Interview with:Sam Bradley [sammbradley]
WRITING
 | What did you first read? How did you begin to write? Who were the first to read what you wrote? First memorable books; Tales of Beatrix Potter & Roald Dahl's canon (my first "favourite" was The Twits). I didn't really begin to consider writing as a career choice until I was about 16 when I began to enjoy the creative writing module of English, so I can assume the first peers of my writing were the staff at Bramhall High School |
| 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? |
| What is your creative process like? What happens before sitting down to write? I rarely plan, usually only having a beginning and a vague conclusion in my head - the rest just flows. Depending on what it is, I generally streamline and refine the piece a few times afterwards, however. |
| What type of reading inspires you to write? Impassioned, well written prose; the final pages of Che Guevara's Motorcycle Diaries has been the best argument for a socialist revolution I've ever read and completely turned me on to left-wing politics aged 16. |
| What do you think are the basic ingredients of a story? I'm a sucker for cynical twists. |
| What voice do you find most to your liking: first person or third person? Third person, though I like to experiment with tense and pace. |
| What well known writers do you admire most? George Orwell, Stephen Faulks, Bill Bryson and Jack Kerouac. |
| What is required for a character to be believable? How do you create yours? A consistent voice or attitude but also the malleability and ability to change of a real-life person. When I think of a character I don't think of a single person or face, I think of a still scene with them at the centre. |
| Are you equally good at telling stories orally? I've been told that my reading voice is nice, but probably not. |
| Deep down inside, who do you write for? Myself. |
| Is writing a form of personal therapy? Are internal conflicts a creative force? Yes and no. I can't write unless I'm calm, so it's no good if I'm upset - but there's a certain trance-state of melancholy that tends to energise my writing hand. |
| Does reader feed-back help you? I'm not good at receiving criticism but yes, feed-back is always good. |
| Do you participate in competitions? Have you received any awards? Never tried but I guess I'd like to |
| Do you share rough drafts of your writings with someone whose opinion you trust? Yes, but only once they're at a reasonable state of completion. |
| Do you believe you have already found "your voice" or is that something one is always searching for? I'm still experimenting per say, but when it comes to comment-writing and journalism, I feel my "voice", style, mode of address, is fairly firmly established. |
| What discipline do you impose on yourself regarding schedules, goals, etc.? I try and write as far in advance as possible to give room for future revisions but I have no strict guidelines. |
| What do you surround yourself with in your work area in order to help your concentrate? Music, tea, space |
| Do you write on a computer? Do you print frequently? Do you correct on paper? What is your process? Depending on what I'm writing and where it's going to be published, I generally write out rough drafts on paper and type up the finished copy - editing as I go, as a final check. |
| What sites do you frequent on-line to share experiences or information? Zero |
| 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? Go through them, don't throw any out and see if there's anything worth reviving. |
| 
260 visits Whohub
Sam Bradley
Manchester, England
|
99683 interviews created
INVITE YOUR FRIENDS