Interview with Ali Shahbazi
Ali Shahbazi is Iranian Australian Author from Sydnes, NSW. His passion for writing began in his teens but did not fully blossom until he moved to Australia in 2011. He published his first book in 2016. We have conducted an interview with him.
What is so enjoyable about your own characters crafting?
I love being able to spend my time putting characters into situations and testing them. My characters aren’t really fully formed until I have put them in a few situations and thought about how they will rect. Sometimes this is done in my head before I start the writing process and sometimes it happens naturally when I am writing. I love writing as I can create my own world and my own characters and I love seeing the impossible happen in my mind! The fact is that the worlds that I create in my books need strong characters to inhabit them. Many of the characters that I bring to life in my fiction just live up to these massive habitats that they live in. I enjoy making characters larger than life because that is the type of writer I am and that is also the type of reader I am. I want to read fiction that stimulates my mind with characters that are challenging and feel authentic. To get this level of realism and buy-in from my audience I need to carefully craft my characters to have a depth of description. This brings them to life in the mind of my readers and this is the most enjoyable part of writing.
Which is your most favourite category?
I can't pick just one category, the genre doesn't matter too much it just needs to be beautifully written, I like a wide range of books from fiction to biographies and history, I like different kind of realistic fiction as it's easier to relate to! There is so much to be read and learn about there that I never want to just stick to one particular category. The world is full of interesting and stimulating books. Nobody lives a log enough life to be able to read everything of interest so why limit myself to one genre? I find that the fiction I read has an influence on the fiction I write. If I want a darkness to come though in my work then I read a lot of dark fiction because I feel the emotions coming through when I sit down to write. It is amazing how what you consume comes through in your work but I find that now I am aware of it I can use it to my benefit or control it where I need to. There is no need to tie myself down to one category. I want to read it all!
Whose biography is/was the most interesting that you have read?
“The Diary of a Young Girl” by Anne Frank is an autobiography that tells a harrowing story in an engaging way. Even though it is a theme that we know about and something that we don’t want to re-visit, the story is told in a way that underlines the horrific situation she found herself in and it engages the reader in a way that all fiction should aspire to. The descriptions are believable and you feel the claustrophobia and terror on every page. It goes to show that any work with a story to tell will find the right audience. I want to be able to use some of my own experiences (although nowhere near as historic or groundbreaking as Anne Frank) in my own writing. The addition of something grounded in reality adds a depth to my writing that makes the work more believable and allows my readers to engage in it more easily. I want to continue to add parts of my own experience to my writing and develop a style that my readers can connect with.
Which is the most 'impossible' scenario that ever happens in your mind?
"My mind" where the impossible becomes possible! I think about different scenarios every day and the way that they end up on the page is the process of a lot of thought and planning. I want my readers to see the universe of fiction in a different way. I like the thought processes such as those that Christopher Nolan went through when writing and filming Inception. Like I said – making the impossible possible! I see an idea for one of my future books where time-travellers come to the present age in search of work because of the high levels of unemployment in their own time. There is nothing about the confines of the present world that can’t be stretched and unbound for inventive, original and engaging fiction.
What makes you write some stories only for your own eyes? What had happened before that which makes you feel shy about your writing?
I write some stories for my own eyes only. I'm a bit shy, when it comes down to my writing. I sometimes just want to explore certain themes or certain characters for my own benefit. They may end up in larger stories in the future but I’m happy if they don’t. Not every piece of writing should be for commercial reasons. There are some bits that I want to just write for myself and read by myself. I find the process of writing enjoyable whether or not I am writing for an end purpose. I sometimes decide to write just for myself so I can see how it will come out. If I add the pressure of writing for others or to publish then I can end up clamming up and not letting myself go. There are ideas that I want to explore and characters that I want to test and I can’t always do this when I think that I am going to have to show it to someone else.
Do you plan to release a trilogy of realistic fiction writing in the near future?
The answer to this one will have to wait. There is definitely something big in the offing and you will have to wait and see exactly what that is. I am enjoying spending time pursuing my passions at the moment. My other interests include acting, music, fitness, politics, history, philosophy, and travelling. The more time I spend on indulging myself in the things I am interested in, the more I want to write and include the things I learn about. There will be plenty more writing from me in the future. I have characters I want to explore more and ideas that I know will make great stories if I plan and develop them in the right ways. Watch this space because there is so much more to come!
