Interviews |

Ray Garton interviewed by Death Director

What got you interested in writing?

I honestly don’t remember, because there’s never been a time when writing wasn’t something I did every day. I drew stories before I could write them. I’ve always done it. A little later, by about the age of eight, I realized there were people who did that professionally. That’s when I began to think I could be a writer someday.

I read you said you don’t go to school to be a writer you drop out of school to be a writer. What advice do you have for new writers?

Oh, boy. That quote has haunted me for over 20 years. The exact quote is, “Writing is not something you go to school to learn, it’s something you drop out of school to do.” It was never meant to be advice and I would never discourage anyone from going to school. If I remember correctly, I was making the point that writing isn’t like other occupations. You don’t need a degree, you don’t have to pass an exam or get any kind of certification. You just need to be able to write and have an insatiable appetite for reading. The two feed each other.

If I have any advice for new writers it’s this: No other writer’s process or methods will work for you. You have to find your own. And the only way to do that is to do it. Trial and error. Do what works for you, and don’t let anyone tell you that you’re doing it wrong.

What is a common mistake new writers make, besides taking rejection too seriously?

In the beginning, a writer should be seeking out criticism. Not all of it is useful and some of it is just a waste of air, but there’s plenty of criticism that’s honest and truthful. That’s the kind new writers should be looking for — a good editor, or a trusted friend or two who will be honest. And new writers should start out being honest with themselves about their work. Writers who are being honest with themselves do not believe they don’t need criticism. They do. We all do. Every writer needs a good editor, but quite often, good criticism comes from readers. The moment you think you don’t need it is the moment you stop growing and improving as a writer.

Who do you read?

All kinds of people. I recently dipped into the work of David Goodis, a noir writer from the 1950s. And a funny novel by Hal Bodner called The Trouble with Hairy. I don’t read as much horror as I used to, but I recently read a good one by Erik Williams called Demon that combines our recent military situation in the Middle East with the supernatural. I’m currently reading East is East by T.C. Boyle. I’m looking forward to the new John Irving novel, and I’ve been meaning to read more of Chuck Palahniuk’s work. I read everything from Jackie Collins to Dostoevsky. I think no matter what genres writers work in, they should be reading everything.

Who inspires you and why?

You know, I probably should have an answer for that, but I don’t. People sometimes do things that can be inspiring, but they’re still human and flawed and prone to making mistakes. Holding someone up as being inspirational isn’t something I typically do because I think it makes unreasonable demands of that person. If a person does something good, that should be praised, but don’t expect that person to always be good and inspirational, because he’s only human, just like the rest of us.

Do you you ever use drugs or alcohol to help with writers block?

There’s no such thing as writer’s block. Writers who are fond of saying they are suffering from writer’s block should cease and desist immediately. There are many reasons why a writer might not be able to write, or might not want to write. Writer’s block is not one of them. But that’s the romantic-sounding label some writers slap on their lack of industry. It’s a catch-all lie that writers tell themselves. But even worse, they tell it to others, too. And it’s been told so often that now people refer to writer’s block as if it’s a head cold or gout. It doesn’t exist.

There are things that mess me up when I’m trying to write. Nausea is a good example. I can write with a certain level of physical pain, but if I’m nauseated and feel like I’m about to throw up, forget it, I can’t write. That’s because the nausea disrupts my ability to think. Just the everyday stresses of life can get in the way of writing. But you have to press on. Keep writing. You don’t have to write absolutely perfect stuff. You’re allowed to write crap. In fact, you’re going to write crap from time to time no matter what. Just keep writing. If you keep it up, the crap gets better, and sometimes, there’s stuff in the crap that you can use. If you can write long enough to become immersed in the work — and you will at some point — then you’ll be past the initial distraction that was keeping you from writing in the first place, whatever it might be. But it’s not writer’s block.

If you want to be a full-time writer and make your living at it, you’re not going to have time for silly crap like writer’s block. You have to keep writing. And you will. Which is further proof there’s no such thing as writer’s block.

As for drugs and alcohol — I don’t recommend them. I’ve gone that route and nearly drank myself to death. It’s not going to remove any blocks, it will only create more. Tying drugs or alcohol to your work is a disastrous move.

You seem to be an atheist, or at least an agnostic, what led you to this conclusion?

It wasn’t so much a conclusion as a bit of a surprise. I was raised in a strict religion that proved to be very damaging for me, and for a lot of other people I knew in that religion. The Seventh-day Adventist cult teaches that fiction of any kind is wicked, because it’s a lie. The cult’s “prophet” and founder, Ellen G. White, claimed that god showed her the reading of fiction could lead to a lot of physical ailments, including total paralysis. And all I ever wanted to be was a writer of fiction. That was the source of a lot of pain and ugliness. I thought that was limited to the Sadventist cult, but as I stepped back and looked at the bigger picture, that didn’t prove to be the case. At all. The damage I saw being done there exists throughout religion. Any religion, all religion. I spent years reading and thinking about this. I wasn’t looking for a reason not to believe — if anything, I was looking for a reason to believe. And I couldn’t find one. In mid-life, I sort of stumbled onto the realization that I was an atheist and had been for a while. I don’t discuss that much because it’s just not up for debate and there’s really no point in talking about it. But I am somewhat vocal about my opposition to organized religion, and especially its attempts to literally take over the United States and make its teachings law.

If you couldn’t be a writer, what would you do?

That’s such a hard question to answer. Imagining myself as anything other than a writer is like imagining myself as a color. Or a jellyfish. I studied psychology in college and intended — for a while, anyway — to pursue that and become a therapist. I often regret having a conscience, because if I didn’t, I’d start a religion and get rich overnight. That’s where all the sex and money are, in the religion business. I can’t imagine doing anything nine-to-five. Given my personality and temperament, I probably would find something to do that would be flexible and allow me to set my own hours, because after almost 30 years, I’m terribly spoiled. I’d probably end up doing something else creative — if not writing, I’d probably be painting or sculpting, or something. And I’d be screwed again!

Besides making a living, why do you write?

I still haven’t figured that out. Why do I go to the bathroom? Because I have to. Why do I eat? Because I have to. It’s the same kind of thing.

I noticed you and several other authors like Bryan Smith, Edward Lee, Jack Ketchum, Brian Keene, J.F. Gonzalez, etc, don’t write for Leisure Horror anymore. Did you all just want to cut out the middle man? Do you make more money self publishing? What is the deal with this phenomenon?

That’s a long story that I don’t want to rehash here. It can be found in a number of places online. There were very good reasons for leaving Leisure, and they had nothing to do with cutting out the middleman.

What are your thoughts on self publishing?

I just published a story for Kindle and Nook, “The Man in the Palace Theater,” [Link 1] and I have a novella coming out soon called Serpent Girl. So I certainly don’t have anything against self-publishing itself. But the first thing that should be said about self-publishing — and it should be said often — is that anyone can do it. Absolutely anyone. You don’t even have to be able to spell your own name correctly to self-publish. I know of a man who is mentally ill and has been in and out of a hospital for treatment. For years, he’s been accusing other writers — including me — of stealing his work, or trying to keep his work from being published, or something like that. I don’t know. He’s a certifiable loon. His writing is incoherent gibberish. And yet, somehow, he has managed to convince some people to buy his work. And some of them like it. Do you know why? Because there is no bottom to the crazy pit. He’s a self-published writer because anyone can be a self-published writer.

I say this needs to be said often because, for a lot of self-published writers, astonishingly bloated and distorted egos and a certain amount of self-delusion seem to be major factors in their decision to enter the wonderful world of self-publishing. They seem to think that simply being published — even though they’re self-published — proves something about them. There was a time when that was true. To be published, you had to go through a process that quickly weeded out those who weren’t serious about it, as well as those who didn’t have a single clue about how to write anything. Now, with self-publishing so accessible, any nutburger with a side of bullshit can whip up a slick-looking cover and flash it all over the internet, and still not know the first goddamned thing about writing, or telling a story.

I was recently approached by a self-published writer who wanted me to read his novella and give him a blurb. In his note, he wrote, “I hope you’re not one of those people who’s hung up on things like spelling and punctuation.” I didn’t know whether to cackle or scream. I mean, that is weapons-grade arrogance combined with stroke-inducing stupidity. But self-publishing allows this asshat to have a couple of books out there and to go around calling himself a writer. When I did not reply in what he thought was a timely fashion, he wrote me another note informing me that I was “no different than the other egotistical ‘published’ writers.” And off he went to stew, and get angrier, and self-publish even harder than before.

There’s been a meme floating around the internet that lists a number of famous writers who were rejected multiple times. Then it says something like, Support Indie Writers! It’s one of the stupidest goddamned things I’ve ever seen in my life. I guess “indie writer” is the new gloss being applied to “self-published.” This idiotic meme is asking us to support indie writers because Lord of the Flies was rejected 20 times? William Golding’s classic novel was rejected 20 times because Golding kept submitting it, he kept sending it somewhere else after each of those rejections. He could have said, How dare they reject me! I’m William goddamned Golding! But that would have been kind of silly because he really didn’t become William goddamned Golding until after Lord of the Flies was published. That’s how he proved himself, with his writing. But at the time, being published meant something, too. It meant you were good enough for someone to buy your work and publish it. Being published doesn’t mean that anymore because absolutely anyone can be published now and it has nothing to do with their talents or abilities as writers.

This meme implies that indie writers should be supported for no other reason than … they’re there, I guess, simply because they’re “indie.” And that’s ridiculous. I’ll support you when you write something worth supporting and not until. The fact that you’re self-published doesn’t mean shit and it’s certainly not something that should be supported just for the sake of supporting it. If anyone can do it, what’s the big deal? It also implies that writers should never have to face rejection. Which would be hilarious if it weren’t so creepy. That seems to be the attitude of a lot of people toward self-publishing — that it’s a way to avoid rejection, or even criticism. Which is ridiculous, of course, because they’re going to face rejection and plenty of criticism as soon as people start reading their stuff. Like it or not.

Now, the only way a writer can prove him- or herself is with the writing. Again, I’m not opposed to self-publishing, because there are a lot of talented self-published writers. Unfortunately, they’re playing on the same field with people who will never be writers, and who don’t give a damn because all they really want is attention. Self-publishing is a great alternative for writers, but it’s also a great opportunity for nitwits, loons and full-time trolls. And they kind of bring the room down, you know?

How important is an agent?

It depends on the individual writer. There are a lot of writers who’ve done just fine without representation. But that’s because they have the skills needed to do the things an agent does. Not everyone has those skills. I don’t. I’ve always had an agent because I need someone to do the things an agent does. If I had to do them, I probably wouldn’t have gotten anywhere.

Do you edit your own books, or do you find an editor indispensable?

I still haven’t gotten used to this question because the idea of a writer not having an editor is, to me, insane. My work has always been edited because I’ve always been published traditionally and have gone through that process, which includes editing. Every writer needs an editor. Any writer who says he or she doesn’t need an editor is a writer I don’t want to read. As far as I’m concerned, the question of whether or not a writer needs an editor isn’t even open for debate.

Where can I buy Lot Lizards?

Like all my books published by E-Reads, Lot Lizards can be ordered through your favorite bookseller as a trade paperback, or for Kindle or Nook, and it’s available for multiple ebook formats at Fictionwise.com. It’s also available as an audiobook and MP3 download at Speaking Volumes. Sometimes you can find the original 1991 hardcover floating around, but, of course, I don’t get a royalty from that. Heh-heh. A lot of my books are available through E-Reads.

Have you written any screenplays, which ones?

I’ve done some screenwriting on my own time, just to teach myself the form. But I haven’t submitted or sold anything.

Are any of your books being made into movies?

There’ve been many attempts over the years, especially with Live Girls, which has been optioned repeatedly, but they’ve all fallen through. At the moment, Sex and Violence in Hollywood is being developed by producer Robert A. Harris. I’m hoping this time it happens because Harris is serious about it, he’s got some great ideas and I’d like to see his vision of it on the screen.

If you would like to share something with your readers that I haven’t asked, what would that be?

I have a website that includes a full bibliography, updates on new releases, an occasional free story and a message board where I sometimes hold contests and give away books.

These are some great books I recommend from horror Author Ray Garton: