42 Stories Anthology Presents: Travis Garner Interview

 

Travis Garner was the 42 Stories Anthology Presents: Book of 42² Runner Up Award Winner in the Parent Chapter for TALES MY MOM, A WIDOW, WEAVED ABOUT MY DAD

          

 Video Vlog

He also has a story under F. N. Doore-Locke in the Trapped Chapter.

 

Biography

Travis Garner is a Canadian writer who has lived everywhere from Vietnam to Germany. When he isn't writing, he enjoys rock climbing and yoga. His stories have been published by Liars’ League NYC and Cheeze und Krackers e-zine. Read more at travisgarner.ca.

 

BAM: Where are you, Travis?

Travis: Berlin, Germany

 

(from freepik.com)

BAM: Really? I went there in 2017 during New Year’s Eve. My friend and I walked from Brandenburg Gate to Victoria something or other, watching fireworks everywhere. For me, it was amazing and fun. My friend, however, was freaking out and blaming it on PTSD. One of the best ways to celebrate New Years, in my opinion, is in Berlin. Anyway, where is your writing space?

Travis: Usually at the desk in my bedroom

 

BAM: Okay. Let’s get into your writing. Who do you write to when you picture your reader, or who is your target audience?
Travis: People close to me. My friends and family. I like imaging that the people I like enjoy something I created.

 

BAM: What a wonderful and kind response. The fact that you won an award in the parent chapter is quite appropriate, then. I hope the people you write to appreciate your work. What got you into writing?

Travis: Reading amazing stories and wanting to create that same experience for others.

 

BAM: Yeah, I remember reading Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy for the first time and thinking something similar. On that note, what deceased or living writer do you want to meet?
Travis: I already met him briefly at a conference, but I would love to have a long conversation with Brandon Sanderson. No writer has taught me more about the craft of writing than he has, and I think his writing-insights are always spot on.

 

BAM: Conferences are great ways to meet authors. I’ve gotten some great advice and made long-lasting friendships through those. Okay, let’s switch gears to editing. Do you edit alone, have a friend read your work, or do you hire a professional editor?

Travis: I usually edit the first several drafts myself until it feels pretty polished. After that, it’s helpful to have a friend look it over and give insights that never would have occurred to me.

 

BAM: You mentioned several drafts. Tell me about your outline process.

Travis: The more I write, the more I learn about my outlining process. And for me, outlining is about as inefficient as possible. I start with a general shape of the story in my mind and write a basic road map, which is basically just specific story moments that I want to hit along the way.

 

BAM: Oh. What else?

Travis: I don’t do much in the way of character or world building. I usually have a very basic idea of the world and the most important characters, but I don’t really know who is going to be important yet. I don’t know what aspects of the world need to be developed. I don’t even the exact personalities the main characters need to have for the story to unfold the way that I want it to. At this point, the characters are more or less just stereotypes, like “strict father” or “cheerful teacher”.

 

BAM: Sometimes, the characters tell you about them as you write, and they grow from there. What do you do next?

Travis: I then write a first draft. This is a chance for me to see what direction the story wants to go. I ask a lot of questions while writing the general first draft, such as:

 

·       Who do the characters need to be to meet the desired story moments?

·       As the story progresses, do those story moments still make sense?

·       What scenes do I need to create to surround the story moments for them to have the desired emotional impact?

·       Do I need to add new characters? Or locations? Or remove characters I previously thought would be important?

 

Once I have the first draft (which takes me a long time to get through), I then have a much better idea of what the story actually is. I can then re-work the outline, knowing better who the characters need to be to tell the story that I want to tell.

BAM: And then?

Travis: The next draft usually goes a lot more smoothly.

 

BAM: Sounds structured with flexibility. There’s got to be points in all of that drafting where you get writer's block. How do you overcome it?
Travis: Just keep writing. That’s the most important thing.

BAM: Yeah?
Travis: If I let my writer’s block keep me from writing, then my routine is broken; I lose momentum. And that makes it very difficult to start again.

 

BAM: Okay.

Travis: Writer’s block can have a lot of causes, I think.

 

BAM: Agreed. What’s that mean to you?

Travis: Sometimes I’ve hit either a wall or a hole – a problem - in the story that I don’t know how to solve. The perfectionist in me doesn’t want to put anything down on paper until I have the perfect solution. But if I let solving the problem keep me from writing – even just for a day or two - then I lose all momentum. It becomes very difficult to start back up again. Better to keep pushing through and making progress, even if it means ignoring the problem for now. I can always come back and fix it later.

 

BAM: Good to stay positive. What else?

Travis: Other times, writer’s block manifests as me simply feeling uninspired or un-motivated to write. If I let that keep me from writing for too long, then I soon lose interest in the story. Sometimes you just have to show up. Even if I don’t particularly feel like writing, making a little bit of progress, even just a couple hundred words can often help to re-inspire me.

 

BAM: That’s great.

Travis: But if I let myself lose moment, then usually, that means the writer’s block wins.

 

Social Media:

·       https://www.instagram.com/travellingtravisty/

Published Work:

·       https://www.londonindependentstoryprize.co.uk/post/like-pocket-lint-by-travis-garner

·       https://www.liarsleaguenyc.com/an-unexpected-event-by-travis-garner