Interview with Pat Hauldren Part 1

Continuing my author interview series I recently sat down with Science Fiction and article writer, Pat Hauldren. Pat is the owner of the editing company, Edit Alley, is the co-founder of the North Texas Speculative Fiction Workshop and is the, Dallas Speculative Fiction Examiner, Dallas Women's Sports Examiner, Fort Worth Hockey Examiner and Fort Worth Writing Examiner. Along with maintaining all of those columns, she also writes poetry, short stories and novels. Below is the conversation we had.

AuthorMike-How did you get into writing?
Pat Hauldren-How did I start writing or writing to publish? I've always written. At ten, I turned in a short story about germs attacking the earth and killing all the humans. My fifth grade teacher said it was "Unholy" and ditched it in the trash. She's the same teacher who constantly repeated, "Cleanliness is next to Godliness". Hey, I was ten. Clean wasn't a top priority :). This was in the not-so-big town of Dime Box, Texas, where we had 3 classes to one classroom and teacher. You can imagine, I didn't get a lot of learning done that year. "New Math" just emerged in elementary school and the teachers I knew had no idea what it was. Might as well have been gibberish to me too. (Which is how I developed a severe math allergy.)

Writing to publish? About ten years ago. I thought I could do more and just writing for myself wasn't as satisfying anymore. Also, I was having health problems and doing chemo and finally, got put on disability. No more working, but my brain didn't die, so I returned to writing, which hadn't been much more than a dream when I worked full time, went to night school, and raised two kids.

I decided that if I couldn't work, I could write and publish, so I began attending workshops and crit groups, learning and soaking up techniques like a veritable sponge. (I have the brain of a sponge, with a lot of holes in it LOL).

So you could say, the ethereal creative universe has helped me become the thing I've always wanted to be, a writer. But I wouldn't wish my journey on anyone.

AM-You write articles, poetry, short stories and novels, is there one that you like more than the others? Or one that you excel in more?
PH-Poetry depends on how much beer I drink. During a creative writing class way back when, my instructor insisted we write 3 poems. I'm so bad at poetry, I whined to him, never having progressed past teenage angst. He said don't worry about being good, just write them. Of course, I waited until the last minute, and the night before they were due, I had a few beers and wrote a few poems. Two ended up getting published, and one won an award. Not bad for Shiner Bock poetry, eh?

I actually like my novels the best, and they are what I get to work on the least. I'm busy with articles now, trying to get my name out there and get some experience and a little $ and I enjoy them, but not like writing novels. Short stories come in #2, as their short form is a limitation for me. I keep going on and on :).

AM-You are a big science fiction fan, what draws you to that genre?
PH-Not really sure. Perhaps it was my Mom reading stories to me as a baby. Not having a lot of books, she read encyclopedias and dictionaries to me as well. Then, there's the space race that coincided with my youth, so that influenced me a lot. I just felt drawn to science. For me, it's like wonderland and science fiction and fantasy are the quintessential wonderlands for me. Everything is "what if?” And there are few limitations. I'm definitely addicted. (I'm also a member of the local chapter of the National Space Society.)

I also dabble in screenplays, haiku and now, Noh dramas. I took a workshop just last month at SMU on Japanese Noh dramas by the Theatre Nohgaku. What a creative wonderland! Noh dramas are very strict but very rich in detail.

AM-Does SF influence most of you’re your writing?
PH-It is my writing. Speculative Fiction (what I call SF, because most of my work is more Fantasy) is what comes out when I write, no matter how I try not to. I have written a few short stories that were not SF, but they will never see the light of day.

AM-Do you plan out your stories or start with an idea and let it take you away?
PH-I never plan my stores. I couldn't plot my way out of a paper sack. Seriously. I am compelled to write by a dream or a thought or idea or something that strikes me as odd. I write and let it unfold. I don't control it, I can't.

For novels, once I've got about 10K words of first draft, then I kind of know if the story might hold up for a book length work, and I start asking questions, and doing some brainstorming, which is sort of a loose plotting. Then, I usually know where I'm headed on an overall story arc and how I expect to end it, but I never limit myself to that.

Be sure to read Part 2 of this interview.  And check out her website, PatHauldren.com

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