Reflections by Silas Woods

About the Author

Silas Woods is proud to play General Cornwall in a local bi-monthly reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg. Okay, that’s a lie. But now that you’re reading, here’s the truth. Silas grew up as an Air Force brat. Moving around as a kid isn’t easy, but it does build character. He’s a storyteller by nature and has so many great ideas locked away in his head that he could potentially write forever and never run out of material. His biggest hope is to find his tribe of readers that’ll love his work.
Married to the love of his life, Rebecca, the pair love to game with their cat, Konami, ever giving their gameplay judgmental glares. Silas’ stories are inspired by the world around him, so his characters, scenarios, and even their fictional reactions are all true to life, making his books dangerously realistic and easy to get lost in. He hopes to inspire adults to remember their love of reading, encourage others to read more, and to bring a hint of magic to the mundane.

Qn 1: Can you tell us more about your book What is it about?

I had to leave my corporate job of 15 years in November, 2019. It was a difficult transition and I found myself struggling with identity and purpose. I’ve always enjoyed writing, so I started writing stories to break up my couch and Playstation time. It started with the story Nemesis, which was intended to be a free (but good, I think) Christmas present for my friend. I liked writing that one so much that when it was finished, I just wrote another. And another. Eventually I had ten of them and that’s what this book is, a collection of short stories that I wrote during a period where I was very much trying to figure out who I am without a tie on.

I chose the title Reflections because of this, and because each of the stories included here has a direct mirror elsewhere in the collection. The similarity between the story and its twin may be something as simple as the tone and maybe as large as a dynamic between characters but one does not exist without the other; I wrote the stories in pairs.

Qn 2: Who do you think would be interested in this book, is it directed at any particular market?

The simple answer is: My ideal reader is any person who likes the things that I like. Long, drawn-out murder documentaries, superheroes, fairies, giant robots, anime… I like a lot of things and I had no prerequisites or theme in mind when I wrote these stories. I simply wrote things that I would want to read and in doing so I feel like I’m inadvertently casting a wide net with this book. A popular misnomer is “Something for Everyone” but how could that possibly be true? My hope is to connect with readers that share some of my interests, I believe those people will find my enjoyment in my efforts.

Qn 3: Out of all the books in the world, and all the authors, which are your favourite and why?

The first book that jumped out from my head after hearing that question is “20th Century Ghosts” by Joe Hill. This is a collection of short stories and every single one is a masterpiece. I’ve read the story “My Father’s Mask” countless times. I’ll admit that I don’t fully understand it. The vivid imagery and the story elements contained within keep me coming back to give comprehension another try, as embarrassing as the feeling of not knowing is. It’s a shiny, beautiful thing that didn’t come with instructions and as an aspiring writer it doesn’t get any better than that. I read the same way I listen to music, in that my favourites from each creative endeavour always elicit this thought: “I wish I could do that, but I can’t.” In writing, that thought is very motivating.

Qn 4: What guidance would you offer to someone new, or trying to enhance their writing?

I believe that everyone has the potential to be a great storyteller, because everyone has great stories either locked up in the confines of their imagination or memory. As far as translating those stories to the written page:

1. Read and write as much as you possibly can. Your input definitely has an effect on your output. Inspiration can come from almost anywhere and when you’ve got it, it’s best to have a solid idea of how to get it out onto a page. I feel like that can only come from reading.

2. Don’t write in a bubble. There’s no right or wrong way to create, so take this one with a grain of salt, but for me, I enlisted (forced) several members of my inner circle to be my beta readers. Not your coworkers, not people who you’re kind of friends with, but people that can give you their honest opinion and then deal with your consequent moodiness and still like you. Personally, I found that feedback along the way added an additional layer of motivation for me to keep going.

3. Use editing software. There’s a lot of solid options out there for us that are just starting out and have no money for an editor. If you’ve got the money, hire an editor. If you don’t, do something, anything to check over your work once it’s done. DO NOT send your child out into the world without combing his hair. The world is unkind and will think that all of your kids are dirty if you send the first one out like that.

Qn 5: Where can our readers find out more about you, do you have a website, or a way to be contacted?

Full Disclosure:

All of my social media profiles are set to private, and not by accident. I realize this is totally aging me but I’m from that era before Tom Cruise started jumping up and down on Oprah’s couch; a magical time when actors acted to be watched in movies, musicians made music to be listened to and writers wrote to be read.

That being said, if you have something to say to me my email address is silas.e.woods@gmail.com

Let’s have a chat, I’d love to do that! But not in front of everyone let’s have some class.