Author Interview: Joe Schwartz: I Write Putrid, Obscene, Vile and Visceral Stories for Men

My name is Joe Schwartz and I write stories for men. I am convinced men aren't reading much anymore because they're sick to death of stories that have nothing to do with being a real guy trying to survive in these harsh modern times or that the stories are so overtly romanticized their appeal is strictly to women. I've come with my bag of putrid, obscene, vile, and visceral stories hoping to once again get men to read and enjoy the art of being lost in a well-written story.

Your real name and pen name?

Joe Schwartz.

About your education?

It's sparse. I'm a high school drop-out that got his GED when I was 21. When I was 26, I graduated from a technical college achieving a certificate of paralegal studies. I've never really had a need or want for a paid education. The greatest college to me is a public library and best student is the one who believes there are no limitations to the well read.

What career did you plan during your education days?

I hoped to be many things, but turns out I'm worthless at most.

What languages you can speak and write?

English.... poorly.

When did you start writing? What is the purpose of your writing?

I started writing when I was 8 telling stories to my friends. Eventually, I wound up acting and playing music in bands but always seemed to be the guy in the crowd that could write regardless the need or genre. It comes naturally to me, also, I'm not afraid of writing. Poetry, screenplays, short stories, and essays don't intimidate me. They're just words. I want to be regarded by men such as mechanics, welders, and maintenance men as guy who writes, that even though I don't have the same grit under my nails as they do, the dirt I collect can be found under my words.

What genres you write in and why?

Transgressive Fiction, which is really code for guy stories like 'Fight Club' or 'Dopefiend.' I want stories that show people at their worst, their most real and especially men. Those inner, darkest secrets we wouldn't tell women if our lives depended on it, not because their not true, because to do so would scare the shit out of them.

What keeps you motivating towards writing?

Getting read.

How do you plan, schedule and monitor your writing commitments?

I'm motivated to write simply by asking myself, "What if today is the day I write something the whole world wants to read?"

Your favorite book and why?

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. It was the first book I ever read where a main character not only died in the end but was murdered justly by a close friend.

Your favorite movie and why?

Pulp Fiction. It resonates with me as the movie of my generation combining a real use of modern vernacular with a story that is so crazy it could seemingly be true.

Some quickies: Sun or Moon, Laughter or Smile, Morning or Evening, Coffee or Tea, Mountain or Sea, Long Drive or Short Drive, Silence or Conversation, Water or Fire, Air or Earth, Mars or Jupiter, Tulip or Rose, Red or Blue, Left or Right, Glance or Stare

Sun , Laughter , Morning ,
Coffee , Mountain , Short Drive,
Conversation, Fire, Earth,
Rose, Blue, Right, Glance