This months interview is with writer Jonathan Neary from East Hampton New York.
Question 1. Who or what introduced you to the world of writing?
"As far as poetry and songwriting goes, Gavin Rossdale of the band Bush was always an inspiration, and my mom first introduced me to the band when they debuted in the ‘90s. As far as other genres, the first book I really got into was S.E. Hinton’s “The Outsiders,” which was probably what inspired me to write about things I saw in high school. As far as nature writing goes, “Into Thin Air” and “Into The Wild” by John Krakaur were two excellent examples of how to keep my work straight forward and somewhat simple to maintain the focus of the audience while finding other ways to be creative and descriptive. I feel that learning how to be descriptive is the first start to good writing, learning how to use it tastefully and modestly is what leads to great writing. Lastly I’d have to pay homage to my high school teachers and my college professors Jim Reed and Tom Jaques."
Question 2. Do you remember your first writing project?
"Technically my first project was when I was nine-years-old, when I wrote a chiller style short story, however my first real fictional work other than poetry and song lyrics was when I was 15. It started out as a four page assignment for an English class, but later turned into a 57 page story named “My Indian Summer,” which was based on some of the darker events in my town. It addressed alcoholism and death as is typical in some high schools, along with the drama it brings. I thought this was more realistic for my high school than those television shows where the only drama is who dumped who, and this darker style has since been found in a lot of my other work."
Question 3. If you were stranded on a desert island and allowed an endless supply of certain writing supplies what would it be and why?
"First and foremost I would need endless stacks of loose leaf paper, preferably the ones with light blue lines as I’m not a fan of the cheap navy, it clashes with the ink too much. I’d also need a couple of good ballpoint pens. To perfect my writing techniques I’d bring “Making Shapely Fiction” by Jerome Stern, which is honestly one of the best guides to creative writing I’ve ever found. It was recommended to me by a writing professor I had, and it doesn’t just show you the proper ways to do things, but it also helps to inspire you and get you started on new topics and how to develop all aspects of your work, which is useful for both beginners and veterans alike. Oh, and I can’t forget the stapler, all that paper blowing around would be a hassle for written work!"
Question 4. What have you always wanted to learn?
"One thing I’ve always wanted to learn is how to write sci-fi or suspense. I think this taps into a very imaginative part of the brain and would like to learn how to effectively use mine. Although since even the most creative original thought comes from experiences (whether in real life or observed on television, as we typically can’t write about something that we’ve never been exposed to) I’d like to learn how to twist my own knowledge creatively for such things."
Question 5. What project do you have going on right now and what is the next one?
"Currently I’m working on the hardest project, finding inspiration for my next plot. I don’t have any direction yet but what I hope to work on soon is a flash fiction piece, which is a glimpse of a story that has a much larger picture behind it yet can stand alone in under 500 words. I’ve written a couple of these before and I’m currently thinking of what the subject of my next work will be."
One of my favorite flavors of ice cream is "dulce de leche" from Haagen-Dazs. The caramel dotted here and there throughout the vanilla ice cream is never enough...and I always feel guilty when I go digging for just the caramel parts leaving nothing for anyone else. Someone told me they know of a caramel sauce that tastes just like the caramel in the ice cream. These little tubs are only about an inch and a half tall and come with a tiny spoon. I no longer have to be a caramel thief...it does taste exactly the same! You can add it to ice cream, spread on cakes or eat it out of the tub because it's not too sweet. I think I would like to try dipping granny smith apple slices into it!
