|
The
ShatterColors
Standard Interview
-- Author Version:
Gary
Earl Ross
(Interview
consists of 15
pre-set questions.
Authors have published
at least one novel
or short story/poetry
collection.)
1)
Why did you begin
writing, and how
long have you
been doing so?
I
began writing
at age ten, after
I discovered Ray
Bradbury. I spent
a rainy Saturday
reading R is for
Rocket and decided
I wanted to write
stories.
2)
What does your
writing routine
consist of?
I
don't have a routine.
I write when I'm
not teaching.
Sometimes I write
at night, sometimes
in the morning,
and on rare days
in the afternoon.
I carry a flash
drive to work
so I write during
lunch or between
student appointments.
3)
Have specific
events ever flung
you into an extended
and productive
period of creativity?
Writing
is my response
to trauma. I wrote
furiously after
my first divorce
and after my mother's
death. My second
wife and I recently
separated, and
my dad is in a
nursing home,
rapidly deteriorating
with Alzheimer's,
so I'm writing
a lot now.
4)
What are common
sources of inspiration?
My mind is always
searching for
something. Interesting
news stories,
an unexpected
look from a stranger,
an obscure piece
of information--anything
can spark a story.
5)
What does a book
need to do to
get you to read
it from beginning
to end?
The
story must grab
the reader and
keep him or her
turning the pages.
When I teach writing
workshops, I spend
a lot of time
talking about
the opening line.
There's the hook
that pulls the
reader in. I rarely
give up on a book
I've started because
I generally have
read the first
page before I've
bought it. Usually
I read 70-100
books a year,
from novels to
poetry to plays
to biographies
to histories to
graphic novels.
I enjoy knowing
things and I look
for books that
teach me something
or seem likely
to give me delightful
surprises.
6)
Who are some of
the authors you
most admire?
Twain,
Baldwin, Hawthorne,
Melville, Zora
Neale Hurston,
Nabokov, Tennessee
Williams, Agatha
Christie, Joyce
Carol Oates, John
A. Williams, Walter
Mosley, Orwell,
Robert B. Parker,
Stephen King,
Ishmael Reed--the
list is just too
long.
7)
How familiar are
you with the literary
canon?
I
am very well read
in both classics
and popular literature,
science fiction
and mysteries
(I belong to Mystery
Writers of America).
I've read Canterbury
Tales in Middle
English, Gaston
Leroux's Phantom
of the Opera,
and Frank Miller's
Dark Knight.
8)
What's your take
on politics and
literary endeavor?
Writers
must speak truth
to power, which
is why in my semi-regular
NPR commentaries
I challenge the
administration's
spin about the
War on Terror--and
I do so as a father
who had to help
buy body armor
for his son.
9)
What are your
feelings about
formal vs. free
verse?
I
don't write a
lot of poetry
so I'm neutral.
10)
Do you feel "flash"
fiction (300 words
or less) is a
viable form, or
nothing more than
a writing exercise?
I
think it's a wonderful
form. In fact,
I'll include the
shortest story
I ever wrote (part
of a larger piece
called "17
Movements in the
Symphony of the
Flesh"):
Harmony
They
agreed early in
their relationship
to shave each
night before bed
so that neither
would find the
other's mustache
bristle an irritant
when they kissed.
11)
When not writing,
what do you do
for amusement?
Books,
movies, games,
video games, dining
out, walking,
bicycling.
12)
What's one of
the most annoying
things you can
think of?
W
13)
Briefly describe
what you consider
to be one of your
standout childhood
pranks.
I
was senior class
president and
organized our
senior prank.
We made a dummy
and brought it
into our fourth
floor cafeteria
in six sections.
We assembled it,
slid a mask over
its head, staged
a fight, and sent
it flying out
the window. (Two
teachers with
heart conditions
were notified
in advance.)
14)
What are your
upcoming projects/works
in progress?
I've
written a screenplay
based on my Edgar-winning
play Matter of
Intent and have
begun a novelization
as well. I have
two other plays
planned and recently
completed a couple
short mystery
stories. Also,
I have a couple
of public radio
commentaries on
the drawing board.
15)
Care to conclude
with a sweeping
philosophical
statement?
As a teacher,
I try to give
voice to the voiceless.
As a writer, I
try to intrigue,
inform, and entertain.
I have no philosophical
statement, only
a personal certainty:
writing keeps
me off the ledge.
_______________
The
ShatterColors
Standard Interview
-- Author Version
©
2006 by Robert
Scott Leyse
Gary
Earl Ross
Responses
© 2007 by
Gary Earl
Ross
|
