Ask the Author: Sam Hilliard
Answered Questions (5)
Sam Hilliard
A trip to a very creepy building, in a town filled with the ruins of shuttered facilities that once warehoused thousands of patients and inmates.
Sam Hilliard
The process supplies its own inspiration. Because it's much easier to keep working once the first sentence hits the screen, I try not to walk away for too many days in a row until the manuscript is finished.
Sam Hilliard
Your interest in the characters and their stories are paramount; the final manuscript will reflect this basic curiosity on every page. That is not to say you must love or even like the characters in the slightest bit. In fact, you might hate them a great deal. They might be despicable, evil constructs from the darkest alcoves of a very unhinged mind. But you must never, ever be able to ignore a character. If the writer can't ignore or dismiss a character, then the reader probably won't be able to, either. And this reaction can only happen when the writer is interested.
Sam Hilliard
Getting paid to talk to myself at a keyboard without getting committed or fired for it.
Sam Hilliard
Within the bounds of a writing project, especially one that can last months or years like a novel, there's a time to crack the throttle and there's a time to hike through the woods. Accepting that these two moments are not mutually exclusive, and in fact necessary part of the process, keeps the project fun and interest levels high.
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