Character Voice: Writer Interview with Ben Fountain

In this episode of The Epilogue..., we dive into storytelling with award-winning author Ben Fountain who has some great writing advice for zeroing in on your character's voice.

Through his novels and short stories, we discuss fearlessly embracing big themes and complexity, and Ben talks about the process of having one of his works adapted into a movie.

• (00:00) - Chapter 1

Ben's Information:

Ben Fountain’s work has received the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction, the PEN/Hemingway Award, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Fiction, the Barnes & Noble Discover Award for Fiction, the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize, the PEN-Cerulli Award for Excellence in Sports Writing, and a Whiting Writers Award, and has been a finalist for the National Book Award and runner-up for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. Most recently, he has been awarded the Joyce Carol Oates Prize and the Thomas Wolfe Prize, and, along with French author Marc Levy, L’Hermione Award given by the French American School of New York. Fountain lives in North Carolina.

benfountain.com

Ben's Books:

1. Rasputin Swims the Potomac or audiobook
2. Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk or audiobook
3. Brief Encounters with Che Guevara or audiobook
4. Devil Makes Three or audiobook
5. Beautiful Country Burn Again or audiobook

Ben's headshot photo credit: Laura Overman

Visit theepilogue.net to view our interviews, listen to the latest episodes of this writing podcast, sign up for our newsletter, and watch for upcoming member bonuses such as extended interviews and full video.