Brainrush for Creatives! Meet Thriller Writer Richard Bard
Novelist Richard Bard
Best selling novelist Richard Bard was born in Munich, Germany to American parents, and joined the United States Air Force like his father. But when he was diagnosed with cancer and learned he had only months to live, he left the service, and ultimately beat the odds. His critically-acclaimed Brainrush trilogy is a story about second chances, and living each day as though it’s your last. Publishers Weekly called it “terrifically entertaining,” and with over 1,500 Amazon 5-Star reviews to date, it’s a thrill ride that you won’t want to miss before the December 2014 release of the next two Brainrush thrillers, Everlast and Ephemeral.
Richard earned a management degree from the University of Notre Dame and ran three successful companies involving advanced security products used by U.S. embassies and governments worldwide. Now a full-time writer, he lives in Redondo Beach, California, with his wife, and remains in excellent health.
Richard has some knock-out writing advice for anyone spilling words onto the page for National Novel Writing Month. He also reveals the top secret process he uses to flesh out a novel and overcome creative blocks. So, if you “wanna be a thriller writer,” pour yourself a cup of tea and don’t miss the video linked in this interview.
Brainrush series by Richard Bard
Tell us where Brainrush series is headed with the release of the next books
It’s about a gifted boy forced to grow up too fast, a father who will do anything to protect him, and a madman bent on destroying them both.
The story begins when Jake’s family and closest friends are simultaneously abducted in a globally coordinated kidnapping scheme. He’s thrust into a frantic race that takes him from the canals of Amsterdam and the cobbled streets of Rome to the back alleys of Hong Kong and the South China jungles, where he must lever every scrap of his failing mental abilities to rescue his loved ones and crush a madman’s plans to bring the world to its knees.
That is a rush! And you’ve recently had another thrill with your first book in the series: You’ve recently observed actors from the American Film Institute perform a run through of your screen play for Book 1. What was that like?
What a blast! My co-writer and I spent several months adapting the novel, and it took seven drafts before we figured it was ready. As a final step in the polishing process, the producers gathered a dozen actors to perform a table read at the prestigious AFI location. Hearing the story come to life in that environment was an amazing experience, and it provided us with valuable insight as to where to make improvements.
What is the biggest creative obstacle you’ve faced? How did you work through 
it?
I wrote the first chapter of my debut novel at the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program. After eight weeks of classes and workshops it was done. Yay! But then what? Class was over and I was alone at the coffee shop with my computer cursor blinking under the title “Chapter 2.” It took a couple weeks of trial and error before I came up with a method to figure out what to write next.
First, I decided how I wanted the story to end, so I could begin with the end in sight. After that I began typing stream of consciousness, writing a summary page of each prospective chapter—with an eye on drawing the reader in at the beginning of the scene, and leaving the reader hanging at the end. I kept going, one chapter summary after another, rarely adding dialogue unless a great line came to mind. The faster I moved through it the better I felt. Before long, I had a few dozen pages, and the skeleton of an outline emerged. The exercise provided me with a terrific guide as I dove into writing the actual story. Did the plot and characters change dramatically by the time I was finished? They sure did, but that was the fun of it! I still use the process today.
We’ve all heard that pilots have rituals they run through before take-off. Do you have any rituals that you follow, before you sit down to write?
If I get to the end of the day having progressed the story I’m working on, I feel good. If not, I feel horrible. It’s sad, but true. Writing has become an obsession for me. I focus on making sure that I start every writing day in my cave, away from distractions, knowing that every paragraph I write will allow me to embrace the remainder of the day with a sense of accomplishment.
It’s National Novel Writing Month…any advice for the aspiring authors out there?
Start typing, don’t worry about mistakes, and BE each of the characters as you’re writing from their POV. They’ll guide you from page to page in ways that will surprise you and your readers.
You’re hosting a tea party and can invite only two guests, living or deceased. Who will you invite and why?
First, I’d invite my dad, because I know he’d love to hear the answer to the question I would pose to our second esteemed guest, Ian Fleming. I’d present Mr. Fleming with two identical-looking martinis and say, “Okay, let’s get real. Which is shaken and which is stirred?”
Your elixir of choice: tea or coffee?
Truth be told, I’m a morning cappuccino man at home, which is where I do most of my writing these days. But when the weather turns and the fog rolls in off the water, I admit to enjoying a steaming cup of Chamomile or Peppermint tea to keep me going in the afternoon.
What character from a book or film best represents your philosophy on life and creativity?
James Dean: “Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you will die today.”
Download Free Chapters from the book Everlast 
So you wanna be a thriller writer?
Find out how Richard did it in this personalized book trailer for Brainrush on YouTube.
Connect with Richard on Facebook & Twitter
Tags: Air Force, American Film Institute, artistic process, author, books, Brainwash, cancer survivor, creative minds, creative process, creative writing, Creativitea, creativity, Creativity Coaching, inspiration, National Novel Writing Month, photography creative process, Possibiliteas, Richard Bard, screenplay, thriller, thriller writer, writer's block, writing process
Trackback from your site.
