Ask the Author: Todd Stadtman
Answered Questions (10)
Todd Stadtman
As she drove away from the house for the last time, she couldn't get his last question out of her mind.
"Mommy, why am I on fire?"
"Mommy, why am I on fire?"
Todd Stadtman
I'd go to Monster Island and see Godzilla, Rodan and their pals in their natural habitat. Trouble is, I'd probably go on to totally gentrify the place; open a little tappas place, a dive bar, maybe a B&B. Soon the place would be crawling with hipsters and Eurotrash and I would become more hated than that pharma bro guy. The only plus would be that the monsters would eat some of the hipsters.
Todd Stadtman
American Heiress by Jeffrey Toobin; ABBA - Bright Lights Dark Shadows by Carl Magnus Palm; Change of Seasons: A Memoir by John Oates; plus whatever books strike my fancy and distract me from reading any of those listed.
Todd Stadtman
After Funky Bollywood, I knew I wanted to write a novel, but I wasn't sure what it would be about. I did some automatic writing and, when I got onto the topic of the punk rock days, the words really started flowing. It occurred to me that this was a significant time in my life, in the life of my city, and in the culture in general, and I felt I had a perspective on it that was worth sharing. I decided to make it a mystery because I didn't think that had been done before.
Todd Stadtman
I am writing almost constantly and I think that inspires me.
Todd Stadtman
In addition to readying my novel, Please Don't Be Waiting For Me, for print, I'm compiling a collection of my online film reviews that will be called The Sophisticates' Guide to Global Cinema. It's going to be organized by country and will function as sort of a world tour of unusual films.
Todd Stadtman
Learn to measure success by something other than money. If you don't get spiritual satisfaction from the act of writing, it might be best for you to expend your efforts elsewhere.
Todd Stadtman
This may sound like a joke, but I love rejection letters. People who complain about them should consider that, if they were in the music industry, no one would send them back anything unless they thought they could make some money off of them. Whatever you sent them just goes straight in the trash without you even knowing if it ever reached them. By comparison, the publishing industry seems like a bastion of civility. You send them something and they send you something back, often with some words of encouragement about "opinions being subjective" and "keep trying" bla bla bla. It's a courtesy that seems sadly quaint in these cynical times of ours.
Todd Stadtman
I find that automatic writing is very helpful. Just make your mind blank, sit down and scrawl out whatever comes into your mind without censoring yourself. No one's going to read it, so who cares. Eventually you'll find yourself in a pocket where the words really start flowing; that's the tangent you should follow.
Todd Stadtman
I think most people are a mystery to themselves to some extent. Writing is a good way to investigate that.
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