Ask the Author: C.J. Cannatelli
Answered Questions (13)
C.J. Cannatelli
"I saw a man standing in my yard through the glass patio doors. I screamed the moment I realized that it was his reflection."
C.J. Cannatelli
The research for "The Steiner House" (first book) took over six years, the writing itself took six to eight months. Editing took two years because I didn't have an editor at the time.
C.J. Cannatelli
Absolutely. For example, Bridget (Jacqueline's mother) is a combination of my mother and my Titi Lucy.
C.J. Cannatelli
Not really. All of my character's names are based on the meaning of the name. I research different names by meaning and decide that way.
Places are always easy for me. I like to go explore each new location and decide if it's right for the work.
Places are always easy for me. I like to go explore each new location and decide if it's right for the work.
C.J. Cannatelli
There are an additional 2,000+ pages of Steiner related material that may or may not be released.
I have hundreds of outlines to pick from and quite a few articles I've never published. Short stories here and there, mostly creepypasta. I have about three dozen half finished novels.
I have hundreds of outlines to pick from and quite a few articles I've never published. Short stories here and there, mostly creepypasta. I have about three dozen half finished novels.
C.J. Cannatelli
Either in the comfort of my own home, or a few other places. I typically go for a drive, blast some music, sing loudly and take memos on ideas.
If I'm lucky, I go on a remote getaway to a creepy location once or twice, sometimes more a year. I spend up to two weeks at a time in my location, exploring horrors and writing about them.
If I'm lucky, I go on a remote getaway to a creepy location once or twice, sometimes more a year. I spend up to two weeks at a time in my location, exploring horrors and writing about them.
C.J. Cannatelli
It varies wildly. Mostly, characteristics of people I know are meshed together to create one character. For example, Bridget in "The Steiner House" is a combination of my mother and my Titi Lucy.
Second option is that a character is solely based on a real person. Adrian Steiner is a good example of this.
Second option is that a character is solely based on a real person. Adrian Steiner is a good example of this.
C.J. Cannatelli
This question is extremely tough for me to answer.
Writer's block exists on two different levels. Are you having a creativity/idea block or are you unable to put the words on paper?
For idea blocks, as I stated in a previous question, write down and vague pieces of ideas, characters, places, things, ANYTHING. Eventually, if you do this long enough, you'll be able to piece them together and create a story.
For the inability to actually get the words out, I KNOW a thesaurus can appear very tempting. Avoid it at all costs. People don't want to open a dictionary every other word. Try writing an outline, just a general gist of the plot, and when you're struggling to write, reference the outline. *NOTE: NO OUTLINE IS FINAL. IT CAN ALWAYS BE CHANGED.
Writer's block exists on two different levels. Are you having a creativity/idea block or are you unable to put the words on paper?
For idea blocks, as I stated in a previous question, write down and vague pieces of ideas, characters, places, things, ANYTHING. Eventually, if you do this long enough, you'll be able to piece them together and create a story.
For the inability to actually get the words out, I KNOW a thesaurus can appear very tempting. Avoid it at all costs. People don't want to open a dictionary every other word. Try writing an outline, just a general gist of the plot, and when you're struggling to write, reference the outline. *NOTE: NO OUTLINE IS FINAL. IT CAN ALWAYS BE CHANGED.
C.J. Cannatelli
Several things:
1. No matter how tedious it may seem, learn to type and type well. My typing speed enables me to write about a hundred pages a day, if life allows me to. It also makes the editing process a hell of a lot easier.
2. There are no bad ideas. Throw together an outline, no matter how ridiculous the idea may seem, and work out the kinks later.
3. All smartphones have a memo app. USE THIS AT ALL TIMES. I wake up at 2 am and immediately start typing vague memos that will only make sense to me. Dreams can be a treasure trove for a writer. Write down every idea, no matter how vague or incomplete, and eventually, you will be able to put these memos together to create something magnificent.
4. BE PERSISTENT. If your story doesn't work out, DO NOT EVER, EVER, EVER TOSS OUT THE ENTIRE THING. Scan through the entire document carefully and salvage what you can.
Most importantly, believe in yourself. There will be times you will doubt that writing is for you, but anyone with patience and a vague idea can do it!
1. No matter how tedious it may seem, learn to type and type well. My typing speed enables me to write about a hundred pages a day, if life allows me to. It also makes the editing process a hell of a lot easier.
2. There are no bad ideas. Throw together an outline, no matter how ridiculous the idea may seem, and work out the kinks later.
3. All smartphones have a memo app. USE THIS AT ALL TIMES. I wake up at 2 am and immediately start typing vague memos that will only make sense to me. Dreams can be a treasure trove for a writer. Write down every idea, no matter how vague or incomplete, and eventually, you will be able to put these memos together to create something magnificent.
4. BE PERSISTENT. If your story doesn't work out, DO NOT EVER, EVER, EVER TOSS OUT THE ENTIRE THING. Scan through the entire document carefully and salvage what you can.
Most importantly, believe in yourself. There will be times you will doubt that writing is for you, but anyone with patience and a vague idea can do it!
C.J. Cannatelli
For this, I'm going to quote my work "A Writer's Burden" from the creepypasta book, "The Creeps."
"Everyone has a secret desire that most people never know how to express. Whether or not they realize it, everyone wants to tell a story. Everyone secretly wishes they could be a writer. To have that control over the lives of others, fictional or not, is something everyone has always dreamed of. To make your perfect couple fall in love and kill off a symbol of your greatest enemy is to truly live through your characters. It's the greatest gift of all, having the ability to express those thoughts on paper."
"Everyone has a secret desire that most people never know how to express. Whether or not they realize it, everyone wants to tell a story. Everyone secretly wishes they could be a writer. To have that control over the lives of others, fictional or not, is something everyone has always dreamed of. To make your perfect couple fall in love and kill off a symbol of your greatest enemy is to truly live through your characters. It's the greatest gift of all, having the ability to express those thoughts on paper."
C.J. Cannatelli
I see every day things as something dark and disturbing. For example, you're driving down the street and see garbage bags on the curb, waiting to be picked up by garbage trucks. I imagine there's dismembered body parts in those bags.
C.J. Cannatelli
Quite a few things are in the works. The main project at the moment is the additional information for The Steiner House Saga Collector's Box. There will be quite a lot of new information in there that my readers have never seen before.
Secondly, I'm working on two collaboration creepypasta books.
Secondly, I'm working on two collaboration creepypasta books.
C.J. Cannatelli
My most recent work, The Steiner House Saga, took twelve years to write, edit and publish. Growing up, I had always wanted to write a vampire book, but upon the new teenage culture of glamorized vampirism, I decided to take the series into a more psychological direction. It was created to target glamorized murder in the media.
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