Ian Thompson Interview Published on: 31, Mar 2017

I grew up in a very creative environment. My father wrote scripts for children’s comics such as the Dandy and Beano, and both my parents worked on novels which they submitted to publishers. As a result, I was always writing. When I was very young (and pretty much unable to string paragraphs together), I’d draw comics for myself with tales of space aliens and monsters. In later years, I was writing stories for English homework as well as at home for myself. I can remember desperately wanting a typewriter because that seemed like the symbol of a proper writer... Today, there’s no way I’d ever trade my word processor for a typewriter! So, being honest, there wasn’t a time when I didn’t want to write: just stages of progress towards finally publishing.

I’m one of those people who thinks of every story like a child of their own, so I don’t really tend to “love” one more than another. In certain ones (like Paradise Exhumed), I really like how the dialogue was very snappy and I feel strongly connected to the characters. In the two Era of Darkness novels, I got to create really epic scenes, with hundreds of thousands of combatants in battle... Whilst the action in God of War and the Short Horror Tales tends to the smaller scale but much more personal. Also, I don’t believe in “filler” scenes. I think every scene you write should be the very best it can be – if it isn’t, it needs rewriting or cutting completely. An example of a scene which I really like personally is from my short horror tale Hooker. The protagonist, after a really bad day plus some alcohol and drugs, has gone back to the dingy apartment of a prostitute named Valerie. Once inside, he feels uncomfortable and nervous, so asks to use the bathroom... The scene is pretty simple: Fawson enters the room, then closes and locks the door behind him. Finding himself in the dark, he edges across to the mirror where the light is and switches it on. He briefly looks at his own haggard reflection and finally makes a terrifying discovery in the bath. What I liked about the scene was that it all works on his emotions and perceptions. His concerns about how wrong the situation is in Valerie’s apartment, especially the heavy locks which virtually trap him inside. He tries to dismiss this idea because Valerie is a small, slight woman and he’s a large man who could surely overpower her if necessary. The sound of Valerie’s strange laughter eats at his nerves. The thought of the darkness he has entered makes him fear who or what might be in the room waiting for him. The strange chemical stench in the bathroom further raises his concerns... Fawson searches for the light switch, doubting it is even there. When he gets the light on, his reflection takes him back to the reasons for his presence here – his unfaithful wife and his deep unhappiness. And lastly, what he finds in the bath makes him realise that his situation is far worse that he could ever have feared. I really liked living the creepy, worsening experience through Fawson and felt it put the reader right in there with him.

I once worked in a textile plant with a large warehouse, and the memory of that warehouse was an inspiration for the one in Ignition Source. Fortunately for me, there was no ravenous behemoth or bloody massacre in the warehouse I knew in real life. A few of my characters began life as caricatures of people I once knew or read about. Pretty soon though, each one developed into their own personality. Most of the characters, locations and situations are created and developed from scratch. It’s more enjoyable that way and seems to work well too. No doubt there are bits and pieces I subconsciously put into my work. I think it would mostly be aspects of characters – certain mannerisms, for instance.

I read a lot of fiction, ranging from classic pulp writers like Edgar Rice Burroughs and R.E.Howard, to the Sherlock Holmes adventures, to modern-day storytellers like Stephen King. I play computer games – role-playing games, action games, strategy games and puzzle-adventures. If I get time, I enjoy building and painting sci-fi models (such as Star Trek ships).

I find there are two kinds of writer’s block. One is just mental exhaustion – I’ve pushed too hard for too long, and turned my little grey cells to mush. The only answer to that is to take time off and relax, whether that’s going for a walk, taking some hobby-time or just wasting time browsing on the internet. The second type is when I reach a block in a story and just can’t go on. This almost always means there is something wrong with what I’m doing and it’s like a mental alarm-bell stopping me going further. I find that once I recognise this type of writer’s block for what it is, I can go back (maybe to a previous chapter) and find the error or make the change.

I’ve never been a believer in having a role model to follow. I think if you admire someone greatly and try to emulate them, you’ll always feel you’re falling short. I think it’s better to be the ‘best you’ you can be: cope with (and hopefully overcome) your weaknesses; elevate yourself using your strengths; understand the limitations of your personal situation; criticize yourself in careful and positive ways; and, importantly, feel good for yourself if you do really well. After all, everyone is unique.

Definitely Stephen King. I just love the richness of his characters and situations, and the masterful way his stories build to their climaxes.

Firstly, it’s a crazy thing to do. Few other jobs exist in which you spend months or even years doing all the work, then hope to get paid afterwards. Worse still, your possible success will have a certain amount of luck to it – either that you find an agent you just happens to like your particular work, or, as an indie author, that readers come across your books who are willing to take a chance on your work (and leave those vital reviews). If you look at the situation coldly and logically, you would never take the risk. It’s only worth doing if you love writing and you’re prepared to ignore all the odds because you feel driven to write.

I’m a Carer, so my daily routine revolves around the caring tasks I carry out and my need to “be around” to offer help as and when required. In between the times when I’m physically needed, I tend to concentrate on my writing. First, I catch up with emails, tweets and scheduling books-adverts, etc (on Twitter and Facebook). Then I spend time editing/checking a completed work. Thirdly, I make progress on a fresh title. As and when it’s necessary, I also work on creating cover designs and ‘advert posters’ for my work. Evenings tend to be my time off – reading, watching TV, doing hobbies and playing computer games.

As I’ve said, I try to love all my ‘book-children’ equally. If I had to pick one, it would be the horror novel God Of War. The idea of writing the book in alternate chapters (one set, the experiences of modern-day characters who encounter the entombed God Of War; the other, a diary of the Roman whose twisted desires led to the creation of the monstrosity) was a real challenge. The alternating chapters had to relate to each other even though they were 2000 years apart. In crafting the Roman protagonist, I saw him akin to one of the tragic, doomed characters in an Edgar Allan Poe story, and I enjoyed seeing him grow darker and more desperate. The modern-day characters were also a joy to develop – with aspects such as kinship, humour, love, terror, desperation, hope, betrayal and outright hatred. What I call the ‘set-pieces’ – scenes of major action or drama – were both a challenge and a great pleasure. And devising the nature and visual designs for the God Of War itself was a treat, since I love monster stories. Most of all, when complete, everything gelled together cohesively. And it’s been nice being told it’s a story that will ‘scare someone out of their mind’!

Writing is basically an irremovable part of me. My life is focused around producing writing works, honing my skills and trying to get my work noticed. Even when I’m not ‘at work’, storytelling is always at the back of my mind: I regularly have to rush to note down some concept, idea or scene that has come to me. If you asked me “Why am I a writer?”, I’d answer, “Because I’m driven to be one”.

Most come at random. I’ve flicked through books or the internet to find names that seem to fit. Sometimes, the names come from research – such as the Romans in God Of War. My hero Ray Hammett in Paradise Exhumed was named in homage to two great detective novelists, Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett. The oddest character name so far has been that of my assassin Mr Slowly... in that case, the story title Kill Him, Slowly came to me before the actual story. I loved the title, and the character and story grew out of it.

I think you have to focus on telling a good story, within the bounds of your target audience. For instance, if you’re writing a horror story, you deliver horror; for a mystery, you deliver a twisted whodunit. If you second-guess yourself too much, I think it could dilute the quality of your work. However, I do have moments when I reflect on how a piece of work will affect a reader – how it might bring a smile or really creep them out.

I’ve been very satisfied with AllAuthor so far. It’s a very versatile system – offering the website, an auto-tweeting system and more, and there seem to be new elements arriving too. I’ve already passed on recommendations to writers and readers through social media. One idea that might be of use to you: Could you create a hashtag that AllAuthor members could use? That way we could quickly search out each other’s tweets and retweet them to offer some help. Once again, your efforts on behalf of writers like myself are much appreciated.