Ask the Author: Michael A. Greco
Answered Questions (7)
Michael A. Greco
Monique, I'm working on an identity story about a guy who loses himself, out this summer. More of the absurd; it seems to be what I do best:)
Michael A. Greco
Hi Monique, you're the first to ask me a question here on Goodreads, and it's a good one. I remember making the decision to write in earnest back in 2008 with the birth of my daughter. Bringing a child into the world is a real grounding experience, and I made the conscious decision to settle in and complete a novel . I even remember the day exactly. It took many years to understand and gain some level of proficiency in the writing. But it comes.
Michael A. Greco
Do the Carnegie Hall thing—practice. When starting out, most of us stink. It's a skill that comes with practice. After my third book, I finally have the feeling, and the confidence, I know what I'm doing. Sooo, just write, structure a story, go for it, give it to people who will give you candid advice. Rewrite. Do this about 10 times (especially if it's your first book). The polish will start to glisten, eventually.
Michael A. Greco
I don't understand what this is. There are times I don't feel like writing, usually late afternoons or evenings. If it's morning, I write. If I'm frustrated the story isn't working, I switch to another project, and while on the other project, percolate on solutions. Answers come. I know it's hackneyed but writer's write. Grit your teeth and work through whatever is blocking you; jump to another section of the story, work backwards, re-imagine the character(s) as someone else who may fit better. There's always some aspect of the process that will cry for attention.
Michael A. Greco
It's been floating around inside me for several years now: what would you do if you could turn back time? With that as my research question, I dived in and outlined. In 2017 I went down to Brisbane with my 9-year-old and a buddy took us around the Special Needs school he works at. Oila! — I had my setting and the foundation for the story characters. Now for the physics of time travel... :(
Michael A. Greco
I don't. I just do it. It's a job, but it's also a compulsion. If it's not there, I don't see how anyone can write. For me the compulsion is an itch. The only way to scratch the itch is to continue telling the story.
Michael A. Greco
I never have just one project going: right now I'm finishing a first draft of a story about Special Needs teens who discover time travel. Lots more to go on that one. Alternately, I'm finishing up a story called "Plum Rains on Happy House" about the misadventures of a foreigner in Japan, who turns a run-down guest house into a language school. It's a wild story, but I have high hopes that it will get huge readership.
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