Interview with chris christie [chrischristie] on Whohub

29542 interviews created

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

R.L. Stevenson's children's poems were among my earliest memories of reading. Both my mother and grandmother were fans of poetry, and I discovered early on that I could keep myself busy for hours on end with a pen and a piece of paper. I began writing like everyone else...C A T. I remember my third grade teacher and how I showed her my work proudly and she would just say, "Is that the best you could do?" I would shy away and answer "no." Then she would just say do it again, like she were asking me the time of day or something, and I would do it over again. In that way I think I've always had the gift of being honest with myself about my work. It never occured to me that I could have said yes and been done with it. My family and friends were the first to take interest in my writing, and I fed off of that moment in the spotlight reading my work aloud to the approval of my elders. These days I tend not to do things for the thrill of attention, although it is a great feeling to present my work and be "really on."

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?

I guess my favorite genre would have to be creative non-fiction, and poetry of course! The two categories most of my own work falls into. I do still like a good polotical thriller/CIA snyper type story, but havent read one in years.

My poetry and art work can be seen at www.ravensgawkstudio.org

My book can be seen at www.roadkillthebook.com

Other writing can be seen at www.cbcconsultinggroup.com

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

The creative process for me (whether writing or painting) comes from places inside me that can be found in meditational states. I like to say that the creatve process is driven by my dark side, and that I do not create my art, rather it creates itself through me. When I'm writing I withdraw inside myself and often forget to come up for air. Sometimes ideas just wake me up at night. The important thing, I think, is to realize that writing is an ongoing process process, and there are always many works underway all at the same time. A good idea for any one of my projects can just present itself at any given moment, and I just gotta hope there's a pen near by. Most of my writing starts in free writing journals.

What type of reading inspires you to write?

I always joke that I hate to read, but I do read Time Magazine avidly. It is my only source for news besides John Stuart. I can't bear to watch TV news, can't trust the propaganda machine. I like to read about contemporary issues. I think it's important to stay on the cutting edge of contemporary philosophies, and I can't do that loosing myself in fiction, so any time I do have to do some extra reading I spend it in quiet contemplation over the fragile state of the world.

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

The basic makeup of any story is the who, what, where, when, why, formula. Answering these creates a unique list of ingredients for every story. From there you can break it down to semantics.

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

Interesting question. I've written on this subject in the past.
The following is an excerpt from the forward section of RoadKill, My first book which was released in June 09. To answer the question though, I use whichever person delivers the most impact for the writing at hand.....

The works of Raymond Carver, Grace Paley, and David Crouse were among my earliest studied authorial styles. Alice McDermott’s, That Night, stands out for me as a lesson in the dynamics of narration. In brief there’s three narrators, me, myself, and I, all associated with my own past, present, and future, and I could slip into and out of their individual or collective knowledge. McDermott did it so well. I see her book as a memoir, wrapped in a story, surrounded by a legend, told by a narrator assuming three postures of the first person: She who saw what happened, she who heard what happened, and she with clairvoyant insightfulness because the third “I” is privy to the other’s experiences. Often, what results is a version of the facts that are contrived from speculation, the narrator’s intuition. McDermott makes no attempt to hide these techniques or make them seem as a quirky gimmick, but allows them to come out as an organic part of how the story is told—the random connections a mind makes as it goes through the process of recount and recall.

What well known writers do you admire most?

Fydor Dostoevsky, Vladimir Nabokov, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

David Crouse, Alice Monroe, Grace Paley.

Of course, E.A. Poe is my all time favorite!

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

I write non fiction, but I do have some fiction shorts tucked away. I guess for a character to believeable that character has to exhibit humanistic qualities that people can relate to, and when I have created non fiction characters I use people I know or character stereotypes as models for their behavioral pattens. In other words, lets say I'm writing a liar, I keep in mind people I know that are chronic liars and think of how they would respond if they were the fictional character I'm building. It all comes down to nature. What is a natural state for that character type to exist in.

Are you equally good at telling stories orally?

I've been told I am quite a performer.

Deep down inside, who do you write for?

Myself

But I do take my audience into coinsideration when writing.

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

ABSOLUTEFREAKINLOOTLY!!! YES!!!!

Great question

Does reader feed-back help you?

Workshopping is always helpful, and any time you can get an outside disconnected evaluation of your work is also good. I try to keep in mind though that readers perspectives are subjective to their own life experiences, and no matter how I expect readers to interprit my work, they will always have their own take on it. It's all good though. I write to elicit feeling, no matter what that feeling may be.

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

I do not have a competative need to fufill. Although this does not make my CV look very extiting, it does keep my feet on the ground. I've seen plenty of contests that are largely subjective to what the judges are partial to. I've seen unskilled writing win prizes and highly polished pieces go unrecognized. I think contests are a great way to encourage people to get their work out there and be discovered, I just don't find them appealing.

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

Absolutely, it would be foolish to think that my work is that good that it can't use a second opinion.

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

Yes, I have an excellent sense of my own voice, but not everyone does. Finding ones voice comes along on the road to enlightenment. It is a plateau on each persons personal journey. To have your own voice is to know your own mind and soul and to be comfortable with whatever you find there.

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

LOL schedules, goals, discipline....I just keep it all straight in my head and it all gets done in its own good time. I dont wear a watch. I do place reminders in my outlook calendar though, and I do use the calendar reminders in my cell phone, but as far as the long term big picture goes, It's vision that keeps it clear, not discipline.

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

My own art work acattered all over the studio and piles of things all over the benches all the time. Also pictures of my daughter.

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

I start on paper as a free write ususlly, then move it to the computer. I do print out a lot because there will always be typos that show up in print that you'll miss on screen.

Another tip...read it out loud to yourself to get a good feeling of flow.

What sites do you frequent on-line to share experiences or information?

Now that I have a book to market, I've gotten into the Facebook thing and twittering just seems silly, but some tell me that it is a useful marketing tool. I dunno, I'm not big on triviality, and most of what cycles through the web is trivial at best.

What has been your experience with publishers?

I got tired of the exhausting search for representation for my book so I went with a POD publisher and I'm self publishing. It tends to be the best way to find a niche for your work making it more attractive to people interested in buying it. (readers and publishers) Dont be fooled by the term vanity press. It's only vain if you're motives for publishing are ego driven. Self publishing is becomming a great way for authors to get their work out there, of course you dont just hand over a pile of money and sit back while they do the work. You must take charge of your own project. done correctly it can be a good thing, but you have to have a markeable product in the first place. There are plenty of presses who will publish anyone, but that doesnt mean they have produced a book that will sell. It's got to be done on a professional level and the quality of the product must reflect that.

What are you working on now?

I'm working on marketing and promoting RoadKill. It's keeping me busy.

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?

Get them off the shelf and if you think they are worth promoting ask for an opinion from someone whose opinion you value. Nothing is ever finished when it comes to writing, and taking your work to that next level is always a tricky step. It takes perseverence and patience to be successful. Don't ever stop working on things that have been started. Hell, it took me 15 years to finally publish RoadKill, and I have other works that are moving along but are five or ten years old and might turn into 20 year projects by the time I get them done. Who knows, just do what you love and keep at it.

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