Featured: Matt Phillips
A Good Rush of Blood
DOSSIER: When it comes to writing hardboiled crime in a novel or a noir screenplay, which one propels you more—books or film? (Note: naturally you must ignore the challenges of getting either New York or Hollywood to cooperate in your plans to become the next Lionel Barrymore or Alan Ball!)
PHILLIPS: Well, I’m a novelist—first and foremost. A major reason for that is because making a great (or even good) film is exceedingly difficult and collaborative. It involves complex finances, marshalling various professionals with specific expertise, and generally depending on others to both make and distribute your art/vision. This stuff is all beyond the initial artistry of the work. All it takes to write a novel is the will, determination, and a modicum of craftsmanship. Getting a novel published, of course, is a totally different story…But I can make the art or write the story on my own. So, I can get stuff done. I’ve made short films and written short and feature films, but they have all ended up in various states of stagnation. The novel—I think—is still the most important medium of expression for the individual artist/writer. That said, like most contemporary writers in the genre, I’m heavily-influenced by film and film studies. Maybe the most important storytelling advice I’ve ever received came from a film festival programmer/executive director named Daryl McDonald: “Look for the familiar story told in the unfamiliar way, and the unfamiliar story told in the familiar way.” I always have that in mind when writing…And let’s not forget that most ideas for films come from books.
DOSSIER: What lesson about writing do you remember most about earning your MFA from the University of Texas at El Paso? Since you can probably still put a dollar amount on it, was it worth … every … single … penny?
PHILLIPS: Well, I wrote the first chapter of my crime novel Three Kinds of Fool in my MFA program. The professor, a well-known poet, told me…”This is good. Keep writing these kinds of stories.” That’s the most valuable lesson I learned…That I could write what was living inside me instead of trying to be ‘literary’ or whatever…It took a respected poet to tell me that. Otherwise, I’m not sure I would have believed it. Another important lesson is that feedback or ‘notes’ from initial readers (who are not editors) are often worthless to a writer. I am doing work that is individual to me. I’m the auteur, if you will, and feedback can help, but it ain’t advice/directive. A director won an Oscar a couple years back—I can’t remember who right now—and he said Martin Scorsese told him “the best film is the most personal film,” or something to that effect. Well, same thing with books. Was my MFA worth it? Wow—loaded question, for sure. So, the cost—even at a state school—is exorbitant. For every degree at every school unless you are already rich. But for a kid from a blue collar background, the master’s degree (and bachelor’s) made it possible for me to get a salaried job and it helped me negotiate a higher salary as well (on multiple occasions). I own a home and a car and I can eat out on any day of the week. My credit is good. I can feed my kid and buy a ten dollar bottle of wine now and then. That’s a step up for me. People love to paint the MFA as ‘useless,’ but the same argument could be made for most master’s degrees. Disparaging the MFA is the same old crap—it’s a version of…artists don’t matter and art isn’t important…Until the shit hits the fan and art (writing included) becomes the one thing that holds society together. Make no mistake…We writers and artists are the last line of defense in the war against free expression and thought. Do I need an MFA to write a novel? No, but it helped me become a better writer. You sure don’t need an MBA to start a business, do you? People who talk smack about the MFA, as far as I’m concerned, can fuck off. My journey from D high school student to bartender to community college dropout to feature writing intern at The Denver Post to MFA-holder to published novelist is pretty damn extraordinary. Was there a faster-better-cheaper way to this sentence that I’m writing right now? Maybe, but I didn’t take that path. Here I am…Matt Phillips, MFA.
DOSSIER: When and where do you write, and what kind of environment do you prefer? (Music/silence/a homemade pallet desk?)
PHILLIPS: I used to have a homebuilt pallet desk! It’s long gone and now I write in a variety of places: Kitchen bar top, dining table, couch, or living room chair. Pretty much anywhere I can prop the laptop up and type. I like to write while watching sports…This month it’s the MLB playoffs and Monday Night/Thursday Night football. In late spring, it’ll be the NBA playoffs. Often it’s a Laker’s game from November to March. Working in journalism turned me into a ‘rover’ of sorts and I simply get the writing done. I’ll fit it in when my son does homework or when he’s at a practice I can afford to miss (that’s rare). I prefer to concentrate on music when I listen to it…So, it’s hard for me to write with music.
DOSSIER: You’re a firm believer that humans are flawed, nobody has it all figured out, and perfection is boring. When you create a character, do you start at the bottom with a gnarly slimeball and try to make them better, or do you start with a Clark Kent type and try to tear him down? (The Dossier has inside knowledge that you probably just start with all your own screwups, but we’ll give you the benefit of the doubt here to blame it on some other creative process.)
PHILLIPS: This is a good question…I’ve spent time around some shady characters, for sure. But, still…I think I start with dialog. That is to say…how people talk. There’s a fingerprint-musicality to the way people speak and I latch onto that. The way I talk and say certain things will tell you where I’m from, how educated I am, what institutions I’ve dealt with in my life…You can glean whether I’m authentic or full of it. I learned that as a bartender, in fact. The way a person speaks will tell you how big a number they plug into their IRS forms (although sometimes you get surprised). So, I let the cadence of speech—most times—lead me to the crux of the character. I guess I don’t start from the bottom or the top…I start with sound. How’s that for some MFA-speak? I guess all that conversation about poetic logic is still twisting me into a pretzel. Listen to people speak…Internalize it or write it down. Build a character from that.
DOSSIER: What two whiskeys are you going to buy when that six-figure deal hits, and where are you and I going to drink it? (Wherever we go, it better have WiFi, unless it’s in the Highlands. Then, all is forgiven.)
PHILLIPS: Ha—six-figures? Is that still a thing for writers? We don’t need very much dough for some decent whiskey. I’m a fan of Slaughter House—it’s American whiskey distilled in California and aged partially in French Bordeaux barrels. Highly-recommended. Even at six-figures, I’m still a value drinker so, let’s go with some Evan Williams Single Barrel. Hand signed and numbered by the master distiller and comes in at thirty-something bucks…You can’t beat it, in my experience.
As for where…how about a makeshift lounge on the beach? Tiki Torches from Wally World, a couple bottles of American whiskey, and a few Tommy Bahama beach chairs. We’re golden. You’ll have cell service…And you’ll need it for the pizza we’ll order at midnight. Good times.
Website: MattPhillipsWriter.com
Jeff Circle 