ACE AWARD SUPREME - INTERVIEWS

Fifth Place in Short Story, B2

1. What do you, as the writer of your works, like about your story (Betrayal at Dragon's Bog) the most?

I sort of mention this in the Author's notes at the end of the story, but I've had the imagery of these characters in my head for many years. I didn't really know who they were or how to present them until recently when I started to force out little narratives. If you read it, yes there's a beginning, middle, and end, however, it sort of leaves you hanging on each character's fate. This is because I had a clear image of the setting/scenes that I wanted to write, not of anything before and after, so what you get is a highly-detailed action sequence (which I love to write by the way) that tries to tell as much backstory as possible. I know it's not the greatest "story" per se, but what I liked the most about it is that I achieved what I had set out to accomplish from the beginning, regardless of the rules and flaws that accompanied it.

2. What inspired/continues to inspire you to write?

After a decade of writing, I noticed that I never seemed to finish a project as they became too ambitious and overwhelming. Thus, my foray into short story writing began in late 2019. I decided to go down the list of my "want-to-write ideas" and picked a few that would work together in a fantasy-type setting as a compilation. This way I could tie them together loosely but allow myself to construct a more in-depth world they each could build off of. I also asked myself, "If I never get published, would I be satisfied? Yes.", and then, "If I didn't write at all, would I be okay with that? No." That's when I decided that my motivations weren't external, but internal, and therefore I had to keep on writing.

3. How long have you been writing, and what was the first thing that drove you to start writing?

Growing up as a kid I was very into drawing. It wasn't amazing work, but as long as it was an inanimate object, or an animal of some kind, I tended to fare pretty well and others seemed to like what I drew. I also wrote a lot of poetry and song lyrics. Basically, I loved to create things, especially in my imagination, however, other people couldn't enjoy those imaginings if they couldn't see them, so I started to write them out. Around 2008-09, I took a Creative Writing class in high school and loved it. The teacher was also enthusiastic about my passion, so she encouraged me further. Each week she would sort of force me to present what I had written in front of the class (which I didn't particularly enjoy), and it made me feel like I was doing something right, some positive reinforcement, if you will. I think at the end of the day that is the best motivator, not the harsh critiques or the grammar corrections, but that one person that sees what you see and wants to share in your excitement.

4. Do you get writer's block frequently? If so, what do you do to combat it?

Writer's block is one of those things that is very personal to the individual, I think. I get it often, but I don't notice that that is what I'm experiencing. I think I mentally categorize it as a "motivation block". I have no shortage of ideas, however, getting to my computer, sitting down, and actually writing them is the most challenging aspect for me. I think the best ways I've found to combat this is consistency, making it a habit instead of a "now I have the time and desire" thing. The best tools I use currently are a book called "Atomic Habits" that really reminds me of why I do what I do and (more importantly) how to do it, and an app called "Wordkeeper" which tracks my projects, goals, and the respective word counts for each one.

5. What advice would you give to other aspiring authors?

I would say listen to others' advice with a grain of salt, mine included. What works for me might not work for you. The best way to learn is by doing. There's only so much advice and techniques that a person can hear, but if it's never implemented or tested, then is it really worth anything? Oh, and finish at all costs, don't give up. Even if it isn't what you imagined, it still exists and can be modified in the future. Sometimes the best ideas come after you finish writing the bad one.

6. Does your writing reflect your own thoughts intimately or are you detached to some extent?

I believe that there's a heavy mixture going on for sure. Writing can be many things, one of them is certainly exploring foreign concepts through a lens of a fictional character. I'd like to think that the thoughts and actions of the characters that I'm writing have very little to do with my own morals and decision-making, and more so the choices enacted by persons with differing ideologies, backgrounds, and more aggravating circumstances than I have experienced, and will likely ever experience.

7. What are your hobbies, besides writing? Why are they so?

My hobbies generally fall into similar categories to writing, however, instead of producing content, I'm consuming it. So reading books, watching movies, listening to music etc. I enjoy other worlds and other ways of viewing our own world, and that's what these stories are on some level, conduits to better explain or interpret the experiences we go through on a daily basis. Seeing how others create also provides ideas and motivates me to work harder on my own projects, as well as my attempts to stay original. However, I also believe in disconnecting from my writing sometimes with exercise, vacations and camping trips in order to refresh myself and glean better ideas. There's loads of value that comes with going out to make your own experiences which can then be translated into fiction. If I don't go outside and make real connections with the world around me, then my stuff devolves into derivative clones of what I've seen a thousand times on TV. So I try very hard to maintain close friendships with people that motivate me to go out and experience life at its fullest, despite my endless attempts to hit word count goals that seem forever out of reach. ~WM

Interviewing thestormfallen.