Happy to introduce a new semi-regular segment on Inkican beginning with our friend, Aman Nòlem: scifi author interviews! I’m fascinated by the journeys that each scifi author undertakes to bring their personal story to life. Aman comes from Catalan, and it was wonderful to catch his perspective on life, the universe, and Philip K. Dick. Read on – this was a fun interview to do!
I’m not sure how much people will enjoy these scifi author interviews, so I’m grateful to Aman Nòlem for agreeing to be my cyber-guinea pig! 🙂 Let me know what you think on Mastodon – should I continue doing the author interviews?
In the meantime, let’s learn more about Aman Nòlem – off we go on our scifi author interview:
So Aman – Tell Us About You
Brief bio (2-3 sentences): Aman Nòlem (he/they) is obsessed with the far and distant future, a future full of unknown creatures, AIs and sentient robots as they travel from the a Mediterranean island to unexplored. deep space.
What Are You Working On?
I’m working on Venonta Vivo! Venonta Vivo is a small participatory writing experiment available in both Catalan and English. The idea is to create a serial story updated every Sunday, with a short chapter and a poll published each week to decide the direction of the story. The plot is independent in each language. Follow the inner journey of Omni, who is in charge of the most important human project, as they experience outer space.
That’s Interesting – How would that work for readers?
Every week I published a short new chapter with a poll at the end with three or four options or subjects. The reader after finishing the weekly chapter got the chance to decide the direction of the story, guiding it with their vote. That forced me to have no full control on the tale and gave me a chance to experiment my creative writing skills with unpredictable paths. The plot is independent in each language.
Neat, thanks Aman! What got you into writing sci-fi?
I have always been interested in all those distant worlds that I could see on tv and read in books since I was a child. I remember playing on the stairs of our family flat, trying my brother to pilot the scientific ship through space. I could drive that rocket, made of two stair treads, for hours but he was short on patience and soon changed the game to dinosaurs.
I think my first remembering of a scifi TV show is Star Trek (in black & white), but I’m pretty sure that’s a self-implanted false memory injected in my bain afterwards. I do remember though being blown away by Blade Runner, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and Dune (both the Lynch movie and the book it’s based on). Herbert created a work so dense and intriguing that I could only read a chapter by day. So intense, full of subplots and rich characters, but Ridley Scott’s movie was the one that touched me inside. The solitude and inability of connecting with others that it permeates, impacted me.
The Process
How do you make up cool worlds for your stories?
I mainly try to imagine how it would be to explore new worlds and travel far away. I rarely sit down in front of a blank page and start typing, but imagine first what it would be about. Even when I get less inspired, I try to dream about a subject. I normally can’t remember my dreams, but the relaxation of being inspired by the hidden images in my brain makes me come up with a central idea, and think it through for a while. Then, it’s easy to start writing a scene, when you have a main plot to tell.
I’m also interested in the part of ourselves that we share with a futuristic robot. I’m intrigued by those androids that are more human than the humans. One of the film scenes that made me cry for the first time is when HAL9000 is losing its memories totally terrified. Evidently, the idea that has impacted the most, though, is when in Blade Runner, the replicants behave and feel way more than all the humans that come up on screen. Humans are portrayed as beings lacking emotions, bored of being alive. I like to explore what would react and think, a machine that has all the elements and programming to feel and to pass as a human being.
Do you have a favorite character you’ve written?
I have a special care for Omni, a character that shows a great interest in human behavior. She is a really advanced sentient being and, at the same time, very naive. The inspiration for this character, unsurprisingly, is myself. I try to shape up what would be to inhabit my specific skin. I think it’s a common feeling, especially when we define ourselves as grown ups to get lost in pretending to be a real human. I usually study random people in public spaces and try to figure out how they relate to each other. I think this is an interesting way to explain how we are alone and unable to truly communicate with each other, even surrounded by big crowds.
Do you have a main idea or a message you hope your readers take away from your books?
I can’t help writing dystopian tales. In the end, the message I would like to share is the love for oneself and for the planet. In my first short tale I explain how humanity ruined a unique second chance to recover from past mistakes. I would love to think my vision is unique because of my roots and background. I come from a small place quite unknown but, at the same time, so popular that it has been overpopulated for more than fifty years. We seem to have forgotten to take care of our planet, our immediate environment and we seem to not care about devastating everything behind us. This mixed with a sense of complete disconnection of people around us, even if we have a powerful to get in touch at all times, is the background and fertile land to grow universal stories (filled sometimes with strange alien forms).
Are there any gadgets or inventions in your stories that you think could actually exist one day?
The printer of humans. That should be a reality, maybe a way to immortality. Imagine being able to send a small can with your conscience on a long trip to the other side of the universe, print there a new human body, and implant back yourself into it. Or even, store you for a period of time and reprint you into a new-born being and revive your conscience into it.
Can you tell us about how you write your stories?
I have changed my method during all these years. I like to experiment with characters and plots. The latest novel I’m preparing is being written in a more standard way: plotting the whole arch and dividing the chapters in small plots.
If you could visit any world from your books, where would you go?
I think instead of visiting a specific world, I would love to visit whole galaxies. Why just stop on a planet when you could explore the universe? I dream to meet new life forms, even if it would be scary, a chance to try to get a new point of view on everything; making interstellar maps, as a futuristic explorer, stepping for the first time on unknown places and face unthinkable challenges.
The Profession
Who are your favorite sci-fi writers?
I remember being dazzled by Frank Herbert’s Dune, impressed by the Heechee saga by Frederik Pohl, but my favorite author by far is Philip K. Dick.
No kidding, what do you love about Philip K. Dick?
I’m not completely sure, because he could explain in a way I fully understand the overlapping universes he created. Also, I really loved his direct style and sense of humor mixed with the uncertainty of not knowing what is real and what is not.
What’s your funniest ‘Author’ story?
The publishing director of a column I wrote for a local newspaper got confused with my pen names and ended up calling me «CiberSpace, the man you wonder whether he is a man or a woman».
The Future
What do you think the future of sci-fi looks like?
I see a rebirth of the gamebooks and cyberpunk stories. I’m not sure if I imagine a mix of genres (or it is me asking secretly for it).
Last thing for our scifi author interview, Aman – tell me something you think we should know about
When I started writing Venonta Vivo, I pretended to make a «choose what’s happening next» serial to challenge myself into keeping the story surprising and interesting. I couldn’t help but start the tale in English and in Catalan at the same time. Quickly, both branches of the plot split into two different planes of existence, creating alternative versions of the story.
Thanks for speaking with me, Aman Nòlem – I know it wasn’t easy being my first scifi author interview! This was a super-fun conversation and I learned a lot. More to come soon, stay tuned!
