Though the urge to write was already in me from a tender age, I put pen to paper for the first time when I was 14 or 15-years-old. I feel that writing is part of me, an inherent need and I must have inherited this from my father, Elio, and my great grandfather, Emilio Lombardi. Both have made a name for themselves with their writings. I must also attribute this inspiration to an old friend of mine, Anton Grasso. He was the first Maltese author whose horror stories I started to read in my adolescence. Actually, I think that the first short stories I wrote were influenced by his writing. As I matured I felt the need to develop my own style of writing, and I continue to work on this.
In the early years, like everybody else, I used to write directly on paper and then refine my stories as I typed them. That is why, in my opinion, the computer was God’s gift to writers. It is thanks to this machine, with its numerous functions, that a writer is able to change and edit his ideas whenever he sees fit. This is what encouraged me to switch from short stories to novels. Why? Because I am the type of author who likes his work to be as flawless as possible, so I read my work many times to be as certain as possible that there are no mistakes in the structure of the novel. Sometimes, as I did in my latest novel, L-Aħħar Bewsa, one needs to change a particular character’s name. Imagine how difficult it would have been if I were writing on a typewriter and how easily and quickly I did it on my precious PC?
The first novel I wrote, Grammi, had been simmering in the back my mind for nine whole years, I started it and abandoned it a hundred times, it was only when I bought my first PC that I became resolute to start and finish it.
I must admit that I do not have a specific time dedicated to writing sessions, I write every time I am inspired, sometimes I spend hours trying to write something without success, but then, just when it’s almost time to go and do something else I get an idea and jot it quickly. But in my mind I am writing 24/7. When I am having a shower, shaving, driving, eating, or at a meeting, probably unconsciously, I am constantly thinking about what I am going to write next. Often I jot the idea that comes to my mind on a notepad, I generally keep one close, and then elaborate it on my computer.
For me any time is right for writing. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and instead I end up switching my computer on and spending the next three hours or so putting down ideas that had diverted me from my original destination.
As to my style of writing, I always make it a point that there is a distinct message in what I write, I believe that wholeheartedly. I think it is important that besides enjoying the tale the reader can learn something from it. Earlier I said that I like my novels or short stories to be as flawless as possible, so I dedicate time to researching the subject I am writing about. Here again comes the help of the internet, via the computer. I also tend to like writing two parallel stories and merge them. Another aspect in my approach to the narrative is that I like to keep my chapters as short as possible. This encourages the reader to read more in two ways. One: if he/she has a short period of time to read it will be enough to cover a whole chapter. Two: short chapters make the readers read more because the end of each one entices them look forward to what’s going to happen next.
When the book is ready for print I see that the size of the font is slightly larger than normal and that the typeface has no serifs, this is because it has been proved scientifically that serifs tire the eyes, so people spend less time reading.
Two of my biggest dreams, regarding writing are that through my novels I encourage more people to read especially the Maltese novel, and the second?: that someday, at least one of my novels is produced as a tele-serial or feature film, preferably before I cross over.