Meet Paul

We had the good fortune of connecting with Paul and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Paul, Let’s talk about principles and values – what matters to you most?
One of my guiding principles in my writing is telling a good story through intriguing interactions with the characters and their environment. Every portion of a scene can be part of the storytelling between two characters. In journalism, this is usually done by speaking with two or more people about something happening in a town or city, with most of the time spent making sure it is accurate.

When writing a horror story, there are some levels of accurate realism, but it is then subverted by an oppressive and often fantastical atmosphere. I like to set out to a place to tell a good story that uses the elements of the environment. I think it is important to keep this in mind for filmmaking, where much of the storytelling lies in the interactions and dialogue between characters, with a backdrop or scenery that complements what is being said.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
It wasn’t easy getting to where I am in journalism. I had a couple of setbacks early in my career that made me go into freelancing with no idea where to start. Most of the lessons were through various forms of networking online and around the area I was living in. I wrote for four different newspaper and magazine publications while living on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, slowly building myself up in various news, feature, sports, and history writing until I was able to get a full-time news reporter job in Maine, where I currently live and work.

I am still working in journalism, but I also have another opportunity to pitch my first horror tv show. Writing fiction is something I have always been interested in, and journalism has been a good source of information to write more inspired stories.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I like being out in nature, so one thing I really like doing is hiking. We’d probably go out on a hike to start the day and then wrap up with a trip out to the local brewery, or Asian restaurant, as I’m a huge fan of ramen and soba noodle dishes more recently. So, it’s a combination of exploring the natural world and checking out the local restaurants unique to the area. It’s always a good excuse for some exploration.

Concerts are good places to hang out if there’s a good band coming through and playing in town. I still haven’t found a good swimming hole for the summer, so that is another option when it comes to being out in nature.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Of course, I’d like to give a shoutout to Elin-Margareta Nordin for bringing me onto her project in writing a horror TV series, which is now titled The Frenzied Quill. We met over the course of the pandemic, and when she pitched me the idea, I wanted to help with the writing portions of it despite having limited experience in screenwriting since I was a freelance journalist at the time.

Sometimes that is all it takes if someone is passionate enough about their work, and Elin has been very encouraging when it comes to writing and planning the horror TV series. We are in the process of finding it a home with various producers, distributors, and agents who might be interested in taking a chance on something wholly original and not based on anything that came before it, like a book or a film franchise.

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Paul Bagnall