky. What's the most dangerous story you ever wrote?
5
u/NickyDrayden Aug 15 '18
Dangerous? I almost killed a guy in my critique group from making him laugh so hard. Gosh, what story was that? It probably involved poop or aliens or both.
1
Aug 15 '18
How much time do you set aside a week to read? Especially to read weird fiction that you love.
2
u/NickyDrayden Aug 15 '18
I'm a slow reader, and reading at night puts me to sleep, so it's a battle! I have mastered the art of walking around the house while reading, so I can multitask, and that makes things easier. Most days, I'd say maybe 20-30 minutes, but if a book has grabbed me, I can lose myself in it for hours.
I read 20 books last year, and my goodreads challenge this year is to read 25 books. I'm a smidge behind, but I plan to catch up in the fall. You can check out what I'm reading here: https://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/11118574
1
u/dubatomic Aug 15 '18
How well does the book art convey the spirit of your writing? And what are some of driving themes in The Prey of Gods?
2
u/NickyDrayden Aug 15 '18
I stumbled upon the original art from The Prey of Gods on Pinterest, and was just taken by the look the little girl had on her face. I knew she'd be the perfect Nomvula. The juxtaposition with the robot, just made it even better. My editor was able to track down the artist, Brenoch Adams, and he was able to make some changes that tied it in closer with the book.
Driving themes in The Prey of Gods are self-discovery, religion vs. technology, and family ties including those we're born into and those we make. And dik-dik jokes.
1
u/dubatomic Aug 15 '18
Sounds like a good read. Where is the best place to purchase The Prey of Gods to support you?
→ More replies (1)
2
u/Aglance Aug 15 '18
Hi Nicky! We met at World Fantasy last year at the author signing. I was captivated by the art of THE PREY OF GODS, and you signed a copy for me!
It was the best book I got that weekend. I'm so excited to read TEMPER.
You have lots of short fiction, which story is your favorite?
Do you have any publishing/writer dreams?
Thanks for doing the AMA!
1
u/NickyDrayden Aug 15 '18
Yay! Thanks for stopping by! That book signing was a blast.
My favorite funny piece is Wrath of the Porcelain Gods: http://dailysciencefiction.com/science-fiction/aliens/nicky-drayden/wrath-of-the-porcelain-gods. My favorite dark piece is Our Drunken Tjeng: http://dailysciencefiction.com/science-fiction/space-travel/nicky-drayden/our-drunken-tjeng. They both were a lot of fun to write, for different reasons.
I really need to do a career bingo card, so I can focus on making those dreams happen. One dream I didn't know I had happened recently, LeVar Burton mentioned THE PREY OF GODS on his podcast. I'm still wrapping my mind around him reading something I wrote!
Hope you enjoy TEMPER!
1
u/ElleVH Aug 15 '18
Your stories are always so original. The plot never goes where one expects. How have you honed your craft to keep things so interesting for your readers?
2
u/NickyDrayden Aug 15 '18
Thank you! When plotting, I think it sometimes helps to throw out the first idea that comes to you. That's usually the obvious choice, and if you want to do something more original, it helps to dig deeper. Also, during the early drafts, my muse likes to lay out little traps, nonsense words sprinkled in here and there that I have to somehow make sense of. I'm lucky to have her.
1
u/Chtorrr Aug 15 '18
What were some of your favorite things to read as a kid?
2
u/NickyDrayden Aug 15 '18
As a kid, I LOVED Judy Blume, and read most of her stuff. Then I discovered Stephen King in the sixth grade and had never been moved by writing like that before. I started off with Eyes of the Dragon, which was aimed at kids. And I thought, "Hey, let me try some of his other stuff!" I ended up reading Tommyknockers, Cujo, IT, and then finally stopped about three quarters through The Stand. That was too scary.
→ More replies (1)
1
u/Pattykaye50 Aug 15 '18
I enjoy looking at the pictures of your characters, who did the drawings on the “Prey of Gods” and did the same artist do the drawings on the “Temper” playing cards?
→ More replies (1)
1
u/Inkberrow Aug 15 '18
What is Soweto like these days?
→ More replies (3)1
Aug 15 '18
Lol its not bad. they have their own culture there & it's modernizing in it's own ways. Although some people seem to have the misconception that it's notoriously dangerous. Like yesterday when my mom dragged me there coz she was scared to go meet a client herself. I dig there. there's vibes
1
1
2
u/InnocuousCyanide Aug 15 '18
Do you write everyday, or when inspiration strikes or is it something in between? Also, do you feel like your work is improving with time, or do you feel like you have set a standard with your book that is becoming difficult to match up to?