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John Kennedy Since I was born a couple of days after the U.S. military A-bombed New Mexico, I was able to avoid the genetic mutations that affect all those born since late 1945. As a lad, after reading Robert Heinlein’s Starship Troopers, I decided I wanted to be a mercenary soldier. For that reason, I joined the ROTC (it also allowed me to avoid gym class). At 17, I became disillusioned with the military and decided to become a science fiction writer. Still in the thrall of the life-decisions of a person who was too young to vote, I continue to write. Every five years, or so, I finish another story. John Kennedy is the author of Nova in a Bottle. Wormhole Books: John, though your stories have received high praise from critics such as Edward Bryant, many of our readers may not be familiar with your work. Would you please fill us in by giving us a brief history of your professional career and a little personal information about where you come from?
John Kennedy: I was born and grew up in Colorado, east of the Rocky Mountains, in an area once known as the Sundance Sea. This former sea bottom is now a high-plains desert. Since I was born a couple of days after the U.S. military A-bombed New Mexico, I was able to avoid the genetic mutations that affect all those born since late 1945. After reading Starship Troopers, I decided to be a mercenary soldier. For that reason, I joined the ROTC (it also allowed me to avoid gym class). At 17, I became disillusioned with the military and decided to become a science fiction writer. I acquired an ancient typewriter and wrote a story that was strongly influenced by a John Wayne movie named Hatari, and the novels of Andre Norton. When I finished it, I put it in a drawer and forgot about it. About the age of 29.5 I started writing my second story, which I sold to Galaxy Magazine. Every five years, or so, I write another story.
WB: Those who have read Ed Bryant, Connie Willis, John Stith and Vance Aandahl's comments in your chapbook, Nova In A Bottle (Roadkill Press), will already know that your stories don't come quickly. Is writing fiction a difficult process for you? If so, why?
JK: I much prefer daydreaming to writing. If I didn’t make an occasional sale, I would probably stick to the daydreaming part. Writing is hard work because I try to get it just so. Instead of writing a quick first draft and doing a lot of re-writing, I start at the beginning of the story each time I sit down to write and re-write it from page one. This is not recommended by anyone with any sense.
WB: Which is harder, writing or marketing short fiction? The marketing of short fiction has changed quite a bit, with fewer and fewer print magazines available. Do you have any comments or advice about marketing short stories in today's market place?
JK: For me, it’s writing. The marketing is simple. A long time ago, I heard Norman Spinrad answer the marketing question “How do you decide where you send it?” with “Send it to the place that pays the most money.” It made sense. Even as the market for short fiction shrinks, it still makes sense.
WB: Nova In A Bottle is one of my favorite short stories. Can you tell us what type of science fiction you enjoy and admire?
JK: In sf & fantasy, writers I’ve read recently, and recommend highly, include Philip Pullman, Paul J. McAuley, Richard Paul Russo, Emma Bull, & Gene Wolfe. Outside sf I’d recommend anything by Robert Crais, Michael McGarrity, Nevada Barr, Diane Ackerman, Thomas Perry, Nelson DeMille . . .
WB: I hear that you're a prolific reader. Are there any particular authors that you feel have influenced you over the years more than others?
JK: Robert Heinlein for straight-ahead storytelling. Andre Norton. The early stuff. Star Guard, and Star Rangers, etc., for a sense of history and for teaching me that the strange looking creatures aren’t always the monsters. Jack Vance for showing me how enormous the universe can be. And all the funny hats. Lots of others. Bester. Walter Miller. Kornbluth. Pohl. So many . . .
WB: You have a day job in the medical field. Does that ever play a role in your fiction? And what kind of research do you do for your stories?
JK: I’ve worked in patient care, in the operating room as an anesthesia tech, and in supply & distribution. Bits and pieces of all those experiences have turned up in my work, but I’ve never written anything that was strictly medical in nature. Depending on the story, I may do quite a bit of research. Once I was working on a story when I realized it took place in Paris. I didn’t know anything about Paris so I bought a detailed map and a guidebook. I found a beautiful book of photographs of Parisian street scenes that listed the addresses so I could place them in relation to one another on my map. I lifted some basic French from a Berlitz phrase book. It was enough that people who had been to Paris never knew that I hadn’t. You’ve got to throw in just enough to make it seem real.
WB: You are interested in film and have done several collaborations on scripts with John Stith. How do the two mediums--short fiction and screenwriting--compare as forms of expression?
JK: Aside from the obvious differences in formatting, and length (The short story tops out at 7,500 words, while the average screenplay is about 25,000 words long – that’s novella length.) Once you get the format down, it’s a pretty straightforward process. Three acts, each of a specific length. Classical dramatic structure. The most telling difference is the lack of internal character monologues. Everything is action & dialogue. The screenplay is just a stepping-stone to the final product – the film. And the film is a collaborative effort of hundreds of people. The writer can get lost in that.
WB: Nova In A Bottle reminds me of the type of movie that Steven Spielberg or Tim Burton do. Have you ever thought of doing a script for Nova?
JK: Not before you mentioned it. Now I’ll be forced to consider it. Thanks a lot.
WB: What are your goals for yourself as a writer? Is there anything you'd like to try that you haven't thus far?
JK: I’d like to double my output to at least 1 story every 2 and 1/2 years. I wouldn’t mind selling them, either.
WB: Do you have in novel projects in the works, or do you prefer shorter forms?
JK: I’ve been seduced and abandoned by the novel many times. I have a problem with long-term commitment, so I may have to stick with the short stuff. Novelettes are a nice compromise. Short enough to finish in a lifetime, but long enough to let me play with characterization and description.
WB: You've been a part of Northern Colorado Writers Workshop for a long time. Has the group had an effect on your writing or career? Would you recommend writing workshops for new or experienced writers?
JK: A good workshop can cut years off the learning curve. The NCWW has always been lucky to have a good mix of both professional and novice writers in it. The wide-eyed naiveté of the (almost) beginner tempered with the grizzled, been-there-done-it-all attitude of the veteran keeps us fresh.
WB: Many of our readers are aspiring writers, do you have any advice to share?
JK: Read! Read everything. Fiction, non-fiction, good stuff, bad stuff. Write! Write as much has you can, whenever you can. Very few people can perfect their craft without practicing their craft. Sometimes people tell you to write what you know. I think you should write what you want to know about instead of what you know. Write about your questions, not your answers. Crawl over the stockade at night go on walkabout. Risk is good. We learn a lot out where it’s dark and scary.
WB: Thank you, John, for participating in this interview and for giving us such fine stories to read.
JK: My pleasure.
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