Interview: Tim Crompton
Tom Williams caught up with Tim Crompton, author of the highly acclaimed and ground-breaking serial, exclusively published on theSprout, called Heads or Tails, ahead of the release of the final chapter this Friday.
The serial has been an idea that has brought its author, theSprout, and Sprouters alike surging into new territory, with a new instalment being released every Friday for the last few months! If you missed any of the previous chapters, then you missed the drug that was each chapter release, and the legal high that is the growing Sprout writing hub! However, you can always check out previous chapters here
Please note: the following contains an interview with high levels of insight, interest, inspiration, and fluency, and may contain traces of wit.
Let’s get straight to the point, how does Heads Or Tails end?
Ok, you'll have to wait until this Friday to find out how it ends!
How did you get the idea of doing a serial for theSprout?
Well I needed to do something, get something published and then I remembered Hard Times by Charles Dickens, which was serialised through his magazine, and I thought if only I knew of a magazine, which I could serialise in. TheSprout popped straight into my mind.
What were the influences and inspirations that you drew from when writing Heads or Tails?
Well my influences are everywhere. I tried to look at everyday situations, so I could keep the story as real as I could. The first chapter of this was originally a short story on its own, which I entered into a competition, unfortunately I never heard back, so I decided to extend it!
I've seen you in clubs Timothy, how much of it was really based on you?!
Aha, well let's just say that every time you saw me in the clubs I was performing some 'research'.
Are you pleased with how the serial has gone?
I think it's gone as good as it could have. I've had an amazing reception from TheSprout and the feedback from the Sprouters has been awesome, it's that, which has made this all worth doing. Plus the research I got to do.
Was there anything that didn’t go quite to plan? What would you have changed if you were to do it again?
I've stuck to my plan mostly, except in the latest chapter, which I changed but other than that everything has gone to plan. The only thing I would like to have changed is to make it longer; restricting it to a single page has been hard.
Did you find theSprout a useful platform to further your ambitions in English and writing?
TheSprout it a brilliant website. It gives a chance for people like me to share my work with everyone and get some good feedback. I would be nowhere without theSprout.
What advice would you give to new writers who want to write an extended story like yours (for theSprout)?
Ah, advice. Find a story in which you can live. You have to try and connect to the largest audience you can, that's why I chose a very simple love story because everyone would have felt some form of love in their life. Also the way I found to keep my story short is to not use much dialogue and keep it mostly descriptive. Dialogue is the biggest line eater.
How did you keep up with the pressure of writing one chapter a week?
Aha, not well I tell you. Most of the chapters were okay, but a few were constructed on the Thursday night, with a rushed editors meeting on the Friday. They hated it when I did that!
What’s next for you in the writing world?
Well I've got a plan for a novel, which I might delve into, but in the nearest future, I will be concentrating on my studies of journalism and alcohol in university.
Final dose this Friday, only on theSprout.
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