Q&A with MK!
09/10/14
Recently,
there have been a few of you who have submitted questions to MK. We
chose a couple and he has decided to answer them here!
Question #1: "What type of music inspires you when you write? Do you even listen to music when you write?"
Answer: "Good question! Actually, I don't listen to music often while
I'm writing. I find it distracts me too much. I prefer silence, the
occasional chirp of a bird in the yard, the wind blowing against the
house...you get the idea. Sometimes I do need to get the blood
pumping BEFORE I sit down to write. For this, I prefer the soothing
tones of Weezer! (laughs)
I am also a fan
of Tom Petty, Collective Soul, Phish, Johnny Cash and so many more. I've been known
to listen to some big band and jazz as well. I'll pretty much listen to anything except rap (Sorry Lil' Wayne). Thanks for asking!"
Question #2: "What writers or genres inspired you?"
Answer: "I always read a lot of the classic sci-fi, fantasy, and adventure stuff. I would say the ones that impacted me the most were Edgar Rice Burroughs, Frank Herbert, R.A. Salvatore, Isaac Asimov, and Anne McCaffrey. Comic books played a huge part in shaping my preference for what kinds of things I love to read. I grew up with Superman, Batman, The Avengers, Spider-Man and the rest. Now, its pretty cool because my kids are into the same stuff I was and its like I'm reliving some parts of my childhood...rediscovering these characters all over again."
Question #3: "What advice would you give to someone who is aspiring to be a professional writer like you?"
Answer: "I'm flattered that you think I'm a professional writer but the reality is that I'm not. I still work a part-time at night at my local bookstore. To be honest, most of the writers I've come across are pretty much in the same predicament as me. We have a passion for telling stories but its not enough (not yet) to pay all the bills. My name is not Patterson, King or Evanovich so I need a way to supplement my income. As far as advice?...Well, I'd say to never give up. Who cares if you get rejection letters from publishers?...and you will! Who cares if everyone doesn't get your writing style or don't appreciate the genre that you create in? Write simply for the love of writing. I've resolved myself early on to write for one person...me. I write the kinds of stories that I'd like to read. Don't write about whatever is popular that week. I remember when Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series took off. All of a sudden the teen fiction and romance sections of the bookstore where flooded with vampire love stories. I see it even now with all the Hunger Games knock-offs. Overkill, I think. Write what comes natural to you. Your genuine passion will come through in your work. There's a quote I once read that I think about everyday when I sit down at my laptop and begin a new project: 'A professional writer is just an amateur who never gives up.' ...Happy writing!"
Give Them A Life
Recently, I was asked if I had based a character in one of my stories on myself. I told them indeed I did base that character on myself and an experience I once had. Then they asked if I had done that with any of my other characters. I told them I did. They furrowed their eyebrows, said, "Ok" and walked along their merry way.
As a matter of fact, most of my characters in my stories are based loosely on myself or people I have come in contact with in real life. That is just how writers do it. We take cues from our very own personal experiences and mold them into the tales we tell. Real people can significantly inspire a writer when creating characters, good and evil.
When I sit down to write a story, the first thing I do is devise a plot. The very next thing I do is create a cast of characters. I make a list and start developing their personalities and how they fit into the fabric of my story. I determine what motivates them. What little quirks do they have? Who are their family and friends? Do they even have any? Indeed, it can be a real challenge fleshing out these details especially as the story hits emotional highs and lows.
One of the first rules a writer should learn is to never allow your characters to exist in a vacuum. Give them a family, friends and possibly even a job. It may not be pertinent to the plot, but it will give your story depth. Think about the people you know. I would be lying if I told you I never developed character personalities from the well of friends, family and acquaintances in my own life.
Use dialogue to further develop their personalities. For anyone who have read my story, What Man Makes of Himself, you would have noticed how I used dialogue to show how mean the bully is and, shall we say, "sharp as a marble"?
Another thing I like to do is allow the readers into the character's head. I firmly believe that inner dialogue is just as valuable, if not more, as what is going on outside. Sometimes I even give my character a secret that only they (and you) know.
Give your characters physical tags to indicate what they are feeling such as a pit in their stomach, nervous twitch or stiffness in their neck. Maybe your characters chews her hair when she is in deep thought trying to solve that murder mystery you are developing?
People act a certain way for a reason. You should be applying this rule to your fictional characters as well. Everyone, even hardened criminals on death row have a reason for his or her actions. Even though he is a complete psychotic, there is a reason why the Joker runs around Gotham blowing up buildings and kidnapping people.
Use emotions like a scalpel when describing your characters. Some of the greatest acts of love, kindness and heroism, are the result of emotion. If left unchecked, emotions can also lead to acts of horror, revenge and all sorts of atrocity.
Lastly, I would like to point out that your focus should be on making your characters believable, not likeable. There are characters in literature that are not terribly likable but have a substantial impact on us, nevertheless. Think about "Nurse Ratchet" from One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest or "O'Brien" from Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. One of the characters that always comes to my mind is "Bill Sikes" from Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist. Here is a guy who beat animals, abused children, stole and even murdered a prostitute. Deplorable, right? How could anyone ever like a character like that? More importantly, how could you ever forget him?
- MK
As a matter of fact, most of my characters in my stories are based loosely on myself or people I have come in contact with in real life. That is just how writers do it. We take cues from our very own personal experiences and mold them into the tales we tell. Real people can significantly inspire a writer when creating characters, good and evil.
When I sit down to write a story, the first thing I do is devise a plot. The very next thing I do is create a cast of characters. I make a list and start developing their personalities and how they fit into the fabric of my story. I determine what motivates them. What little quirks do they have? Who are their family and friends? Do they even have any? Indeed, it can be a real challenge fleshing out these details especially as the story hits emotional highs and lows.
One of the first rules a writer should learn is to never allow your characters to exist in a vacuum. Give them a family, friends and possibly even a job. It may not be pertinent to the plot, but it will give your story depth. Think about the people you know. I would be lying if I told you I never developed character personalities from the well of friends, family and acquaintances in my own life.
Use dialogue to further develop their personalities. For anyone who have read my story, What Man Makes of Himself, you would have noticed how I used dialogue to show how mean the bully is and, shall we say, "sharp as a marble"?
Another thing I like to do is allow the readers into the character's head. I firmly believe that inner dialogue is just as valuable, if not more, as what is going on outside. Sometimes I even give my character a secret that only they (and you) know.
Give your characters physical tags to indicate what they are feeling such as a pit in their stomach, nervous twitch or stiffness in their neck. Maybe your characters chews her hair when she is in deep thought trying to solve that murder mystery you are developing?
People act a certain way for a reason. You should be applying this rule to your fictional characters as well. Everyone, even hardened criminals on death row have a reason for his or her actions. Even though he is a complete psychotic, there is a reason why the Joker runs around Gotham blowing up buildings and kidnapping people.
Use emotions like a scalpel when describing your characters. Some of the greatest acts of love, kindness and heroism, are the result of emotion. If left unchecked, emotions can also lead to acts of horror, revenge and all sorts of atrocity.
Lastly, I would like to point out that your focus should be on making your characters believable, not likeable. There are characters in literature that are not terribly likable but have a substantial impact on us, nevertheless. Think about "Nurse Ratchet" from One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest or "O'Brien" from Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. One of the characters that always comes to my mind is "Bill Sikes" from Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist. Here is a guy who beat animals, abused children, stole and even murdered a prostitute. Deplorable, right? How could anyone ever like a character like that? More importantly, how could you ever forget him?
- MK
Get on with it
There are moments in our life when we set out to accomplish a goal and yet cannot seem to get past that first obstacle. For writers, there will always be that daunting blank first page. I've found myself in that predicament many times and I know the torment it creates. That blank page symbolizes an indomitable wall of uncreativity. Your mind is unwilling (or worse, unable) to get the right words down on paper. "Frustrating" is an understatement.
Relax. Take a deep breath and close your eyes. Imagine the scene in your head. See the colors. Smell the air. Listen to your character's voices. Now, write what you see. Don't just simply tell your story. Immerse your readers in the tale. Remember those images in your head a few seconds ago? Paint a mental picture of that environment for your readers. For example, look at this sentence: "I ran outside to get away from the bullies." Doesn't sound very exciting, does it? Instead, here's what I wrote in one of my stories: "As I pushed the door open, my nose was hit with the smell of fresh mown grass. Charlie, the school maintenance man, was raking up some leaves over near the end zone on my right. To the left, cheerleaders stood in ranks at the other end of the field. The football team was running laps in a pack around the track, whistling and howling at the girls as they passed." Which example created more atmosphere for you?
Give your work personality. Add some of your own voice and quirks to your characters. Allow your readers insight into what your protagonist is thinking. Don't let characters exist in a vacuum. Remember, you want to convince your readers that your characters are real people. If your readers believe in the characters, they will care about what happens to them.
Avoid platitudes, generalities, vagueness and over use of cliches. In fact, avoid cliches at all costs if you can. Also, turn off the cruise control when pacing your story. That only leads to a page full of monotonous rhythm that will bore your reader. I try to take my readers on an emotional roller coaster by mixing it up with acts of heroism, strong displays of affection, heartbreaking sorrow and life-changing decisions. In writer's jargon, we refer to it as "emotional mapping".
Listen, nobody said writing was easy. If it were, everybody would be cranking out novels and poetry journals. Just grab your thesaurus and dictionary, find a quiet spot and try your best. You may have to write and re-write the same page several times before you feel good about it. Trust me, I know! In the words of best-selling author, Sue Grafton, "Park your butt at your desk and get on with it!".
- MK
Relax. Take a deep breath and close your eyes. Imagine the scene in your head. See the colors. Smell the air. Listen to your character's voices. Now, write what you see. Don't just simply tell your story. Immerse your readers in the tale. Remember those images in your head a few seconds ago? Paint a mental picture of that environment for your readers. For example, look at this sentence: "I ran outside to get away from the bullies." Doesn't sound very exciting, does it? Instead, here's what I wrote in one of my stories: "As I pushed the door open, my nose was hit with the smell of fresh mown grass. Charlie, the school maintenance man, was raking up some leaves over near the end zone on my right. To the left, cheerleaders stood in ranks at the other end of the field. The football team was running laps in a pack around the track, whistling and howling at the girls as they passed." Which example created more atmosphere for you?
Give your work personality. Add some of your own voice and quirks to your characters. Allow your readers insight into what your protagonist is thinking. Don't let characters exist in a vacuum. Remember, you want to convince your readers that your characters are real people. If your readers believe in the characters, they will care about what happens to them.
Avoid platitudes, generalities, vagueness and over use of cliches. In fact, avoid cliches at all costs if you can. Also, turn off the cruise control when pacing your story. That only leads to a page full of monotonous rhythm that will bore your reader. I try to take my readers on an emotional roller coaster by mixing it up with acts of heroism, strong displays of affection, heartbreaking sorrow and life-changing decisions. In writer's jargon, we refer to it as "emotional mapping".
Listen, nobody said writing was easy. If it were, everybody would be cranking out novels and poetry journals. Just grab your thesaurus and dictionary, find a quiet spot and try your best. You may have to write and re-write the same page several times before you feel good about it. Trust me, I know! In the words of best-selling author, Sue Grafton, "Park your butt at your desk and get on with it!".
- MK
Close the casket
If you're like me and you enjoy reading and/or writing classic horror themes, you already know that vampires rule the entertainment landscape. Those pale, romanticized antagonists brought back to life by Anne Rice in the 1970's are once again creeping out of the shadows with current television sensations such as True Blood, The Vampire Diaries and, of course, Stephenie Meyer's bestselling Twilight book series.
Up until recently, vampires were portrayed as gruesome, repulsive creatures. You know, the way it should be. I remember reading Bram Stoker's Dracula as a boy and the first time I watched the 1922 silent-film classic Nosferatu. What the heck happened? Sorry, but I don't buy into the modern idea that vampires are emotionally available, poetry-writing hipster boys (who sparkle), exuding with dew-eyed glances and chaste hugs. Everything I see and read today portrays them as tragic, often misunderstood, sensitive, poetic figures who just want to be loved and accepted. Blech!
- MK
Up until recently, vampires were portrayed as gruesome, repulsive creatures. You know, the way it should be. I remember reading Bram Stoker's Dracula as a boy and the first time I watched the 1922 silent-film classic Nosferatu. What the heck happened? Sorry, but I don't buy into the modern idea that vampires are emotionally available, poetry-writing hipster boys (who sparkle), exuding with dew-eyed glances and chaste hugs. Everything I see and read today portrays them as tragic, often misunderstood, sensitive, poetic figures who just want to be loved and accepted. Blech!
- MK
Voices in The Night
It's 2:45 A.M. I am wide awake. The scene is beginning to unfold now. Actually, it's already here. I can see it like a movie being screened on the inside of my skull, complete with dialogue. As in real life, my characters are discussing with each other the perplexing situation they are faced with. They seek answers. So do I. After all, I put them in that situation. Now I sit back and wait to see how they react. It's up to me to capture and record it as it happens. If I don't, it's gone.
I won't be able to go to sleep until I see how this ends up. Once my brain is firing on all cylinders, it doesn't matter how late it is. My characters are still trying to find a solution but it escapes them. My muse won't give up the answer that easily. My characters have to work for it. My main protagonist begins to blame the others for their current predicament. It falls on deaf ears.
3:05 A.M...Dialogue starts coming fast and furious now. I have no idea where this is going but I just go with it. My hearts beats just a little faster now as the solution becomes more evident. I anxiously sit here in front of my computer and eavesdrop for another ten or fifteen minutes, writing it all down like a court reporter. Finally, we have reached the crescendo and it appears all hope is not lost. It seems my characters are smarter than I originally gave them credit for.
- MK
I won't be able to go to sleep until I see how this ends up. Once my brain is firing on all cylinders, it doesn't matter how late it is. My characters are still trying to find a solution but it escapes them. My muse won't give up the answer that easily. My characters have to work for it. My main protagonist begins to blame the others for their current predicament. It falls on deaf ears.
3:05 A.M...Dialogue starts coming fast and furious now. I have no idea where this is going but I just go with it. My hearts beats just a little faster now as the solution becomes more evident. I anxiously sit here in front of my computer and eavesdrop for another ten or fifteen minutes, writing it all down like a court reporter. Finally, we have reached the crescendo and it appears all hope is not lost. It seems my characters are smarter than I originally gave them credit for.
- MK
Raider of the Lost Art
Someone once said that “Short stories are vessels that need to be launched quickly and into deep water”. No truer words could be said regarding the telling a short tales. Because of its concentrated nature, short stories need to provide the reader with the ability to just jump into the story; to spontaneously join the characters on their quest.
Ask any person you know, “Read any good short stories lately?” The answer will likely be a big “No” (unless they recently purchased my book of course). Truth is there are so little literary journals left that cater to the craft. The ones that do exist have circulations in the lower four digits. Even sadder is the fact that these journals have more people submitting than actually subscribing. Few full-time authors are submitting short story collections to their publishers. The very anti-commercial status of short stories is a large part of the problem. A writer’s work that falls between genres or contains less than 50,000 words will get very little traction with agents, publishing houses and editors. They’re just not interested in characters that are not Hollywood ready or can be slapped on the side of a lunchbox. As a writer, I find this disturbing.
Short stories allow a writer to be completely uninhibited, wild and experimental. Some of the greatest tales ever told where short stories and not full-sized novels. I would not have become an avid reader if it was not for great stories such as The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Call of Cthulhu, The Monkey’s Paw, The Five Orange Pips or The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Stories like these have inspired others such as Gene Roddenberry, George Lucas & Stephen King to indulge in their own artistic pursuits.
Although my current project is going end up as a full-sized novel, I will always find the time to both read and write short stories. I love the idea of giving absolutely no exposition to my readers and forcing them to figure out what exactly is going on based on nothing but context clues and dialogue.
I encourage you to go to your local library or bookstore and pick up a collection of short stories. Make the time to take a small adventure in your mind. Remember to pack light. The only down side is that you’ll be back to reality before you know it.
- MK
Ask any person you know, “Read any good short stories lately?” The answer will likely be a big “No” (unless they recently purchased my book of course). Truth is there are so little literary journals left that cater to the craft. The ones that do exist have circulations in the lower four digits. Even sadder is the fact that these journals have more people submitting than actually subscribing. Few full-time authors are submitting short story collections to their publishers. The very anti-commercial status of short stories is a large part of the problem. A writer’s work that falls between genres or contains less than 50,000 words will get very little traction with agents, publishing houses and editors. They’re just not interested in characters that are not Hollywood ready or can be slapped on the side of a lunchbox. As a writer, I find this disturbing.
Short stories allow a writer to be completely uninhibited, wild and experimental. Some of the greatest tales ever told where short stories and not full-sized novels. I would not have become an avid reader if it was not for great stories such as The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Call of Cthulhu, The Monkey’s Paw, The Five Orange Pips or The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Stories like these have inspired others such as Gene Roddenberry, George Lucas & Stephen King to indulge in their own artistic pursuits.
Although my current project is going end up as a full-sized novel, I will always find the time to both read and write short stories. I love the idea of giving absolutely no exposition to my readers and forcing them to figure out what exactly is going on based on nothing but context clues and dialogue.
I encourage you to go to your local library or bookstore and pick up a collection of short stories. Make the time to take a small adventure in your mind. Remember to pack light. The only down side is that you’ll be back to reality before you know it.
- MK