Interview with Alex Awesome [alexawesome] on Whohub

44738 interviews created

What did you first read? How did you begin to write? Who were the first to read what you wrote?

My mom was passionate about reading to me as a kid, and I loved every second of it. There's nothing quite as wonderful as being read to. It's why books on tape are so pricey. We read all sorts of books, from Lord of the Rings to Alice in Wonderland and everything in between. I was a voracious listener.

I began writing as soon as I knew how, but I was telling stories before that. My mom made a tape of me telling stories about creatures who lived underground when we were on a train to Portland when I was three. I began creating sequential art with the purpose of allowing new and different stories to be told about the same art over and over again when I was a kid.

I attempted to write plays and stories when I was a teenager, with middling success. It was a good exercise, but when you write a seven act play rhymes about a friend of yours who wrote a 300 page story about the life and times of her pet rabbits, there's only so much you can get out of that.

I wrote excellent poetry for a while, some of which I still have. That's surprisingly the best that came out of my teenage years. The stories I wrote were very violent, very dark, and very bad. My mom read some of it and did her mom thing where she got very upset and begged me to try harder. It's the kind of thing only moms can pull off successfully - making you feel guilty and embarrassed all at the same time.

What is your favorite genre? Can you provide a link to a site where we can read some of your work or learn something about it?

There's no way I can choose one genre. I'm a nut for history and science fiction. I love reading about human beings, and naturally, everything appeals to me. Humor, fantasy, history, religion, biographies, ghost stories, cook books - everything.

I've kept a blog since 2001, but recently started from scratch. You can read my current work here: http://www.alexawesome.com

What is your creative process like? What happens before sitting down to write?

I'm a weird hybrid of planner and fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pantser. I'll have a very solid idea of how a story will progress, how things will happen and what the ultimate goal is, but things will have a funny way of working out. I'll write a character early on, then do research to back it up, and find out I've just unwittingly described an ancient god or demon that fits really well into the story. The symbolism I choose and the characters i write about already exist in the human unconscious. I just let them use me as an instrument to get their story out.

I do a tremendous amount of research all the time. When I write, it's usually out of a spontaneous eruption of creativity that stems out of the research I'm constantly doing. Except I don't really consider it research. I just consider it interesting.

What type of reading inspires you to write?

Is it awful to say wikipedia? Or cracked.com? Pop culture influences me, but so does the massive amount of information and humor and creativity existing on the internet. It is kind of awful to say that. But does it help to also say I collect rare books on strange and arcane topics? No?

What do you think are the basic ingredients of a story?

You really need a good plot, but you also need some great characters. I've seen plenty of shitty plots go the distance on the strength of their characters, but I've never seen a great plot go the distance on no characters.

What voice do you find most to your liking: first person or third person?

I think both narrative styles have their place. I like to shift between third person narration and first person. I prefer to use first person sparingly, in diary entries or flash-backs. I think it's a little too intense to use constantly in fiction.

What well known writers do you admire most?

There are way, way too many to count. But let's try. E. Nesbit, Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, JK Rowling, C.S. Lewis, Susan Cooper, Susanna Clarke, Hector Malot, and countless others. The illustrators who brought their words to life are also up there, especially those who achieved both - words and art. Maurice Sendak, Chris Van Allsburg, and so many more.

What is required for a character to be believable? How do you create yours?

An ability to understand and forgive humanity is essential in any author. Some of the best authors write themselves over and over again, and at once condemn and forgive themselves. Some of our most revered and favorite authors - Kurt Vonnegut, Henry David Thoreau, Ernest Hemmingway, J.D. Salinger...

I think there's inevitably going to be ego and self-referential characters in any work of fiction, no matter how hard you try to avoid it. Whether your avatar is the hero or a cameo, it doesn't matter. I think you have to have something genuine, genuine growth, genuine pain, something real. It can be muted by fiction, by different characters or context, but there's something real that has to be sewn into the story. That's what makes writing an art, and that's what makes characters believable.

Are you equally good at telling stories orally?

Writing and orating are two radically different things. It's why Conan O'Brien and David Letterman are the kings of late night television for entirely different reasons. Conan has the writing down to an art form, while David can get by on a wink and a smile.

I can tell stories and make people laugh, but my written stories are such a treat, because I can go into such detail, details that would otherwise lose people when you're face to face. People give you more time and attention when you're writing. When you're talking, you have to be quick and stay sharp. Writing can be quick and sharp, but there's an expectation for detail, a desire for a slower pace. People want to relish good writing like a fine meal. There's a way to write where the reader doesn't want it to end, and I aspire to write that kind of book.

Deep down inside, who do you write for?

Of course I write for myself, but if it were just for me, my standards would be a lot lower. Because I write for other people, I demand a higher level of excellence. I have to produce something worthy of my readers, people I hold in very high regard.

Is writing a form of personal therapy? Are internal conflicts a creative force?

Absolutely, writing is a form of personal therapy. You write just to exorcise demons, but writing as an art? That's different. Therapeutic writing is in many ways like throwing up. It hurts, and it sucks, and it makes you cry, and when you're done you feel better. Writing as an art is painful in a different way. It's like trying to solve a riddle. You feel bitter sweet when you finish, because you don't really want it to ever end. It's an adventure, and you fall in love with the people you've written about. When it's over, a part of your heart breaks a little bit.

Does reader feed-back help you?

I don't think there's a real writer out there who would say reader feedback DOESN'T help. It's essential. I can't actually write without it. I need people to ask hard questions and play along with me to get from point A to point B in my stories. I need them to help me organize the chaos of my thoughts into a coherent story line. It's amazing how beneficial they are, and there's no way I could do what I do without their help.

Do you participate in competitions? Have you received any awards?

I can't handle the idea of competitive writing. It's too personal for me to try and compete at. It's kind of the catch-22. You can bear to part with stuff you don't care about and that's the kind of material that's mediocre. You wouldn't want to enter that into a competition. But the stuff that matters, the stuff that makes you feel something every time you read it, that's the stuff you could never put into a competition.

Do you share rough drafts of your writings with someone whose opinion you trust?

Everyone I know is a sounding board for ideas and drafts. I'll bounce plot ideas off of drinking buddies, coworkers, (often one in the same), my amazing boyfriend, my parents, my friends - everyone, even if they don't realize it. It's embarrassing to admit how many plot points are the product of alcohol.

Do you believe you have already found "your voice" or is that something one is always searching for?

I don't even know what that means.

What discipline do you impose on yourself regarding schedules, goals, etc.?

I force myself to write every single day. At the same time, it may not mean it's good, and it may not mean it's for a particular purpose. I will go weeks at a time without writing a chapter for the book I'm writing, but I'll always write *something*

What do you surround yourself with in your work area in order to help your concentrate?

Music, pictures, symbols. I think most important is that I've built a sanctuary for myself. Wherever I am and wherever I'll be, I'll always have a place that's mine to relax and feel safe in. That's the most important part. For a while, it was just being able to lock my door and not worry about being interrupted. Before that, it was knowing that I could stay awake long after everyone else was asleep and I could achieve that feeling of being truly alone and with myself.

Do you write on a computer? Do you print frequently? Do you correct on paper? What is your process?

I always have a laptop and a notebook with a really good pen. Always. I rarely ever print anything, but I will frequently keep written notes.

What are you working on now?

I'm working on a book series that involves a wide range of characters and stories that all overlap. It's wonderful and exciting to create something that's mine but also pays tribute to so many mythologies and authors I have read and loved.

What do you recommend I do with all those things I wrote years ago but have never been able to bring myself to show anyone?

Shred them. If you can't share them with anyone, what good are they?

What is your blog address? What subjects do you deal with?

http://www.alexawesome.com. I tend to do slice of life entries, occasional rants, recipes, or photographs. Unfortunately, it's about as erratic as I am, which means it deals entirely with whatever strikes my fancy, and doesn't follow any kind of schedule.

What was it that made you create your blog? On what date did you start it?

I've always felt compelled to write, and I kept paper diaries for a long time (most of which have been shredded). I started my first blog in 2001, which means I've been a "blogger" for almost ten years - scary when you actually do the math.

What blogging system have you adopted and why?

I'm a big fan of wordpress. Prior to that, I used pivot, and before that, I had a diaryland account. I was always looking for something flexible and powerful. Simple, but easy to expand upon. At first, wordpress had too many limitations, despite its popularity. As time went on, I took the time to understand php better, and discovered how to create the site I wanted using the wordpress platform.

Ask me a question, make a comment, or request my opinion on something: