Collins’ latest work is Mystery of Everyman’s Way . This compelling Twilight Zone genre story follows Oxford University quantum physics professor Gregory Henry Case who finds a corpse. Genetic testing and dental records prove the body to be his own from 150 years in the future.
What Inspired You to Write Mystery of Everyman’s Way?
Paul Collins: What initially triggered my imagination was my recollection of an insurance company’s series of Freedom 55 television commercials back in the 80s. In one TV ad, a young jogger bumps into his 55-year-old self relaxing on a beach, who would respond “I am you in the future. I am retired.”
For the characters, I’d visualize a Jim Carrey character-type meeting his older self played by black-and-white TV comedian Red Skelton. I also drew upon my university studies of the mad scientist in Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein to add emotional depth to the character development.
Essentially, though, the story’s protagonist is an exaggerated version of me and acquaintances who tell me their troubles. Henry Case is a dreamer, a seeker and a mad scientist; he’s the person in the Freedom 55 commercials who faces himself.
How Did You Learn to Write Fiction?
Paul Collins: A night school English teacher encouraged me to read the classics. I also took a creative writing course which validated my true passion. Schooling helped, but I must say that my instructors couldn’t teach the creative writing process beyond their pre-set procedures and formulas. Teachers can give you assignments based on those formulas, but formal education cannot transform you into a creative fiction writer. You either have the bug, or not.
I based my first two science fiction paperbacks, Prescience Rendezvous and King without an Empire on Syd Field’s The Screenwriter's Workbook, which teaches aspiring screenwriters to write in the standard three-act screenplay structure.
When I write science fiction stories, I think about the beginning and I have a vague idea of the ending. The last thing I think about is the middle part.
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