Spotlight On Writers
N.T. McQueen
@NTMAuthor
- Where, do you hail from?
- What is the greatest thing about the place you call home?
Home is a very amoebic term. I think all of the places I have lived have their charms, but, where I live now on the Big Island, there’s so much to love. Aside from the culture, the slower pace, and the beauty, I’d have to say the fishing, for better or for worse, is the greatest thing about my home. Now, catching fish is another dilemma, but I still enjoy it.
- What turns you on creatively?
Though I’m more antisocial now, humanity is my muse. A world made up of individual stories with narrative arcs, ripe with meaning and subtext and revelation, is a creative cauldron for a writer. It’s hard to make up stuff when you write, but you don’t have to when people are so interesting. All of my characters, whether it is a name or a haircut, connects to something I’ve encountered just being out and living in this complicated world.
- What is your favorite word, and can you use it in a poetic sentence?
I think there are favorite words for different purposes. In college lit essays, ‘liminal’ was a big one. For some mysterious reason, this tickled the fancy of most literature professors and gave them the illusion my analysis was deeper than it really was.
In fiction, reticent is one I find holds some surreptitious power. Reticence indicates so much in the silence depending on context. Anger, mourning, fear, awe, loss, joy. For example, “Standing before the box that held her husband, she paused, reticent and pale.” When words no longer have substance and fail to effectively define an emotion, silence can be the only choice. Silence or music which is a key theme in a novel I’m in the final stages of editing.
- What is your pet peeve?
How much time do you have?
Personally, I don’t like my feet being touched. Ever. Bleh. Feet are gross.
In writing, a pet peeve is first person perspective being used ad nauseum in literature. Novels, short stories, poems. It’s relentless. Most writers don’t do it well and give their narrators too much access, knowledge, and insight. In essence, it’s a very limited POV and not always the right choice for the story, but, for readability and ease of writing, it is oversaturated. To be honest, if I pick up a novel and it is in first person, I am more inclined to put it back then read it. It really depends on if the writer is using it for a specific purpose and using it well or if they are using it because they are lazy.
A pet peeve when I teach is technology. More specifically, AI chatbots, websites like CourseHero and Bartleby, and anything that provides a temptation for students to cheat or plagiarize. It creates awkward conversations, disciplinary action, and sucks up time. I hate robots.
- What defines N.T. McQueen?
This is a big question. Basically, what establishes my identity. Who I am so to speak. That’s a tough one. I would say my faith in God informs my choices, my relationships, my writing. A religious lens gives new insight into the situations, experiences, and understanding. Not in a legalistic sense, but in a compassionate sense. I understand the zealots take center stage when it comes to religion but the empathy, grace, and sacrifice Christ exemplified is integral to who I am.
I am a father to three beautiful daughters, a husband to a perfect wife, a brother, a writer, a friend, a terrible fisherman. All of these titles are an amalgamation (that’s another good word for question #4) of what defines me.
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