#12questionsfor
Drake Vato
MOTH: 1. What inspired you to become a writer?
DV: 1. I have always been keen on creating fictional worlds and characters and telling stories about them. When we were little kids, and my younger brother would spend hours upon hours playing with LEGOs, plush animals, and various other toys, inventing strange and exciting settings, filled with action, drama, and a lot of conflicts.
This creative bent has stuck with me ever since. Much later, during high school, I did most of my assignment in a more imaginative way, writing business propositions to off-world corporations, letters of introduction to powerful mages, and other similar stuff simply as a tool to alleviate boredom. However, my whimsical trappings didn’t go unnoticed, and some teachers and friends told me my scribbles were interesting to read and that perhaps I should consider becoming a writer.
I toyed with this idea for several years, before attempting this “writer gig” for real in 2010, when I began my first novel. Sadly, up until that point, I knew nothing about the craft, and the project itself, while containing some fresh ideas, was full of cliché-driven archetypes, guided by a derivative and simplistic story. I realized this in the following year when I decided to attend a writing workshop, and at this point I was 100 pages into the manuscript, only to realize it was a complete failure. So I scrapped it. It was painful, but it was the right thing for me.
Fast forward another year – the infamous 2012 – and after several false starts, trying out different writing techniques and story ideas, and having no success in completing any kind of long-form, I began posting a series of short episodes on Choveshkata.net, a local Bulgarian forum belonging to a literary organization. The idea was to ask people there if they liked what they saw, and a bunch of forum members said “yes”. So I continued to write more “episodes”, featuring the same central character. Then I wrote some more. And more. Eventually, I realized I was writing a novel. It came as a bit of a shock, but after some struggles and several creative blocks, I managed to complete the story, and it became “Космически залог” (Astronomical Stakes), my first published book.
At that point, I considered myself an actual writer. So in my case, there was no initial inspiration to write, but rather I was gently nudged into that direction by circumstance and fate. After the first novel was complete, only then I sought out how to improve my craft, and started to feel inspired by appreciating the stories I read from a more professional perspective. And now here I am. Storytelling, reading, writing, and always with a head full of narrative ideas.
MOTH: 2. The title of your last book?
DV: 2. My latest – and so far only second – novel is titled “The Celestial Way”. It is a transhumanist space opera with dragons, functional magic, and a story centered on redemption and second chance. It is currently available through select promotional channels (one such is here: https://choveshkata.net/blog/?page_id=8444 ), and it will be self-published officially sometime by the end of 2020.
MOTH: 3. Ebook – for or against?
DV: 3. Firmly “for”. Not only it gives readers another option to experience their favorite stories – and more options are always good – but it also gives self-published authors like me the power to reach an audience in any part of the world. Ebooks have revolutionized the publishing industry, and while there are some issues related to their rise to popularity, their proliferation as a technology has been a universally positive impact on the creative industry.
That said, I’m an old-school reader, and even though I mostly read ebooks these days, I have a certain fondness for good old physical tomes. Something about holding their heft in your hand, or displaying their beautiful covers on the shelf stirs a feeling inside me that just isn’t present when viewing a bunch of electrons on a tablet. Still, I’m rooting for new technologies all the way!
MOTH: 4. How do you deal with bad reviews?
DV: 4. I’m still virtually unknown as an author, so there aren’t many reviews of my works floating about in general. That said, I’ve come across a couple of negative reviews for my first book. Their criticism was mostly on point, so I didn’t take it personally, especially since I myself am quite critical of “Astronomical Stakes”.
In general, when dealing with negative reviews, I try to discern if they contain objective criticism. If they do, then I take that criticism and apply it toward my future writings. If the review doesn’t contain objective criticism, or any constructive feedback (for example, it only has generalizations and off-hand statements), then I shake my head and move on. It might sting for a while, but there’s no point in getting into arguments about what is essentially personal opinion.
To be a public person of any kind, you must possess a thick skin. There always will be people who will disagree with you for all kinds of reasons, and there will be those who will spite you just because they can. I’ve seen a lot of Internet celebrities who break down under the stress, or worse, go berserk and start some kind of “holy crusade” against their source of ire. In either case, the results are ugly. My advice is to have a strong will, keep it cool, and to not pay attention to any malevolent detractors. They thrive on attention – if you deny them that, then they will go away on their own.
MOTH: 5. Is it better to promote yourself online or in other media?
DV: 5. I’d say online promotions these days are king. The Internet is vast, and offers numerous ways to promote your creations via all kinds of platforms and services. That said, I wouldn’t disregard more traditional media such as television or newspapers – they still hold some influence, even though it’s waning with each year. Perhaps in a few more decades, they won’t be a factor – or perhaps, like books, they will (and actually, already have begun) transition to the online environment, and become part of the virtual landscape, as everything else seems to do so.
I find that a rather natural process, so my answer would be – promote your works any way you can, as this will ensure you reach the widest possible audience.
MOTH: 6. Which writers had the most influence on your writing style?
DV: 6. If we’re talking style specifically, and not larger elements like themes and stories, then that would be Jim Butcher, the author of “The Dresden Files”. His combination of fast-paced action combined with very intimate character drama has kept me glued to the pages, and I recognized that as a very strong stylistic technique, which I have tried to emulate ever since. Another writer who caught my interest is Naomi Novik, author of the “Temeraire” series. I loved her narrative flow, especially in the early books, and it has influenced somewhat my own writing in “The Celestial Way”. Lastly, another author I was recommended recently was Michelle Sagara with her “Chronicles of Elantra” series. While her writing isn’t the most graceful or detailed, her descriptions of abstract concepts are extraordinary, and I strive to be as imaginative as her when it comes to stuff like describing the physical manifestation of abstract constructs like language or honor.
If we talk about more general influences, then I’d include authors like Roger Zelazny, David Zindell, Martin Scott, Ursula Le Guin, Chris d’Lacey, and some early favorites like Michael Crichton and Raymond Feist. Finally, another recent inspiration of mine was Joe Jackson, author of the “Eve of Redemption” series.
MOTH: 7. What success do you expect from your work?
DV: 7. I don’t know. I have no idea. I hope for the very best, yet my studies in spiritual philosophy have taught me to expect nothing from life, as expectations invariably lead to disappointment sooner or later.
If even a single person derives pleasure, inspiration, or personal growth from my creative works, then I would consider my endeavor as a Creator to be a success. The rest is a nice bonus. 🙂
MOTH: 8. What is your target audience?
DV: 8. Ahhh, target audiences – the bane of authors, and the sacred gods of marketing. Well, since I’m an author and not a salesperson, my answer is a straightforward one – I don’t know. Or rather, I don’t strive for any specific target audience. I try to write books that are entertaining to read, and at the same time contain some nuggets of greater truth which I’ve discovered in the journey through my own life.
Nonsense aside, I write primarily in the genres of speculative fiction, and my plan is to continue to do so. I do have an idea for a contemporary-fiction novel that explores the subject of depression – a topic which is deeply personal to me – yet for the most part, dragons, spaceships, wizards, and future-tech is what you can expect from me, and it will be mostly adult-oriented. I’m told children books sell like hot cake, but I’ve never been one to write to market, so… probably gonna pass that opportunity. Or not. Who knows. I’m driven by inspiration, so I follow wherever the light brings me.
MOTH: 9. Describe your last work in 12 words.
DV: 9. Star Wars meets Eclipse Phase meets Mass Effect, with dragons in space!
MOTH: 10. Advice for future writers?
DV: 10. Like the ancestors before me have said: Write, write, write! Practice makes perfect. Theory is all fine and dandy, but until you sit down and pound at the keyboard, you aren’t going anywhere. (Just look at them visual artists! They don’t pore all day over color theory and brush techniques, do they?)
Also, start with some small stories first – yes, most of us want to write that Big Great Novel – but shorter stories are much easier to finish, and have actually completed something (even if it isn’t very good) is an important boost to your confidence. Trust me, it’s much more motivational when you open that writing folder and see a dozen finished projects inside instead of scores of narrative corpses.
Lastly, if you can, find (or organize) a writing group. Banding together with other would-be writers is a great way to make progress, and the extra eyes and minds can lend you a much broader perspective, which can help you identify problems with your writing which could otherwise take months or even years to find on your own. Having alpha and beta readers is also a plus, so if you can find those too, go for it!
Bonus advice: read. Like, A LOT. Reading will help you identify narrative patterns, broaden your creative horizon, sharpen your imagination, and enrich your own ideas. Also, if someone already wrote that sweet dragonrider series you’ve been planning for years, you’ll have an early warning and the opportunity to add your own twist, instead of completing and publishing your work and have people go “Ah, this just a rip-off of XYZ!”.
MOTH: 11. Where would you like your writing to take you as a guest?
DV: 11. Recently, I “branched out” into writing stuff that isn’t fiction – essays, articles, manifestos, and the like. I don’t know how far I’ll progress down that path, but this year I’ve come to sudden insight – that I can make the world a better place through the power of the written (and spoken) word.
As such, my greatest dream in regards to writing would be to be given a chance to speak before the UN General Assembly – the greatest political and societal body to this date. It’s a pretty dream, but again, who knows – life is full of surprises, and in ten years I might be in a position that would seem highly unlikely if imagined today.
MOTH: 12. Holding your next book promotion?
DV: 12. We’ll see how that will go. For now, I’m focused on making the official premiere of “The Celestial Way” – which, if everything goes to plan, will be on 11.11.2020. It’s going to be a local event, though – so, unless you happen to be in Bulgaria at the time, you’ll probably miss it.
Yet the future awaits!
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