Manfred Gabriel’s work has appeared in numerous publications, most recently, Tryptich Tales, Bete Noire and Kasma Magazine.
How long have you been writing and what got you started?
I don’t know what got me started. I was always a reader, and even as a boy I recall finishing a novel and saying to myself, I’d like to do that. I’ve been writing since I entered a story contest back in fifth grade. I didn’t win, but then again, the story wasn’t that good. In high school and college, I wrote a lot of poetry, but it was usually narrative poetry, and so it was a natural transition to short stories.
What is the best piece of advice you have for new writers?
Unless you are extremely lucky, writing will never make you rich. It will never make you famous. However, if you do it for long enough, and consistently enough, it will enrich your life and make you a better person.
What is your favorite type of fiction and who are your favorite authors?
I tend to read speculative fiction that takes place in the real world, but I try not to limit myself. Jonathan Carrol and Graham Joyce do an amazing job at this. I am also a great fan of Gene Wolfe and Harlan Ellison. At the same time, I don’t stick to speculative fiction entirely. I never pass up a John LeCarre novel. I’ve also learned a great deal from more realistic authors such as Raymond Carver.
How do you measure success when it comes to your writing?
My goal is simple – to write what interests me and be read by as many people as possible. I know not everything I write will be published, but my goal is to get as many stories published in as many places as possible.
What tips do you have for finding time to write?
It’s about priorities. If writing is important to you, you can usually make the time. Think about how much or your day is wasted on social media or binging Netflix. This time could easily be shifted towards writing. My issue tends not to be time, but energy. I find it difficult to shift away from everything going on in my everyday life and focus on writing. It helps if I treat writing as a task to complete, since I’ve always been task oriented.
Do you favor the traditional route or self-publishing?
I’ve always favored the more traditional route to publishing. There’s something about receiving others acceptance of my work that I find gratifying. Whether or not one has a better chance of leading to success is hard to say. Whatever road you take, success usually takes a lot of time and hard work.
Are you an outliner or discovery writer? Or somewhere in between?
I don’t create detailed outlines, but I do need to start with a general idea of what will happen, even though it might change as I’m writing. I tend to start a story with how it will end, and then work my way towards that ending.
How do you deal with rejections?
If you want to publish, rejection comes with the territory. The important thing to remember is that a rejection of a story is not a rejection of you as a person, or even the quality of your work. It might just not be right market.
Were you taught anything about creative writing in high school or college that just didn’t work for you?
In college, I was steered away from the genre fiction I enjoyed writing. It was seen as escapist and not worth the talents of a serious author. I tried writing what my professors wanted, but just didn’t get as much out of it. Of course, I later realized that some so called literary fiction was more escapist as genre fiction, and genre fiction, if you done well, had an awful lot to say about the human condition.
Do you participate in any online or in-person critique or writing groups?
I used to, but stopped. While I did like the camaraderie of fellow writers, I found that the such groups weren’t particularly useful in improving my writing. The key problem is that it’s hard to properly critique other’s work. We tend to want to make the story our own, instead of helping the writer tell his or her story better. It’s something I struggle with myself.
