As one of the newer members of this writing community, what have you liked about the site, or how has it benefitted you? How can the members of the community or the site help your writing if some of your needs are not currently being met?

I love the interaction on this site, and the fact that there are so many writers here. The review boards are simple to use, and the site overall is very easy to navigate. The best part, though, as far as I’m concerned, is that the reviewers are honest and seem to genuinely want to help each other. It’s a very supportive community.

When did you begin writing, and what was the inspiration to start?

The earliest I remember writing for pleasure (as opposed to school assignments) was in about the seventh grade. I read Cycle of the Werewolf by Stephen King and decided that I wanted to try writing horror. Sadly, it sucked and was way too much work, so I quit writing for about four years. In high school I wrote because I had friends who wrote, though it was mostly bad adolescent poetry. Since then, I’ve mostly just written the kind of stories I’d like to read, because I enjoy it. It’s like pulling teeth sometimes, but when it all works out, it’s a great feeling.

If you were onboard ship and out to sea for months at a time, what is the one thing that you could not do without that assists you with your writing, and why?

Plenty of time. When I get going, I can write for hours, but the least interruption will throw me off. Paper and pens/pencils/other implements of destruction are pretty essential, too.

What elements of a story do you find hardest to conquer?

Just getting started is the worst for me. Sometimes I’ll just start by writing a funny idea down and everything will just flow out, but that’s pretty rare. Usually it takes a month or two to write that first page or two, but after that it’s a lot easier.

Do you have any special rituals for writing?

At sea, I always used a steno pad and one of those cheap yellow mechanical pencils. Now I’ve gotten used to writing on my laptop, so I use that. Unfortunately, I also have CivilizationII on the laptop, so I usually end up playing that all night instead of writing. I do like to have something to drink (tea, Coke, or cranberry juice) and maybe some gum around , since I tend to grind my teeth a lot when I write.

To date, what has been your most exciting moment as a writer?

Actually, being chosen for this interview is pretty exciting. I think it’s between this and winning $25 from another website for “Death Takes a Leak”. My getting paid was probably the best for my wife, because I used the money to take her out.

Which would you find more difficult to write, a 100 word story, or a 10,000 word story, and why?

It depends on the story. “The Green of the Sea” took forever to write, while “Death Takes a Leak” took an hour. Conversely, I have a story called “Hey Diddle, Diddle, the Cat’s on the Griddle” that’s around 10,000 words that was easier than “A Conversation at Breakfast”, which is less than 600. Generally, comedy is easier for me than anything else, and everything's easier to write when I'm bored.

How do you come up with new story ideas?

Sometimes I just hear (or mis-hear) a funny line on TV, or pull things from the news, and I freely admit to ripping off Monty Python and Douglas Adams on an almost daily basis. Other writers are a good inspiration, too; competition is a great motivator.

Have you experienced writer's block yet? And how have you overcome it?

I’ve been pretty well blocked since July, actually. I’ve found I just have to wait it out and write what I can. I think I’ve put out about eight pages since then.

Have you had anything published yet, and what was that like? If not, would you try to get your work published, and why or why not?

I actually edited and published a couple of issues of a literary magazine back in 1995, but other than that, no. I sold a story to a small-press horror ‘zine once, but it folded before they could publish it. Other than that, it’s all been online. I’d love to be in print, just for the chance to see an actual book with my name on it. That’d be great. I’d buy,like, three copies.

Has your experiences in the armed forces influenced your writing?

Yes, in the sense that a great deal of Navy life, especially at sea, is horribly boring, which is conducive to creativity for me. Since we couldn’t have non-Navy reading materials on watch, I wrote to keep my mind occupied. As for altering my outlook on life, or anything like that, though, I haven’t been as affected by the military as I have been by being married. My wife’s my biggest influence.

Is there anything else that you would like to share with our writers?

Well, I’ve got some mints in the car, if anybody wants one. I don’t know how to html an Altoid, though.

I would also like to recommend GV2010, where most of my work is posted, along with that of several like-minded and more talented authors