Gays Reading Eliot Schrefer (The Brightness Between Us) feat. Arielle Egozi, Guest Gay Reader
Oct 15, 2024
Eliot Schrefer, a New York Times bestselling author known for weaving complex YA narratives, discusses the balance of joy and challenge in writing and how personal experiences inform his sci-fi storytelling. He shares intriguing details about his fictional drug, wake-sleep, and the role of AI in emotional plotlines. Joined by Arielle Egozi, a creative director and body positivity advocate, they dive into themes of self-acceptance, societal pressures around identity, and the importance of destigmatizing mental health through storytelling.
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Episode notes
Sequel Uses Time Jumps To Transform Genre
- The Brightness Between Us jumps 16 years forward and also flashes back 30,000 years to extend character arcs across time.
- Eliot Schrefer uses time shifts to transform genre and explore family across generations.
Use Cultural Anchors To Build Future Worlds
- Eliot Schrefer chose pop-culture anchors (like a single TV show) to help future characters understand vanished social structures.
- He favors surprising, human-focused tech drops over generic futuristic gadgets.
Survivor Binging Inspired Worldbuilding
- Eliot Schrefer binge-watched Survivor seasons and applied that pop-culture obsession to worldbuilding.
- He even auditioned and reached round two but was told his "personality is too small for TV."
