MADHOUSE GETS NEW PATIENT: BRIAN COTTINGTON

PATIENT: BRIAN COTTINGTON
ILLNESS: FILM 

1.      When did you start getting involved in the art? Where did you study?

I had been involved in art period since I was able to hold a pencil in my hands.  As a kid, I would draw and paint pictures of everything from superheroes to monsters.  When I was in high school, I was heavily involved with Manga and Anime.  I loved the visuals that Anime had with movies like Vampire Hunter D and shows like Dragon Ball Z.  At that time, I was convinced that I was going to be a animator and draw anime cartoons for a living…. that all changed when I took a TV/Video class in my senior year. 

In that class, I learned what video production was and got my hands on all the modes of production: pre production, production, and post.  I loved every minute of it even when everyone else in the class viewed it as a blow off class. 

During the latter half of my senior year, I had to come up with a project that I had to complete in order to graduate.  I had written the paper for the project at the beginning of the year; it was on the existence of ghosts through scientific means.  Up until the TV/Video class, I was under the impression that I would perform a ghost hunt as my project.  Then one day I came up with the idea of making a Hollywood styled interpretation of ghosts in a short 15 minute film called, “Banshee.” 

 

I was still relatively new with video and had never actually shot anything that was a narrative.  So I spent weeks writing the script for Banshee in study hall.  The story was a simple one:  A murdered Irish immigrant girl haunts the house of a boy and slowly kills off each of his friends until they finally must confront each other and do battle.  Sounds really cool except that most it was chock full of plot holes and half of the footage that would help explain elements of the film were never in fact shot.  I ended up breaking every single rule in the book of filmmaking for the worse.  A friend of mine who acted in the film was electrocuted and stung by a bee in the same day.  I was convinced at that point that the film was cursed, but the damage had been done; I had caught the film bug and knew that it was what I wanted to dedicate my life to doing. 

After two years at a community college, all the while making another short film called, “Batmen”.  I ended up transferring to Robert Morris University for their Media Arts-TV/Video program.  It was primarily based around creating TV production, but the elements were the same for creating short films.  I got heavily involved in the campus TV station; first working on their variety show called, RMU Live, and working my way up to Co-Producing a film review/comedy show called Prime Cuts Theater.  For 2 years, I wrote, edited, starred, and produced Prime Cuts Theater, ultimately making it one of the most popular shows on RMU TV’s line up.  All the while, I still made short horror films that kept getting better and more sophisticated with each one. 

When I graduated RMU, I entered a market where there were ZERO job opportunities.  I started doing freelance video for a bit, which was paying off but not in the way of real money.  When I was at RMU, as much as I enjoyed my time there, I saw that there were some things that I disagreed with when it came to teaching of some subjects.  I found that freedom to teach advanced techniques to those who wanted to try it were not encouraged.  So I decided that teaching film and video would be something I could do along with making my own films.  So I enrolled in Chatham University’s MFA in Film Program with a desire to improve on my ability to tell a story visually.  I had learned a lot of technique at RMU, but content and storytelling was not thoroughly explored.   

2.      Where do you get your inspiration?

A lot of my inspiration comes from other horror films as well as my own experiences.  I believe that nothing is ever truly original.  It is all a matter of how we construct the pieces in our own way.  For example, “Tablet of Tales” is very similar to Dr. Terror’s House of Horror.  The twist ending and structure of the stories are almost identical.  The only difference is how I interpret the elements left behind by a movie like Dr. Terror. 

The current film I’m writing, pulls a lot from the possession movies of the 70’s and 80’s.  It’s all about putting your own spin on it. 

3.      Do you write your own scripts? If so, what’s your process? Do you compose somewhere special? Routine? 

I do write my own scripts.  I have a love/hate relationship with screenwriting.  There are times when I will stare down at my notebook and absolutely nothing will pop up.  Then there are other times when it feels like something else is at work moving my hand and filling my mind with these images of horror.  Moments like that are the “high” that I get from pre production. 

I used to think that I could write anywhere; that was proven wrong by a recent trip to Florida.  I was on a beautiful beach during the day, writing away at a vampire movie idea I had when I was back in PA.  Everything I wrote sounded great when I was in Florida, but when I came back to PA, I saw that it was complete and utter shit. 

That is when I thought about all the times I wrote scripts and realized that they were all written in dark and dismal locales.  Tablet was written in a very dark basement apartment.  So I ended up finding the perfect location in a 24 hour laundry mat near my apartment that was equally dark and dismal as most laundry mats tend to be.  So that has become my writing location. 

Typically what I will do for process is write a character sheet for each character listing all the details physical and emotional for that character,  outline each scene with some dialogue and maybe a few details like location and some camera movements, then take the outline to a program called Final Draft and actually flesh out all the details of the screenplay there based on the outline. 

4.      Favorites in the field:  Clive Barker.  I respect the man for his ability to truly tap into all forms of creativity.  From literary, fine arts, theater, and film.   

Sam Raimi:  I love the fact that this guy made a short little 10 minute horror film (Within The Woods), funded an indie feature based on that short that ultimately has become one of the greatest horror films on the planet (Evil Dead). 

Wes Craven:  Not only did he create one of the most terrifying movie monsters, Freddy Krueger, but his films and screenplays are smart and based on real horrors with his own twist to them. 

5.      What are some of your habits while shooting?

I found out a long time ago that to be successful at filmmaking; you need to be organized.  While shooting, I always storyboard each and every shot in a notebook along with creating a shooting schedule and list of each an every shot that needs to be covered for the day.  While I was shooting Tablet of Tales, one of my actors who had been on a bunch of indie shoots marveled at how organized the production was. 

6.      What do you strive for with each piece? Would you say that your audiences knows you for a particular effect? Gross-out? Violence? Etc.? 

With each film I strive to be one step closer to the film coming off as something Hollywood would make.  It isn’t in an effort to be anything like the quality of stories in Hollywood’s films, it is a matter to no longer have an audience look at the film and say, “Ah well its an indie film, you can expect a mistake like that.”  My desire is to create terrifying stories that can give Hollywood a run for their money and show that the genre can go much deeper than they are taking it. 

Ultimately while I do want my films to stand side by side with Hollywood caliber aesthetics to an audience, I do not make my films for audiences.  I make them for myself.  If audiences like them, great.  If not, I really could care less. 

I’d say I’m probably known for my lighting, use of color, and visual effects that I incorporate into my films. 

7.      What is a normal day like for you while you’re shooting?

There is no such thing as a normal day.  Typically, I don’t sleep that well the night before the shoot.  I usually will make sure I have everything I need for that day’s shooting ie: props, lights, camera equip, makeup, etc.  Day of we usually congregate at the location, go over the scenes for today and just dive in.  Depending on if the actors need to warm up or not, I try to hit the harder shots first so that the rest of the shooting day goes by easier.  All this of course usually gets thrown out the window more times than not.   

8.      What are you currently working on?

Currently, I am working with my partner, Johnny Daggers on the first puppet/animated short from DaggerVision Films called, “Mo Anam Cara”.  We are currently in the pre production stage, designing sets, and planning what crew we will need to make this film a possibility.  We are anticipating a spring time date for us to actually start shooting.  Both Johnny and I are extremely excited that we have Doug Bradley (Pinhead from Hellraiser) on board to be our narrator for the film. 

Aside from that, I have been working on the untitled demonic possession script that I mentioned earlier.  That screenplay will ultimately be DaggerVision Films first feature length horror film. 

9.      What’s your favorite movie and why?

 

I have two favorite films for two different reasons.  Hellraiser has always been a huge favorite of mine.  The cinematography, characters, makeup all hit a deep vein in me that I see myself constantly going back to whenever I envision how my films should turn out. 

The second film that ties for number 1 is a little indie horror film by Lucky McKee called, “May.”  I love that movie because of that characters and the story.  I was always the outcast and am a romantic at heart so seeing Angela Bettis’ character struggle and fail to find someone to love ultimately drive her insane hits a spot where I can sympathize with her. 

10.  Do you do any still photography work?

I did do some still photography work when I was at RMU.  I loved the process of black and white photography.  But with the current film work and radio show, there has been less and less time to do any of that. 

11.  Favorite and least favorite part about the field?

Favorite part has to be the pay off you get when you see your name up on the screen and people actually enjoying your work.  When I premiered Tablet of Tales in February, I had roughly 40-50 people in attendance and you could see them visually tied into the film.  It is a high like no other. 

Least favorite part has to be egos.  There are a lot of people in this industry who let their egos drive them.  They feel that everyone is out to get them or that they have to be better than the next person.  Filmmaking is an art of collaboration.  Egos just get in the way. 

12.  Do you just work in horror? If so why? If not, what other genres to you work in?

I do work primarily in horror but I do love other genres.  I just haven’t yet made a film with those other genres.  Superhero movies are a favorite of mine, along with gangster films and odd-ball comedies. 

13.  What do you feel film should VS what it is?

That is actually a really good question.  I feel that film should be about the story.  I think there are too many movies out there that use gimmicks like throwing in excessive amounts of nudity, gore, visual effects, etc.  Now I do not have anything against any of these elements, but I feel that story, and only story, should dictate what gets thrown in the mix.   

14.  How can you tell when a piece is finished?

It is hard to tell when a piece is finished.  With digital technology, you can potentially never be finished.  I usually take a break from editing and come back to the film about 2 days later and just watch it all the way through.  If I come out of it thinking more about the story and the interaction with the characters, as an audience would, and less about technical problems that I can fix, than I have a good idea that the film is pretty much done. 

15.  Advice for aspiring artists?

The only advice I can give is to do your own thing.  Borrow from what you can borrow but ultimately put your own spin to it.  Also, you are your best salesman.  To survive in this industry you have to be the equivalent of a carnival barker because if you aren’t willing to go to bat for your work, no one else will. 

 

**Be sure to tune into DaggerVision Films Horror Talk Radio!  Broadcasting Live Friday Nights at 10pm on spookshow.tv then podcasted on the following Tuesday. 

**Tablet of Tales can be bought online at www.daggervisionfilms.com

**More info on Brian Cottington can be found at www.briancottington.com

 

Productions:

 

Director:

Banshee (2004)

Batmen (2006)

Lights…Camera…Kill (2007)

Taken (2007)

Prey of the Vampire (2008)

Fever (2008)

Journey into the Necronomicon (2009)

Out of Bullets (2009)

Carnage (2009)

Where Once Poe Walked (2009)

I Stand (2009)

Sins of the Heart (2009)

Artist Block (2009)

Powder Keg (2009)

Undead Forgiveness (2010)

Nightmare (2011)

Atrocity Exhibition Opener (2011)

Tablet of Tales (2012)

Atrocity Exhibition Opener (2012)

Editor:

Samhain: Night Feast (2010)

Caustic Zombies (Current)

Mo Anam Cara (Current)

 

Special Effects Makeup:

 

While the City Sleeps (2011)

Death From Above (2011)

Devil’s Playground (2011)

 

Crew:

 

Prohibition Documentary (2009)

Scientastic Pilot (2010)

Flour Baby (2011)

Gearheads (2012)

Bio: Brian Cottington has been involved with film and video for over 5 years.  He has written and directed over 10 short films  and edited countless projects both personal and freelance.  



He became a part of DaggerVision Films during its infancy.  As detailed in many interviews, Brian came across a craigslist ad posted by Johnny.  The ad talked about needing an editor for the short film, Samhain: Night Feast.   Brian was responsible for giving Samhain its gritty, dirty, grindhouse look as well as creating the opening title credits for the film.  The film not only established DaggerVision Films, but also established a life long friendship.

Brian is also heavily involved in the Pittsburgh Art Scene; working with galleries such as Most Wanted Fine Art, The 48 Hour Film Project, and designing video installations for Morose and Macabre's Annual Atrocity Exhibition 2 years running. Brian's favorite horror movies are a tie between Hellraiser and Lucky Mckee's May.  He currently resides in Pittsburgh with his cat, Selina.    

POETRY PROJECT: EROTICISM IN WARD C

LIVE FROM WARD C:

I started a project a while back where I would give you guys access to a free poem every time I got an addtional 50 followers on Twitter (@JustAfterSunset). Well, you guys have done it again, and now that I've reached 450 people (God bless their souls), I popped back into the Psych Ward to give you guys your medicine.

But I've decided to switch mediciations on you, and since I'm the nurse on duty tonight, you're going to just have to take my word that it will be good for you.

Now here's your pill.
Open your mouth and swallow it.

There will be no nightmares tonight, but there will be pain. And pleasure.
So keep your hands to yourself.

Stay Scared,
Stephanie M. Wytovich

Bound

The necklace choked me-

Black leather rubbed

My neck raw,

            Left the area

            Pink and tender-

He pulled on the leash,

Tugged me forward

And I followed quickly,

Ever the obedient slave

My hands were bound-

Wrapped in electrical tape,

My wrists sore,

            Folded behind

            My back-

They came together

In prayer, in plea-

Begging for a note,

A direction to play

My knees hit the floor-

Bare skin on carpet

It burned like hell,

            Made me wince,

            Got me hot-

The pain was weak,

But he was just starting,

Teasing me with sparks

Until he’d give me his fire

 

My lips parted-

Red lipstick smeared

Against a desperate mouth

            Moist breath,  

            Hot on my cheek-

I ached in need,

Screamed in want

Until he bit my tongue

And told me what to do

NEW MEAT IN THE MADHOUSE: JENN LORING

Patient: Jenn Loring
Illness: WRITER

• When did you start writing? Why did you pick the genre you write it?

I started writing when I was 12 (and it was terrible stuff!). I chose horror because even at that age I knew I wanted to explore darker themes and emotions. And I was already a fan of Stephen King. Clive Barker came into my life a few years later, and it was a done deal.

 

• Where you get your ideas from? Do you journal at all?

I keep both a dream journal and a writing journal, and I just picked up a prompt journal while in Key West. I also get tons of ideas from reading non-fiction, and from other media like TV, music, etc., or from traveling. I write about various apocalypses a lot. That's something that has always fascinated me, and I'm definitely not done exploring it. I’m really excited about the Countdown to Apocalypse special on the History Channel. :D

 

• What’s a normal (writing) day like for you?

I'm often writing as soon as I get up (usually 8 AM). I'll typically write until about noon or 1. Then, unfortunately, I have a day job to deal with. Often I start again around 8 PM or so and write for another couple of hours. If I have a day off from school/work, I can easily write all day. There are times when I’ve forgotten to eat.

 

• Favorite author or book? Who are you currently reading?

This is always the hardest question! I have so many favorite books and authors. Right now I'm reading The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls by Emilie Autumn. Her lyrical themes are always so intriguing, and her book doesn’t disappoint.

 

• Do you prefer writing poetry or prose? Why one over the other?

Prose, absolutely. I've dabbled in poetry and had a couple poems published, but (to me) my poems always read like pretentious, bad goth poetry. And no one wants that.

 

• Do you write in silence or with noise (tv, movies, music)?

If I'm writing longhand, I usually have the TV on for background noise. If working on the computer, it's always music. I don't like writing in silence. It's hard though, because I really like to sing along, so more than once I've started typing song lyrics into a project. Now I try to stick to video game soundtracks or other instrumental music.

 

• Do you have any weird habits when it comes to writing? Do you type or write longhand?

I write both ways, though I do prefer longhand and always have. Notebooks are lighter to carry around than a laptop or my iPad, I don't have to worry about charging batteries...and there's just something about pen on paper that feels like a more direct expression of my thoughts. I’ve been writing since before personal computers were a thing, so that probably has something to do with it, too.

 

• Would you consider yourself a Plotter or a Pancer?

I’m a pantser. I’ve outlined the second draft of my thesis, and my next novel, but something about outlining feels icky to me. I feel like it’s suppressing my creativity to some extent.

 

• What do you think is the hardest aspect of the craft?

Just learning how to tell a good story. People think it’s easy. It’s not! There are so many things to consider when you’re writing a story, whether it’s novel-length or short. You have to get the mechanics down.

 

• Current projects?

My thesis (of course), two short stories for upcoming anthologies while tending to the batch that has already been submitted, the next novel…I’ve heard I try to do too many things at once. ;)

 

• How do you balance being an editor and being a writer? (Or double jobs, being a mom, etc.- apply to your situation)

It’s hard. Not only do I edit for Musa (who were kind enough to let me take a break this semester) and go to grad school full time, but I also work 20 hours a week at my day job, and my boyfriend and I live together, so I need to spend time with him, too. Time management is not my forte, and I know I don’t always prioritize things in the correct order. Learning to fit everything in is definily a process.

 

• What do you think people expect from you with your writing? EX: Can they always count on a good gross out?

What people can usually expect is a story rooted in myth and/or fairy tale. The old stories will never cease to be an inspiration to me, and I will continue to reinterpret them in my own work.

 

• Advice for aspiring writers?

It’s a business. You have to learn that aspect of it or you are going to fail. Also, as an editor, I beg you not to submit or self-publish first drafts (I beg you not to self-publish at all, but that’s another argument for another time). Trust me, they are obvious. If you’re going to be a writer, you have to be willing to submit to the entire process—and that includes being edited. If you can’t accept that, then maybe this isn’t the job for you.

List of publications:

“Tristan, Full of Sorrows”–Requiem Aeternam

“The Edge of the Wood”–Disenchanted“The Sweetness of His Youth”–The Door to Worlds Imagined

“Burgundy”–Parchment Symbols“Sucked”–peacockblue and Erotica Readers & Writers Association“Moon Time”–Blue Food

“The Bombay Trash Service”–Scared Naked Magazine(Honorable Mention, The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror)
“The Greenwood”–House of Pain“The Dead Man Walking”–flashquake

“Gloria Semper”–Night to Dawn“Winter of Winters”–Nocturnal Ooze“Raspberries”–Bloodletters“The Violin”–Justus Roux’s Erotic Tales“Scarecrow”–SDO Ghost“A Taste For It”–Project M. Zine“Beauty Bright”–Gryphonwood
Untitled ku–Scifaikuest

“Ash Girl”–Aoife’s Kiss“Maternity Ward”–Cold Flesh (anthology)“Blood for Blood”–Time for Bedlam (anthology)“Worm”–Kopfhalter! Magazine
“Make a Wish”–Tales of the Talisman“Boys of Summer”–Fresh Off the Vine“Love Never Dies”–Tales From the Moonlit Path“The Ashes of Children”–Wanderings
“Judex est Venturus”–The Written Word“Sleep, Beauty”–Les Bonnes Fees“Balalaika”–PULP! Winter 2010/2011 (anthology)

 

 

Born in Portland, ME and raised in rural western NY, Jennifer Loring began writing at age 12, two years after reading Stephen King for the first time. Her earliest attempts at fiction were questionable at best. Later, after discovering the work of Tanith Lee and Meredith Ann Pierce, Jennifer’s writing took on the dreamlike quality of dark fantasy, the predominant genre in which she writes today.


Jennifer’s first publication came in 1998, at 21, in the short-lived Canadian vampire magazine Requiem Aeternam. Her story, “Tristan, Full of Sorrows,” featured the character that would eventually (after shedding 5 years and switching genders) become the protagonist of her thesis novel. Jennifer’s first professional sale came in 2000, to Blue Food, for her dark erotic version of the Red Riding Hood legend. She has since published nearly 30 short stories and poems in a number of magazines, webzines and anthologies. In 2004 Jennifer received an honorable mention in The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror for her story “The Bombay Trash Service,” published the previous year and which somehow managed to incorporate zombies, prostitutes, and Hinduism. As an avid gamer Jennifer has also published reviews and articles for the Cemetery Dance newsletter and defunct Australian webzine The Go.


Jennifer began studying for her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction in 2011. An unrepentant ex-goth girl, she still likes to write about vampires. Jennifer is also planning her next novel, a post-apocalyptic science fantasy. She is currently shopping several short stories around, with plans for at least ten more in the near future and a couple of novellas for good measure.


Jennifer is a content and developmental editor with Musa Publishing‘s YA imprint, Euterpe, and a writer for HorrorNews.net. She is also a member of YALITCHAT.


http://jenniferloring.wordpress.com

New in the MADHOUSE: John Edward Lawson

 

INTERVIEW: John Edward Lawson

• When did you start writing? Why did you pick the genre you write it?

I've always written stories to amuse myself and my friends, and created games, and when I was older I was the dungeon master / storyteller in role playing. On top of that I was lucky enough to be accepted for an accelerated program in intermediate and high school which focused on media and literature. Eventually, at age 25, I threw myself into writing full time. Initially this was in the field of screenwriting, then articles, but over those first couple years fiction and poetry eventually crept in. I've always felt that in the pain of our existence we find truth, so I gravitate to horror, which in turn lends itself to poetry and short fiction.

• Where do you get your ideas from? Do you journal at all?

I used to journal in the beginning, but there are too many ideas and not enough time--I'm better off just going straight to the actual composition if I'm going to be writing at all. I tend to draw motivation from things I dislike, so living in this world I've got no end to concepts. Furthermore, you learn the more you do this the more easily ideas come, the more rapidly things string together in a complete story thread. I usually cannot write fast enough to keep up with the flow of ideas, and when I'm not in a position to write I've grown accustomed to just letting ideas go.

• What's a normal (writing) day like for you?

My words have to fit around family life. Typically I'll get up around three or four in the morning, bang out 1k-3k words depending on the project, then handle correspondence, research, publicity, and editing between errands, managing my son, and cleaning, fixing diner, etc. I also read daily in order to provide blurbs, judge contests, provide critiques for author friends, or evaluate submissions to Raw Dog Screaming Press. I might get to read a published book as leisure reading once every couple months or so.

• Favorite author or book? Who are you currently reading?

Chuck Palahniuk might be my favorite author, still. For my favorite book I'd go with Sylvia Plath's The Collected Poems. I'm preparing to read Pins by Jessica McHugh, and am looking forward to reading Mary Robinette Kowal's trilogy published through Tor. Had to restrain myself because I want to wait until the third is published, or at least close to published, because knowing her writing I will be compelled to read straight to the end without stopping.

• Do you prefer writing poetry or prose? Why one over the other?

My favorite form is the screenplay, but there's no point in it. As for poetry or prose...I like the immediacy of poetry, in terms of completion, and also enjoy being able to play with language as I do not possess a literal mind. On the other hand, you're pretty limited in exploring concepts. I enjoy the prose poem best of all because of that.

• Do you write in silence or with noise (tv, movies, music)?

Music, always. For longer works like novels, screenplays, and novellas I'll have a set list for establishing the mood, the feel for characters and setting. I use this for training myself to slip back into the mindset this way, instead of sitting back down to a work and feeling disjointed, having to rebuild that connection all over again. Usually for short stories and poems there's a particular artist or genre I'll stick with. Strangely when I'm doing Lovecraftian stuff it works best to use dark drum and bass DJs.

• Do you have any weird habits when it comes to writing? Do you type or write longhand?

When I first started writing I 1) had to be hot, and 2) had to be nude. Probably the first time I've said that publicly. I'm fortunate enough to have been doing this 13 years and have trained myself--long ago!--to, at the very least, write with my clothes on. In the early days I was in a reverse situation from my current one, which required composition late at night before going to sleep, without access to a computer. The next day I'd go in to my recording studio and type in my handwritten pages between sessions. Sometimes I'd be doing 15 pages by hand per night. It's more efficient to work on a computer, though, especially considering the typing classes I took in high school.

• Would you consider yourself a Plotter or a Pancer? Why does one work and the other doesn't?

Plotter, now, although I'm not one by nature. I love following the characters as would a reader, and being surprised by what happens next, which should of course be an organic, logical evolution as things build. However...that approach sucks when you're trying to meet the word counts for anthologies and magazines. You need to plot that bad boy out if it needs to happen within a limited amount of space. For longer works, well, if you're doing even experimental novels you have a rough idea of what's happening because you've got characters and something you intend to happen to them. So you know a certain set of things will happen, maybe not when or how, but you've technically got a rough outline. And I've done plenty of that, taking the artsy-fartsy route. Now I'm doing much more commercial novels and there is a very rigid format regarding plot points and pacing, a process I always detested previously, but it's like learning a new poetry form to play with. Turns out I enjoy constructing novels on this grid, which opens up unlimited vistas for emotional devastation. Even just saying those words brings such a huge smile to my face!

• What do you think is the hardest aspect of the craft?

Time is my enemy. There's never enough time. Only a tenth of my concepts will ever be completed. Perhaps that's for the best, though. If it's not good enough to demand my attention with the limited time I've got maybe I shouldn't expect readers to expend their own limited time reading it. I don't know. Here's something real, though: while your words may be immortal you are not. Work. Work harder, and in doing so learn to work faster. Everyone and everything you know endeavors to hinder this process. You can't pay attention to the failures and the rejections and the haters, the dismissive friends and family or the critical authors and instructors and coworkers who would shut you down, turn you away from this field. You also can't pay any attention to the successes, the acceptances and award nominations and fan letters and fellow authors drooling over your work. The only thing that matters is the work itself. Getting it down and getting it out, to rely on yourself and only yourself in this fashion, that's actually the hardest part, and the easiest part because it's addictive. Yet it goes against all our training as children and young adults. We're meant to fit in and take external direction for a limited amount of time each day, but with writing you have to be internally motivated and it never ends.

• Current projects?

I'm happy to be working on a collaborative novel which serves as a sequel of sorts to "Herbert West--Reanimator." That's still in its early stages. Beyond that I'm finishing off the Sin Conductor novel, which is a sort of postmodernist erotic horror I've been building and rebuilding for a decade. After that I'm preparing for the Year of Rage Part 2. The Year of Rage is something I did to establish myself early in my career. Basically I set out to complete a poem, story, or chapter every day for a year. It was so successful--and I started racking up so many publishing credits--that I decided to increase the challenge level about halfway through. To do so I decided to not only complete a piece every day, but also submit something every day. This time around I think I'll aim for 10 poems a day. Not easy stuff either, maybe double acrostic pantoums featuring multiple rhyme schemes and the like. Right now you're likely thinking, "Yeah, 3,650 poems in a single year. That sounds legit, bro!" Anyway, the Year of Rage 2 will begin in November. Of course I've got submissions brewing for five or six anthologies, so wish me luck there! For editorial projects I'm lucky enough to co-edit the Miseducation of the Writer anthology with Chesya Burke and Maurice Broaddus. It is a collection of essays by authors of color from across the spectrum of speculative fiction, to be published by Guide Dog Books. In other nonfiction my column with Inveterate Media Junkies is about to launch, in which I'll be profiling both authors and publishers who are defining what course contemporary literature will take. I have much bigger project in the works as well, one that will require some international travel to complete, but it's all a bit too secret to divulge more info at this point.

• How do you balance being an editor and being a writer?

Being an editor certainly helps advance your craft as a writer. When you are divorced emotionally from the material it can be easier to dissect things at the line level, or in terms of plot development, character development. You become a student of what works or doesn't work in these manuscripts. It is time consuming, and does not feel nearly so rewarding as completing or publishing a work of your own. The best money I've made in this business has been in freelance editing, though, so it's a trade off. Overall I try to restrict the amount of editing I'll commit to, because doing too much limits my own creative efforts, and trying to edit when you've got that frustration bearing down on you can make it difficult to stay professional--and unfortunately in many projects any semblance of professionalism rests entirely on you, not the client. The most common pitfall of the author-editor is attempting to make the work of others conform to your own sense of aesthetics or artistic ideals. When reading manuscripts I'm always mindful of what the author's intent is, and try to help them achieve that.

• What do you think people expect from you with your writing? EX: Can they always count on a good gross out?

Hmm. Once upon a time I was the "bad boy," but since 2004 I've endeavored to work without profanity, explicit violence, or explicit sex. For the most part I've been successful. Doing so forces me to get inventive if I hope to elicit nausea, nightmares, and a general need to distance oneself from the human race. So people seem to expect unusual concepts, and not only are accepting of the fact I'll deliver something different than I have previously, but they expect it. In this way I'm incredibly lucky, as so many authors are painted into a corner creatively.

• Advice for aspiring writers?

Nobody sits around saying, "Wow, that was so UNDER the top I loved it!" Go for it. No matter how ridiculous it seems, or impossible. You know that little voice telling you to give up? It'll always be there; it's a part of your mortality. Cultivate all the other voices, your characters. Let them be vibrant and alive enough to drown out your mortality. Oh, and just because writing is a solitary field that doesn't mean you should sit in your house forever, or your coffee shop. Go to all the conferences and events you can. Get involved. Network. The best way to do this is to be an editor of some sort, as you're building your publishing career and networking simultaneously. And stop listening to advice from authors like me. Just do it, and don't stop. Keep it up long enough and you'll be one of "the people" in the scene, as it's all just a battle of attrition.

List of publications:

Novels:
New Mosque City
Last Burn in Hell

Collections:
Lawson vs. LaValley (with Dustin LaValley)
Discouraging at Best
Pocket Full of Loose Razorblades

Poetry:
SuiPsalms
The Troublesome Amputee
The Plague Factory
The Horrible
The Scars are Complimentary

Illustrated Books:
A Child’s Guide to Death (with Dustin LaValley, Darin Malfi, and Mark Sullivan)

As Editor:
Tempting Disaster
Sick: An Anthology of Illness
Of Flesh and Hunger: Tales of the Ultimate Taboo

Novelettes & Novellas:
The Non-Duality of Elanoir (in Death to the Brothers Grimm!)
The Curious Urologist (in Ice Picks: Most Chilling Tales From the Ice Plaza)
Truth in Ruins (in the Bizarro Starter Kit: Orange)
Jagged Desire (in Demonology: Grammaticus Daemonium)

Author bio:

John Edward Lawson has published nine books, seven chapbooks, and over five hundred works in anthologies, magazines, and literary journals worldwide. He is a winner of the Fiction International Emerging Writers Competition, and has been a finalist for the Stoker Award and Wonderland Award. Other nominations include the Dwarf Stars Award, the Pushcart Prize, and the Rhysling Award. As a freelance editor he has worked for Raw Dog Screaming Press, Double Dragon Publishing, and National Lampoon, has edited seven anthologies, and served as editor-in-chief for The Dream People literary journal. He lives near Washington, DC with his wife and son.

Check him out on Twitter: @bizarroguy
Check him out on Facebook

AUTHOR INFECTION

Sir John Edward of Lawson infected me (like I always knew he would,) and now it’s my turn to spread the disease. Basically, it involves searching for the first use of the word “look” in your work in progress, then pasting that paragraph, and those immediately before and after, on your blog, after which you spread the disease to five other authors.

EXCERPT from my novel: INSIDE OF ME

 

She closed her eyes and thought back to the summer nights when she used to watch him shoot in the back yard. Six shots. Dead center. Every time. The man was a machine, and if those empty beer cans had any say in the situation, they would have gotten a better job. Her dad might not have been much, but he was a good shot. She couldn’t say she was surprised when the cops told her that he died instantly. One bullet to the side of the head was all it took. Like she always knew, he was a good shot. 

Standing there in the darkness, she looked up at Jason’s house and wondered what her father thought about the moment before he pulled the trigger. His rage? His eagerness for death? Or did he think of her?  

Rhea gripped the gun a little harder and promised herself that she would be the last thing Jason thought of before he died.

Writing is easy. All you have to do is write.

Last week during a tutoring session, I was helping a student with an argumentative essay about how writing is similar to the thematic elements in Stephen King’s short story, “Survivor Type.” While we were talking about the craft and what it means to be a writer, I revisited a lot of material and advice that I got from King’s novel, On Writing, and then reflected on how my lifestyle has changed since starting the Writing Popular Fiction program at Seton Hill. 

Needless to say, I’ve done a 180.

Graduate school kicks my ass every day. I feel guilty when I sleep because I feel like I should be writing, and when I dream, it’s normally about Hell so I don’t have pleasant dreams. I write about 4-5 hours a day, normally a combination of time spent between poetry and my novel, and I have a serious coffee addiction. I carry around a notebook with me in case something brilliant pops into my head when I’m not at my desk, and that same head is usually crammed in a book studying fiction and the various genres I want to write in. Hell, I even read when I’m on the treadmill now. And if I’m running fast, I have the Audible app playing on my iPhone.   

So what does that say about me (other than I’m certifiably insane)?

It says that I’m a writer…and I’m serious about writing.

Writing isn’t easy, and I don’t appreciate it when people make the assumption that it is. It’s offensive to the craft and to all of the people that spend hours slaving away at their art. If you’re not 100% committed to turning your life over for the sake of a story, then newsflash! You’re not a writer. Writing isn’t something you can do half-assed (unless you count Twilight). There’s no such thing as coming to a blank page lightly. In reference to the blank page, King writes:

I’m not asking you to come reverently or unquestioningly; I’m not asking you to be politically correct or cast aside your sense of humor (please God you have one). This isn’t  a popularity contest, it’s not the moral Olympics, and it’s not church.  But it’s writing, damn it, not washing the car or putting on eyeliner. If you can take it seriously, we can do business. If you can’t or won’t, it’s time for you to close the book and doing something else. Wash the car, maybe. (107)

If that passage makes you think twice about picking up a pencil, then writing isn’t for you. I’ve wanted to write since I’ve been eight years old, and not just because I was bored and felt like it would be something to pass the time. I love language, and a good story, whether it’s romance, horror, or science fiction, can and will make me cry if it’s done well and I fall in love with the characters. That’s how I knew writing was for me. I wanted to emulate that feeling. I wanted to make people scream, cry, fall in love, and escape. I wanted to create, and I wanted to do it every day.

Hence the purpose of this blog entry.

If you don’t want to think twice about whether the person getting stabbed in the chest in a particular story is you, then here are some things that you should NEVER say to a writer. 

1. I have some extra time on my hands. I think I’ll write a book.

(Oh please do! I hear it’s really easy and takes no time or previous thought at all!)

2. When are you going to get a real job?

(You’re right. I’ve spent 6.5 years in school to do absolutely nothing with my degree.)

3. Are you still writing those silly poems?

(Are you still dating that douchebag?)

4. I have a story idea for you.

(Do tell, because it’s not as if I have any ideas that are worthy of writing down.)

5. Make me a character in your book.

(Make me a sandwich? What? That came off as offensive?)

Okay, so I’m making fun of a serious situation. But really, people. Don’t make light of the craft, and you’ll never have to worry if the brunette running from the axe-wielding maniac is you.  Which let's be honest, it probably is.

Stay Scared,

Stephanie M. Wytovich

 

King, Stephen. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. New York: Scribner, 2000. Print.

Part 2: Hunting Ghosts in West Virginia

Psychiatric Wards have a bad reputation because people always assume the worst when they’re mentioned. Patients are said to be admitted or thrown in, never checked in willingly or without force. They are permanent places for the deranged and the mentally instable. Not temporary residences for the sick. I’m drawn to them because I know not everyone in them was ill, and that some of them were as sane as you and I. But we don’t really have control over how others perceive us, now do we? Sometimes it’s just a matter of being in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Saying the wrong words to the wrong person….

Or being at the mercy of the Warden.

A lot of the patients at the West Virginia Penitentiary battled delusions and hallucinations, but not because of a mental disorder. These inmates were abused, tortured, and drugged. They were experiments and play things to the very people that were supposed to protect them and make them well. Some of them came into the infirmary because of fights or rape, and then were transferred to the Ward for further testing when their worlds became a little fuzzy. Treatments like Electric Shock Therapy or Hydrotherapy were used in attempts to make the inmates docile and tame. When electricity or submergence in ice, cold water didn’t work, they locked them up in solitary and starved them to sanity. Or death. Whichever came first. 

So maybe Psych Wards have their reputation for a reason.

It’s easy to mess with the insane when you know no one will believe a word out of their mouths.

It’s full proof.

But in the world of the paranormal, spirits get attached. Especially when they meet an untimely, unprecedented death. The men that were murdered and tortured within the walls of that hospital remain in their rooms, their cells, waiting for a chance to strike back. They’re not happy, they’re not friendly, and they certainly do not wish to do you well.

Sounds like the perfect introduction to Hell, no?

When we walked up the stairs to the infirmary, there was a drastic temperature change. I can’t say that it was due to spiritual activity, but I can say that it made the entrance into the sanatorium much more intense. There was a long hallway inviting us to the Ward, but we took our time with the rooms. Doors marked “Treatment Room” and “Clinical Laboratory” enticed me in with promises of the damned, and when I opened the doors I was met with stretchers, tubs filled with electrical cords, and treatment chairs. Various types of medical equipment lined the walls and I could almost hear the screams of the people that were strapped down like four-pointed stars while electrodes were strapped to their heads.

We moved into the sick room where most of the people died.

The air was thick with illness, but we got no response from its inhabitants.

So we moved to the Ward. 

Now I think that I can handle a lot. I’ve done investigations before and have even orchestrated ghost tours at Nemocolin Castle, but believe me when I tell you that I have never been so scared when working with the paranormal. Or felt so threatened.

Most of our time in the Ward was spent in solitary where we sat next to the individual cells and questioned the patients. We primarily worked with EVP and the K-2 Meter, but towards the end we didn’t need devices to pick up activity. It was plain as day.  There were three of us girls in that room and the rest of our team was on the opposite wing of the prison, so there was no way that our results could have been tampered with…and I tell you with all the truth in my heart, that we were not alone up there.

Someone walked the halls, whistling.

There were bangs as if someone were rattling the cells and trying to get out.

I hit the ground on several occasions, some due to the excess amount of bats in the Ward, some due to the fact that the cell door in Solitary started to shake.

We asked if someone was there and was answered by two, loud bangs….but they didn’t stop. They echoed and continued around the room as if the spirits were mocking us with a never-ending spiral of noise. I wanted to leave but was afraid to step out of the room. What was the lesser of the two evils? Solitary or the main hall of the Psychiatric Ward? Either way I moved, I was in their home. Trapped and at the mercy of their doing.

I have never felt such relief as I did when I left that place.

As inspired and excited as I was to be in the setting where the stuff I write about actually happened, I’ll be the first to admit that the horrors that walk within those hallways are not the stories made up by writers like myself.

The dead walk.

And if you’re brave enough, sometimes you can even follow them.

**All pictures are property of Crystal Vines, Paranormal Investigator with Louisiana Spirits