what is your name?
Brandon Scott.
how would you describe what you do?
I write a lot about a lot of things. That’s the easiest way to say it. I write for websites, and blogs, and people, and for myself. Long stuff, short stuff. Silly things, and serious things. I just produce a lot of words.
what are you currently working on?
Client work. But, on top of that, I am always blogging, and I perpetually keep some sort of longer project going as well—like stage plays, screenplays, novels, collections. I’m currently working on perhaps the longest novel I’ve ever attempted.
what has had the greatest influence on your work?
Oh boy. That’s a big question. I’d have to say the works of K.A. Applegate, Lemony Snicket, R.L. Stine, Lewis Carrol, Rick Riordan, and Douglas Adams. You’ll notice all of those, except the last one on the list, are children’s authors willing to tackle darker subjects. I grew up being exposed to dark ideas, and I play in those spaces with the freedom of a broader age range as a target audience.
This is obviously only applicable to my fiction work. Non-fiction is a wholly longer list with names you probably won’t recognize.
what is the greatest misconception about you or your work?
That I am somehow a disturbed or violent person because I write disturbing things. That my age (I’m young by the writing world’s standards) is an indication of my skill level and work output.
what do you see as the main strengths and weaknesses of the medium you work in?
You can do anything in the written word, easily. No CGI or expensive animation needed. Any concept, however strange, can exist and be expanded. However, getting an exact picture across, without seriously purple prose, is nigh impossible in a written space. People just bring so much of their own experiences to things and it makes characters and monsters and events form in ways that the author can’t control.
how has technology impacted upon the work you do?
I’ve always worked with technology, and thus I am used to how it all goes. My main job is writing for websites, so I literally would not have a job without modern technology. I am a proponent of future technology, so I’d say it’s been mostly, if not entirely positive, in increasing my workload and ability to communicate with clients and fellow writers.
what’s the greatest piece of advice you would like to pass on?
To paraphrase my own blog:
“Having a treadmill will not make you walk more. Having been a dedicated walker makes the tool useful: the tool does not make you into a dedicated walker.”
where can we find you online?
I’m all over. But coolerbs.com is the best choice.
what are you reading at the moment?
Mostly YA romance fiction, believe it or not.
what are you listening to at the moment?
A lot of podcasts and pop and rock music, some of it Japanese.
anything else we should know?
Nothing will teach you to write better than writing. Just remember that. And, also, review books you read on Amazon, it really helps the authors.
any suggestions for who we should interview next?
I know a few small-town authors who might like the opportunity.