Biography:

I was born in 1992 in Romania and had a happy childhood until I went to school. I never had an answer to the question “What would you like to become when you grow up?” and still don’t. But I was lucky enough, after college, to land a job as a dispatcher at a gambling company. There, I spend 12 hours alone in the office (day and night shifts) supervising casinos through CCTV cameras. I like to think I learned a lot about humanity from this. But I also learned a lot about myself. It’s also where I started writing.biog

What is your greatest accomplishment as a writer so far?
That’ll be the publication of my poetry chapbook, “Pour The Whiskey Over My Heart And Set It On Fire”. In August 2020 I found myself with quite a bunch of poems and no audience, so I started submitting a few of them to random magazines and publications. I went into this with no expectations whatsoever, so you can imagine how grand my surprise was when the editor-in-chief of one of them asked me to put together a few poems and have them compiled into a chapbook.

Why do you write?
Because my computer is not strong enough to play videogames. The gods might not have blessed me with mad writing skills, but they sure did bless me with immunity to boredom, and I’m very grateful for that. I can spend time with myself and not go crazy.

What is your writing process? (Any favorite places to write? Any interesting quirks, traditions, or rituals you may have? How many times might you revise something before being satisfied with it? Besides you, does anyone else edit your work? Etc.)
I try to stay away from rituals. It’s best to just sit down and do it. Writing is the one activity you can perform with the simplest of tools. A painter needs the right brushes and colors, and a sculptor needs the finest materials, a musician needs a studio and equipment, but a writer only needs solitude. I find that at work, in the office, and sure, maybe a drop or two of smuggled vodka helps some, but I try not to rely on it. Also, when it comes to poems, I never revise them. They’re the first and final draft. I’m not saying that’s a good idea, I’m just saying that I personally don’t like revisions, it feels too much like work and too little like play.

Do you have anyone (friends, relatives, etc.) review your works before you publish them?
No. I can’t bother my few friends and relatives who understand English with that. Many of them don’t even know that I write. It’s not a secret, but neither do I like to boast it.

Could you give us an idea of your upcoming works without spoiling anything?
Well, the result of starting to write at home as well brought about a few works of prose. I’ve an epic fantasy project of about 700.000 words. Maybe it’s time to divide it in books and look for an agent or something.

Do you have any writing events coming up? For example: something being published/released? A reading of one of your works? Interviews? Any speeches or talks?
Hmm… Nope, not really.

What do you hope to achieve as a writer?
A. Since I went into this craft for fun, I never had great expectations, but maybe if I could publish my epic fantasy… well, yeah, that’ll be cool, I guess.

What do you think of bad reviews? Are they helpful or harmful to you?
It’s simple. Bad reviews are infinity times better than no reviews. I’ll accept everything as long as it’s more than nothing.

What advice do you have for novice writers?
None. But I’ll be happy to hear theirs anytime. Thanks.

What do you feel are the most important resources a writer can use?
A troubled mind. Not necessarily theirs.

Where can people find out more about you and your writing? (websites, social media, etc.)
A. Well, there’s my website, https://bogdandragos.com/
and linked to my website is also my twitter: https: //twitter.com/1_dr_bogdan (not much here, only posts that appear on my blog).
Hello Poetry: https://hellopoetry.com/B_R_Dragos/
Poemist: https://www.poemist.com/bogdan-dragos