Adam Graham Interview

The following is part of a marketing co-op for a writing group I am a member of. I will be posting several interviews during the month of October in return for my interview being posted by each of the people interviewed. By the way, I did not supply the questions.

For my next interview, please welcome Adam Graham, who will be posting my interview at POV Boot Camp. I did a short review of Adam’s book, Tales of the Dim Knight, last January. My review appears here.

Q: Adam, how long have you been writing?
A: Since I was eight, almost nine years old. Before the San Francisco Earthquake, I was writing Batman-Superman Fanfiction.

Q: Where do you get your ideas for your stories?
A: Everywhere: Sermons at church, out of the blue. Sometimes, I’ll get ideas from TV shows, particularly one where I don’t enjoy the episode and I imagine how it really should be told.

Q: What are your thoughts on critique groups?
A: It’s a mixed bag. On one hand, if you get a knowledgeable, supportive critique partner, it can be a blessing. On the other hand, there are bad critique groups, arrogant critiquers, etc. So proceed with caution.

Q: Have you dealt with writer’s block? If so, how did you overcome it?
A: Yes. I’ve generally tried not to sit there and stare at blank screens. At some point, to quote the great Kenny Rogers, you have to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em. And sometimes, the best thing to do is to do something else, rest your mind, and come back.

Q: Do you find a part of your personality sneaking into any of your characters?
A: Here and there, probably the clown and sarcastic tendencies are the ones most likely to appear.

Q: Were there any scenes you found difficult to write? Made you angry or made you cry?
A: I’m working on a Short Story that’s trying to become a novelette and the final confrontation scene was very tough. The story deals with child abuse and I kept wanting to handle the whole thing more clinically. What we finally ended up writing after much coaxing from my wife, was something that packs more of a punch, and did make me cry writing it.

Q: Do you use outlines or let the story develop on its own?
A: Mostly on its own. I know where I’m starting and I have a general idea where I’m going. I let the story happen as it goes.

Q: Tell us a little about yourself. What do you like to do when you are not writing? What is your temperament, etc.?
A: I love old time radio and radio drama in general. Spend a lot of time listening to that and producing podcasts on old time radio.

Q: With a full schedule, how do you find time to write?
A: I’ve invented something called a caffeine IV. Sadly, don’t find enough.

Q: When creating a character, where do you begin? Do you give them a background even if it may never be mentioned in the storyline?
A: I really try to get to know the character organically, through telling the story and listening to them. I tried once writing down all the details and I never got through all the details and never wrote the story.

Q: Can you share one or two nuggets of wisdom to those wanting to travel down the writing road?
A: In modern writing, there are two types of rules: 1) rules that are absolute and hard and fast and 2) things that are a matter of opinion and style but get stated as rules. A good writer has to be able to tell the difference.

Q: Where can readers find your books and contact information?
A: My website, Tales of the Dim Knight and Amazon.