Interviewing Author William Schlichter, Author

. Tell me about yourself?

I am a teacher, father, and recently a grandfather. I enjoy the adventures life has to offer and keep working toward my goal of being an author for a living. I am an award-winning screenwriter and author who enjoys writing science fiction, fantasy, and horror. When not writing, I enjoy traveling; spending time on the comic convention circuit; and teaching acting, composition, and creative writing. 

2.What are your favorite books to read?

Mostly, dystopias are my favorite. I’ve always enjoyed the what-happens-after-the-world-     ends stories, like 1984 and The Handmaid’s Tale. But I read whatever I find interesting. When I am writing a certain kind of novel, say, vampires, then I am reading all kinds of vampire stories. 

3. When did you decide you were going to write a book?

I was three and a half years old, and my parents took me to see Star Wars, at the drive-in. It’s my earliest full memory, and I knew after watching this spectacle that I didn’t want to be Han Solo or a Jedi, I wanted to create those kinds of stories. I told my first-grade teacher I was going to write a book, and I have been working toward that goal until was published a few years ago. 

4. How did you come up with the name of your book?

My newest novel was in that noir vein, and I had titled it “Sirgrus Blackmane Demihuman Gumshoe” to set up that it was a period piece, but not what you expect. After “Gumshoe,” I put a colon and added “The Dark-Elf,” so it set off as book one. It was my publisher who changed it to “Sirgrus Blackmane Demihuman Gumshoe and The Dark-Elf.” I think that really gives it that 1920’s noir feels. 

5. What are you working on for 2021?

I am currently writing the first draft of a new Sirgrus novel. He deals with a whole new murder in a part of the city we haven’t seen yet. I also just finished a draft of a new serial killer novel and I need to rewrite a vampire novel. 

6. How long have you been writing?

I would say since I learned how to write. It's just what I’ve known I’ve wanted to do. And there are times when life got in the way, but I have always written these last six years. I have written just about every day and have moved toward making it a published author. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

7.What advice would you give other authors?

Through teaching writing, the biggest trap (and what makes them hate me) is the inability to let go of what they have written. The beginning author writes a chapter. They spend weeks, months—even years—perfecting this chapter. It’s the most beautiful piece of writing they will ever create. And it doesn’t serve the story and must be cut. They take it as a personal attack, or they feel they wasted their time. They have not. Every time they write and rewrite, they are getting better at 

it. But sometimes no matter how good a paragraph seems, it doesn’t fit into the story and must go. And they can’t let it go. When you cut your work to the bones and still tell a good story, it is ready. I recently read a freshman effort by a published author, and he spent pages beautifully describing this Victorian home, and it had nothing to do with the story. It destroys the flow of the book and many readers won’t keep reading. The worst offense was that we never returned in the book to this home.  

It hurts but cuts the unnecessary bits.

One other area is the outline. I will write the last chapter first. I like to know where my characters will end up. I then do a basic plot outline. And this is where some writers and Comp teachers get upset. I am not married to my outline. It is not a stone-cold roadmap; it is a suggestion. If my characters need to go in a different direction, then I follow. If they toss the map, then so be it. Sometimes we get back to the final chapter, sometimes I have to rewrite to match the direction the character traveled. But I don’t get upset because I didn’t stay true to my preplanning. If anything, it was a direction that wasn’t meant for those characters.    

8. Where can people find you online?

https://www.instagram.com/wschlichter/ 

https://sandmenandzombies.com/ 

https://www.bhcpress.com/Author_William_Schlichter.html 

https://www.facebook.com/wmschlichter  

https://twitter.com/wmschlichter 

9. What is your favorite coffee drink?

I am not a coffee drinker. I do enjoy hot chocolate in the winter.

10. What is your favorite coffee shop?

I don’t spend time in coffee shops, but when I do, there need to be doughnuts. 

11. Do you plan on making a new book in the future?

I would love to write and publish 20 more books. It used to be such a dream, and now that it is happening, I hope to write as many new books as I can. 

12. How many books have you written?

I have seven published and six completed drafts of novel-length material that might get to see the light of day sometime. 

13. Did you go to college to be a writer?

In a way. I went to college to be an English teacher in the hopes that I would make a better writer. I certainly took all the writing courses I could. Later, when I returned to earn my M     as so in a theater. Studying theater helps to understand character development. Now I am working on another Master’s degree in Creative Writing, specializing currently in scriptwriting. 

But a person doesn’t have to earn a writing degree to be a writer. I do think that taking a creative writing course and a beginning acting class wouldn’t hurt anyone. I think both will only improve a person’s writing skills.