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The Interview - Humberto Decanini

https://elprogramagamer.com/

How did you become an author and get published? Share your experience.

I didn't do it. I just started writing one day, and a few years later, the book was ready. But I never became an author, in the sense that I don't dedicate myself to it. Nor was I published; I did it myself through Amazon and other tools for personal use. I am not, nor do I feel like an author, nor am I, nor do I feel like I'm published.

When you're working on a book and a new idea pops up, should you pursue it immediately (also known as 'UP syndrome') or finish your current project first? What do you think is the best course of action?

I like to finish what I have started, I have a very linear way to work

Which character do you enjoy writing the most as a writer and why? If choosing a favorite character is like choosing a favorite child, which character do you find requires the most attention and detail from you as a writer?

It would be Sharon, the protagonist. Ironically, she's a character not very popular with those who've read the novel, as it's written in a very Mary Sue style.

Sharon is a personal story. I created her for another story as my character's simple virtual girlfriend, to satisfy a personal desire. I was 17, and her role was to release all my teenage hormones. Unfortunately, I created a real connection with the character, and I really like writing about her because I feel like she's coming to life. Although I tried to give her nuances and flaws, I suppose my feelings affected her development.

Initially, she wasn't supposed to be the protagonist, but since she was the one I liked writing about the most, she ended up being the one who appears the most and took on that role.

Aside from Hsaron, the other character I love writing about is Gotnov, because he's everything I'd like to be: someone who's free to do whatever he wants.

Can you explain your writing process? Do you prefer to create an outline and plan beforehand, or do you prefer to write more spontaneously and organically?

I write spontaneously, I have some points I would like to explore, I list them as critical points and then I start filling in the blanks, writing to get from point A to B, then to C, according to the critical points I placed.

What are some books or authors that you would recommend to our readers?

Arthur Conan Doyle, Alexandre Dumas, Fiodor Dostoievsky, almost anyone from the good old times

Tell us what you enjoy most about writing [genre].

I like anything dark, depressing, dystopian. Not just in writing, but in everything. For example, I don't play Fortnite because it's too colorful; I like the macabre.

What have you found to be most challenging about writing in [genre]?

To be read. Many of us write; there are so many of us that few want to read anymore; everyone wants to be read. In a world where everyone is trying to get, it's hard to find someone who wants to give.

Have you been able to incorporate your previous experience in [jobs/education] in your writing?

I am a psychologist so all my education on the subject is reflected in the novel.

Do you identify with your main character or did you create a character that is your opposite?

That depends of the book and the character. In The GAMER Program the main character is a female so, it has nothing to do with me, but the male co-protagonist it's basically me

Describe the [book/series] in 10 words or less for people who are just learning about it.

About how video games teach us to survive

Would you like readers to have any specific takeaway from your book?

I write my story from my point of view, I would like to read what others think of what I have written, but my story is an idea I once had and it has its own meaning

Do you have any unusual writing habits?

Not that I am aware of it

As an author, what critique has been the most challenging for you to receive? On the other hand, what compliment has been the most rewarding?

Worst critic is none, that the worst part, when no one cares. For me, even a bad critic is good because it means that someone read the book.

At best, I like when someone feels identified with a character or a situation I wrote

Share some advice for aspiring authors. What advice would you give to your younger self?1. What is your favorite line from your book?

My experience is writing for the pure pleasure of it because we'll be hard-pressed to find money, and therefore, the time to write will be minimal, so that little time must be satisfactory. Write for yourself, what you want, don't try to please others. You can't please everyone.

I'd say, give it a couple of revisions before publishing, just so you don't confuse readers with the changes.

My favorite line from the novel would be: Don't get your ideas right. It's very likely we won't get through this. No one will remember us. We won't be heroes. We'll just be another name, lost among the long list of those who died in this war against the Sheitans... don't take risks, try to survive.

I like it because it's the anti-discourse. I think it's more realistic than the motivational speech that appears in movies like Independence Day.

To date, what is your favorite (or most difficult) chapter you have ever written?

It's hard to write endings, both story and arc endings. It's a lot of pressure to come up with something worthwhile, and I've probably only rarely achieved it.

What is your take on book boyfriends? Do they actually exist? Or do they set the bar for “real life men” impossibly high?

All fiction, whether literary, cinematic, or video game, is an overvalued and controlled conception of its imperfect counterpart to reality. Not only do romantic couples set a high standard, but so do heroes, villains, and friendships; all the typical elements of a good story are exaggerated versions of much more complex and nuanced real-life situations.

Have you ever experienced writer’s block? How did you deal with it?

All the time, I can only wait for it to end. What I do is go on with my life, waiting for something to come along that will get me out of this block.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Just live my life, play video games, be with my family, with my dogs. 

Was there anything you had to research for the book?

I had to research weapons, behavioral psychology, some animal biology, some video game history, military terminology.

Did you have any say in the cover design?

I ordered them at my discretion, although due to money issues I didn't reissue them. I only really liked one of the three, Firestorm. I had to use the rest because I had already paid for them.

What are you reading right now?

The Lord of the Rings, of course I saw the movies and loved them, but I haven't read the novels, so I'm trying to get around to the novels. I have a lot of books pending; I gave up the habit a long time ago, but I'd like to get back to it.

What can we anticipate from you moving forward?

Probably nothing. I'd like to write a sequel to The GAMER Program, but it's a waste of time and money if no one cares. Why spend a year or two writing when no one's read the original trilogy?

Do you have any movie or tv adaptations in the works?

I would like to, but that's just a dream for someone like me. For that, my story must first be read, and that's the real challenge.

Did you always want to be an author? If not, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I always wanted to tell a story, but my original desire was to make cartoons. For years, I wanted to make comics, to tell a story, but writing was the only thing I could really do on my own. I still enjoyed it.

How long did it take you to write this book?

I started writing it in 2014 and finished the first version in December 2016. Since then, I've re-edited several elements and expanded the story, which finally ended up as it is in 2020.

Where do you like to write? In a coffee shop? In your home office? On the beach?

I write at home, but if I could, I'd do it in a cabin in the woods during the winter. As a kid, I saw the movie House, about a writer who moved into an old haunted mansion to write. I'd do something like that.

Do you listen to music while you write? If so, what kind of music do you like to listen to?

I listen to the usual: 80s heavy metal, music that reminds me of the intros to my favorite cartoons. I can listen to more recent stuff, but it's always and always will be rock or its derivatives.

What other hobbies do you have outside of writing?

I love playing video games, play soccer, just hang out with friends

Are any of the characters in your book based on people in your real life? If so, can you tell us more about that process and how it influenced your writing?

Many characters are based on me, my friends, and TV personalities. It's a very personal story. I base my ideas on how things happen to me make me feel, whether I like or dislike someone, what I can do with it from a creative perspective. I delve a lot into my past, into my memories, to transform events from my childhood into something I would have liked to have been.

Do you have any personal connection to the story or characters?

The whole story is personal; it's about my life playing video games, the search for meaning in the years behind the screen, the desire that it was all for something. Thinking that all those years were for a clear purpose.

Many of the characters are inspired by my friends, me, people I knew, or personalities in the gaming world. It's a very personal story, like all of them.