"I’ve Always Been a Fan of Old-Fashioned Storytelling." An Interview with Donald F. Glut

QueerFilmHub: How has your personal relationship with creative storytelling evolved over the years, and what drives you to pick up a project today?
Donald F. Glut: I assume – i.e., hope – my storytelling has improved a lot over the decades. For example, compare the comic book stories I wrote in the late 1960s and early 1970s, for CREEPY, EERIE, and VAMPIRELLA magazines, with essentially the same kinds of stories I have been recently writing for the similar magazines SHUDDER and VAMPIRESS CARMILLA.
Also, I’ve learned a lot about storytelling in general from professionals – editors and publishers – for whom I’ve worked. And, of course, you learn things as you grow older, also as you pay more attention to what other more established (and better) writers have done.
Other than writing for SHUDDER and VAMPIRESS CARMILLA, where I come up with story ideas all the time, what drives me is some editor or publisher approaching me with an offer, which I then can either accept or turn down. In the case of SHUDDER and VAMPIRESS CARMILLA, most of my stories seem to spring from a catchy title that pops up in my head, followed by the subsequent imagining a surprise ending that fits the title. Working out the actual story comes later and, once I’ve concocted an appropriate opening, often tends to “write itself.”
QueerFilmHub: When you look at your current creative process, what is the most important element for you when shaping the atmosphere or tone of a scene?
Donald F. Glut: I really can’t say. I’ve never really thought about it. With me, writing is mostly instinctive – I just write a scene the way I think or feel it should be. If it is a horror story, I tend to write in a more melodramatic style than, say, if I were writing a Western. It’s not something I really analyze or think much about. The tone seems to create itself, if that makes any sense.
QueerFilmHub: Many artists experience a shift in what independence means to them. What does creative freedom look like for you in your work right now?
Donald F. Glut: Right now, most of my writing consists of comic-book scripts for SHUDDER and VAMPIRESS CARMILLA magazines. The editor likes and respects my work, also the fact that I have history, also a good reputation and fan base. And so, he pretty much lets me write what I want to write. I write a story and send it in, and eventually he buys it; other writers have to first send in a plot “pitch.” If he likes that, he tells the writer to go ahead and develop it into a script.
Of course, I always try to stay within my own boundaries of good taste. There are lines I will not cross. In the past, much of my writing was for people or companies that had their own rules and standards, which I had to follow if I wanted the gigs. I had no problems with that, I can easily adapt to their rules and format. But it was still writing and getting paid for it, which was better than working in some boring day job. And I love to write. It’s getting paid for having a good time!
QueerFilmHub: Looking at the contemporary landscape of cinema and media, what is a trend or direction in storytelling that you find particularly fascinating or vital?
Donald F. Glut: I really don’t think there is any new trend I find fascinating or vital. I really don’t like the “found footage” trend that has become popular, nor movies that are mostly just CGI extravaganzas, where it’s often even hard knowing what you are watching. I’m basically an old-fashioned, call it retro if you prefer, guy who likes old-fashioned storytelling, with a beginning, middle and end.
QueerFilmHub: What can you share about the projects or creative ideas you are currently exploring or hope to bring to life in the near future?
Donald F. Glut: The only things I am currently directly involved with, other than the reissuing of some of my old nonfiction books, are SHUDDER and VAMPIRESS CARMILLA. I am having a ball writing stories for these magazines. I am also their Associate Editor, meaning I also proofread them, looking for spelling and grammatical errors and also (a personal pet peeve) plot holes. And I am trying to make my stories better than those I wrote in the past, incorporating many of the things I’ve learned from editors and writers I knew and for whom I worked.
I would like to make more movies – as writer, director and executive producer – and have a couple scripts ready to go, but that takes a lot of money, which at present I don’t have.
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Support Donald F. GlutDonald F. Glut has dedicated over five decades to shaping indie cinema, comic books, and pop culture. As mentioned in our conversation, he has several completed film scripts ready to be produced, but is currently facing significant financial hurdles.
If you enjoyed this interview and would like to support a legendary independent creator in overcoming his current difficulties and bringing new cinema projects to life, please consider contributing to his campaign:
👉 Support Donald F.    https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-donald-f-glut-in-overcoming-financial-loss?utm_source=gemini