Ask the Author: Alex Hartwell
Answered Questions (6)
Alex Hartwell
Oh geez . . . if it's a plot in one of my books, it'd be a pretty awful mystery! But I can tell you that every single one of my stories reflects something or some feeling in my life. Take "Yellow Eyes", for instance -- being lost on interminable, winding highways in southern Missouri, no cell service for miles, with all those spear-like shadowy trees in thick clutches on either side of the road, and the only light for miles in front or back of our vehicle being our headlights. It gave us the weird sensation of being a bubble of light floating through the darkness -- a very lonely feeling indeed.
That of course turned out much worse for the family in "Yellow Eyes" than it did for me, LOL, but you get the picture!
That of course turned out much worse for the family in "Yellow Eyes" than it did for me, LOL, but you get the picture!
Alex Hartwell
The best thing about being a writer, for me, is that I get to contribute in whatever small way to a genre which I love. By doing this, I get to connect with amazing new people who enjoy my work.
Helping people get through their day, giving them enjoyable escapes from the stress of everyday living, particularly now in 2020 -- that's the absolute best thing.
Helping people get through their day, giving them enjoyable escapes from the stress of everyday living, particularly now in 2020 -- that's the absolute best thing.
Alex Hartwell
Writer's block is real, but it doesn't have to stop you in your tracks. Go back to the movies and books you love, get inspired, and get back at it.
As far as I'm concerned, I plow through it. It's not always easy, but putting words that weren't on the page yesterday is the only way to get books done. Getting books done is the best way to beat writer's block.
As far as I'm concerned, I plow through it. It's not always easy, but putting words that weren't on the page yesterday is the only way to get books done. Getting books done is the best way to beat writer's block.
Alex Hartwell
I go back to the source material. Who made the movies and wrote the books that I love to this day and which got my motor runnin' when I was a kid? Once you immerse yourself in the best of the genre, you can't help but have it rub off on you.
For me personally, I always go back to George A. Romero's "Martin" and "Dawn of the Dead", Wes Craven's "A Nightmare on Elm Street" and "The Hills Have Eyes", Sam Raimi's "Evil Dead", Brian Keene's "The Rising" and "Ghoul", Stephen King's "Pet Sematary" and "The Stand", Richard Matheson's "I Am Legend", and Clive Barker's "Books of Blood" and "The Hellbound Heart".
There are so many more great writers and directors out there, but these are the essentials.
For me personally, I always go back to George A. Romero's "Martin" and "Dawn of the Dead", Wes Craven's "A Nightmare on Elm Street" and "The Hills Have Eyes", Sam Raimi's "Evil Dead", Brian Keene's "The Rising" and "Ghoul", Stephen King's "Pet Sematary" and "The Stand", Richard Matheson's "I Am Legend", and Clive Barker's "Books of Blood" and "The Hellbound Heart".
There are so many more great writers and directors out there, but these are the essentials.
Alex Hartwell
I'm currently working on a series of supernatural horror novels. I don't want to give anything away, so I'll leave it at that. I'm also always writing short fiction, so most of my releases work at collecting all those.
Alex Hartwell
Write, write, write, and then revise, revise, revise. Nothing will improve your writing as fast as actually putting the words down on the screen and teaching yourself how to arrange them in the best order possible. Have a goal in mind with each story -- and when I say a goal, I don't mean word count. How do you want your readers to feel when they read a specific passage? Go over it again and try to evoke that feeling the best you can.
When you've got a few books under your belt, start submitting to publishers and magazines. Get used to rejection letters. Writing is a long, hard process. No one becomes a good writer overnight, and if you're writing your first book, accept the fact that it has a 99.9% chance of completely sucking.
If you finish it and it's terrible, don't let that get you down. Writing is a lifelong journey. If you find it fun to tell stories, then do so. You don't need anyone's permission, and you're a writer as soon as you string words into a sentence. Pursue your dreams, and never, ever stop.
When you've got a few books under your belt, start submitting to publishers and magazines. Get used to rejection letters. Writing is a long, hard process. No one becomes a good writer overnight, and if you're writing your first book, accept the fact that it has a 99.9% chance of completely sucking.
If you finish it and it's terrible, don't let that get you down. Writing is a lifelong journey. If you find it fun to tell stories, then do so. You don't need anyone's permission, and you're a writer as soon as you string words into a sentence. Pursue your dreams, and never, ever stop.
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