Alex Carter

Alex Carter

What do you write?

Mostly fiction. My stories almost always intersect with the real world, to varying degrees, but aren’t usually outright realism – they might fit under “genre fiction” like fantasy, science fiction, and horror. There’s always humour, somewhere, but I like a bit of darkness in my tales. The medium itself varies, as well: short stories, novels, screenplays, comic books…

Pen & paper or computer & printer?

My handwriting isn’t too great. I type faster than I write, too. So, while I’ll still write with pen and paper at some point every week, much of my “writing” these days is typed onto a computer (or phone)!

Where do you write? Where would you like to write?

Here, there, and everywhere. If an idea comes to me, I have to get it down, regardless of where I am. I prefer to write while sat on a sofa or even in bed – I could be romantic and say out on a walk in the forest, but that’s not always practical!

Which do you enjoy more – researching, writing or editing?

Researching is fun for me, although the amount of research I do depends on the piece. Of course, the writing is the great part, yet it can be so infuriating when you need to bridge a gap or remember the right words. The editing is almost the healing process, so I like that, as it’s possible to shape anything into something different.

Does your Litmus entry have a soundtrack?

I listen to an awful lot of music while writing. My Litmus entry is about a singer in a (fictional) rock band – so at the moment my soundtrack is riot grrrl bands like Bikini Kill and Sleater-Kinney, as well as punk from Against Me!, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and X-Ray Spex.

Favourite author or poet – can you manage just one?

When I think about it, I’m not actually the kind of person who will deliberately seek out more and more of a particular author’s work; I like variation in voice. Saying that, I tend to love everything that Neil Gaiman and Alan Moore write, and Harper Lee will always be a favourite despite her only having one published book. It’s easier to say with poets, as I’m not a big poetry fan, but I quite like John Cooper Clarke and Emily Dickinson.

First book or poem you fell in love with?

As a kid, I was really into mythology and fairy-tales – I still am – but I didn’t have a particular favourite of those. I did, however, love Enid Blyton’s Faraway Tree and Wishing-Chair books, plus Tove Jansson’s Moomin books.

Cat, dog, budgie, bunny or goldfish?

Gerbil!

 

If you would like to see some of Alex’s work, visit his website: http://www.lexicafilms.co.uk.

You can also follow him on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lexicarta