We like to say a few words about the author we are interviewing but in this instance nothing we can say would top Jim’s own self-written bio. To top it of we have to also give Jim the “Best Advice Award” that we’ve seen in a long time. After your done laughing you realize it makes perfect sense.
“There is an enormous weedout factor for wannabe writers. The good news is that you aren’t competing with every published schmoe out there. You’re only up against the rest of the wannabes, and it’s like the old axiom about being chased by a grizzly bear. You don’t have to run faster than the bear to get away. You just have to run faster than the guy next to you.”
- Jim Butcher from http://www.jim-butcher.com/jim/
What first inspired you to write?
I first considered it when Margaret Weis did an appearance at my high school library. She described her own career, and I thought it sounded pretty great. I’d always been a fan of fantasy and science fiction. While I loved the genre, as I moved on into college, I just couldn’t find enough of the kinds of stories I really wanted to read.
So I set out to write them.
Several terrible novels later, genius that I am, I thought, “Hey, maybe I should learn something about writing.”
I wound up at the University of Oklahoma’s School of Professional Writing, which was where I originally wrote the first book of the Dresden Files as a class project.
What inspires you now?
I like to eat! In my house!
But seriously—I’m a professional writer now. This is my job, how I take care of my family. Though if you mean what inspires me artistically, it can be almost anything. Any time something evokes a lot of emotion in me, I try to stop and take a look at it, and figure out what about that person or place or situation got to me. I try to find ways to convey those same emotions to the reader, to make my stories feel as genuine and as real as I can—even if they’re filled with fantastic, imaginary things.
What advice would you give to a new writer?
WRITE.
WRITE A LOT.
And don’t stop until you’re published.
That’s really the only way to become a writer—but if you want to pick up some of the story craft I learned from Debbie Chester, you can go to jimbutcher.livejournal.com. I’ve written a number of articles on various aspects of storytelling. Maybe something you read there will help you cut some time off that long, lonely grind from novice to published professional.
You have written one Spider Man book. Was it fun to write a story with a super hero as the main character? Do you plan on writing any more super hero stories?
Oh, it was intensely fun to write Spider-Man! I mean, it was SPIDER-MAN! My favorite superhero ever!
While I don’t see myself doing any more novelizations of the superheroes at Marvel or DC or from other publishers, I’m not dead set against doing so, either. Writing Spider-Man, apart from the huge pressure of the time crunch around it, was a thoroughly enjoyable experience, and I could certainly be tempted into writing some more.
What is your favorite book from the Dresden Files series?
Whichever one is the most recent. As time goes by, I come up with solutions to writing problems that I could have used two or three or twelve years ago. Looking back at those books makes me feel like an idiot, because I didn’t have the solution when I needed it.
So at the moment, Changes is my favorite.
Dead Beat comes in a close second because come on! Zombie T-Rex!
How many more books are planned for the Dresden series?
After Changes, another eight or nine or ten “case” books like we’ve had so far, followed by a capstone trilogy to finish things off.
What are you reading now?
Question seven of this interview! Hah, thought you were going to trick me on that one, I bet, but you can’t outwit the master of…
Oh, wait. You mean recreationally. Right ?
Enchanter’s Endgame by David Eddings!
What future projects do you have planned?
I just finished up Side Jobs, a collection of nearly all of the Dresden Files short stories currently in print. I’ll probably do one more short story collection for the Dresden Files in the next year or two. After that, we’ll have to see.
What interests do you have outside of writing?
Oh, the usual kind of thing. I play a little guitar, I work out. I like video games like Left 4 Dead, City of Heroes, Rock Band and Halo. I go to live roleplaying events run by the fledgling organization, Heroic Interactive Theatre, where I can run around hitting people with nerf swords. I watch bad fantasy and science fiction movies and occasionally get on the floor an play with the dog.
Any last words of wisdom?
Assuming I had any wisdom to give, which I’m not at all sure I do, I think I’d be leery about dispensing it. I mean, who among us can get enough advice from other people, right? And given the evident lack of wisdom in my own life, I think I’d horde any that I did come across, to see me through a rainy day. ?
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