by David Ferguson

Finnish metal music. A peaceful night. Finding that elusive start to a piece. Getting in rhythm. All this makes up the ideal writing equation for senior Andrew Hatch.

Hatch recently had two of his pieces published in Prompt literary magazine, an online biannual magazine that publishes “creative work that reflects experimental and traditional work based on writing prompts and exercises.” Hatch submitted his work to the magazine for a creative writing project; students were given the option to try and get their stories published as part of the assignment.

“The website was perfect,” says Hatch. “All the assignments in creative writing are based off of prompts, which is what the magazine is all about.” So Hatch decided to submit his work, and it was accepted.

The two pieces accepted were “The Siren Vultures” and “10 Ways of Looking at Death;” the first piece is a comical and stomach-turning story about a memorable fifth grade ploy Hatch used to talk to girls, while the latter is a collection of ten poems, each offering a unique view on one topic, death.

Hatch’s love for writing has been a lifelong passion. From his first days of elementary school Hatch has been an avid writer and reader. “I distinctly remember, when I was 9 or 10, I wrote a science fiction story about two talking cats,” says Hatch. “There were Martians and meteors and space travel. It had everything a nine- or ten- year- old likes.” Hatch, who cherished his two cats, was inspired by his life and also by the books he had been reading.

“The things I read are reflected in my writing,” says Hatch, who in elementary school was obsessed with J.K Rowling. Hatch’s writing was a reflection of the Harry Potter books he cherished. Later as Hatch moved on to more sophisticated books, his writing began to reflect more complex and sophisticated subjects he was reading about (One of Hatch’s two published works is entitled “10 Ways of Looking at Death,” a poem collection where Hatch ponders the significance of death and the meaning a life takes when it is over).

As Hatch has developed his writing style, he has come to learn how he writes best. “I write best at night, usually before a deadline,” says Hatch. “There are fewer distractions. During the day there is usually a T.V. on and people milling around the house. But at night, it’s usually just me, and maybe some Finnish metal, which allows me to completely focus on writing.” Almost all of Hatch’s assignments, including the two being published, are completed the night before they are due, in the hours between ten and midnight, when Hatch claims he is able to work best.

There are two other keys to writing for Hatch: starting the piece and finding a rhythm. “The hardest part of writing is starting. Some people think it is ending, but for me it is definitely starting,” says Hatch. “The beginning is the most crucial part to any piece; it sets up the plot, the characters, and the setting.” For Hatch, without a proper beginning there can’t be a story.

Once Hatch is able to find the beginning to a piece, the next step for him is finding a sense of rhythm, a “zone” where writing seems to flow almost effortlessly. “Sometimes when I’m in rhythm I can knock out two to three pages in a half hour,” says Hatch. “But there are other times where I can sit for three hours and not be able to write anything.”

As for the future, Hatch plans to keep writing and continue to grow as a writer. He also has hopes to get more of his stories and poetry published again. Whatever the future may hold, Hatch seems to have found his start.

*Anyone interested in reading the two pieces can find them on http://www.promptlitmag.org. The poems will be coming out in the next issue, scheduled for this fall.