Do you have any suggestions to help me become a better writer? If so, what are they?
Always carry a book with you. Always carry paper and pen. You never know.
How do you come up with character names for your stories?
The names float down from above. It doesn’t hurt to use the middle names of people you know.
How long did it take you to write this book?
The stories in the collection were written over a period of four years.
How many hours a day do you write?
Three hours in the middle of the night and then another hour or two in the afternoon. I am always writing in my head, though.
If you could meet your characters, what would you say to them?
“Don’t kill me.”
If you could spend a day with another popular author, whom would you choose?
Just because you like an author’s work doesn’t mean you will like the author. I am sure Dylan Thomas was tiresome after one beer. And I wouldn’t be pleased that he stole my white dress shirts, which one of his biographers said he was prone to do. I would rather spend time with a nice, loving person, preferably of the opposite swex.
What advice would you give to help others create plotlines?
What does your main character want? Do they get it or do they not get it?
What comes first for you — the plot or the characters — and why?
The characters. The characters make the plot. They don’t shut up.
What do you need in your writing space to help you stay focused?
Silence.
What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about writing?
When you are stuck, try doing the opposite of what you had intended.
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