An Interview With Ian Benke
Be curious. Look at the world around you with the question “What if…?” always on your mind. What if that bus was green instead of yellow? What if a solar flare hit right now? What if this is really just a simulation and someone finds a cheat code? We may live in the present, but the future is just a second away. Always looking forward will definitely help.
Science Fiction and Fantasy are hugely popular genres. What does it take for a writer today, to write compelling and successful Science Fiction and Fantasy stories? Authority Magazine started a new series called “How To Write Compelling Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories”. In this series we are talking to anyone who is a Science Fiction or Fantasy author, or an authority or expert on how to write compelling Science Fiction and Fantasy .
As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Benjamin X. Wretlind.
Benjamin is an author with several books currently out and a new Science Fiction series launching February 2022. He lives in Colorado Springs with his wife, where he will also be a guest speaker at the Pikes Peak Writers Conference. He is frequently accompanied by two dogs while writing and also lives with a cat who ignores him.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share a story about what first drew you to writing over other forms of storytelling?
I’ve written most of my life. In fact, there’s a story buried somewhere in my files I wrote in 2nd grade that my mom saved for me. The story is naturally childish, but when I read it a few years ago I was convinced it was one of the many stepping stones I used to get to where I am. I always wanted to write and always did. I wrote for school and I wrote for me. I wrote because it’s a major part of who I am. I tried painting, woodworking and other creative expressions, but prose was the one thing that really gave me the ability to build a world. Because I feel my work is very character based, I have the ability to dive more into the psychology of a protagonist and antagonist than I could in any other medium of artistic expression.
You are a successful author. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
First, drive or motivation or that ambiguous “reason.” I was motivated early on by reading the classics, like Ray Bradbury and Isaac Asimov or H.G. Wells. My father was also heavily into books and although they were not my cup of tea, they surrounded me so much I felt I just had to have my name on that shelf. I was driven to succeed by reading the work of others and telling myself that I can do the same thing.
Second, as a compulsive organizer, I find writing gives me an opportunity to build character sketches, to outline and plot in ways that give me a further impetus to finish a novel. There are people who write by the seat of their pants and those who are obsessive planners. I actually fall on the extreme end of that scale as a true planner.
Finally, curiosity. I am curious about the world, about the reasons people behave and society moves. This curiosity can best be demonstrated by how much I feel I need to get into the head of a character I created. For the novel I am working on currently, I decided I needed to learn Greek. I also decided I needed to visit all the locations where the story takes place, but COVID put a damper on those plans. Thankfully, VR is there to save the day.
Can you tell us a bit about the interesting or exciting projects you are working on or wish to create? What are your goals for these projects?
My latest project is an anthropological science fiction series called Transit which launches with the first book Out of Due Season: The First Transit in February. I wanted to explore the question “what would happen if society had a second chance?” The first book shows the genesis of a new world, while the next seven in the series follow generations as they build, populate and eventually have to defend that world from outsiders. It is rather ambitious in scope, covering eight novels and several novellas, but it’s a passion project. Back to the earlier question, this might be another example of my true curiosity. I will answer that question, perhaps not through experimentation like a scientist, but from a theoretical perspective and in a way that is most accessible to readers.
Wonderful. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. Let’s begin with a basic definition so that all of us are on the same page. How do you define sci-fi or fantasy? How is it different from speculative fiction?
Science fiction, to me, is an exploration of the future use of technology or predictions about societal changes that might occur should X or Y happen. It can take place on another planet, in a different time (or several times), or even an alternate universe, but really it boils down to answering the question “What if…?” Speculative fiction is much broader. It could involve elements of the paranormal or fantasy worlds and includes science fiction. Personally when I think of speculative fiction, I think of horror novels like my first book Castles, television shows like Supernatural or magical realism like The Life of Pi.
It seems that despite countless changes in media and communication technologies, novels and written fiction always survive, and as the rate of change increases with technology, written sci-fi becomes more popular. Why do you think that is?
Curiosity mixed with both dissatisfaction and hope. We are all driven, I believe, to look to the future, even if that comes down to what we’re going to have for lunch one day. Even that is futurist thinking because it hasn’t happened yet. Many people — myself included — are dissatisfied with the way things are in society. Science fiction gives us a chance to look forward and be curious about the ways things could be. If they are worse, we might feel better about our current state and perhaps be motivated to do something so those horrible things don’t happen. If the future is brighter, it gives us hope that something better is just around the corner. It can also be a true escape. The Arrakis of Dune is not our world nor will it be, but we can escape to it. Perhaps in that journey to another world, we learn something about ourselves in the process.
In your opinion, what are the benefits to reading sci-fi, and how do they compare to watching sci-fi on film and television?
Reading science fiction allows us to be in the story more so than watching it on film or television. When you watch a screenplay laid out before you, you are entering the world of that director, that screenwriter. When you read something, you use the author’s words to guide your imagination to paint a picture. That’s the true beauty of reading science fiction. Yes, we are still guided in the plot by the author, but we are able to put ourselves into the story more because it is built within our mind. If you think about all the times you have watched a screen adaptation of a novel you have read and been disappointed, was it because certain thematic elements were missing or rewritten or was it because the world shown you on that screen was so different from what you imagined? The incongruity can be immense. I remember reading The Neverending Story before the seeing the movie, and it was almost like Hollywood was ignoring me, putting themselves out there instead of letting me in. Same with Dune and The Martian Chronicles and especially Foundation. Granted, these last three examples are notorious for being “impossible” to film, but why did they have to be filmed?
What authors and artists, dead or alive, inspired you to write?
I’ve mentioned three already: Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov and H.G. Wells. Others equally inspiring are Michael Crichton, Douglas Adams, Arthur C. Clarke, Michael Ende, Clive Barker and Robert Holdstock. Those last three were not science fiction writers, but true masters of speculative fiction. In fact, they were probably the most influential writers in my life.
If you could ask your favourite Science Fiction and Fantasy author a question, what would it be?
I would ask the same question of many of my favorites, but most of them have sadly passed on: Can I get just one more book? Maybe another Foundation, another Sphere, another Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy? Pretty please?
We’d like to learn more about your writing. How would you describe yourself as an author? Can you please share a specific passage that you think exemplifies your style?
I’ve always thought of myself as a character writer who uses plot to expose who they are or want to be. A good example of this comes from my novel Out of Due Season: The First Transit. In this scene, we learn a little more about Tigger, one of the characters intent on finding out what really happened in a lake in Northwestern Washington. His curiosity is on display here.
The therapist’s office was like so many other offices in the VA clinic. It was mostly austere, with just a touch of personality to try being comfortable. Tigger sat on a couch in the corner, still a little inebriated but mostly tired. He looked up at a painting hung just crookedly enough on the other wall to make it more noticeable. The therapist likely hung it that way as a test, like the placement of pillows on the couch. Did the client sit on both or move one? Did they move both and sit against the hard arm of the couch? Did they sit on the right or the left and where did their eyes go? Were they locked on the painting for more than ten percent of the session? Did they say something about the slight slant?
Tigger had never mentioned the painting, only recognized it for what it was: a screaming something — man, woman, thing — in a field of browns and grays. It was hard to describe, other than to say it was weird and it disturbed him. “Why is the painting always crooked?” Tigger pointed to the wall. He might as well ask.
The therapist, a stout man in his fifties with a comforting yet worn face, turned. “Does it bother you?”
“No.” So it was a test. “Just wondering.”
“No reason. I guess I never see it from this chair, so I don’t notice it. What’s behind me stays behind. It’s all about perspective.”
Based on your own experience and success, what are the “Five Things You Need To Write Compelling Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories?” If you can, please share a story or example for each.
- Be curious. Look at the world around you with the question “What if…?” always on your mind. What if that bus was green instead of yellow? What if a solar flare hit right now? What if this is really just a simulation and someone finds a cheat code? We may live in the present, but the future is just a second away. Always looking forward will definitely help.
- Be open. As the world changes, be open to all the iterations that could be. We don’t have to be locked into the rules of yesterday. As science fiction and fantasy writers, we can make our own rules, write our own laws of nature. On that last point, remember that science is ever-evolving. Things that have been proven have later been disproven. This will always be the case.
- Be driven. It takes time and energy to write. If you don’t have the drive to do it, it’s going to be impossible. Find your drive, your motivation, your reason for writing and put it on the refrigerator. Always look at it and remember that you are a great writer.
- Be knowledgeable. Science fiction has elements of science, so learn as much as you can. Read constantly. Look through science publications and websites and save those articles that interest you. One or two may spark an idea for a story. One of the best books I read recently was The Zoologist’s Guide to the Galaxy by Arik Kershenbaum. It’s a nonfiction look at a fictional topic and one that I have dog-eared in many places.
- Be imaginative. In science fiction, in fantasy, in all speculative fiction, you have the freedom to do whatever you want. Let your imagination roam and see where it takes you. Can you dream of an alien race that speaks only in geometric shapes and primary colors? Why does that dragon have scales and not fur? This is your world. Imagine it and then write it down.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Entertainment, Business, VC funding, and Sports read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we both tag them 🙂
Elon Musk. Really. I have an idea that I believe will turn the public impression of going to Mars in a very positive direction while also setting the literary world on its end. Let’s talk.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
My website, www.bxwretlind.com, is frequently updated with blog articles on writing and updates to the work I am doing. I also have a newsletter that goes out approximately once per month where I recap those articles, leave a review or two on something I read, give something away, and announce upcoming projects or appearances.
Thank you for these excellent insights, and we greatly appreciate the time you spent. We wish you continued success.
About The Interviewer: Ian Benke is a multi-talented artist with a passion for written storytelling and static visual art — anything that can be printed on a page. Inspired by Mega Man, John Steinbeck, and commercials, I.B.’s science fiction writing and art explore the growing bond between technology and culture, imagining where it will lead and the people it will shape. He is the author of Future Fables and Strange Stories, the upcoming It’s Dangerous to Go Alone trilogy, and contributes to Pulp Kings. The CEO and Co-Founder of Stray Books, and an origami enthusiast, Ian is an advocate of independent, collaborative, and Canadian art. https://ibwordsandart.ca
Author Benjamin X. Wretlind On How To Write Compelling Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.