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Inside The Indie Author: A Conversation with Tudor Alexander

  • Writer: Diana Kathryn
    Diana Kathryn
  • Oct 10
  • 6 min read
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Have you ever considered writing under a pseudonym, and why or why not?

I’ve used a pseudonym and there is a story behind it. I wrote my first novel together with a very close friend. His name was Tudor Florian. He died unexpectedly before the novel was finished. I completed the work and published the novel in 1994 under the pseudonym of Tudor Alexander (our two first names). I have used the pseudonym ever since.

 

What is your “go-to” method for working through or around writer’s block?

Discipline. Writing a novel is a long-term commitment and, in my experience, you have to work at it every day. And I mean every day, Saturday and Sunday included. My norm is 500 words per day. I start at about nine in the morning and I go until I’m exhausted. Sometimes I succeed in meeting my quota, and sometimes I don’t. The first edit comes the next day. Once I get into a pattern, writer’s block becomes a nonfactor.

 

From your perspective, what are the most important elements of good writing?

Good writing rings always true. I like metaphors, meanings behind meanings, a crystalline style and no beating around the bush. I do not write action thrillers, and I want to get my reader hooked with my writing style, my voice, not just because of the plot. And honesty is paramount.

 

What comes first – the location, the plot, or the characters – and why?

First comes the idea of the novel, encompassing the location and a vague idea of a plot and the protagonists. As I progress, my plot and my characters become more and more defined. The location defines, frames both and is irrelevant unless it does that.

 

What are your least favorite and most favorite things about publishing a book?

I like the publishing process, and especially the sense of accomplishment I have when the book comes out. For a short while after the launch, I feel special, as if all my insecurities and my hard work paid off. I also like the editing, when I do it, and when the professional editors do it. It’s like polishing a marble statue—the last unnecessary bit of stone and dust is chipped away. I have mixed feelings when it comes to marketing the book. It is a lot of work, often requiring me to brag, to praise my abilities, which makes me uncomfortable.

 

What is a significant way your book changed from the first to the final draft?

My most recent novel, The Last Patient, is largely inspired by my family history. When I first wrote it, I generated chapter after chapter based on the facts the way I lived them or as I remembered them from what my parents and grandparents told me. In the end, I held a collection of vignettes, loosely tied together by characters, space and time. It was not a novel with a strong story arc. The second and third drafts were focused on strengthening that arc. I changed names, locations, the order of things, invented scenes and deleted chapters to create tension and a logical progression, still emulating life, but more in line with the way a modern novel (not a memoir) has to be.

 

What is a “darling” you’ve killed in a book that you’d like to resurrect in a future book?

I believe killing your “darling” is an advice Steven King gave to beginners, and it refers to deleting a turn of phrase or a belabored metaphor or an unusual word choice that had challenged the author while writing it and caused the author to be proud of it. I am sure I sacrificed many of my “darlings,” but since in my experience writing a novel is a very long process —years—I don’t remember a specific one, especially one that I would like to resurrect.

 

Where are your most productive writing spaces, and what elements are important about that space to keep you focused on writing.

My favorite spot is my home office, where it is quiet, and where I have everything I need.

 

If you were to give one of your side characters a novella of their own, who would it be, and why do you think they need their own story?

While editing The Last Patient, I deleted many of the original scenes for the benefit of a tighter story arc. But those scenes were dear to me, and I managed to rescue some and turn them into independent short stories. One example is a war time love story that has my grandmother as the protagonist.  Titled The Swiss Watch, I published it in Medium.com in July 2021.

 

What risks have you taken with your writing that made the book better?

I felt sometimes like taking a risk when following the advice of the editors, only to appreciate the changes at a later date.

 

What’s the best monetary investment you’ve ever made with regard to your writing practice?

Paying for developmental and copy editors, before finding a publisher. That helped me produce better work and I never regrated that investment.

 

When you first began writing, what was a common procrastination trap you encountered, and how did you overcome it?

I was a very young man when I started writing and my thirst for life was the main obstacle in writing long prose. I wanted to go out and experience. I simply did not have the patience (and discipline) to write every day. The passage of time helped me overcome this trap.

 

What is your writing software of choice, and what is its best feature?

I am not a great user of technology. I only use Microsoft Word. I am familiar with it and with most of its functions and I find it flexible and helpful. When faced with other programs I get nervous quickly and give up.

 

Do characters’ names come immediately to you?  Do you add them in a final draft?  Where do you find names, and how do you make a final decision about the names you’ll use?

Even though the names come to me immediately, I often ponder on the degree to which the names can enhance or help define the personality of the characters. Much of my writing is about a world outside the US. Therefore, attributing meaning to the names of my main characters becomes even more challenging, having to cross a cultural divide.

 

Tell us the title of one of your favorite novels, and why this book is a favorite.

There are so many! I will choose a recently read novel: The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese. I liked the writing. It has a soul. I liked the tremendous sprawl and twists of the plot.

 

Think of the title of a hugely popular novel.  What is one major thing you would change about the book?

Horse, by Geraldine Brooks. I don’t know that it is hugely popular, but it enjoyed a good amount of success. I would change the ending, when Theo is killed by the police. I found it too politically correct.

 

What are you reading right now?

The Book of Life, a collection of short stories by Stuart Nadler.

 

If you could take on the identity of a character in one of your favorite books for twenty-four hours and retain the memory of that experience, which character would you choose?  Tell us the title, author, character name, and why you would want to be that character.

I’ve always wanted to be like D’Artagnan, of The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. I want to be daring, adventurous, and enjoy life-long friendships like the heroes of the book.

 

If you could save five books from being destroyed in the apocalypse, what books would you choose, and why?

This is not an easy question and no matter how I respond, my selection will be incomplete. I will limit myself to literature, titles that come quickly to mind.

 

Don Quijote, Miguel de Cervantes, for the unending power of hope

Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare, for the melancholy power of love

The Three Musketeers, Alexandre Dumas, for placing friendship on a pedestal

Doctor Zhivago, Boris Pasternak, for the depth of the Russian soul

The Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger, for the insecure arrogance of adolescence

 

Tell us a little something about your current WIP.  When do you expect it to be released?

In Black and White is an independent companion novel to The Last Patient. It is the fictionalized story of my mother-in-law’s life. The novel is currently in developmental editing with the publisher, and I expect it to be released the first trimester of 2026.

 

What are the titles and genres of each book you’ve written?

I’ve written several novels and a collection of short stories in Romanian and published them in Romania (my country of birth). Below are the novels written in English and published in the US:


  1. Planet New York, historical fiction

  2. No Portrait in the Gilded Frame, literary fiction

  3. The Last Patient, historical fiction, family saga


How can readers find you?  Website, social media, amazon author page… share all the links!

Buy at Amazon: https://a.co/d/eRInAcv, or shop local and get a copy that supports your favorite local bookstore by ordering through Bookshop.org:https://bookshop.org/.../the-last-patient/44377ab448f840c1



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