Matt Bower has had several short stories published in the
literary journal,
The Crucible and his full-length play,
If Leopold
Could Talk, was a finalist in the 2002 New Century Writer playwriting
competition. He is a writer and performer for the professional comedy
troupe, the Cellar Dwellers. At this moment, Matt is relaxing on his
deck, sipping on a Dogfish Head IPA, and listening to a Pirates baseball
game on his shortwave radio. He resides in Pittsburgh, PA.
The Digital Ink Spot had the pleasure of asking Matt a few questions about his novel,
Save Me, Rip Orion.
The Digital Ink Spot: Please tell the readers about your novel.
Matt Bower: The following is a short synopsis for my independently published novel entitled
Save Me, Rip Orion: An abandoned house is set aflame. Roscoe stumbles upon evidence that reveals the arsonist’s next target. Evoking his childhood icon, the mighty Rip Orion, Roscoe decides to become the real life version of the superhero and apprehend the pyromaniac. However, the fantasy rapidly unravels when events don’t unfold in classic comic book fashion. To save the world, Roscoe must play the role of villain.
However, SMRO is not a typical hero versus villain tale. As the plot unfolds, the classic superhero origin story deconstructs until the line separating the heroes and the villains blurs. Capes and cowls become silly props, and prayers for a savior to swoop from the heavens go unheeded. As the cliché goes, "Good guys wear white, and bad guys wear black." Not so. Everyone wears grey, and superheroes only exist in comic books.
The Digital Ink Spot: Can you describe the journey you took to get your book written?
Matt Bower: An idea occurred to me during the summer of 2009. Although I will not admit the idea here (you’d likely cringe if I revealed it) I decided to clear my schedule the next several months and write a novel. The problem was I had no clear idea of how the plot would unfold, nor did I prepare any outlines, notes, etc. I probably broke every rule in Novice Novel Writing 101. I simply cobbled together the plot off-the-cuff until I realized about 35,000 words in that my work was a meandering mess. I decided to halt my efforts and regroup.
Although my first attempt at writing a novel went awry, I was able to flesh out the two main characters (who later became Roscoe and Marcy in SMRO); I had really grown affectionate toward both in the short time I misused them. I conjured a new story for the two main protagonists—more closely resembling SMRO—and set to writing another novel. Embarrassingly, I did not construct an outline again and simply steered the action as I wrote. I’m unsure why I thought I could form a tight, interesting plot in this manner. Regardless, I managed to complete the project. However, once I set the novel aside and began to distance myself from the writing process I gradually began to understand that the manuscript needed much work. So, I scrapped the second draft too.
Finally, I took the appropriate time to fashion the novel’s outline. I kept in mind the whole “inciting incident, rising action, climax”, etc. that I recalled from 8th grade English. The plot had now evolved to very closely resemble SMRO, less the superhero angle. I also read three books on novel writing. Again, I took to my computer about 3 hours per night, most nights for the next 6 months. I emerged with a completed third draft of my novel. I knew the plot itself was much more complex, and the characters more realistic and interesting. In the meantime, I also joined a local writing group and received some helpful criticism. Again, after having set aside my newest draft for 2 months or so, I realized I still had more work to do. As had become the tradition, I dumped the third draft in the trash and decided to start anew.
By this time, I was struggling with the notion of simply abandoning my novel, or conceiving a whole new plot. I knew the third draft had taken great strides from the first two, but I was unsure how to make it really blossom. One day, during the doldrums of my 9-5 desk job, the idea struck to integrate the superhero element into the plot I had at the ready. Again, I took ample time to cobble together a new outline of the latest version of the novel. I also wrote the details of each scene on a separate notecard and then translated the notecards into a journal. Things seemed to be clicking this time; the superhero angle mended the storylines together extremely well, and added a level of depth to the story that was previously lacking. I went to work and hammered-out the fourth draft in less than three months. I should mention that my wife was pregnant at the time and I had little choice but to complete the manuscript ASAP. Even after finishing the latest draft and allowing a couple of months of reflection, I still felt I had managed to write a very competent novel. I hired an editor and tied some loose ends and set off to independently publish. I once read that a novel is never really finished; it is merely abandoned by the author at some point. My novel, now entitled Save Me, Rip Orion, was abandoned after three years of commitment.
If readers are interested in a much more in-depth reflection of the writing process for SMRO, I have posted a 4-part essay entitled “From Negative Zero To Rip Orion” on my blog Crooked Lullabies.
The Digital Ink Spot: How have you conquered editing?
Matt Bower: While writing each of the four drafts, I maintained the same habit: I would write for a bit over two hours, and then go back and re-read what I had just written. After each draft was completed, I would re-read the entire manuscript and tighten up the dialogue and cut out the fat. Of course, writing four drafts, front to back, was all a part of the editing process, too. I also had a few friends read the drafts and provide a few suggestions along the way. I mentioned earlier that I joined a writing group. I admit that I’m not sure this option is for all authors. While I participated in about 8 meetings, only one of those meetings was spend discussing my work. Yes, I did get some helpful comments but I also spent several hours dissecting others’ manuscripts and focusing on works beside than my own. A participant in a writing group also must be able to decide which criticism to consider and which to leave. Finally, after I re-read the fourth and final version of my novel, I hired an editor to proofread and provide both small and big picture suggestions.
The Digital Ink Spot: What was the book
that most influenced your life — and why?
Matt Bower: I’m not sure any one book has really influenced my life or my desire to want write, at least not in any significant way. There are certainly a handful of books that I enjoyed very much: Lord of the Flies, Catcher in the Rye, Slaughterhouse-Five, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Johnny Got His Gun, and The Stranger to name a few. When I was in elementary school I was hooked on the Hardy Boys novel, and I fondly recall reading Where the Red Fern Grows. During high school English, what most astounded me was reading novels and understanding that what was significant wasn’t just the story itself, rather the universal or timeless subtext which allowed the novel in question to endure generation after generation. Although the authors of many of the novels were long dead, here we were, a bunch of eleventh graders still being quizzed on what the author really meant. I found that concept fascinating.
The Digital Ink Spot: What can readers except from you in the future?
Matt Bower: Good question. I look back at the last three years of my life and consider how many hours of work I committed to SMRO, be it brainstorming, outlining, or actually writing and editing the novel. I have a newborn now and I’m not sure if I can sacrifice the time necessary to complete another full-length novel. The most invaluable lesson I learned, albeit accidentally, is that writing a novel requires tons of work and patience. I was foolish to think I could simply sit at my computer and create a layered plot with multi-faceted characters as fast as I could type the words. On the other hand, I have been encouraged by the results since publishing SMRO, both in terms of critical reception and sales. Recently, I have formulated a few new ideas and I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before I set off to write that dreaded second novel.
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6533848.Matt_Bower
This short novel first appeared in the Cemetery Dance anthology "Brimstone Turnpike." Each character was to be given a brief encounter with a wise old man named Johnny Divine, and one object that would affect the outcome of the story. In Harry Shannon's entry, Sam Kenzie is an LAPD cop who can't escape his obsession with a serial killer due to demons of his own.
