When I’m working on the draft of a novel, I
try to work on it every day, at least for a little while. I start by reviewing
my writing from the day before and making minor edits. Then I work for several
consecutive hours. I need at least two hours, preferably four, to get my
imagination flowing and to have any success writing new material. When I’m
finished with my work in progress for the day, I like to leave it knowing what
scene I’ll be working on the next day. During the first draft phase, I write
mostly sequentially, but if a later scene just won’t leave my head, I’ll jump
to it and spend some time on it.
When the first draft is finished, I let it
sit for a while and work on something else. Then I do a few rounds of edits
myself before sending it out to my beta readers. Once I have some common
feedback from the beta readers, and have integrated them into another round of
edits, I send that version to my editor. She and I will go back and forth until
we’re both satisfied.
As far as knowing the story ahead of time,
I’d say I’m a loose outliner. I have the bones of the story worked out in my
mind, and generally a notebook full of scribbled thoughts, but I leave plenty
of room for interesting plot twists.
2.
How
do you come up with your ideas for your stories?
Thoughts for my stories come to me in
different ways. Sometimes it’s a character that appears in my head, fully
formed – personality, career, physical appearance, and name – ready for me to
create a story around. Other times, there’s an interesting scene that builds up
in my imagination over time. Or sometimes there’s a theme or idea I want to
explore.
3.
How
long have you been writing?
I’ve considered myself a professional
writer for just about three years now, but I’ve been creating stories my whole
life. In fact, when I was sorting through
some of my grandma’s things after she passed, I came across a whole collection
of poetry and stories I’d written that she kept. It was very sweet.
In my
previous job I’d written some ad copy, blog posts, and done some editing for
school publications, but I had very little time or energy for creative writing,
and I had that crippling notion that I couldn’t write a whole book.
Then, while
I was in the middle of a lengthy work project, I just sat down and started
writing my first novel, Horizon. I
remember the exact day. I was spending the weekend with my best friend. I woke
up early, sat on her couch under a blanket, and opened my laptop. Nine months
later, I finished the first draft. Being a mom, the significance of that
timeline isn’t lost on me!
4.
What
tips do you have for aspiring writers?
First, finish
something. A bad draft is better than no draft.
Second, a first draft
is nowhere near the finished product. This was shocking to me as a first time
novelist - although it shouldn’t have been! I knew edits were going to happen,
but I had no idea how much work they would be. If I had to estimate, I would
say that writing the first draft was only about one-third of the work. Editing
and working through the business side of publishing made up the other
two-thirds.
And finally, keep writing. Even when you feel stuck. Even when it’s a bad writing
day. Even when you want to toss the whole mess! Keep writing. It’s worth it.
5.
As a
science fiction author, how important do you feel about making sure the science
is as real as possible in a story? Do you research to try to keep the science
as factual as possible?
As a science fiction writer I have great
latitude. The worlds I imagine aren’t real. But to bring readers along for the
ride, and ask them to suspend their belief for the duration of the journey, the
places I create must feel authentic, and the science I introduce must be
plausible, or at least consistently applied throughout the world I’m building.
In addition to consistency, if I’m using
familiar science, for example a propulsion systems or a medical procedure, I
definitely do my research to be sure what I’m describing is accurate. There’s
one scene in Infinity where Derek and
Kat are flying an experimental aircraft into a dogfight. I researched maneuvers
from historic air battles and watched a ton of you-tube videos from inside jet
cockpits to try and create that scene authentically. It was pretty cool!
6.
How
important are names in your books? Do you choose the names based on the way
they sound, or the meaning? Do you have any name choosing resources you
recommend?
For me, naming the characters and places in
my stories is a really important, almost sacred activity! Sometimes I’ll just
use a name I’ve always loved, but often they have additional meaning. For
example, Caeli’s name is derived from the Latin word for sky, and some of the
mountain ranges and bodies of water on her planet are taken from Greek words
(my undergrad degree is in Classics!). Her planet, Almagest, is named after the
astronomical manual written by Ptolemy around 150 AD.
When I’m looking to name cities on a
particular planet, I’ll look up obscure towns in foreign countries and use
those. Honestly, I think I have a little too much fun with the whole naming
thing!
7.
Some
favorites: books/authors/genres; movies/TV shows; music; food/writing snacks
The favorites are hard! I love to read. In
addition to writing novels and short stories, I also give author interviews and
write reviews for Book Club Babble, and I belong to two book clubs, so I’m
constantly reading. In general, I prefer genre fiction to literary fiction, but
The Goldfinch is an all-time
favorite. I just finished Jonathan Maberry’s latest Joe Ledger book, Dogs of War, and that was a page-turner.
I can go on and on about books…
For TV shows I admit to being a
Supernatural fan. I’m dying for the last season of Orphan Black. Colony was
terrific, and I think The Expanse is the best sci-fi show since the reboot of
Battlestar Galactica. And of course, I am waiting with baited breath for
Outlander to return.
I’ve always got music playing in the
background, whether I’m writing or folding laundry. My current playlist is
pretty eclectic with bands from Linkin Park to Imagine Dragons, Ed Sheeran to
Maroon 5. I live with a musician and all my kids have serious musical talent so
a favorite list here is nearly impossible!
For writing snacks, a cup of tea and a piece of
chocolate are my go to break time treats.
