Inside Look: Interviews with Select Writers

Dominic Dimech

@DominicDimech was interviewed by Alec Hutson for SPEC-tre. Please, enjoy!

Alec: The Blood of Mortal Men has one of the most unique settings on Wattpad. What inspired the island of Mokat?

Dominic: Well, the idea of The Blood of Mortal Men was something that I came up with when I was twelve so I have had a lot of time to think about this one. I wanted it to be set in a realistic and believable place that takes exists in a not so distant future set in our world. This was so I could draw on history and religion to subtly leak in my fantasy elements of the story. To do this I needed a place, a place where the horrific and extraordinary events that occur in the book would not feel out of place. I settled on Mokat and started my planning.

Alec: And your title is also one of the most poetic and interesting on Wattpad. How does it relate to your story?

Dominic: Thankyou, it really did take me a while to come up with it. The title is actually a shortened version, as the series is called A Tale of Ink and Immortality and The Blood of Mortal Men is book one of that series. I shortened it for wattpad as the complete title is a bit of a mouthful. Telling you how it relates to the story would give away major plot points but I'm sure once people get into it they'll understand. Trust me, the blood is important and every word in the title has as much of a literal meaning and connection to the story as it does a poetic one.

Alec: If you could film one scene from The Blood of Mortal Men which would it be?

Dominic: Ooh, good question! There are a lot I'd love to see but I think the scene in the chapter called Vigor's Pass would be visually striking. It features a bunch of escaped inmates scaling the side of a slippery pass over the dark waters of the Draven's Bank whilst under heavy fire. As somebody who works in film, I think a scene like that has a lot of artistic potential!

Alec: What do you think is your strongest point as a writer? Dominic: That's a tough one. Well, The Blood of Mortal Men is the first book I've ever written so it's hard to critique yourself when you are still quite new to the scene but I'd probably say concepts and characters. I think my ideas are quite original from story to setting and I really try and get my readers to feel invested in the characters. Alec: What aspect of your writing are you working on improving? Dominic: Complex plots and description. I find that my writing is quite good in the way of intensity and raw emotion but I'd love to work on better descriptions by broadening my vocabulary. I also would like to be able to write in complex plots that thread in and out of the story so that the reader can eventually experience a "mind blown" moment in my book... as cheesy as that sounds. Alec: Who is your favorite author and why? Dominic: George RR Martin for sure. I don't read much, the only series I ever completed before reading A Song of Ice and Fire was Deltora Quest when I was in primary school. Martin's words inspired me to finally start jotting down these ideas that had been half-formed, bouncing around in my head for the last decade. His characters are real, his story is unpredictable and his writing is just blissful.

Alec: What are your writing plans for the next year?

Dominic: Well, after I finish Part 2 of this book (I only have fifteen chapters to go), I will start on book two of this seven part series, Whispers of A Dragon. I plan to do a lot of research for it so I know it will take me a few years, this current book has already taken me two and a half and I still have months to go. But I write at a slow pace and enjoy taking my time.

Alec: Do you have any writing tips to share?

Dominic: I sure do. I started out writing my book really censored keeping the judgement of family and friends in mind. But after a bit of harsh life experience I scrapped what I had written and started again. I stopped caring what other people thought. My advice is, don't write for an audience, don't try and target people, don't write to get noticed. Write a story that you believe in the best you can and don't hold back. Of course, be sensible and do your research but by no means should you limit yourself for other people, otherwise your story will be less original and how will you ever stand out then? Believe in your ideas, the descriptions and grammar will come with time.