Michael Aloisi, aka AuthorMike, approached me via email last week for an interview on his Examiner page as the Hartford Writing Examiner. He had this great idea to round-robin interviews with other Writing Examiners. Of course, since I am the Fort Worth Writing Examiner and the Dallas Speculative Fiction Examiner, I agreed!
Mike was born and raised in Western Massachusetts (that’s north of the Red River for you native Texans) and fell in love with movies very early. It was the passion, he says on his website, that drove him to attend Springfield Technical Community College, obtaining an Associate’s in Television Production. During his time there, Mike says that he realized his true dream, to go further and farther, so he moved to the Big Apple, where all good filmmakers tend to congregate at some time in their lives, to attend The School of Visual Arts, receiving a Bachelor’s in Film Directing.
Michael’s films made during film school gained high praise. One of them semi-finaled on HBO’s Project Greenlight. I remember watching Project Greenlight. I was always pleasantly surprised when they critiqued the writers and told them stuff I already knew from attending writers groups and conferences and studying writing. I would shout out, “Aha! I knew that!” Yes, it was kind of dorky and egocentric, but hey, it made me feel smart at that moment.
Here's the discussion we had:
PAT: So, now to the one thing, well, the second thing (other than being a writer) that connects you and I, your Examiner gig as the Harford Writing Examiner. I’ve had such fun with Examiner. As the Fort Worth Writing Examiner and the Dallas Speculative Fiction Examiner, I get to promote local authors and events, all things I, myself, want to know about, so the passion was there and Examiner gave me the venue to tell the world—well, at least the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex.
How did you get involved with Examiner and how has it evolved for you?
MICHAEL: A writer friend of mine writes Examiner articles about children with learning disabilities, she suggested I check out the site. I did and really liked what I saw. Being that I teach writing classes I started off using the articles as a way for my students to learn more outside of the classroom. Though as I started to write them, I realized how much I liked talking about writing! Readership also picked up quickly and now its become a very solid thing that I turn to, to get work out and to communicate with the writing community.
It was a long journey to becoming a writer, but looking back now it is easy to see I was always a storyteller. When I was in kindergarten I made up stories. I would have all the other kids sitting around me and I’d tell them about how my father was an astronaut or how I went to the super-bowl and got to hold the trophy! Of course I swore they were real stories, so I got in trouble. In high school I use to write stories in my notebook during class when I was bored, but I never thought anything of it. Later I realized how much I love movies so I went to film school. It didn’t take me long to realize that I could tell a great story on paper, but visually, I was only alright. When I graduated I still never thought I would be a writer, but I had all these ideas in my head for movies, or at least what I thought would be movies. I decided to write them down, in hopes of maybe turning them in to screenplays. Well, I started writing, realized not only was a I good at it, I loved it… I haven’t stopped writing since.
PAT: You write short stories, novels and articles, is there one that you like more than the others? Or one that you excel in more?
MICHAEL: I prefer novels. The reason being that I get to spend so much time with the same characters. I get to see them grow, develop and change over the course of the story. Though I absolutely love short stories, when I write them, I’m usually only with them a for a few days, maybe a week or two. With a novel, it is months with the same characters and plot. I love being able to dive in like that.
As for articles, I really enjoy them because it becomes and open communication with readers. A lot of the articles inspire them or starts discussions and I think that is beneficial for both the reader and I.
PAT: Do you plan out your stories or start with an idea and let it take you away?
MICHAEL: I never plan my stories. Almost all of my stories start with a “what if.” What if a guy got mugged and stabbed on the way home for work? It is a simple question, but from there you can ask a million questions. Does he live? How does it alter his life? Does he want revenge? Does he become scared to go outside? Then each of those questions brings up more questions, basically a domino affect occurs.
When I sit down to write a novel the most planning I will have is a few notes of things I might want to happen along the way. If I work them into the story, great, if not, no big deal. I know some writers plan every last detail out before they write, but I find that to boring and restrictive. I find if you that if I already know what I’m going to write about, then it doesn’t interest me. It’s just like Alfred Hitchcock said when asked what he thought about the actual filming of a movie, “I find it boring because I already know what is going to happen.”
PAT: What is your writing routine, if you have one? Do you write on a regular basis or just when inspiration inspires you?
MICHAEL: I use to have a very solid routine, now, I write when I get time. Though I try to squeeze time in every day. Even if for five minutes. It’s just like working out, five minutes is much better than nothing. Though I suggest routines for writers, I don’t need to stick to one now. I know that no matter what, I’ll be productive because I enjoy writing too much to not write.
Having written for years on trains, planes, and all over the world, I can pretty much write anywhere now. I don’t need silence or certain lighting or tea or anything at all. As long as I have my laptop, I can slip away into my own writing world. So basically, all my routines are out the door now!
As for what inspires me and keeps me writing, it’s the pure passion for the craft. I love telling stories more than anything. Honestly, I’m much happier sitting in a room writing than sitting at a club with a bunch of people. It doesn’t take much to inspire me anymore.
PAT: Mike's interview will continue Thursday, where we'll talk about his books and published works.
Read more about Mike Aloisi on his website, www.authormike.com.
~ For more articles on writing, visit my Fort Worth Writing Examiner Page. For more about my books, articles, short stories, writing events, and more visit PatHauldren.com. And don't forget to add me to your favorite networking sites, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, for instant updates.
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