Continuing from the Goodreads Q&A
Tricia:
Hi Brett!
Where do you get your inspiration? Do you draw bits and pieces from people you know and observe, or just entirely make them up? Do you write with music or with silence?
Can’t wait to read your book, it looks really good.
Thanks!
Answer:
Hi Tricia! The inspiration question is kind of a hard one to answer. I find inspiration in everything. For
That Which Should Not Be, I had an idea to write a book in an older, Gothic style than most of the ones (particularly a book called House of Leaves) I had been reading. In a larger sense, I drew inspiration from the classic horror writers, most notably H.P. Lovecraft and Bram Stoker. For the stories themselves, it varies. Sometimes crazy things just pop into my head (scary, I know) and I try and find a place to fit them into the story. Sometimes I have read something in the news or something about history and decide to use that for inspiration. Other times, I take things that my friends have said or experienced and bring that in. So I guess the short answer is I draw inspiration from everything.
I can write in any conditions. One of the reasons I started writing is because I like to watch horror movies, but I felt like I was wasting my time. I felt like if I was writing while watching the movie, I was being productive. I do less of the movie watching these days (now that I take all this more seriously), but I do listen to music. All kinds really.
Beware The Shadows 