5 Questions, 5 Authors: Bradley Sands

Bradley Sands is an author of bizarro fiction from Northampton, Massachusetts. He wrote the novel, It Came from Below the Belt. He edits the absurdist lit journal, Bust Down the Door and Eat All the Chickens. His novella, Cheesequake Smash-up, will appear in the next Bizarro Starter Kit (Blue).


1. What drives you to write?

Overwhelming urges. There’s a name for that: Hypergraphia. Although the authors who are associated with the term are very prolific while I’m kind of slow. I get a little depressed when I haven’t written prose for a few days. Finishing a long project is one of the best feelings that I’ve experienced, but it never lasts long. I usually feel antsy the next day and start working on something new.


2. What do you consider to be your most significant accomplishment?

My novel that Afterbirth Books published, It Came from Below the Belt.


3. Outside of writing, what are your other passions/interests?

Editing my literary journal. Reading, of course. Film, visual art. It’s always nice when I can sit back and enjoy art/entertainment without falling into analytic mode. That doesn’t happen very often. I guess music (and visual art) is like that. I have no interest in making music whatsoever, so I can listen and not feel the need to focus on the techniques that are being used or grumble about how I could have done it better while figuring out how to improve upon it. I also like finger monsters a lot, although I don’t have many. I need more. I once wrote a story about them. It was pretty ok.


4. What is your advice to young writers/first time authors?

Try to write everyday. Don’t be one of those people who calls yourself a writer and doesn’t really write. I have met a lot of those people and I don’t like them. Don’t submit your work until you have a few years experience under your belt. If you get accepted by crappy webzines, you will regret it when you get older, at least until the crappy webzine stops paying their hosting bills. If having other people read your work motivates you to write, then show your writing to your friends or family. Take a creative writing class or join a local writers group. If it’s a good one, then the feedback that you receive will help you to improve. Join an online writer’s group. Post your stories on writers’ forums like Zoetrope. Just don’t send your story to me (I have now reverted to cranky editor mode). Start small—work on stories rather than a novel. Or ignore me and write tons of novels, but don’t expect any of them to be publishable. I wrote some more specific suggestions here: http://www.msu.edu/~dhw/dreampeople/issue27/sands.html (although it might require a decoder ring get any good advice out of it). Also, never stop reading. I believe that the best way to write good fiction is to read good books. It rubs off on you. I think it works much better than reading books on grammar, but those can’t hurt. Don’t be one of those writers who doesn’t read. I have met a lot of those people and I don’t like them.


5. What do you want the world to remember you for the most?

A book that I haven’t written yet. One that I’ll write after reaching the peak of my abilities, before old age starts eating away at my talent. I hope I can join the group of authors whose writing didn’t go downhill after they were old enough to get a senior citizen discount at Burger King. That would be neato. If I can’t write a book that stands the test of time, I would like to be remembered for destroying the Earth with a death laser.


For more information on Bradley Sands:

Personal site: www.bradleysands.com

Journal site: www.absurdistjournal.com

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