Dark Dimensions #9

Interview with Michaelwhitehouse6

Interview with Michaelwhitehouse6, author of "Bedtime"

Interview by katie1801

1. What/Who inspired you to begin writing?

My family more than anyone else. My parents read to me constantly as a child, and they have both encouraged me at every turn to be creative and use my imagination. 

My dad has had a huge influence on me in terms of writing stories. He is a fantastic storyteller. He used to terrify me and my friends with his ghost stories and I used to marvel at the tales he would tell.

Ever since then I have been fascinated by a good story, and even more so, a great storyteller.

Beyond this I have read much horror fiction and been particularly influenced by many of the great horror series such as The Twilight Zone, alongside some great film-makers like John Carpenter, Stanley Kubrick, and Robert Wise.

The number one advice you will hear from writers is to read as much as possible, I echo this with one caveat: Watch plenty of cinema as well! Filmmakers can spark the imagination just as much as any writer!  

2. What inspires to keep writing?

That's a difficult question to answer. I think that it's a combination of things. I have to go back to my fascination with storytellers and how they can hold the attention of others while painting pictures in their minds, perhaps going on to even inspire their audiences. 

I would say my number one motivation is to express myself, to put forward my ideas, and I think in perhaps a morbid way to ensure that there is something left of me in the world when I am gone. I think in many ways that is the ambition of everyone in some way isn't it? To leave something positive in the world whether it be family, friends, or a contribution of some sort. In a strange way I guess we are all trying to prove ourselves in some guise, to whom or to what I do not know; probably just our own insecurities.

I think that anyone who is creative is probably motivated by noble reasons such as having a positive impact on others, but at the same time bogged down by selfish ambitions such as recognition and adulation. You always have to remind yourself that accomplishment is far more important, even if in relative anonymity. 

My main ambition when I am writing stories, music, or making short films is to entertain first. Grab people's attention, light up their imagination, then perhaps say something which might move them.

I better stop rambling before I get too pretentious!

3. How did you hear of wattpad?

I had posted my story 'Bedtime' on a website called No Sleep. A fantastic place to frighten one another. From the response I got there I started looking for other places to share my work, and I found Wattpad during a web search. 

It really is an incredible website and without it I doubt I would have found the audience that I have. I owe both Wattpad and No Sleep a great deal.

4. Who is your favorite horror author and why?

That is also a difficult question to answer. There are so many! Growing up it was Edgar Allan Poe. I was amazed by his use of language, but more-so his unique imagination. I think his writing took horror fiction and the exploration of the darker side of our fears to a whole new level.

I also adore ghost story writers such as M.R. James, Algernon Blackwood, and W.W. Jacobs. I would say that I have been heavily influenced by them all. I am trying to continue the tradition which they promoted of telling supernatural tales which can affect us all. 

Stephen King has also been a huge influence on me in terms of a passion for the genre. Some critics scoff at the idea of him being a 'literary great', but there is no doubt in my mind that he has written some of the greatest horror novels in existence, and some of the most wonderful short stories. I have never been disappointed by a King novel. I also admire his stance on working hard as a writer, that is something I aspire to.