Ask the Author: Josh Stolberg
Answered Questions (8)
Josh Stolberg
I wake, unable to move, unable to breathe, unable to get that taste out of my mouth... is it gasoline?!? Then I see my naked reflection in the mirror above the coroner's table on which my body rests... liquid being pumped into my veins... not gasoline... embalming fluid.
Josh Stolberg
Hey there, Kim! Thank you for the kind words about my work.
To answer your question, for me, inspiration comes from EVERYWHERE.
For this particular book, Incarnate, I had been reading about many real life stories of people claiming to have "come back" from the dead in another body. Doing some research, I read about how Plato believed that the soul jumped lives... and I was starting to fall in love with the idea after reading more about various religions, like Buddhism and Hinduism. Being a horror movie writer, I wanted to bring a bit of a horror slant to it all and that's when the story started to come to me.
But all projects come from different places. I wrote my indie romantic comedy Conception as a way to tell all the different sides of my relationship with my wife (every couple is a sliver of our relationship together). The story for Good Luck Chuck was overheard at a dinner party and suggested to me by a producer named Mike Karz. But much of the time it's just hard work, hunkering down and trying to come up with ideas. Jigsaw, the new film that I wrote with my writing partner, Pete, took us three years to crack, and a dozen different versions of the story.
Thanks for writing in and thanks so much for the support!!! Cheers,
Josh
To answer your question, for me, inspiration comes from EVERYWHERE.
For this particular book, Incarnate, I had been reading about many real life stories of people claiming to have "come back" from the dead in another body. Doing some research, I read about how Plato believed that the soul jumped lives... and I was starting to fall in love with the idea after reading more about various religions, like Buddhism and Hinduism. Being a horror movie writer, I wanted to bring a bit of a horror slant to it all and that's when the story started to come to me.
But all projects come from different places. I wrote my indie romantic comedy Conception as a way to tell all the different sides of my relationship with my wife (every couple is a sliver of our relationship together). The story for Good Luck Chuck was overheard at a dinner party and suggested to me by a producer named Mike Karz. But much of the time it's just hard work, hunkering down and trying to come up with ideas. Jigsaw, the new film that I wrote with my writing partner, Pete, took us three years to crack, and a dozen different versions of the story.
Thanks for writing in and thanks so much for the support!!! Cheers,
Josh
Josh Stolberg
Not having to set your alarm in the morning.
Being able to release your demons onto a blank page.
Researching stories and investigating thoughts that excite you.
But mostly... not having to set your alarm in the morning.
Being able to release your demons onto a blank page.
Researching stories and investigating thoughts that excite you.
But mostly... not having to set your alarm in the morning.
Josh Stolberg
The same advice that was given to me when I started writing... NEVER STOP. It takes patience and practice to find and develop your voice. If you're doing it right, and taking chances, you're going to fail miserably at first. Which brings me back to NEVER STOP.
Also, obviously, read as much as you can. Get lost in the kinds of books and screenplays that inspire you... not so that you can imitate them, but so that you can see what works and why.
Also, obviously, read as much as you can. Get lost in the kinds of books and screenplays that inspire you... not so that you can imitate them, but so that you can see what works and why.
Josh Stolberg
Diet Coke. Lots and lots of Diet Coke.
Josh Stolberg
In fiction, I am outlining a sequel to Incarnate, as well as working on a novel about an infamous true-life killer. For television, I'm working on an adaptation of one of my favorite Clive Barker books (a dream come true). For feature films, I'm finishing up work on the new Jigsaw movie (the next film in the Saw franchise), as well as writing an indie horror movie for Killer Films as well as writing a true-story based on one of my favorite musicians for MTV Films and Paramount.
Josh Stolberg
Incarnate has been drifting around in my head for years now. I've always been interested in past lives, reincarnation, and what happens to our souls after we die. While reading some literature about buddhism, I also became fascinated with the idea of the "mind stream" -- how there is a continuity from one life to the next... and I started wondering what would happen if that "mind stream" found its way into a host... INTO A VESSEL... that was already home to another soul.
Being a lover of horror and thrillers, I threw in a few duplicitous characters, some murder, revenge, and a "final girl" that was possibly the killer herself.
Being a lover of horror and thrillers, I threw in a few duplicitous characters, some murder, revenge, and a "final girl" that was possibly the killer herself.
Josh Stolberg
I procrastinate by coming here and answering questions about writer's block.
For me, writer's block is more about lack of focus than lack of inspiration.
I try desperately not to get bogged down by specifics, if a word, or a description, or a line of dialogue is stumping me, I try to push past it to the details that DO come more easily, and then circle back to close the door on the difficult beat.
Also, I try to work on a few things at the same time. I will usually be writing a book, a tv show, a play, and a screenplay at the same time, preferably in different genres. That way, when I hit a roadblock on one, I look forward to diving into one of the others.
For me, writer's block is more about lack of focus than lack of inspiration.
I try desperately not to get bogged down by specifics, if a word, or a description, or a line of dialogue is stumping me, I try to push past it to the details that DO come more easily, and then circle back to close the door on the difficult beat.
Also, I try to work on a few things at the same time. I will usually be writing a book, a tv show, a play, and a screenplay at the same time, preferably in different genres. That way, when I hit a roadblock on one, I look forward to diving into one of the others.
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