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Author Interview



World of Writing - Author Interview

I first met today's guest through an online writer's group that we both attend occasionally, where members read their work and get feedback, or we discuss an aspect of the world of writing. It's kinda fun! :) Stephen Porter, a fellow Canadian author residing in Toronto (ON), is our featured guest today. His first book, Teaching in the Spirit, is a guide to help teachers bring more meaning into the classroom. The Quick and the Quirky - his second book - is a collection of short stories which, he tells me: "...range from science fiction to noir and several genres in between".  https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Quirky-Stephen-F-C-Porter/dp/0995960321. ..check out Steve's blog at: https://stephens-scribblings-and-scrawls.blogspot.com/



Q: How have your books gotten published?

My first book was handled very professionally by Ingramspark Publishers. So my formatter, Joan Franstchuk, suggested I go with them again. When my manuscript was complete I sent it to her and she handled all the adjustments needed for it to go onto ebooks. We’re a long way removed from packing our manuscript in a jiffy bag and mailing it. There was a fair amount of back and forth to get things right, add the cover, inside pictures and bio. Once complete it is simple to go through the publishing process and within a couple of weeks my proof copy arrived.

Q: What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?

I try to always add some humour, often rather dark, to my stories in order take them away from the everyday and predictable. There are a couple of stories, such a Smoking Bullets, about a school massacre, which of course did not suit that kind of humour, but for the most part I think it also provides the reader with a little light relief.



Q: 
Do you have any suggestions to help others become a better writer?

This is the same thing I have suggested in a couple of workshops I have given. The first advice is to write. That might sound facetious but many people hesitate, or they worry they don’t have the writing skills. If an idea comes into your head, jot it down anywhere. I prefer sticky notes. After that, add every detail that comes into your head and put it on more notes. Then when you are ready, take those ideas and simply write everything that comes into your head. They are not etched in stone, you will change things over and over in the rewrite but the scaffold will be there.


Q: What was your favorite book when you were a child?

I was a bit of an odd puppy as a child. The first time I read a novel outside of being forced in school, was when I was 18. The story was Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. I took it away with me when I went out of town for a summer job. Once I started I couldn’t put it down. Before that I had read quite voraciously, but was nerdy stuff, Encyclopedias, History and other nonfiction. I hadn’t realized how engrossing a novel could be.


Q: As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

As a child I wanted to be a professional hockey goalie. Full stop. I mean I dabbled with the idea of becoming a rock star from time to time. Our parents build us a huge skating rink spanning two back yards, and we had a lot of boys in the neighbourhood, so all winter we were tied to that rink. I always insisted on playing goal, no matter what kids made up my team. When I was approaching middle age, that backfired when I was playing goal in a pickup game and did the splits to stop the puck, tore all the groin and hamstring muscles and that was that. But I still play the guitar and sing.


Q: What makes a good story?

I think the most important thing is characters. If you have good characters you can put them into a fairly uninteresting story and they still come to life. Many great books have limited action, but you still want to read because you like the people. That’s not to diminish the importance of plot, but a good plot with characters nobody cares about will not be a page turner.



Q: What makes you write in certain genres?

I tend to write the same genres I read. I have a short attention span, pretty much ADD, and so I have trouble reading an entire novel, although of course if it a favourite author like Neil Gaimon, then I glide though it with ease. However, I prefer the short story. I always admired the sci-fi writers from the golden age of Science Fiction, such as Bradbury and Clarke, so my first writing was as a homage to those stories. But I became more interested in hard science fiction as time went on. I love the horror of Poe and Lovecraft so I inject some of their elements into my story. Humour is integral though to my stories. I don’t take myself too seriously.


Q: Do you insert your own characteristics in your writing?

I do tend to look at the world with a rather skewed amusement. The human race is pretty ridiculous when you look at it. The things we spend our lives chasing, the politics, the blind ambition. Not that we shouldn’t aspire to things, but we seem to be always looking for the next high instead of living in them moment. So I feel my characters need to have some sense of the absurd in their character. 



Q: Who are your favorite authors/poets?


Many of the classic sci-fi writers occupy my bookshelves at home. I am partial to the short stories. However Neil Gaimon, Clive Barker and Isaac Asimov can induce me to read a longer work. During university I picked up a love for the classic French writers such as Sartre, Camus, Gide and Antoine de St. Exupery. My first exposure to them was in the French Language and I drawn in to their views of life, how they picked up on all the details of the everyday.




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Comments

  1. Thank you Stephen for joining us for this awesome discussion !

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love your stories and the way you read them with so much talent. You are a blessing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, Steve does present his work very well re: reading live in the Tuesday Indie Writer's group. :)

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