The Ascent of the Writer

You may wish to pre-order Benjamin M. Weilert’s upcoming book which will be released on Amazon on September 8, 2020. It covers a variety of genres, including poetry, satire journalism, and short stories that can fall into science fiction, fantasy, speculative fiction, horror, and humor.

What does the evolution of a writer look like? Poems, articles, and short stories can all explore ideas that the writer uses later for larger projects. The Ascent of the Writer covers the last 20 years of Benjamin M. Weilert’s writing. Many of his stories have already been published elsewhere, but this collection brings them all together for the first time to show how concepts he wrote about years ago eventually made it into his novels.

You can find out more about the author on the Benjamin M. Weilert website or on Facebook. You may send him a Tweet or ask him questions at Goodreads Author Benjamin M. Weilert.

Benjamin’s Interview

You see an amusing incident while grocery shopping. Do you (1) record what happens in some form OR (2) do nothing?

Before the grocery stores were under a lot more strain from people buying too many of one product, I usually took pictures of out-of-place items and posted them on Instagram under the hashtag #GroceryDecisions. I would come up with a narrative as to why there were donuts in the pasta aisle or a kale salad in the beer section. Thinking up these narratives was a fun exercise to explore “what if” scenarios that I find useful in my writing.

Clever visioning!

Science has advanced and we can now colonize other planets. Do you (1) sign up to be a colonist OR (2) remain on Earth?

Technically, I think I can do both. While I hope to publish it soon, one of my next books (entitled Buried Colony) explores how we can potentially colonize extra-solar planets using technology that is either current or just cutting edge enough to be useful in 20-30 years. Concepts like 3-D printing and mind digitization can allow any individual to be a colonist and remain on Earth, especially since it’ll still take millions of years to travel to the closest exoplanets. Additionally, I feel I have a well-rounded background of knowledge and experience that I’ve gained over the years that would help in survival scenarios that would arise on a new colony.

Would be awesome to do both!

Are you a person who (1) makes and follows New Year resolutions OR (2) never bothers with resolutions?

I’m a #1 person, although my resolutions aren’t generally the generic “lose weight” or “stop a bad habit” types that most people do. If anything, I like to consider the things I set at the beginning of a new year my “goals.” Plenty of my goals are long-term accomplishments, like self-publishing books. If I have an idea of what goals I want to accomplish during the year, I can plan my year to finish them. I know it’s a somewhat rare trait, but I like to think I have the perseverance to see any of my goals to their completion through hard work and planning.

He made the goal. Score!

What provides more inspiration to you: (1) art OR (2) nature?

I’m going to say #1, mostly because I like to see the lens through which others interpret nature. There is plenty of inspiration in the world around us, and I’ve certainly had moments where the Colorado scenery where I live gives me the spark I need to create my own art. However, being able to either see someone’s art that would mirror my own perspective or provide an alternative viewpoint to widen my own worldview creates equal amounts of inspiration. If anything, life imitates art, so even the vibrant colors of our world might appear dull when compared to an artist’s interpretation.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

Do you prefer to read (1) an e-book OR (2) a paperback?

Definitely #2. Sure, there’s some convenience to an e-book, but there’s an intentionality to a paperback. Not just for the reader, but for the publisher as well. Page design is an important aspect of a written work, from the margins to the font to any additional pictures and extras that don’t translate well into e-book. Since these are intentional design choices, I like to think the paperback is the purest form of a book’s presentation. Not surprisingly, I have made formatting choices in my books that can best be experienced in paperback form. From three parallel experiences that require the reader to turn the book sideways in Second to None to pictures of my mountain-climbing adventures in Fourteener Father to the satire articles formatted in the “newspaper style” in The Ascent of the Writer, I like to provide my readers the best experience in paperback form.

That’s so easy to understand!

Thanks for being interviewed, Benjamin!