Richard Becker Author Bio:
Richard R. Becker is an award-winning American writer. His debut collection of experimental and speculative fiction began as a project to write one story a week for 50 weeks.
As a journalist, Richard has written hundreds of magazine and newspaper articles, with his byline appearing in the Denver Post, Los Angeles Times, and publications for Simon & Schuster and Paramount Communications. He also scripted a documentary produced with PBS and contributed to five books related to marketing, public relations, and management.
He is president of Copywrite, Ink. and, for 20 years, Richard taught as an instructor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He is married and has two children.
What inspires you to write?
I was the kid who always had a story to tell — every stuffed animal and plastic army man had a back story. In some ways, I used storytelling as a way to interact with and understand the world. It wasn't until later that I learned how to put it down on paper.
Tell us about your writing process.
Coming up with a new story or stories usually comes from a few creative sparks in the back of mind at any given time, and then fanning one or several of them to see what ignites. These sparks can come from anywhere — something I read, seen, researched, or remembered — and take on different forms. When I'm ready to sit down with one, I usually have a few seconds to build upon or overall picture I need to flesh out. Each starts differently, but there comes a point when I'm writing down what I see.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I don't talk to my characters, but I have strong intuitive feelings about them. So while I don't keep character sketches or talk to them, I instinctively know things about them. For example, I don't need a character sheet to tell me they like chocolate ice cream. I only need to imagine them talking to another character about ice cream to know. Of course like they chocolate. Or whatever.
Who are your favorite authors?
When someone asks this, I almost always start with Ernest Hemingway and John Updike because were so very good at writing straight, honest prose about people. After those two, it becomes more of an ever-changing potluck. Lately, I love the rawness of Zora Neale Hurston, the poetic descriptiveness of Peter Heller, and the grit of S.A. Cosby.
What genres do you write?
Literary, Psychological, Thriller, Paranormal, Speculative, Experimental, Historical
How did you choose the genre(s) you write?
My writing is very much like my reading: eclectic. It seems to me that writing across genres makes everything a little less predictable.
What three things are on your writing desk at any given moment?
A cup of coffee (stone cold and empty if it's late in the day). A variety of pens and markers for notes and sketches (because I enjoy illustration as much as writing). A Saint Christopher's pendant that my grandmother, the one who raised me for the first ten years of my life, used to wear.
What hobbies do you have when you need a break from writing?
I enjoy a broad range of activities, including travel, hiking, exercise, photography, illustration, and time with my family. I have two children and while one is attending a university, the other keeps me busy because she is a travel softball player and student athlete.
What formats are your books in?
eBook, Print, Audiobook
Website(s)
Home Page Link
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Author’s Social Media Links
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All information is provided by the author and is presented as it was submitted so you the reader get to hear the author’s own “voice” in their interview.