Michael Haynes

Goldfish Grimm: If we could peek into your office (coffee shop, kitchen table, wherever you write), what would your writing process look like?

Michael Haynes: A furry-faced guy with glasses and (often) headphones who’s either frantically typing away or staring grouchily at his monitor. Lots of the latter during revisions.

GFG: What is it actually like?

MH: Remarkably disciplined (for me). I’ve developed a habit of doing some form of writing work every day and kept it up through all sorts of ups and downs over the past eight months.

GFG: Was there anything in particular that inspired “Twenty-Seven Rules for Coping”?

MH: I was trying to work on writing another story and got drawn into a conversation. The conversation was with someone I care deeply about and I was frustrated by the constraints which this person has built around their life. I imagined them having a list of rules and from there my mind took a sharp left turn into the weird.

GFG: We found what’s left unsaid or what’s implied, rather, to be the most interesting part of this story. Did you have Rule Eighteen in mind when you began writing this tale?

MH: Not at all. This is a story where I just started typing and saw where it took me. That sometimes leads me down blind alleys. I’m glad it didn’t this time.

GFG: Do you have anything you’d like to plug or promote?

MH: The best way to know what’s going on with me is to follow me on Twitter (@mohio73) or check out my website/blog (www.michaelhaynes.info). I did recently release my first ever eBook, a hard SF short story called “Gravity’s Pull” which is about as far away from “Twenty-Seven Rules” in tone as possible.