Nathan Barra
West
Texas, USA.
Do you know that corner
where Texas and New Mexico meet?
Just
about there.
Good morning, Nathan. Welcome to Vision and Verse. We are so happy to have you with us this morning. What have you
written?
Words? Though,
I suppose if you want more specifics, I have been writing my whole life. I started with short stories, about as long
as my attention span as a child. They
were done when they were done, what can I say?
I really enjoy writing flash fiction, though I don’t publish most of it
as I want to try to find a professional home for the pieces before I put them
up for free. Recently, I’ve been working
more as a novelist, and am in the process of polishing my first completed
manuscript of sufficiently good quality that I don’t want to take it out back
and set fire to it. To keep my fingers
on the keyboard, I spend much of my time blogging, on my own site (www.NathanBarra.com) and with a group blog of very talented folks called “The Fictorians” (www.Fictorians.com). I’ve also been known to provide a
guest post.
What is your
favorite genre to write?
Fantasy, especially
urban. Science fiction is also a great
deal of fun. Can I say science
fantasy? That would be ideal. As I am an engineer by training, temperament
and profession, I feel like I get enough of the “real world” in my day to day
life. I can’t escape it as my writing
seems to juxtapose magic and technology, with fascinating results.
Favorite
food.
Oh… That is a question akin to “Which of your
children is your favorite?” or “What’s your favorite book?” I’m a self-proclaimed foodie, and when I
start cooking, friends seem to come out of the woodwork, so I can’t be half bad. But, enough stalling. If forced to a single answer, I’ll have to
say Saki (salmon) Sushimi.
Tea or
coffee?
Tea. Loose
leaf, specifically. I’m a bit of a snob.
Pizza or ice
cream?
Given the choice of delicious and delicious, I’ll
choose pizza.
Where would
you like to visit?
There is a long
list. On the top, right now? I want to rent camping equipment and a jeep,
then camp my way across New Zealand.
Favorite
musical artist. Do you listen to music
when you write? What?
There isn’t one musical genre or artist that I can point to as a favorite
as my musical tastes largely depend on my mood and to what I’ve been listening
to recently. By far, I own more techno
(mostly vocal trance and house) music, though I have a smattering of just about
everything. When not dictating, yes, I
do listen to music as I write. I’ve
created a number of Pandora stations for different types of writing (action
scenes, romance scenes, travel scenes, various kinds of sequels, specific
character sound tracks, etc.) that I’ll queue up as appropriate.
What makes
you laugh? Situational humor,
especially something that is cleverly worded or observed in an interesting way. I adore good standup or improvised
comedy. I don’t have much respect for
bathroom humor. I used to, but three
years on stage as a live performance improvised comedian changed my tastes
significantly.
How old were
you when you started writing?
I have no idea. My earliest stories are in French, so before
the third grade.
Describe your
perfect evening.
Again with the
absolutes! I much prefer hanging in as
to hanging out. I’m a writer, so, a
productive evening is a wonderful one. I
also like spending time with my lovely girlfriend, or having a group of friends
over for games and brew.
Where do you
get your inspiration?
Life and the acts
involved in living. I am always on the
lookout for good ideas and usually have a number of things simmering in the back
burners. My girlfriend says that I’m
always thinking about writing in one way or another and that she’s learned to
recognize when I space out and continue the conversation when I come back to
reality. Have I mentioned how awesome
she is?
What do you
do when you get a writer's block?
I
write. Either in that work or something
else. Defy the empty page! Worry about fixing what is broken once it
exists! If you don’t believe in writer’s
block, it can’t believe in you.
Who is your
favorite author?
I’m going to continue
my trend of defiance and list several (in no particular order). Brandon Sanderson, Kevin J Anderson, James
Artemis Owen, Jim Butcher, JD Robb & Richelle Mead. I’ve learned something from almost everything
I’ve ever read. Those folks in particular
have taught me a lot. I’m blessed enough
to call some of them friends, and the lessons they have taught me off the page
have been invaluable.
Best book you
ever read.
I made a joke about
this earlier in the interview, and now you’ve done it! I’ll behave this time, I promise. If I had to pick one book, I’d say it’s The
Way of Kings. I’m not normally an epic
fantasy guy, but the craftsmanship is exquisite, and there was one moment that
garnered a great (both in appeal and magnitude) emotional reaction from
me. Books should make you feel, and this
one did.
Who is the
one person who has influenced your personal life the most and why?
My mother. She taught me to read, and
in so doing taught me that I have to work hard for success or it has no
meaning.
If you could
sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or
fictional, who would it be and why?
Benjamin
Franklin. He is a man who wore many hats,
helped shape the future of several countries, and was brilliant. I don’t know what I’d want to ask him, but
rather shake his hand and buy him a beer.
What advice
would you give someone who aspired to be a writer?
Read and write a great deal, almost constantly if you can manage it. Study your craft, your strengths and
weaknesses, and then consciously seek to improve both. When you look back on your old stuff and
think that it is crap, take a moment to feel wonder at the realization. When you wrote it, it was brilliant,
right? How much have you improved to
realize that it is not? Fear the day you
look back and think you no longer can improve.
Media
Outlets:
@NathanBarra on Twitter
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