Brent Olson On How To Create Compelling Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories

An Interview With Rachel Kline

I would say that science fiction is about something that is impossible today, but perhaps not forever. Fantasy is about things that are impossible and speculative; fiction is about creating a world similar to our own, with a few twists.

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 Brent Olson.

Brent Olson has lived on the farm his great-grandparents homesteaded for 67 of his 69 years. As a journalist, he has filed stories from more than twenty countries on six continents. His column, Independently Speaking, is seen by one million people each week. Brent has won national awards for his column, humor writing, and editorial comment. His novel, Between the Helpless and the Darkness, was nominated for the Sideways Award for best alternative history in the world. He once shot himself in the hand with a rifle while preparing for a Norwegian/Philippine/French Independence Day Celebration and the proudest line in his resume is that one of his books was in Pete Seeger’s bathroom.

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 always loved to read and tell stories. I prefer to do my storytelling in print because then I have the opportunity to get every word exactly right.

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?

Persistence, luck, and talent. As a guy living on a farm in western Minnesota, with no connections or credentials, I was relentless about getting my work out there. I have no idea how many rejection letters I received. Of course, I’m not unique. I once saw Robert Bly’s collection of rejection letters and I confess that it made me feel better about mine. It makes non-writers sad when they find out the difference between a good rejection and a bad one. A good rejection is when the editor takes the time to tell you why they didn’t like your work, a clear indication that they’d read it. On the other hand, I was once pitching an alternative history novel and when I said, “The book begins in 1066,” the agent said, “I’m not crazy about that time period” and that was the end of the interview. Part of persistence is doing the work. I’ve written a weekly column for 29 years and I’ve never missed a deadline, ever. Reliability will win you some grace with editors.

As far as luck goes, I must admit most of my luck has been people luck: Lois Torgerson, the first person to publish my work, Cheri Zagurski who gave me my first contract, Cheryl Rainford, the first person to advocate for my work, and Betsy Freese, who gave me the back page in her new magazine. Despite the decades, I’m still in contact with all of them and I shudder to think where my career would have gone without them. I’m sure there are writers out there whose transcendent talent makes up for them being impossible human beings, but for most of us, a few social graces can help smooth the way.

In terms of talent, many people can’t do what I do. I remember how shocked I was in middle school to find out that most of my classmates hadn’t read the entirety of the English Literature book the first week of school. I’m stunned when people don’t know where the punchline goes or how to build interest in turning the page. Sometimes I have to choke back the desire to say to someone, “I don’t even know your story, but I could tell it better than you do!”

I don’t get invited out much.

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?

I have four books in my head that need to be transferred to paper. A collection of essays about pets we’ve owned, a genre novel titled Killdeer Dawn, and sequels to my two most recent novels, Between the Helpless and the Darkness and ANGR. What I find interesting, and this just dawned on me a couple of months ago, is that both of those books are my efforts to create a better world, the first starting 1,000 years ago, the second from where we are today. It’s a dominant theme, in my work and in my life and I was largely oblivious to that until recently. I’m probably not as self-aware as I should be.

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?

I would say that science fiction is about something that is impossible today, but perhaps not forever. Fantasy is about things that are impossible and speculative; fiction is about creating a world similar to our own, with a few twists.

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?

Perhaps because more and more things that previously seemed impossible are happening, so people are more willing to buy into the concept of astonishing possibilities.

In your opinion, what are the benefits to reading sci-fi, and how do they compare to watching sci-fi on film and television?

There’s more content. For a movie to fully capture a book, it would need to be ten hours long, and there are nuances in a work of literature that are profoundly difficult to capture in film.

What authors and artists, dead or alive, inspired you to write?

My father was the one who read to me as a child, and he was a busy man, so he multitasked by reading out loud the books he wanted to read. I knew “The Ballad of the East and West” long before I’d ever heard of Dr. Seuss. When I was young, I loved Robert Heinlein and Isaac Asimov for their stories. I loved Ray Bradbury for the richness of the worlds he invented. When I was a little older, I was smitten by the way Steinbeck could entertain you and at the same time say things that really mattered. That’s the sort of work I aspire to achieve.

If you could ask your favorite Science Fiction and Fantasy author a question, what would it be?

I’d just like to hang out with Lois McMaster Bujold. She lives in the same state as me and she’s such a terrific writer. I’m stunned by the characters she creates and the quality of her writing. Those two don’t always go together.

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 was recently introduced as a comedian, which made me screech in frustration. Of course, Mark Twain was described as a humorist, but read “King Leopold’s Soliloquy” and tell me this guy wasn’t as serious as a heart attack. I do like to make people laugh, cry, and think. I’ve written eight books — four collections of essays, a memoir, a genre thriller novel, a work of alternative history, and a post-apocalyptic guide to survival. I don’t think I could give you a specific passage, to sum up my work, but here’s a character speaking in what is pretty close to my voice.

“No, no, no,” he said. “What we should do is set you up as some sort of Earl, or Duke, running the county on your own authority. You’re an elected official — that gives you an in to take on more authority and then the sheriff and the militia and everyone will report to you. And the whole thing will just evolve from there. That’s the way the world has run for thousands of years — one guy on top, everyone else toeing the line.”

“Jesus, Bobby,” John said, “that’s the dumbest thing I ever heard. It sounds like a movie, and that’s why it won’t work. Most movies are stupid — you know, all the cop shows where the maverick with the heart of gold or the lovable screw-up solves the case. You know why that is? ’Cause everyone in Hollywood is a screw-up, especially the writers, and screw-ups like to think that if the world changed just a tiny bit, they’d be the ones in charge. But do you know what screw-ups do? They screw things up!”

He paced around the room, violently scratching his head with both hands. “Jesus, Bobby, you’re a grownup, you’ve lived a while. Tell me one time, one time, when some goofball, some shootin-from-the-hip, damn the Man, make-it-up-as-we-go-along dumbass, actually got anything done?”

“No, it’s always the boring guys, the guys who check the math, who put air in the tires, who pay the bills on time. You go the other way, you get Custer at the Little Big Horn, yelling ‘Charge’ right into the whole Sioux Nation. So when you start talking about shit like the Duchy of the Big Stone, it makes my brain hurt, ’cause it’s a screwball idea.”

He stopped walking and pointed a finger at Bobby, “No, I see three things happening. One, the people who were in charge will still be in charge. Some people are leaders, some aren’t and that’s just the way the world is. Two, nobody will be in charge, we’ll all just muddle along on our own as best we can. It’ll be dog eat dog and lock your doors at night.” He shook his head at the prospect and gazed into the distance.

“What’s third?” Amy asked.

“Third is the bad one. Some absolutely ruthless son of a bitch will take over, ’cause he’ll be willing to do what no one else will even consider. Think Stalin, or Idi Amin, or any of another hundred ruthless sons of bitches. And he’ll get a hold of the guns from the Armory, and he’ll turn the high school into his castle and he’ll have a harem and minions and everything else that sounds like it comes from a bad novel, but it’s all happened before, all around the world. And after a while someone will catch him on a bad day and whack off his head and it’ll all start over, except with less of everything, and maybe in a hundred years or so something good might turn up. But that isn’t a sure thing. It’d be just as likely that we’d have 500 years of Dark Ages.”

He stopped in front of Bobby’s recliner and waggled a forefinger at him. “So, Bobby, there will be no Duke of Big Stone. We’re not even going to talk about it. Let’s concentrate on not starving in the dark, okay? That’ll be a great plenty to get done; we pull that off and we’ll be able to call it a day. Okay?”

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.

1. Begin with a good idea. Start with a premise that can be worked on and expanded. Lord of the Rings — a quest. Starship Troopers — boys turned into men… the list goes on and on. If you don’t have a story you’re burning to tell, find a different hobby.
2. Once you’ve chosen an idea, make it your own. Oddly enough, there aren’t really that many absolutely original stories in the world. Read Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey and try to keep your work from turning into a cliché.
3. Don’t just build your world, build your characters as well. It’s cool if you’ve discovered a plausible way to time travel or terraform a continent, but if no one cares about whether your characters live or die, they won’t care about the book. The science in Andy Weir’s The Martian was great but the characters were what made it a good book.
4. I’d suggest you try to say something that matters. It’s okay if you don’t; a lot of readable books out there have no grander ambition than to be entertaining, but having a little substance never hurts, unless you’re beating people over the head with it.
5. There’s nothing the matter with nuance. It’s wonderful if you can write on several levels, appealing to different audiences. Your villains can be like puppies, your hero can be a jerk to his mother. Real people are complicated, bad writing is simplistic. There are exceptions, of course. We never find out in Sauron’s back story that he was bullied in boarding school but by and large…life and people are nuanced.

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 :-)

Springsteen would be a big win — I’ve written much of my work to his music. I tried to send him a copy of one of my books out of appreciation, but his agent sent it back. Perhaps it looked too much like a bomb. I would enjoy buying Lois McMaster Bujold a cup of coffee and a muffin, just to tell her thanks for being such a good writer.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100033470858229,

https://brentolson.substack.com/p/my-resume

https://www.brentolson.online/

Thank you for these excellent insights, and we greatly appreciate the time you spent. We wish you continued success.