An interview with...
Bill Carrera
Tell us one of your first experiences where you realised that language had power.
I grew up in the church and saw the power of the spoken word explaining the written word. Listening to my uncles tell the family stories also showed me the power of language to connect to the past. When I began reading and made my way through the boy canon of literature the power of language opened new worlds.
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would you say?
Outline, outline, outline. I write a lot off the cuff but find myself stranded and abandoning stories. When I outline, I write better. Outline, outline, outline.
Have you ever written under a pseudonym?
Never, But I do have a few ideas of what I would if I ever did.
What kind of research do you do for whatever it is you’re writing?
Most of my writing is tall-tale memoir, so I don't do a lot of research. I do have a great idea for a non-fiction book about the Maccabee Los Angeles Athletic Club that won 3 US Soccer Open Cups in 5 years during the late 70s.
What’s the most difficult thing about writing characters of a different gender to you?
Dialogue is hardest. Most of my female characters tend to sound like my wife.
Do you believe in the dreaded Writer’s Block?
I do. Mine happens when I just can't seem to find my place in the story, so I don't know what to write.