Ask the Author: Michael Potts
Answered Questions (11)
Michael Potts
Mike Duran, "The Resurrection"
Alexandra Grigorescu, "Cauchemar"
Joe R. Lansdale, "The Shadows, Kith and Kin"
Stephen Chobosky, "Imaginary Friend"
Alexandra Grigorescu, "Cauchemar"
Joe R. Lansdale, "The Shadows, Kith and Kin"
Stephen Chobosky, "Imaginary Friend"
Michael Potts
"All is unity, all is love, all is harmony," said Becky the New Ager. 'I agree wholeheartedly," says Bob as he slits her chest and eats her whole heart.
Michael Potts
I would travel to the Shire in J. R. R. Tolkien's world. It is the kind of idyllic existence I remember as a child growing up in the country.
Michael Potts
Sorry for the delay in answering--this is my first question and a good one. I have long been aware of your interest because I share it. My second book, Unpardonable Sin, goes into it in more detail (though in a darker and much more fictional direction than End of Summer). End of Summer is semi-autobiographical, with the exception that my parents were not killed in an accident--I wanted to focus on the boy and his grandfather. I must have been in fourth or fifth grade when my dad brought a stethoscope home from work (he was a dialysis tech), and I was hooked--and eventually it morphed into the present form as an interest/obsession/fetish. I wanted to write a literary novel that was good, yet went into that side of the main character's personality. I hope you do get the book and enjoy reading it.
Michael Potts
It is difficult to make a living as a writer; some write ad copy to help out; others write articles for popular magazines. There is no guarantee of success in writing. I don't think you have to write every day, though I tend to write a little every day on either a literary or academic project. If you want to make a living as a writer, at least find a minimum of four hours a day to dedicate to writing, preferably more. That means writing when you're not in the mood to write. It takes one hec of a lot of motivation. Find a time to read--lunch, an hour before bedtime, on rising--but you need to read the best literature. Each person is different; some have children, some don't, some have full-time jobs, others don't. That makes it difficult to give more specific advice.
Michael Potts
I read, or if I'm exhausted, I lie down and take a cat nap. Taking a walk in the woods or some other pleasant place is great for ending writer's block.
Michael Potts
The joy of making a new work that can entertain other people is great, as well as the change to preserve and make sacred one's own memories in a fictional setting.
Michael Potts
Read, read, read as much as you can, literary fiction as well as fiction in your genre. Revise, revise, revise, then revise again. Have someone look over your work other than a friend or a family member. Remember that constructive criticism is what it takes to be a better writer. Finally, write. Don't go too many days without writing something. Sure, it may be crap, but all first drafts are crap, even those by famous writers. Write it, and if it's not too crappy to save, revise it until it is good.
Michael Potts
I am currently revising a full-length horror screenplay, "Obedience," which is about a teenage girl facing the madness of her Fundamentalist preacher father.
Michael Potts
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Michael Potts
As a young teenager, I was miserable mainly because I thought I had blasphemed the Holy Ghost and was going to hell. In addition, I often dreamed of a demon that looked something like a cross between the ancient Greek comedy mask and the salt-sucking creature from the original Star Trek. I decided to combine the two events with a demon causing the main character, Jeffrey Conley, to have obsessive thoughts. I tried an interesting tactic--making the demon a Lovecraftean being in Azathoth's court who disguises himself as a demon in the Christian tradition. His goal is to get Jeffrey to despair and commit suicide so it can feed on the ruins of Jeffrey's despair. A final strand that went into this book is my "quirk" of being obsessed with the human (physical) heart. Together, they make for a unique and frightening book.
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