Author Spotlight: Luke Wisniewski

Author and Screenwriter Luke Wisniewski discusses his work!

Photo by Chris Spiegl on Unsplash

Hey Readers!

This week, I’m excited to welcome writer, Luke Wisniewski to A Busy Lady’s Author Spotlight!

I recently met Luke from a mutual writing friend and was instantly impressed with his work. Luke recently wrote a kick ass script, Under Violet Skies, for which he’s currently working with various production teams to potentially produce. In addition to various short stories, Luke also has a new novella available on Amazon called God’s Unwanted Children. You can check it out on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Unwanted-Children-Luke-Wisniewski/dp/B0CGL1LSNJ as well as on Goodreads here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123052565-god-s-unwanted-children

I love meeting new writers and learning about their methods/thoughts on the writing process. Check out Luke’s interview below, where he shares his take on what being a writer means to him.

An Interview with Writer Luke Wisniewski

1.     What inspired you to become a writer? 

So many things contributed to it. I read and watch a lot of material, and thought it would be a nice change to do the entertaining myself. It took me awhile to get good at it, but now I couldn't imagine myself doing anything else.

2.     Tell me about your writing journey. How did you develop your passion and skills over time? 

My original interest in screenwriting came from my love for movies. Mainly Mafia movies as well as the films of Martin Scorsese, Oliver Stone, as well as the 90s slacker comedies from Kevin Smith. These films inspired me to try writing myself. My true passion is still screenwriting, but that's what lead me to develop my writing in other mediums like novella writing. I currently have a novella available to purchase on Amazon and am currently working on a second.

3.     What does your writing process look like? 

All I have to do is put myself in the mood and it comes easy to me. My natural passion for it is what makes the whole process so easy for me to slip into. I enjoy getting into the world of my characters and feeling what goes on inside their heads. How they handle certain situations, etc.

4.     What genre or topics are you drawn to write about? 

I'm not limited to one genre in particular. But I do enjoy writing about the darker elements of life. I like crime stories due to my love for those kinds of movies. I'm also drawn to writing strong female characters and writing unique characters, both male and female, that you don't normally read about in books or see in movies. I like to write characters with something different that sets them apart from other characters and stories. I do this by putting them in the kinds of situations you don't typically see in most of the material you watch and read.

5.     How do you balance writing with other areas of your life? 

By seeing everything as a potential story. Even things that seem unrelated to writing. It's good to just have the kind of instinct where you can get inspired no matter where you look or turn. Making stories out of situations you never intended to make stories out of.

6.     How do you handle writer’s block? 

This is an interesting question to me because writer's block is something I've never experienced. The guy who taught me writing also taught me that writer's block is nothing but an excuse not to write. That it doesn't exist. And I agree it doesn't. So my way of handling writer's block is not acknowledging it as a real thing. That's why I've never experienced it. I refuse to give myself excuses and I believe that's all-writer’s block is. It's not real.

7.     What do you hope readers take away from your work? 

Hopefully a sense of appreciation and enjoyment they've never had from other written material before. That they relate well to the characters and their situations, and they feel their investment in the story was time well spent. 

8.     Are there any particular authors or books that have had a significant influence on your writing style or approach? 

Quite a lot actually. Stephen King is a huge inspiration in terms of literature. In terms of cinematic writing, the works of Scorsese and other Mafia stories. The Sopranos is my biggest influence of all time and is my biggest inspiration for why I wanted to write darker, edgy material. And well written characters with lots of depth who readers and watchers will invest in. My true passion will always be screenwriting, but I have a great love for writing in other mediums. That's why I also do novellas.

9.     Tell me about your current work. 

I recently released a novella called God's Unwanted Children. It takes place in the spring of 1978. It’s about a grad student at Princeton who takes a road trip to the deep south for spring break. On his way to New Orleans, his car breaks down in Alabama, so he decides to hitchhike the rest of the way. He gets picked up by a huge van full of eccentric southerners who take him in. He later finds out they're a cult. It's a psychological thriller and is available to purchase on Amazon.

I'm also currently working on a follow novella called Midnight Mynx. It's about a rookie cop who goes undercover to investigate a women's motorcycle gang and becomes deeply torn between her two identities. I'm still writing it, so it'll be awhile before it's out. I also have quite a few screenplays I'm marketing out and trying to get made into films.

10.  What advice do you have to other aspiring writers who are just starting out on their journey? 

Stay the course. Be durable. Be prepared to handle rejection and have the strength to keep going after you do. If it's your true passion, don't ever give up on it. Writing is what gets inside your soul. It may seem hard at times, but to quote Tom Hanks in A League Of Their Own "It's the hard that makes it worth doing."

Author Bio

Luke N. Wisniewski lives in Connecticut. He's an avid animal lover and has a rescue dog named Jasper, whom he loves greatly. For the last fifteen years, he's been studying both screenwriting and novel writing under the tutelage of accomplished author and screenwriter Nicholas Checker, known for novels like Scratch, Druids, Saga of Marathon, The Legend of Kwi Coast, and an upcoming fifth novel to be released later this year. In addition to short stories, Luke has also published his novella, God's Unwanted Children, currently available on Amazon. Luke has also written several screenplays, including his most recent, Under Violet Skies, which is a strong girl power story. Luke is extremely passionate about his writing. It's his whole life and he has no plans to ever give up on it. He believes perseverance and great stories are the key to succeeding as a writer.