INTRODUCING
ANDREW ROBERTS
Hi there!
You're studying for a creative writing degree.
Do you feel like your courses are preparing
you for your writing endeavors?
I think so. It's always great to pick up some
useful pointers and get different kinds of
feedback. And if that isn't the case, it's nice
to be spending my days doing something
I enjoy.
Nice.
You mentioned the game "Deadlands"
and how it has a steampunk theme. Has
that followed into your work?
If not steampunk, then the Western
aspect of the setting. It got me interested in
the old pulp novels, and the kinds of genres
featured in those. As time passed, I drifted
more towards the historical settings rather
than science fiction and fantasy.
Sounds interesting.
Are you a history buff, or just into it for
your work?
I'd say I'm a history buff. It was one of my
favourite subjects at school, and I've always
retained a casual interest in it.
You say you have a singing voice.
Have you performed anywhere, recently?
I haven't sang onstage, but performed
some poems at an open mic night in the
last week of term.
How did that go?
Did anyone record it?
It went pretty well. It was two poems I'd
recently written, one of which only a
few hours before the event. Plus a rose piece
I've performed before, this time from memory.
I don't have any footage on me, I'm afraid.
Bummer!
Thank you for taking the time to do this!
My pleasure!
Thanks for having me!
(on a side note about the singing question,
there was one time on a Halloween social
where an American student asked if I could
name all the US presidents and I responded
by singing the President song
from Animaniacs)
Haha! That's FANTASTIC!
That's being included for sure!
STANDARD TWEEP TATTLER INTERVIEW
1) Where do you live?
In the UK. I was born in Lancashire, and moved to Staffordshire when I was 9. At the moment, I’m living in Leicester.
2) What is the first thing you remember writing?
When I was 17, my brother gave me a sourcebook for a roleplaying game called Deadlands. The setting combined Westerns with dark fantasy and steampunk. I loved the world which had been created, and wanted to write something in that.
3) Why do you write?
In a word, escape. I was struggling with A Levels (The UK equivalent of high school junior and senior years), and felt like writing was the only thing I was good at. As I got older, I decided that I wanted to take it further.
4) Have you published any of your work?
I’ve got a few short stories published on blogs, but nothing commercially released yet.
5) What are you currently writing?
My main work in progress has been a series of pirate stories. Based a lot on Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser stories, they follow the adventures of two wandering scoundrels: A romantic, thrill-seeking Cornish libertine called Kestrel, and a cynical Antiguan mercenary called Scar.
I’m also trying out National Poetry Writing month this April, in which you write a poem every day.
Other than that, it’s mostly assignments.
6) Are you currently querying?
Not at the moment.
7) Finish this sentence (three lines or less):
IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT…
And I was curled up by the fire with a bourbon on the rocks, reading a book with more creative opening.
8) Which activities do you like to participate in, in the Twitter writing community (VSS365, etc.)?
I like participating in numerous daily hashtags, most notably #AuthorConfession. I’m also a regular attendee of the weekly writing chats #WritersPatch and #JustAddTea. I’m discovering more of both as I go along.
9) Do you have any formal training/education for writing?
I’m currently studying for a BA in Creative Writing.
10) Do the people in your life know that you write?
Yes.
11) Where do you wish your writing to take you?
I’d like to be able to get some work out there. Perhaps have my stories in different publications, and then release them together in a collection once enough are out there.
12) What did you expect when you joined the Twitter writing community? Did it turn out as expected?
I don’t know. I found an interesting hashtag community, but I also found a lot of great writers to interact with.
13) Where do you write?
Usually in my room, or in the kitchen where I’ve got a view.
14) How much time do you dedicate to writing, weekly?
It varies. I keep a journal which I write in every day, and I have assignments.
15) Do you have other talents?
I quite like cooking. I’ve also recently taken an interest in fencing, for the research. And a few people have said I have a lovely singing voice.
16) CHOOSE ONE:
- I do not mind when other writers ask for advice. Whether or not I can give it depends on the question.
Swanwick Writers' Summer School, which helped Andrew on his path as a writer
Andrew Roberts has been writing as a hobby since the age of 17, stemming from his love of Dungeons & Dragons. He predominantly writes historical adventure fiction heavily inspired by the old pulp magazines (especially Zorro), but is experimenting in a few other genres and mediums. After discovering a summer school for writers in Derbyshire, he decided he just wanted to write, leaving his full-time job as an accountant to Study Creative Writing at university. He is currently working on a series of pirate stories following the swashbuckling adventures of wandering rogues Kestrel and Scar.
Check out some of Andrew's work in the online student magazine, The Free Pen Collective: https://freepencollective.wixsite.com/website/home/?fbclid=IwAR20tf58qvQrVYVuLF0FbvFLrZVGYLbzvEmOeH6aJHeRY9g3sODXMMEV2MQ
Facebook Writer Page: https://www.facebook.com/AndyRoberts66/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AndrewRoberts66
Good luck with your writing, Andrew! Does your creative writing program in the UK use the workshop method? (I'm a product/survivor of the workshop system in the US.)
ReplyDeleteIn first year, modules are mostly workshop-based. There was only one lecture, but there's a workshop in the same module. Which means I can skip the lecture and not miss much.
DeleteThanks, Andy! I'm always interested in how writing is taught in different places.
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