Ryan Callaway's Blog - Posts Tagged "ted-dekker"
Interview with David WiseHart (Part 1)
I'm not much of a blogger (I have never liked talking about myself) so I don't imagine posting too often here but to start off, this is an interview released back when "Lights Out" was published back in August of 2010.
http://kindle-author.blogspot.com/201...
DAVID WISEHART: What can you tell us about Lights Out?
RYAN CALLAWAY: Lights Out is a pretty simple but compelling story about a bad decision leading to a night a horror. The protagonist Durrell has been struggling financially and is presented with the opportunity to earn easy money and security by joining a gang. To join he has to participate in what's called the "Lights Out Initiation"—drive around late at night with the headlights of his vehicle off and wait for someone to give a courtesy flash. Then chase and murder that person in cold blood. On this night, Durrell is out with his girlfriend Jennifer and two senior gang members Ben and Damien.
A white van passes and flashes its headlights, leading to a pursuit down a long dark path. When they finally catch up to the vehicle it's idling in the middle of the road with the driver's door open and engine running. Durrell is forced to get out to carry out his task, but the driver has abandoned the van, leaving a cache of corpses in the back. At the same time, one of the others vanishes while no one is looking. The remaining three try to get back to town for help but end up trapped on the road—and find themselves in a cat and mouse game with something far more evil than any of them.
DAVID WISEHART: How do you create and maintain dramatic tension?
RYAN CALLAWAY: There are a few different tools I utilize. One is making sure that the reader is connected to the character(s) in the scene as much as possible. We have to be in his or her head. That's always important because a character we don't know and care about won't provide the same tension as one we love. I then pick different fears or phobias that the character has that are common to most people. Be it claustrophobia, fear of the dark, or even some of the childhood fears a lot of us seem to hang onto. Often when something frightening or suspenseful is happening around us, time seems to stand still. And that time leaves us alone with our thoughts which can sometimes make the situation all the more stressful. I try to maintain that throughout Lights Out because, in essence, it's a story taking place over the course of about 12 hours. But 12 hours can seem like an eternity when you want it to end—especially under frightful circumstances. So using the characters to portray that is one of my favorite ways to create that tension. It can also be in the descriptions, certain word choices, and even what you depict first. Applying frightening characteristics to everyday sights, for instance. There is a sort of "art form" to it and one that I find challenging and fun as a writer and reader.
DAVID WISEHART: How do you develop and differentiate your characters?
RYAN CALLAWAY: Well the "cast" is relatively small which makes it easier to identify all of them, and it also allowed me to develop them as fully as possible, despite the story being relatively short as far as real time. Durrell and Jennifer are the ones we spend the most time with, and both characters were based off of good friends of mine. Neither one is in a gang, I should mention. :) But Durrell is a basically goodhearted but, in this instance, foolish young man, and Jennifer is a sweetheart but hardened by life's experiences. Horrific situations can allow you to really delve into a character's mindset and discover who they really are deep inside. And the scenarios they both are presented with throughout the story reveal both of them pretty well. The other characters are developed as much as necessary, but Durrell and Jennifer were my focus.
DAVID WISEHART: Your story begins with a gang about to commit a crime. How do you establish reader sympathy for your lead character?
RYAN CALLAWAY: This was something I really thought about when I was developing the story. For Durrell, he's a kid who was taken care of by his grandmother all of his life, who now sees her beginning to break down, and he isn't able to return the support she once offered him. With the use of some carefully placed flashbacks and introspective character thoughts, I reveal that this wasn't an easy decision for Durrell. It's something he resorted to out of desperation. Right from the beginning readers will discover that he really is a nice guy—he's just made a stupid decision. Same with Jennifer and to a lesser extent Ben and Damien.
A lot of the people in gangs today, carrying out all sorts of violence and evil, aren't doing it because it's something they enjoy. Many of them do it because of the poverty they were born into, or the violence and abuse they experienced in their homes early on. There are a lot of factors that can lead to such a lifestyle. I don't excuse them, I'm all about justice and accepting responsibility for your actions—but living close to Camden and Philadelphia, I know quite a bit about what desperation can lead people to do. We all make bad decisions, some are just a lot worse than others. And a lot more costly.
DAVID WISEHART: Who do you imagine is your ideal reader?
RYAN CALLAWAY: Pretty much anyone who can enjoy a good horror/suspense story. There is some drama and a bit of romance, and redemptive elements are sown throughout as well. So it's not just a horror story for the sake of horror—there are several good themes I think a variety of readers might enjoy.
http://kindle-author.blogspot.com/201...
DAVID WISEHART: What can you tell us about Lights Out?
RYAN CALLAWAY: Lights Out is a pretty simple but compelling story about a bad decision leading to a night a horror. The protagonist Durrell has been struggling financially and is presented with the opportunity to earn easy money and security by joining a gang. To join he has to participate in what's called the "Lights Out Initiation"—drive around late at night with the headlights of his vehicle off and wait for someone to give a courtesy flash. Then chase and murder that person in cold blood. On this night, Durrell is out with his girlfriend Jennifer and two senior gang members Ben and Damien.
A white van passes and flashes its headlights, leading to a pursuit down a long dark path. When they finally catch up to the vehicle it's idling in the middle of the road with the driver's door open and engine running. Durrell is forced to get out to carry out his task, but the driver has abandoned the van, leaving a cache of corpses in the back. At the same time, one of the others vanishes while no one is looking. The remaining three try to get back to town for help but end up trapped on the road—and find themselves in a cat and mouse game with something far more evil than any of them.
DAVID WISEHART: How do you create and maintain dramatic tension?
RYAN CALLAWAY: There are a few different tools I utilize. One is making sure that the reader is connected to the character(s) in the scene as much as possible. We have to be in his or her head. That's always important because a character we don't know and care about won't provide the same tension as one we love. I then pick different fears or phobias that the character has that are common to most people. Be it claustrophobia, fear of the dark, or even some of the childhood fears a lot of us seem to hang onto. Often when something frightening or suspenseful is happening around us, time seems to stand still. And that time leaves us alone with our thoughts which can sometimes make the situation all the more stressful. I try to maintain that throughout Lights Out because, in essence, it's a story taking place over the course of about 12 hours. But 12 hours can seem like an eternity when you want it to end—especially under frightful circumstances. So using the characters to portray that is one of my favorite ways to create that tension. It can also be in the descriptions, certain word choices, and even what you depict first. Applying frightening characteristics to everyday sights, for instance. There is a sort of "art form" to it and one that I find challenging and fun as a writer and reader.
DAVID WISEHART: How do you develop and differentiate your characters?
RYAN CALLAWAY: Well the "cast" is relatively small which makes it easier to identify all of them, and it also allowed me to develop them as fully as possible, despite the story being relatively short as far as real time. Durrell and Jennifer are the ones we spend the most time with, and both characters were based off of good friends of mine. Neither one is in a gang, I should mention. :) But Durrell is a basically goodhearted but, in this instance, foolish young man, and Jennifer is a sweetheart but hardened by life's experiences. Horrific situations can allow you to really delve into a character's mindset and discover who they really are deep inside. And the scenarios they both are presented with throughout the story reveal both of them pretty well. The other characters are developed as much as necessary, but Durrell and Jennifer were my focus.
DAVID WISEHART: Your story begins with a gang about to commit a crime. How do you establish reader sympathy for your lead character?
RYAN CALLAWAY: This was something I really thought about when I was developing the story. For Durrell, he's a kid who was taken care of by his grandmother all of his life, who now sees her beginning to break down, and he isn't able to return the support she once offered him. With the use of some carefully placed flashbacks and introspective character thoughts, I reveal that this wasn't an easy decision for Durrell. It's something he resorted to out of desperation. Right from the beginning readers will discover that he really is a nice guy—he's just made a stupid decision. Same with Jennifer and to a lesser extent Ben and Damien.
A lot of the people in gangs today, carrying out all sorts of violence and evil, aren't doing it because it's something they enjoy. Many of them do it because of the poverty they were born into, or the violence and abuse they experienced in their homes early on. There are a lot of factors that can lead to such a lifestyle. I don't excuse them, I'm all about justice and accepting responsibility for your actions—but living close to Camden and Philadelphia, I know quite a bit about what desperation can lead people to do. We all make bad decisions, some are just a lot worse than others. And a lot more costly.
DAVID WISEHART: Who do you imagine is your ideal reader?
RYAN CALLAWAY: Pretty much anyone who can enjoy a good horror/suspense story. There is some drama and a bit of romance, and redemptive elements are sown throughout as well. So it's not just a horror story for the sake of horror—there are several good themes I think a variety of readers might enjoy.
