Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi there. I’m a polymath artist – a writer, musician, painter – who creates unique and imaginative works of art, sound and story. If I were trying to self-promote, an act I’m not altogether fond of, I might write: “A natural born storyteller, in both music and as an author, Bates commonly weaves stream of consciousness inspiration with a clever manner of inhabiting various personalities, perspectives and voices.” I’ve written five novels, loads of short stories, hundreds of poems, and much critical work.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
It’s a short story called “Bermetha and The Whale.” My best work comes rather spontaneously, or so I feel, and this particular work began as an audio recording. I inhabited a particular character, an incarcerated man sitting in jail telling his story, and just began speaking into a microphone. I was pleased with what came out and how the story created itself in this one take. This short story is the exact, unedited transcription of the recording…that’s rather new territory for me.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I prefer stream of consciousness inspiration to the degree that I’ll commonly have no plan and then just beginning typing whatever comes to mind until a story is carved from the ether. I recently have been dictating works into an audio recorder; I either just begin with nothing in mind, or I’ll hash out a basic outline and then see where it all goes, how it evolves, and then have to return and transcribe everything after the fact. I can also be a highly meticulous editor, so there’s a bit of a dichotomy there–between my creation and editing processes.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love William Blake, Borges, Faulkner, Joyce, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Kafka, Hegel, Nietzsche….Despite that I’m a sucker for metafiction, philosophy and dense, fringe literary works that utilize multiple points of view and formatting peculiarities, I’m equally a fan of simple and concise 3rd person story telling….I essentially love fairy-tales.
What are you working on now?
I currently just finished dictating a rather spontaneous novel. For four days I lay on the couch with my eyes closed and recorded hours and hours of content that will become a new novel. For this one I had a basic outline and then let stream of consciousness inspiration fill in the gaps and create new and surprisingly twists and turns. I’ll transcribe the whole thing and then will dig into editing it….that’s going to take a while.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I wish I knew! I’ve actually just jumped back into self-publishing work…I need help. Best method?… Scour Youtube, collect as much valuable information as you can, be slightly leery of all those people trying to sell you some $1000 course to the stars.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep creating, always…but also force yourself to view your craft as a business. Be diligent. Set goals. If you don’t treat it like a business, and remain pragmatic and unemotional about it all you will get hurt and discouraged….This advice is equally hard for me to abide by–I’d rather just convene with the creative and live in that space forever, yet unless you have a manager or agent who will breastfeed you to sleep and set your alarm clock, well, you best get to work on all fronts and not stop.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.” Nietzsche
What are you reading now?
Infinite Jest
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ll be publishing lots of work and working as much as I can. Let’s see what happens.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Goodnight Moon
Don Quixote
100 Years of Solitude
A Mirror He Built
Author Websites and Profiles
Beard Bates Website
Beard Bates Amazon Profile
Beard Bates Author Profile on Smashwords
Beard Bates’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account