Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Advice

There are a lot of sites out there with advice on writing. I've struck upon a few more from Australian writers:

Jennifer Fallon Books: Hythrun Trilogy, Demon Child Trilogy, Second Sons Trilogy, Tide Lords Trilogy, Gods of Amyrantha.

Glenda Larke Books: Isles of Glory Trilogy, Mirage Makers Trilogy, Songs of the Silver Barrens.

Trudi Canavan Books: Black Magician Series, Age of the Five Series.

Simon Haynes Books: whatelse but the Hal Spacejock series!

Sara Douglass Books: Wayfarer Redemption Trilogy, Axis Trilogy, Crucible Trilogy, Troy Game Series, Darkglass Mountain Trilogy, Threshold, Beyond the Hanging Wall

All author sites who have advice say the same thing. Writers write. Writers write right.

One important aspect of the advice is not to worry about how many books you write before you think you're ready for publication. Writing is a craft like any other, and the more you practice, the better you'll get at it. You'll not only gain more confidence in what you're writing, but be assured of writing better in the next book.

Answer these questions:

How many unfinished manuscripts do you have? There are currently 11 in my files, and a dozen or so one line ideas for future works.

How long did it take you to finish the first draft of your first book? It took me three weeks; I just went for it. After years of trying and failing, it felt good to get the first one done. Celebrated a lot, too, once it was done.

What is your first novel about? Mumble, mumble, soldier of fortune saves chemist geek and holds him hostage...

How long did it take you to do the first edit? Mmm... a week before I realised it was tripe and to never let anyone else see it. (Sad and embarrassing story there, I'm afraid.)

Short stories or novels? Both. Short stories help me to stay concise. Novels demand to be written no matter what. I once thought I couldn't write short stories; they were too... short. Then I did the Foward Motion's Story-a-day-marathon. I can't resist a challenge like that and I'll be doing my fifth year this May, so make note of it.

Organic or Structured? Organic. Believe it or not, I like mental schedules for real life and get really pissy when they go awry, but when it comes to writing, I cannot stick to outlines. I get an idea... and run with it; okay, I think about the book for a week or so before I'm ready to put fingers to keyboard.

Genre? Mixed. I'll mix science fiction with magic, romance with supernatural, fantasy with history. Whatever comes to mind at the time.

Did you answer honestly? All of them? I'll tell you why it's important tomorrow!

3 comments:

Simon Haynes said...

Thanks for the mention - that's what I call high-powered company ;-)

How many unfinished manuscripts do you have?

Two Hal novels (books number four and five in the series) and an SF YA novel which has an Ender's Game feel to it.


How long did it take you to finish the first draft of your first book?

Um, six years. I took five years and eight months off after my first daughter was born.


What is your first novel about?

Highly unskilled pilot thinks he's got what it takes to run his own freight business. He's wrong on all levels.


How long did it take you to do the first edit?

They all blend into each other. First draft to latest version ... six years.


Short stories or novels?

Both, but I haven't written a short since 2001. I've been asked a couple of times but I can't write short fiction to order.


Organic or Structured?

Yes. I hate writing to a structured plot, but recognise that at some point I have to know where it's going. I write the bulk of it in an organic fashion, then use structured diagrams, plot outlines and a big stick to get the thing finished.


Genre?

SF/Humour with shorts in straight SF, Fantasy/Humour and Horror/Humour.

Jaye Patrick said...

Thanks for your comment, Simon, it's always great to hear examples from published authors. It gives us newbies confidence in our own work.

Simon Haynes said...

Thanks. Just trying to illustrate that a published author is just a writer who didn't give up. Just kept plugging away, picking up tips and reading endless how-to books until they fell apart.