Douglas Clark
Doug is a writer, editor, and sometimes artist. After writing his first short story in 4th grade, he knew storytelling would always be a part of his life. He graduated from Penn State with an English degree, concentrating on Creative Writing. Then he served as a Navy sailor, getting to see Asia, Australia, and a whole lot of the Pacific Ocean. Being a single parent taught him how to appreciate those brief and special moments that will never come again and to cherish life. After many years of writing and accumulating tons of stories, he decided to start submitting and found success. He’s had several of his short stories published in small press magazines like the Corvus Review, the Paragon Journal, and Five2One magazine. Plus, two of his poems were published by the Zyzygy Poetry Journal. Always writing he’s working on finishing up his second novel and finding a publisher for the first. Honestly believing there’s a story in every moment, he’ll keep writing until there’s nothing left to say, if that every happens. He’s not perfect, but he’s always trying to improve on the person he was yesterday.
Doug lives in San Diego with his family, two dogs, and loves the ocean.
Follow Douglas on Twitter at https://twitter.com/inspirengine
Featured Author: Douglas Clark Interview
LHP: How long have you been writing?
Douglas Clark: I wrote my first short story in 4th grade and my first poem in 5th grade. Haven’t stopped since.
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LHP: What/who inspired you to be a writer?
Douglas Clark: I love Science Fiction and Fantasy. I read Stephen King, Asimov, and a ton of Doctor Who tv tie in books as a kid. I always wanted to tell my own tale so I gave it a try. Back to top >>>
LHP: What genre do you prefer to write in?
Douglas Clark: Mostly I write contemporary slice of life and supernatural/fantasy type work. Back to top >>>
LHP: Describe your writing process. What comes first–character or plot? Do you “pants” it or outline?
Douglas Clark: I always have ideas floating around in my head. Some are almost fully formed from the beginning and others are just vague ideas. I usually just sit down and start writing. A lot of inspiration comes from simply getting words on the page. The more I write, the more the story comes to me. Back to top >>>
LHP: What is your daily/weekly routine as a writer?
Douglas Clark: I try to write as often as I can. But discipline is hard. Sometimes I’ll write 1000 words a day for weeks at a time, and sometimes I won’t write anything for a month. Back to top >>>
LHP: Are there any software tools, resources, or websites you use often while writing?
LHP: What are some of your biggest challenges you feel like you have to overcome in your writing career?
Douglas Clark: Finding an agent and getting someone to look at your novel is a huge challenge. Back to top >>>
LHP: Do you have a set number of words per day you target? or do you set other goals to meet?
Douglas Clark: I try for 1000 per day, but I miss it way more than I would like.
LHP: Question: How much time is spent on “the business of writing” – queries, seeking an agent or publisher, marketing/sales?
Douglas Clark: Less than I should. I don’t feel bad when I’m rejected. That’s not a big problem for me. But I find it tedious to search out loads of agents, write queries, format a manuscript submission and submit, then have to do it all over again, over and over.
LHP: Do you prefer short stories or full length novels in your writing?
Douglas Clark: It depends on the idea I have. Back to top >>>
LHP: Can you give some us some insight into your story, “Ghost Trap” in Beautiful Lies, Painful Truths Vol.1?
Douglas Clark: I love the idea of supernatural occurrences. The idea of different realms and other planes of existence are cool for a story format. I wanted to explore the idea of a character trapped between realms trying to lead a somewhat normal life while dealing with the strange and unexplained as a permanent fixture in his life. Back to top >>>
LHP: What advice can you give other writers?
Douglas Clark: Write. Keep writing, always write. And never stop. Back to top >>>
Beautiful Lies, Painful Truths Vol.1
Douglas Clark recently authored “Ghost Trap” for Beautiful Lies Painful Truths, on sale now on Amazon.com.