New Year and New Interviews - Aspiring Author Matt Gannon

I did some thinking recently and determined that I have come in contact with some amazing writers, not all of which are published or are even finished with their novels, and that I really wanted to interview some of them. I’ve decided to start doing interviews with aspiring authors as well as published ones. Here to help me pop the cherry on this little endeavor on my blog, is Matt Gannon an enthusiastic guy I have had the joy of getting to know…


SDA: So let’s get the ball rolling with how did you get into writing?
MG: When I was a kid, I aspired to be a game developer because I wanted to create storylines for them. I was obsessed with reading, and one day I realized that there was no reason I couldn’t write my own stories without having to work for a game developer. I suppose that desire was the inner-writer rising to the surface. I tried to write a novel about demons invading Earth until my hard drive crashed and I lost everything. It’s okay because the novel sucked, and it was a rip-off of something I was reading at the time, anyways. So, I stopped writing for a while.

Then, a good while later when I was in Grade 11 English, I read the poem “Ulysses” by Lord Alfred Tennyson. I connected with its message, and I had an epiphany. I didn’t want my creativity stifled by designing videogames. I wanted to reach people all over the world and change their lives with my work. I realized that writing would be a way for me to do that. I’ve been writing to accomplish that goal ever since.


SDA: I have found in undertaking the task of becoming an author that everyone has an opinion as to the how and what you should do. Who has been your worst critic?
MG: Well, I don’t have too many critics, but last year, a group of rather “energetic” people didn’t like me or my work very much. And of course, there’s myself. I always think my work is never good enough.


SDA: Gotta love the drama llama that follows people around. On the opposite end though, who has been your biggest influence personally?
MG: I would have to say it’d be my old English Literature teacher. It seemed that every time I left his class, he had made me want to go home and become a better writer so that I can someday make him proud. He has always talked so highly of writers, and I would like to be among those that he discusses with his students.

SDA: What about inspirations when it comes to writing?
MG: Nicholas Sparks. I am so inspired by the man and his work, but more specifically, “The Notebook” and “A Bend in the Road”. What Sparks has achieved in his lifetime is something that I shoot for. I suppose you can say he is my idol.

SDA: So I’m a total geek when it comes to learning about what writers do to get ready to write or what little things that they revel in while writing. Are they any guilty pleasures you have to have to be able to get into the creative process?
MG: I don’t feel guilty about it, but I like to drink coffee when I write. It makes me feel like one of those pretentious writers who writes at a coffee shop just so other people can see how creative and intelligent they are. I think I would like to try that, even if it’s only once. ;)

Other than that, I don’t have any guilty pleasures. I’m sorry, I know that’s boring.

SDA: That’s not boring. Every writer has something different. At least it’s not something crazy like standing on your head for an hour before or something. ;) But onto more about writing, what is your favorite genre and why?
MG: Romance; I guess I’m just a sucker for love.

Seriously though, I think it’s because love is something that drives humanity forward. I believe it’s the most powerful force we get to experience while we are alive, and it truly does connect us all together. I’m just really passionate about love, so it’s only natural for me to want to write about it.

SDA: Which is easier for you to write, fiction or non-fiction? Why?
MG: It’s easier for me to write fiction because I am able to make up my own reality where what I say goes, whereas in non-fiction, I’m writing about a pre-existing reality with rules and principles I have to adhere to.

SDA: Speaking about rules and principles, what is the best piece of advice another writer or author has given you?
MG: I was once told by a very wise man that I should never give up, and I promised him I wouldn’t.

SDA: That’s awesome. On the flip side of that though, what has been the worst?
MG: Leave the editing to the editors.


SDA: HAHA! That is bogus. I would hate to do that because then I would feel like I had no final say in stuff. With that being said, what are you working on currently?
MG: I'm working on a novel loosely based off an event in my life. I have a couple novel ideas on the back-burner because I like to tackle one project at a time. Other than the novel, I try to update my blog as often as possible, and I'm trying to whip an article and a short story into shape for publication.

SDA: Very cool. Well I can’t wait to read some more of your stuff. With doing interviews with aspiring authors, I think it would be sweet to let the interviewee ask a question of other authors. If you had any question you would like to know about other authors (or writers), what would it be?
MG: In my experience, ideas tend to gravitate towards me. I always feel so overwhelmed by it. If this happens to you, how do you deal with all the ideas and so little time to follow through with them?


SDA: Wow that’s a good one. I know me personally, I have to at least write a paragraph of the idea down. I have several shelves in my house that are nothing but journals and notebooks. Ideas as simple as a character background or a preview of sorts. I keep them all for later for when I do have the free time to process them all little pieces at a time.



I would like to thank Matt for allowing me to pick his brain and get a glimpse of his world. If you would like to see some of his work or connect with him you can check out his blog:

http://mattgannonaspiringwriter.blogspot.com/