Interview with Author Matt Witten             16.09.22

Matt Witten is a Thriller Author and Screenplay Writer from the USA.  His latest book, my latest review, Killer Story is due for release on the 17th January 2023.  It's a must read and if you haven't yet read The Necklace I cannot recommend it highly enough.

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Do you have a favourite quote you live by?

 

I try to live my life by these classic quotes: “Easy does it.” “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” “Pause when agitated.” “One day at a time.” “Whatever happens, just keep writing.”

 

How do you compare writing a novel to writing a screenplay and which do you prefer?

 

My general feeling is: some stories are best told as novels, others make for good plays, and others cry out to be on TV or in a movie. I write in whatever genre seems best for the story. I’m not really sure how I make that judgment; it’s just a feeling I get with each story.

 

As to the main differences when it comes to the actual writing: with novels there is a lot more internal monologue, and with screenplays and teleplays you rely even more on the spoken dialog.

 

Each genre has its virtues. I love the excitement of live theatre, everyone experiencing the same thing at once. I also love TV and movies because you get a show that lasts forever; I can send you the links! Theatre, TV and movies also give you the fun of collaborating with talented people to create something cool.

For me, in my life right now, I enjoy writing novels and reading novels probably the most. I like the pure simplicity of it: me sitting at a coffee shop, writing on my screen; and the reader, making a cup of tea and reading. I get to write what I’m most passionate about. I’ve been lucky to be part of a great writing group that meets every Friday to read each other’s work, so I get the fun of collaborating too.

Having said that, I enjoyed adapting The Necklace as a screenplay, and I’m excited about that journey as well. Currently I’m writing a pilot for NBC called 51%, and I’m loving it. So we shall see what the future holds!

 

Which author shaped your childhood?

 

Dr. Seuss! What a genius. So amazingly imaginative.

 

Do you plot your book, or are you a pantser?

 

I’m a “plantser”! I do some plotting and some pantsing. In general, I write an outline that’s about seven or eight pages, single spaced. If it’s a mystery, I always know who the victim is and who the killer is – in other words, I know the beginning and end of the book – but I don’t know a lot of what comes in between.

 

One except to this: with Killer Story, I changed my mind about who the killer was. I ended up surprising myself as well as the readers!

 

What is your average writing day?

 

For the past several years, when there’s no coronavirus to worry about… I get up around 6:00, ride my bike forty-five minutes to my favorite coffee shop, get a piece of hummus toast and a cup of tea, leave a large tip so I don’t feel guilty sitting in a corner for hours, and write til 11:00 or so, taking breaks to hang out with the other regulars, most of whom are also writers.

Then I ride home, make lunch, hang out and do errands til 3:00 or so, then write upstairs in my office, at my standing desk, til around 6.

The key thing I discovered is that if I wrote at home in the morning, I got cranky and lonely. But now that I’ve developed this new routine, I start my day with three of my favorite things in the world: biking, socializing with friends, and writing. Definitely worth the price of that hummus toast and tea!

Where do you find your inspiration?

 

Sometimes from reading the newspaper, sometimes from people I know, sometimes just from walking around and thinking.

 

With Killer Story, I began writing the novel because I’m a huge fan of crime podcasts like Serial and Accused and crime documentaries like Making a Murderer and Jinx. At the same time, I’m a skeptic of these shows. I’m intrigued by how reporters sometimes omit key details or distort the truth in order to tell a better story. In this ultra-competitive era, getting clicks and followers can be more important than getting the truth.

 

Another inspiration for Killer Story is all the men and women I know in their twenties who are fiercely dedicated to going into journalism despite the huge obstacles they face. Journalism is such a rapidly changing field, with newspapers dying, internet news sites unable to find workable economic models, and decent paying jobs increasingly hard to get. These aspiring young journalists have a sense of mission that I admire. Their passion refuses to be denied.

 

I also found inspiration in my own life. All TV writers get fired at least once in their careers, or to use the industry parlance, they “don’t get their contracts renewed”; and that has happened to me as well. There are many reasons TV writers don’t get renewed – often it’s as simple as, there’s a new head writer who wants to hire people they’ve worked with before. But whatever the reason, losing your job is painful.

 

And it happens all the time in the newspaper industry. Will Doolittle, a reporter for the Glens Falls Post-Star, told me that when he started out twenty years ago, they had fifty reporters; now they’re down to eight. All over the country, newspapers are laying people off or going under.

 

So I created a main character in Killer Story, Petra Kovach, who is about to get laid off from yet another journalism job. She obsesses about all the things that just about everyone I know who’s ever lost their job, including myself, stresses about: Did I choose the right path in life? Is what happened somehow my fault? Will I ever get a job in the industry again?

 

But Petra gets back up off the mat and keeps on fighting.

 

As I’ve indicated, Petra is based partly on me; I identify with her feelings and forgive all her flaws. She’s a young woman who’s trying to make it in a very difficult business. Petra is also inspired by a brilliant young woman I know who, like Petra, is a first-generation immigrant with big dreams from an economically disadvantaged family. She’s working her way through law school now.

 

Olivia is inspired by the alt-right media figure Tomi Lahren. While I’m not a fan of Olivia’s politics, I found it intriguing to speculate about all the pressures that might have transformed this sweet, caring young girl into somebody who is, on the surface at least, a pretty unlikeable person.

 

Writing Killer Story gave me a renewed, healthy skepticism of the news media, along with a new appreciation for journalists like Petra who overcome all kinds of obstacles to bring us the truth about the world. I hope you are as captivated by Petra as I am, and that you don’t guess the killer until the very end!

 

How do you come up with your titles?

 

It’s different with each book. With Killer Story, as soon as I thought of the idea for the novel, I decided I would title it Clickbait. But then the Netflix series Clickbait came out, and I didn’t want audiences to get confused, so I hunted around for a title. After trying out about twenty-five titles on my writing group, my relatives, and random strangers at my favorite coffee shop, I eventually settled on Killer Story. Which, in retrospect, I think is a better title than Clickbait!

 

Is anything in your books based on real life experiences?

 

Always! As I described earlier, Clickbait is inspired by my experiences, and every novel I write has something of me in them.

 

You’re hosting a literary dinner party, which four authors would you invite (alive or dead)?

 

Woody Guthrie, my favorite songwriter. Walt Kelly, creator of Pogo, my favorite comic strip ever. The great Dr. Seuss. Let’s see, who would be #4. Maybe whoever wrote the book of Genesis? I guess that was a group effort.

 

What repeating themes do you find yourself pulling into your stories?

 

Learning to believe in yourself.  Overcoming your flaws.  Deluding yourself and then getting honest.  Overcoming self-centeredness and helping others.  An individual fighting injustice.

 

What is the funniest typo or error you’ve ever written?

 

Once I was reviewing a play in Boston, and I wrote about a certain actor that I had seen her perform in several plays and she was turning into a wonderful actor and it was great to “see her growth.”

 

So people read my review and asked me, where was her growth? On her neck? Her cheek? Where?

 

If your book was being made into a blockbuster film, who would you choose to play the lead characters?

 

I have a first choice with The Necklace, but I’m not supposed to say, in case the movie gets made with someone else who’s not my first choice!

 

Do you have any projects coming up that you are particularly excited about?

 

Killer Story, of course! And the pilot I’m writing for NBC now, 51%, about a world thirty years from now where the big six corporate syndicates own the roads, the schools, the police departments… and even the people.

 

Who is the most supportive person in your life when it comes to your writing?

 

My wife. Yay, Nancy Seid!

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