Ask the Author: Bobby Mathews
Answered Questions (6)
Bobby Mathews
Usually I curl up in a ball and cry.
And then I drink some whiskey and smoke a good cigar (I'm not kidding). I try to think about something else for awhile—the kids, my wife, college football—anything at all will do.
After that, I try to beat writer's block by changing up the way I approach the page. I might work longhand for a couple of days, knowing those pages are never going to lead anywhere. But it's nice to watch the ink flow across the page. Or I might go beat on my 1953 Royal Quiet De Luxe manual typewriter for awhile. Those pages have a lot more chance of being turned into something. Eventually I come back to the computer with a clear head and a mindset to attack the story I want to write.
And then I drink some whiskey and smoke a good cigar (I'm not kidding). I try to think about something else for awhile—the kids, my wife, college football—anything at all will do.
After that, I try to beat writer's block by changing up the way I approach the page. I might work longhand for a couple of days, knowing those pages are never going to lead anywhere. But it's nice to watch the ink flow across the page. Or I might go beat on my 1953 Royal Quiet De Luxe manual typewriter for awhile. Those pages have a lot more chance of being turned into something. Eventually I come back to the computer with a clear head and a mindset to attack the story I want to write.
Bobby Mathews
To "Crush your enemies. See them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of their women."
Okay, maybe not that. But seriously, to be able to tell the story as best I can, to know in my heart and in my mind and in my soul that I've done good work.
And then to have a reader pick up the story or book and say "This was good. This entertained/touched/affected me in some way."
That's an amazing feeling.
Okay, maybe not that. But seriously, to be able to tell the story as best I can, to know in my heart and in my mind and in my soul that I've done good work.
And then to have a reader pick up the story or book and say "This was good. This entertained/touched/affected me in some way."
That's an amazing feeling.
Bobby Mathews
Quit now. I don't need the competition. ;-)
Okay, seriously, my advice is pretty simple: forget "aspiring." Sit your ass down and WRITE. It's the only way to do it. And once you write, YOU ARE A WRITER. Nobody is going to come by and give you a badge that says "Official Writer."
Write a million words, and then write more. Finish your shit, as Chuck Wendig so accurately (and vulgarly) says. And then write something else. Finish that, too.
Okay, seriously, my advice is pretty simple: forget "aspiring." Sit your ass down and WRITE. It's the only way to do it. And once you write, YOU ARE A WRITER. Nobody is going to come by and give you a badge that says "Official Writer."
Write a million words, and then write more. Finish your shit, as Chuck Wendig so accurately (and vulgarly) says. And then write something else. Finish that, too.
Bobby Mathews
Claire (no last name) is a professional thief, trying to prove herself in the world of the heavy heister. She's not after jewels or stocks/bonds; she's not interested in the Internet; she's looking to score her money the old-fashioned way—she finds where the cash is, builds a team and a plan, and goes to grab the cash.
Things go wrong, of course. But that'd be telling too much, right? I'm hoping to have a first draft done by the end of the year (2015).
Things go wrong, of course. But that'd be telling too much, right? I'm hoping to have a first draft done by the end of the year (2015).
Bobby Mathews
I read a lot—fiction, nonfiction, comic books, newspapers, magazines. If you're going to write, reading informs your worldview. I also listen a lot, eavesdropping shamelessly on other people's conversations; and then there's people-watching—a sport where my wife and I are enthusiastic participants.
I've written stories (or more likely gotten a story title) just from listening to someone talk, or observing their behavior.
I've written stories (or more likely gotten a story title) just from listening to someone talk, or observing their behavior.
Bobby Mathews
My short story, I Know It Was You, was born out of a couple of things: One, I wanted to write about a strong female character interacting with a world full of men. The process comes about as part of answering the question, "What if?"
That's the essence of story for a writer, I think. You look around and look around, and all of the time you're seeing the world, you're wondering "What if?" The story is what you write to answer that question.
That's the essence of story for a writer, I think. You look around and look around, and all of the time you're seeing the world, you're wondering "What if?" The story is what you write to answer that question.
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