by Ian Hunter

Ian: Hi

Ian: Hello.

Ian : This is like that Megadeth song.

Ian : Exactly, the one with the line “Hello, me, it’s me, again.”

Ian : (Laughs) We must have what Frank Zappa called ”Bad mental health” to be
interviewing ourselves, but we might as well get started. So why did you start
writing ? And what do you write ?

Ian : To answer the second question first, I suppose, I’m better known as a children’s
writer, these days. Obviously being the author of two children’s books, “The
Magic Mousehole” and “Lipstick Lass”. Those get me what I call “gigs”, being
invited along to schools and libraries to talk, and read and do workshops. I have
written an alternative reality/science fiction/crime novel called ”Scotlands” which
I’m revising right now to bring it up to date. I also wrote a dark fantasy/horror
novel called “The Tearing”.

Ian : And you have two stories about to appear in “Here and Now”.

Ian : Yes, it’s running late. This issue was supposed to be out in May, but the Editor
did promise it would appear in October, and it’s good of her to take two stories.
One is called “What I Did on my holidays”, actually inspired by a trip to
Callander, although it’s about two children and their Uncle Jack, who might be an
immortal Jack the Ripper.

Ian : And the other story is called “The Fox and the Trickster”, which is a dark fairy
story with a vampire in it.

Ian : You got it ! It’s a Roam Belanger story. He’s an albino vampire, anti-hero
character that I’ve written a lot about, although this is the first time he’s been
published in the UK. He did appear in an American anthology called “Vampire
Hunters “in a story called “United” which was a football horror story.

Ian : “Here and Now” have been good to you, haven’t they ? They’ve taken four other
stories previously.

Ian : I think I’ve struck a chord with them. There used to be a magazine called “Nasty
Piece of Work” which took my stuff, and paid on acceptance, which is a rare treat.

Ian : Markets are thin on the ground, aren’t they ?

Ian : Certainly for what we write – fantasy, horror and science fiction. There are a few
UK professional magazines – probably just Interzone, The Third Alternative and
Postscripts, and a scattering of small press magazines, but as usual, competition is
fierce and even if you get accepted, it might take a year or two for an issue to
appear. There are more US professional markets and anthologies, but the latter
will often pay you a pro-rata share of the profits, but usually there aren’t any.

Ian : So try competitions, then ?

Ian : Yes, and no. I’ve won the odd competition for short stories or poems, but it can be
a bit of a lottery. They get a lot of entries, sometimes thousands, and it’s often
down to the judges’ taste.

Ian : But in Scotland there is always New Writing Scotland, the annual anthology of
new writing.

Ian : (Laughs) I think I’ve had twenty years worth of rejections and one acceptance.
from them. Obviously they get thousands of entries for maybe fifty acceptances,
but you have to try. You may be one of the fifty. Someone had to be.

Ian : If you want to write, then you have to write, don’t dream or think about it, do it.

Ian : Exactly, then send it off. Some people may write for fun, for a hobby, and not
want to be published, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but writing is a solitary experience and even now I get what is called a crisis of confidence just as I’m about to put the envelope in the post box, asking myself if this is really any good.

Ian: I know what you mean.

Ian : But there is nothing to beat the thrill of getting an acceptance, especially after all
the rejections. Likewise, there is nothing to beat someone actually illustrating
your story, seeing an artist’s interpretation of it.

Ian : So what tips would you give anyone starting out ?

Ian : Probably the really basic ones. Write. Write often. Try to do it at regular
times, maybe early in the morning before everyone else surfaces. Writing late at
night is difficult. You need the creative energy and that can be gone by the time
the children are in bed and the house is quiet. I heard Clive Barker say recently
that he does what Hemingway did. Stop with an unfinished sentence which he
completes the next day. Try and finish what you start don’t do what you do.

Ian : You do it to !

Ian : Okay, try and finish the story, poem, whatever. Don’t flit about from unfinished
thing to unfinished thing, you’ll never get anything finished that way.

Ian : Anything else ?

Ian : Read out loud. Pick up things that aren’t working, dialogue, say, repeated
words, things that don’t make sense. Write ideas down. Good ones tend to stay in
your head, but some can disappear.

Ian : And join a group ?

Ian : If you can. I’ve been lucky to be a member of Johnstone Writer’s Group for
over twenty years and drive over 80 miles to go there every Thursday night, but it
is an excellent group. There are groups out there for different kind of writing.
The British Fantasy Society for fantasy and horror writing, but there are also
associations for historical and crime and romantic writing. Go to book launches,
events, readings, festivals, anywhere you can hear a professional writer reading.
It’s inspiring.

Ian : So what about the first question ?

Ian : Which one ?

Ian : Why did you start writing ?

Ian : (Laughs) I’ll tell you next time.

© Ian Hunter

Ian Hunter, a member of Clyde Valley Writers, is the author of the children’s novels “The Dark Knight’s Blade” and “Lipstick Lass” and the forthcoming “The Magic Mousehole”. He also edited Betty McKellar’s poetry collection, ”Widdershins”, which was inspired by myths and legends around Lochwinnoch and he edited with Val Thornton the collection ”Scales from the Fish”. His stories and poems have appeared in magazines and anthologies in Britain and America. He is a member of the British Fantasy Society and a lapsed member of the Horror Writers Association. He has twice been a writer-in-residence in Glasgow and Alloa and really means it when he says there won’t be a third time, but he does visit writers groups, schools and libraries.