Know a Nominee, Part Eleven: William F Nolan

Welcome to “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that gives you daily peeks inside the minds of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Today’s featured author is William F. Nolan, who’s nominated in the Superior Achievement in Nonfiction category for ‘Nolan on Bradbury: Sixty Years of Writing about the Master of Science Fiction’.

DM: Can you please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work for which you’ve been nominated? In the case of a work wherein you’ve written multiple stories (like a collection) please choose your favorite part and discuss.

WFN: I actually didn’t want to do this book!

My close friend and colleague, Jason V. Brock, presented the notion to me over dinner; he had been visiting his dear friend, S. T. Joshi, the imminent scholar and critic who first proposed it to him.

When Jason presented it to me, I flatly turned it down and said, “No one would be interested in this.” To his credit, Jason persisted: Over the course of several weeks, he convinced me that this was a good idea… Once the content was assembled I again had second thoughts; in fact, I insisted on cutting the first article in the book. To my shock and dismay, said article wound up in the book over my protestations. Jason initially explained to me that Joshi had overridden my qualm. Later, Jason admitted that he had never passed my concern over my amateurism on to Joshi, as he personally felt the book not only charted the progression of Ray’s (Bradbury) importance, but also of my growth as a writer and the development of Bradbury scholarship, of which I am technically the first documentarian with my book the Ray Bradbury Review.

At first, I was upset with Jason and S. T.; now I’m grateful. The article I had wished to cut is actually an important piece of history, and I’m proud to have it included in the volume, though I would have loved to have edited it!

DM: What was the most challenging part of bringing your idea to fruition? The most rewarding aspect of the process?

WFN: The challenge was getting rid of repetition. I was concerned that I had written mostly the same things over and over, but Joshi handled this as editor and I think the end result is impressive. I loved Ray, and I am so pleased that I can honor his legacy with my book. Frankly, the repetition is necessary to underscore the importance of Bradbury’s accomplishment, and it is not actually repetitive, as an emphasis of his themes, concerns, and ideals.

The most rewarding aspect was the inclusion of the many fine tributes to Bradbury, not only from Jason and S. T., but also from our friend Greg Bear, who provided a powerful remembrance of his friendship with Ray.

DM: What do you think good horror/dark fiction should achieve? How do you feel the work for which you’ve been nominated fits into that ideal?

WFN: This is a difficult question for me to answer as this book (Nolan on Bradbury) is non-fiction. My answer therefore would have to be on behalf of Bradbury: Obviously, Ray Bradbury was a master of horror and dark fiction; one has only to reference his masterpiece from Arkham House, Dark Carnival. Dark Carnival is one of the best horror collections ever assembled, and is a watershed book in the development of modern horror. Likewise, one could make the case for his books The Martian Chronicles, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and The Illustrated Man. There could be no doubt that Bradbury was not only a master of horror, science fiction, fantasy, and Magic Realism, but also one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century. Because I was the first to write about him critically and knew him for so long, over sixty years, this book offers a chance to study his progression from the beginning of his career through his rise from a writer for the pulps to a literary giant.

DM: I’m curious about your writing and/or editing process. Is there a certain setting or set of circumstances that help to move things along? Where do you often find yourself getting stuck, and why?

WFN: I find that if you get stuck, you need to remind yourself of what excites you, to reignite the passion. Sometimes, if I’m stuck in the middle of something, I skip ahead and write an ending that excites me, then try to figure out how to write to unite the pieces as a challenge.

DM: As you probably know, many of our readers are writers themselves. What is the most valuable piece of advice you can share with someone who may be struggling to make their way in this life?

WFN: Write, write, write! Every day! And read, read, read – every day! When I was first starting out, Bradbury told me to write a story every week. He said that at the end of the year, I may have 51 stories that were terrible, but I’d have at least one really good story. He was right. You have to write and keep at it!

DM: What are you most looking forward to at this year’s Bram Stoker Awards/WHC (if you are attending)? If not attending, what do you think is the significance of recognitions like the Bram Stoker Awards?

WFN: Thankfully, I will be attending, and am especially looking forward to seeing old friends, making new ones, and talking with fans.

These awards reflect what’s being done in our field. I am honored and humbled to be among those considered for this award. I love writing: it’s my religion. I honor those who take up this calling, and the others that I share the ballot with; it’s not easy. Everyone thinks they can write: Just because you can write a letter to your grandmother, that doesn’t make you a “writer.” I am always amused by younger people who come up to me at conventions and declare they are a “writer” after reading a Stephen King novel over the weekend. Imagine if someone thought they were a brain surgeon and just declared themselves one with no experience, no practice, no education… Would you entrust them to perform surgery on you? Writing well is just as difficult as brain surgery, in my estimation; you are manipulating words to communicate, educate, motivate, and touch a stranger who may be thousands of miles away, or even someone who speaks another language. And all through words! Not images, not film, not music: words. That is not easy! In fact, it is easier to do badly, as evinced by the huge number of terrible writers in our midst…

Therefore, I am doubly proud to be considered for the body of my work with relation to the chronicling of my close friend Ray Bradbury’s career: We loved each other, respected one another, and shared many great times.

God bless him!

About William F. Nolan

William F. Nolan writes mostly in the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres. Though best known for co-authoring the classic dystopian science fiction novel Logan’s Run with George Clayton Johnson, Nolan is the author of more than 2000 pieces (fiction, nonfiction, articles, and books), and has edited twenty-six anthologies in his 50+ year career.

An artist, Nolan was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and worked at Hallmark Cards, Inc. and in comic books before becoming an author. In the 1950s, he was an integral part of the writing ensemble known as “The Group,” which included several well-known genre writers, such as Ray Bradbury, Charles Beaumont, John Tomerlin, Richard Matheson, Johnson and others, many of whom wrote for Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone. Nolan is considered a leading expert on Dashiell Hammett, pulps such as Black Mask and Western Story, and is the world authority on the works of prolific scribe Max Brand.

Of his numerous awards, there are a few of which he is most proud: being voted a Living Legend in Dark Fantasy by the International Horror Guild in 2002; twice winning the Edgar Allan Poe Award from the Mystery Writers of America; being awarded the honorary title of Author Emeritus by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. in 2006; receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Horror Writers Association in 2010; and as recipient of the 2013 World Fantasy Convention Award along with Brian W. Aldiss (Frankenstein Unbound).

A vegetarian, Nolan resides in Vancouver, WA.