Q&A with Brendan Gillingham

   Welcome Brendan! Thanks for taking some time to chat about writing. First, a few quick-fire questions: Who is your favorite villain of all time?  What is one food you can’t stand? What do you think is the ‘best-worst’ movie you’ve ever seen? 

   Thanks for having me! Villains are usually the most fascinating characters in stories to me, so many have managed to work their way into the title of my favorite, although if I had to choose only one, I’d have to go with The Joker from the Batman franchise, specifically Heath Ledger’s portrayal in the film The Dark Knight. I believe that is one of the best examples of how to make a villain that is a polar-opposition to the protagonist in a compelling and engaging way. I can’t stomach olives, that’s the one food I cannot grit my teeth and power through, I’d have an easier time eating insects. Finally, it’s difficult to say, because I am very critical when it comes to movies, however, a few examples come to mind, those being Watchmen, Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, and 21, all objectively flawed films, but those flaws are an enjoyable charm for me.

"I can’t stomach olives, that’s the one food I cannot grit my teeth and power through,
​I’d have an easier time eating insects."
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   What does a typical day of writing look like for you? Do you have any rituals or habits that help to keep you focussed or make your session more productive?  

​   It really depends a lot on the project(s) I’m working on, but more often than not I find my writing to be sporadic. While I do push myself to work every day, the amount of work I get done varies depending on my mood, if I’m rested, or headspace. I am careful not to end up in situations where I am forcing myself to write or feeling pressured to because I believe all of that greatly hinders my creativity. When I do sit down to write though, I will usually listen to some music to get me in the right headspace, never any songs with lyrics or singing, usually background music from video games or orchestral pieces. 
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   What first drew you to writing and what keeps you writing after years of going at it? Do you have specific goals in mind, like publication, or do you write for other reasons? 

   My first introduction to writing was a high school teacher I had. He really encouraged me to try creative writing and was a supporter in my beginning days. Since graduating, the thing that inspires me is other people’s work, funnily enough, I think especially the work I dislike. When I read, see, or even play a piece of work that doesn’t make me feel anything, my head fills with ways I would have written it differently. I’ve never been the kind of person to have long term goals in mind, and the same rings true for writing. Whether it be a novel, poetry, or a quick short story, my primary concern is to create things I like and am ultimately proud of, but that being said, publishing is also a major goal with Injectable Ashes specifically.
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"When I read, see, or even play a piece of work that doesn’t make me feel anything,
​my head fills with ways I would have written it differently. "
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Image: "Out of the Ashes" by Kim Redd

   Injectable Ashes involves a lot of changes in narrator perspective. Sometimes the story is being told through the eyes of ‘main character’, sometimes the side characters get the spotlight, and other times we see through the eyes of a villian. Do you have any advice for writers who want to employ multiple perspectives in their own work? 

   This is a great question. Juggling multiple POV’s in a written format allows for new and unique ways to tell the story. The challenge is the fact that you (the writer) know everything about the story. It will serve you well to keep track of what character knows what, as it is incredibly easy to forget character ‘A’ hasn’t seen the monster that character ‘B’ has.  Another tip I’ll offer is finding a voice. If you're in a first-person perspective that character is really exposing themselves to the reader so you need to keep that in mind. It’s difficult to write in a voice other than your own, but you really need to define what is going on in that characters head, what kind of thoughts they have, how they would react to a given scenario, and realize there can be a difference between external and internal language. (A man might laugh and tell his friend not to worry about messing up, but be furious internally)
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   You have lived with mobility challenges for most of your life. Do you feel like this influences your writing in the perspectives of your characters or do you not view this as an influencing factor? 
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   I have lived with a nervous system disability for most of my life, so it’s hard to say it doesn’t dictate at least some of my writing. I can say there are absolutely elements that have been addressing my disability metaphorically; in fact, you might be able to break down the entire storyline into one giant allegory. And as much as I preach about separating the author from their characters, eventually, details are naturally going to overlap.
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"I can say there are absolutely elements that have been addressing my disability metaphorically;
​in fact, you might be able to break down the entire storyline into one giant allegory."
​

   What was it like to write the sequel to Injectable Ashes? Was it easier or harder? Did anything you thought was going to happen shift dramatically or did it play out as you planned?   

   It was considerably more stressful working on the sequel. Every creative decision I made required weeks of deliberation and planning. I became a perfectionist because of how much I love Injectable Ashes, not wanting to only match the quality I expect from myself, but to outdo myself. That was something that really weighed me down and made things considerably more difficult to conceptualize. But as for when it came time to put pen to paper and actually write, I was able to find my rhythm quite quickly and pick up right where I left off. Initially, I thought I had a pretty firm idea in how the story would turn out in the sequel, but what I ended up with was something entirely different, and a lot of those difference were changes I didn’t think of until I got to writing those parts.
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"I became a perfectionist because of how much I love Injectable Ashes,
not wanting to only match the quality I expect from myself, but to outdo myself."
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   What is your next big project? Will you write a third book in the series or do you have something else planned? 
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   I’m taking a break for a while from the novel, but I already have ideas cooking in the back of my mind for a third installment, so that will likely be the next major project I’ll be looking to conquer, until then though I’ll continue writing, working on music, poetry, short stories, or whatever else catches my interest.
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To keep up with Brendan and his upcoming projects follow him on Twitter.