Writer's World

Just asking JackGallow

Our  next guest was another Writer I fanned early on. He is descriptive, humourous, creates eerie atmospheres, and draws you in at the first page. Please welcome MR. JackGallow!   

Question 1. My GF Is A Zombie Hooker…wow, I have never seen anything like it – how did you come up with such an awesome premise?

Thank you. That story really came out of nowhere. I started typing one day and the pieces sort of came together. It wasn't until I was almost finished with it that I realized the story was really about a guy who refuses to face the reality of the situation. Each turn of the story his GF situation gets worse and he chooses to cling to hope and ignore all the warning signs.

Question 2. All of your stories including My GF Is A Zombie Hooker, have cool enticing covers. Do you make them yourself? How important is it to have a great cover?

I love making covers. I made all my covers except for Boinked, Hooha84 made that one for me. I try to keep it simple when I'm making them. I had a lot of fun making the cover for Sloppy Seconds because I drew those stick figures myself, haha. 

 Question 3. What drives you to write?

 I think writing is the best way to express ourselves. We can tell any story we want, create any characters and setting we dream up. I get excited by all the possibilities. Sometimes I write just for myself. When I'm working on a story for this site, I really want the readers to have fun. It's such a great feeling when the readers tell me how much they enjoyed a story. Bless those readers. 

Question 4. What is the secret to writing humorous dialogue? You have a very cool way of doing it.

I think we all have a unique voice. I see my characters in my head and picture them talking. Dialogue brings the characters to life. It shows us who they are and how they think. The humor in my dialogue really all comes from my own sense of humor, so I'm not always sure the readers find it funny.

Question 5. How important is formatting when writing stories? Can you give three tips you can give to someone writing their first story…how can they make it look presentable?

 Formatting can be tricky on this site. I usually have to work out a few bugs once I copy and paste something here. My advice to someone is to strive to make it easy for the reader to read the work (1. adequate spacing 2. proper punctuation 3. always start a new paragraph anytime a different person speaks) I've read stories on here where the author didn't follow the third one and it's really difficult to understand what's going on.

 Question 6. What do you find is the hardest part about writing?

The hardest part for me is finding the time. I have to battle my laziness as well. It's hard work writing a story and in the end we just have to sit down and do it. 

 Question 7. How has your experience on Wattpad been up until now? Do you think there are faults/benefits of being a male writer on here?

 My experience on wattpad has been amazing. I love interacting with other writers and getting to see their comments. I think it's really cool being a male writer on this site. It seems like the majority of my readers are female so it gives me chance to write stories with that in mind. It's a lot of fun. Thank you ladies :)

Question 8. I began reading Fallen Oaks and you obviously have a talent for creating atmospheres. In the opening chapter the town has a very eerie vibe about it. What advice can you give someone creating locations such as this?

My advice is to imagine yourself in that setting and do your best to describe that atmosphere. What are you seeing, hearing, feeling? Take your time to get the details just right.

 Question 9. Three pieces of advice you would give to someone writing their very first story?

Let yourself be open. You don't have to get everything perfect the first time around. You can always go back and fix things. I think it helps if you are writing about a topic you find interesting. You want writing to be enjoyable, otherwise it's that much harder to find motivation.

Question 10. Do you plan out your stories or just write as you go? Is planning important?

 I usually only have a vague idea of where a story is going. I've heard from other writers that they prefer to plan it all out but that's never worked for me. I usually end up changing directions so many times that whatever I had planned will no longer work. It's important to have some idea of where the story is going, but to be honest it's as much a mystery to me as it is to reader most of the time.

Question 11. What can we expect to see from JackGallow in 2013?

 I'm really excited about next year. It may seem like I'm not writing as much but that's not true. I'm finishing a novel and hope to have that published sometime in 2013. Hopefully I find the time to write short stories to post on wattpad, but a lot of my energy is going into writing that will be published. I'll keep everyone on here up to date on things.  2013 is going to be an exciting year for the writing world! 

 Question 12. Write a 200 word short – Sci-Fi meets Horror.

 Abby touched the strange metal object and gasped. The surface of it was ice-cold and smooth. The football shaped thing had fallen from the sky and landed in the field by her house. Abby knew it was from another world. It started to hum when she touched it. She yanked her hand away and wondered if it was dangerous. The faint humming grew louder and she worried that her parents would hear it and get angry. She cautiously back away from the object.

“Abigail,” an alien voice called out to her.

She stopped. She knew she was going to be in trouble. Her parents only called her by her full name when she did something wrong. The ground shook beneath her feet. It felt like she was standing on a trampoline that was moving up and down. The sky changed color and suddenly filled with thousands of twinkling lights, like a field of fireflies. Abby started to cry.

 “Abigail,” it said again.

 “What?” she sobbed. Creatures appeared all around her. They were hideous and strange. They crawled along the ground, their mouths hanging open like they were silently screaming. 

“Welcome home,” it said.

I just put my jacket over my eyes. Very scary...very well done. 

Check out more from the amazingly talented JackGallow:

My GF Is A Zombie Hooker - Jack is shocked to discover that his girlfriend is a zombie hooker. 

Fallen Oaks - Mallory is dreading her senior year as the new girl in a small town. Her dread quickly turns to fear as she uncovers some dark secrets. Ghosts, magic, and murdering hotties. "Hooked. I'm going to read the hell out of this one..." -Anonymous reader "In life, two things are important. Eating a healthy breakfast, and reading Fallen Oaks." -Jack Gallow probably said this.