Today I have the pleasure of chatting with Jamal Hankins. Here’s an artist whose talents may actually have no limit. As impressive as that is, his novel-writing skill is easily superior. Today we’re going to find out more about him. You can also check him out here. I highly recommend it. You’ll find out, clearly, why I’m excited to chat with Jamal.
Hey, Jamal. Thanks for taking the time to chat with me. I’ve been keeping up with your site for over a year now, and wow, you’ve got a lot going on. Tell us about some of the interests that drive you.
Thanks for having me. I really appreciate it. It’s a pleasure and an honor.
Well, in terms of my interests, they really come from all over. Music, Film, Books, Animation, Art, Video games, Dreams, Nightmares, Martial Arts, Science, Psychology, Life. My creativity is influenced by so much, both domestic and foreign. I like to keep an open mind towards creative concepts, and thankfully, my childhood was one that allowed me to dream and fantasize. Of course, it’s directly related to why I’m into some many creative mediums now.
With regard to novel writing, screenplay writing, and poetry – which one draws out your full artistic passion?
That’s a hard question. Each one serves a different creative purpose for me.
Honestly, poetry only hits me every once in a while now, and it’s directly related to music, rap to be precise. Growing up in Brooklyn, East New York in the late 80′s/90′s, my friends and I couldn’t help but get into writing rhymes. Like most things I take interest in, I focused on the Art of it. I didn’t write rhymes in the hopes of becoming a rapper, not saying that wasn’t a goal at one point, but I was in it for the artistry. Learning concepts like Flow, Metaphors, Double-Meaning, punchlines, being clever and witty with words. My goal was to verbally blow your mind. The idea was to be so nice, that in a battle, no one would want to rhyme after me because they knew they couldn’t contend, lol. Now, Rhymes/Poetry for me is for those moments of great emotion, usually dark, and they only healthy way for me to express it is with words.
Anyway, after rap changed, so did I, and my writing interests went back to my first love of novel writing, which at this point I reserve for my multi-part/series, Fantasy and Science Fiction stories that are seemingly too “epic/big” for a screenplay.
Screenwriting, my current love, is for those smaller Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi, and Thriller ideas that are too small for a novel, but too big for a short story, and really, I can see those particular concepts in my head as a film better than a novel.
Not long ago, you mentioned e-publishing a novel. Obviously, that takes some time, but can you give us an idea of what to expect?
The novel I’m working on, redeveloping that is, is one of those epic, multi-part fantasy concepts. Currently, it’s titled Amachi, after the main character. It’s about a young female warrior, who destroys an empire to free her family from slavery.
From a genre element and action standpoint, you’ll experience different hand-to-hand fighting styles, weapon styles, enhanced natural abilities based on Mind, Body, and Soul, various forms of magic, mythical civilizations, creatures, and a slew of other things.
From a story standpoint, you’ll follow Amachi, raised to be a fearless warrior since childhood, on her journey while she contends with her transition into womanhood and the complexities of her feminine side, of her psyche that has always been suppressed by her goal to become a warrior. Also, you’ll see how slavery has twisted the very members of the family she’s fighting for. Ultimately, Amachi’s warrior spirit conflicts, not only with the powers of oppression that aim to dominate her, but also with herself, her family, and her people as whole.
When I first met you on twitter, I was intrigued by the type of writing you did. Then, when I went to your site, I was blown away by all the things you actually do. Tell us, what’s the difference between screenplay writing and novel writing? And which do you prefer, if at all?
The difference between novel writing and screenwriting is, with a novel, you have the option of being as blatantly detailed as you want to be, from landscape descriptions to the most intimate thoughts of a character. You can basically just lay it on the page. Novels take a lot longer to write in my opinion, and of course the relative size of the work: 50,000 words, 100,000 words, etc.
Screenwriting, on the surface, is very restricting when you first look at it. Regardless of the size of the story, you only have up to 110 to 120 pages/bullets to hit all your targets with. You can only describe what the audience can see on screen, and the writing has to be fast paced, necessary, and straight to the point because of the page count. No time for flowery prose. It’s definitely great medium for learning the grand rule of “Show, Don’t Tell”.
Although it’s restrictive on what you can do in some areas, it forces you to be more creative in others. In a novel, where you’d describe a visual element in a paragraph or two, in screenplay, you have to chop it down to one or two lines/sentences. It’s an exercise in dialog and writing action as well, because every line must count for something and be integral to the scene or overall story.
So, right now, I must say that I prefer screenwriting because I’ve learned a lot of “universal” writing and storytelling concepts, rules, and techniques that I feel are easily translatable to novel writing, which I believe, can help make my novels that much more of a better read.
Jamal, I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone so talented. Tell us about your background and what drove you into writing.
Well, as I said earlier, I grew up in Brooklyn, East New York, youngest of three by 10 years. I was fortunate enough to have parents who read a lot and watched a lot of movies. Along with that, I ran with a small group of friends who were all creative and talented. We were creative sponges. What drove me into writing was wanting to tell my own stories. I’d hear a song, watch a movie, play a video game, stare at artwork, read a book and be amazed at what someone else created. The urge to create my own worlds was a natural concept to me. I mean, really, when my friends and I played with our Transformers or G.I. Joe action figures, we played out our own stories using the toys as expressive tools. We even went to the extent of modifying toys, taking apart G.I. Joe action figures, switching their body parts, renaming and repainting them to create our own characters.
After a while, you grow up a little, trade in GI Joe for video games. The only other way we could still tell our stories was to illustrate them or write them out. My friends were artists, I was the writer. A friend was teaching me how to draw for a while. I was getting good at it too, but I didn’t have the patience for it. I could write an action sequence faster than I could draw one. So, I took the “easy” route, lol.
How about characters? What method do you use to come up with character names and origins?
My friends and I were creative rebels, lol. We did what we wanted. With Character names, at a young age, a friend and I realized, hey, these are OUR characters, in OUR dimensions. They’re not human, so WE could name them WHATEVER WE WANTED. That attitude gave birth to oddities like Erahdaht, Angeleater, Gi’Qweiz, and Be’dom Begayne Nyovey. Hey, don’t blame ME blame Obi-Wan Kenobi.
My character development process has evolved over the years. From a simple fill-in-the-blank method, where I tell the characters who they are – to a “psychologically” different character interview, where the characters tell me who they are, where they come from, and what they’ve been through.
I can remember Creature Features from when I was a kid, all the monster shows that I’d stay up late watching. Some of them shaped my imagination, affecting me still today. How about you? Where does it all come from?
I’d say a great deal of my influences come from video games, horror flicks, and most recently, real life murder investigations. When my 18 month old son isn’t forcing my wife and I to watch Elmo or Cartoon network, you can bet my TV is tuned to some kind of real life murder investigation. I get a lot of insight as to the many reasons, logical or not, why people do what they do through those shows.
So, what’s the perfect writing environment for you?
My writing environment isn’t static. As a kid I learned to write in different settings. So now, my perfect writing environment changes from time to time. When I was younger, my friends and I would create characters and plot stories standing outside in the back of my building, or I would write with my favorite animes and films on as background nose. Sometimes, I need quiet. Other times I can vibe with music because my mother played music a lot. And more often than not, I feel more focused jotting things down here and there during my busy work day.
Is anything in your writing based on real life experiences or is it purely imagination?
I think some of the more dramatic or emotional elements of my stories are drawn from my real life experiences, at least they’re energized by them. We’ve all done good things and bad things, we’ve done our dirt, we’ve all been through our fair share of the emotional spectrum. I draw on those things when I write.
What has been the toughest criticism directed toward you as a writer? What has been the best compliment?
I don’t think I have just ONE toughest criticism to name. Sure, I know a few things about writing, but it’s such a vast craft, ever evolving. We all have a lot still to learn, even our critics. All criticism stings at first, but it’s all in how you deal with it, though. You have to first consider the source, then separate truth from opinion, then you must be honest with yourself to accept whatever truths you find that applies, then focus on overcoming those shortcomings. But, as I like to say, you’re always going to suck to somebody, no matter what you do, lol!
In terms of compliments, well, I think you’ve given me some great ones, lol. Another writer did tweet me on twitter about my short story “One-Sided Triangle”, saying that she didn’t see that particular ending coming. So, that was cool. I’m happy whenever I find out that someone was entertained by one of my stories. Overall, that’s my real goal. Even if I never make a cent writing, I’ll still be writing because it’s in me to do it. I can write all day, and study the craft the same way others can watch TV, and study Athlete stats. It’s just in me.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers of any type?
Advice? Focus on the content of your story and study the craft to better convey that content. A good story is a good story no matter the genre or medium. I’ve played some video games with fantastic story content which made for an even better game-play experience. We all have B-Movies favorites that we love better than most blockbuster flicks. Usually, that’s because we connect with the story content in some way. So, regardless of how bad the acting, how ridiculous the dialog, or crappy the directing, there’s something about the heart of the story that allows us to look past its faulty presentation and still call it a favorite.
If you can engineer great content AND present it the best way possible, you can’t lose.
Jamal, tell us about relationship building, as it pertains to marketing in this new era of e-publishing. For example, the importance of peer reviews and reader reviews as well. What are some of the things you do to broaden your e-footprint for name recognition?
For building relationships, I think it’s important to be genuine. Be clear about what you’re trying to do. I think you’ll come out better off in the end. I love to talk about writing and its many aspects. I love the craft as an art form first and foremost, and I think anyone who’s talked to me or has gone to my site can clearly see that.
When you’re genuine, people know they can trust you to be just that. Even if you’re out to make connections only with industry big-wigs, people will respect you for it to an extent, as opposed to you acting like you’re about one thing when you’re really not. Who wants to work with or connect with someone like that?
It’s great to, not only seek knowledge from others, but share what you know as well. Regardless of the level we’re individually at in this creative industry, we’re all still learning. Nobody knows it all.
With reader and peer reviews, I’m all for it. It’s one of the best ways to advance your skills. By letting some of your work be read, you can find out what works, what doesn’t. I talk a lot about writing, share what I know, what I’ve learned, and I put bits and pieces of my work out there for show. That just me, though. That’s the creative environment I grew up in. Personally, I’ll admire someone more when they talk and give advice. Then I can read and see that they really know what they’re talking about.
So, by showcasing some of your work, being genuine with others, sharing what you know, helping others succeed, and focusing on learning more about the craft, you’ll naturally get your name out there.
Thanks for taking the time to talk to me and tell us about yourself, Jamal. As I’ve said, I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone so talented. Everyone, take a look at this Artist. I would call him a writer, but he’s far more than just that.
You can connect with Jamal on Facebook – Twitter, or you can check out Scribereglyph
