Ask the Author: Toby Downton
Answered Questions (7)
Toby Downton
Bringing my thoughts "to life". Creation follows a trajectory:
Thoughts > Words > Actions
Solarversia contained at least 10 years worth of random thoughts in it. Writing the book forced me to present them in a coherent manner, using the mechanism of fiction. During the process I realised that many thoughts I've had weren't so interesting after all, it's like you have to put them through a filter to extract the wheat from the chaff.
Part of bringing thoughts "to life" is hearing feedback from other people (I've only just started on that part of the journey). Were my thoughts interesting after all? Will they be interesting enough that people recommend the book to others, and it go on to become a best seller? And if so, will it become successful enough that I go on to get the investment I need to make The Game for real?
I can't think of anything I'd rather be working on right now. It's the most challenging thing I've ever done by far, but also the most rewarding.
Here's to attempting to make your dreams come true :-)
Thoughts > Words > Actions
Solarversia contained at least 10 years worth of random thoughts in it. Writing the book forced me to present them in a coherent manner, using the mechanism of fiction. During the process I realised that many thoughts I've had weren't so interesting after all, it's like you have to put them through a filter to extract the wheat from the chaff.
Part of bringing thoughts "to life" is hearing feedback from other people (I've only just started on that part of the journey). Were my thoughts interesting after all? Will they be interesting enough that people recommend the book to others, and it go on to become a best seller? And if so, will it become successful enough that I go on to get the investment I need to make The Game for real?
I can't think of anything I'd rather be working on right now. It's the most challenging thing I've ever done by far, but also the most rewarding.
Here's to attempting to make your dreams come true :-)
Toby Downton
Hey Brandon,
I love this question! The room you mention was the Eastdome of Castalia, it and the Westdome are the huge warehouse-style rooms where Game objects are spawned before being dished out to players who have won them in quests or on spins of the Tweel of Fate.
As you might know, I have plans to turn The Year Long Game into a series of books, that follow a four year cycle:
Book > Movie > Actual Game > Book > Movie > Actual Game > etc.
Obviously I couldn't explore everything in the first book ... and I'm already thinking about where to take things in the next book. Your point is entirely sound, and one of the many tactics / strategies that I'd like to explore in the future.
Stay tuned....
I love this question! The room you mention was the Eastdome of Castalia, it and the Westdome are the huge warehouse-style rooms where Game objects are spawned before being dished out to players who have won them in quests or on spins of the Tweel of Fate.
As you might know, I have plans to turn The Year Long Game into a series of books, that follow a four year cycle:
Book > Movie > Actual Game > Book > Movie > Actual Game > etc.
Obviously I couldn't explore everything in the first book ... and I'm already thinking about where to take things in the next book. Your point is entirely sound, and one of the many tactics / strategies that I'd like to explore in the future.
Stay tuned....
Toby Downton
Hi Mark!
Yes absolutely there are...does an ebook copy work for you? If so, sign up on my website: http://solarversia.com/about/
And you'll receive your free advance copy on the 22nd June. Make sure you also know about the promo game I'm running for anyone who reviews it on Amazon in the first month after its full release (on the 31st August):
http://solarversia.com/amazon-reviewe...
Thanks for the question, I look forward to hearing what you think of it.
Best wishes, Toby
Yes absolutely there are...does an ebook copy work for you? If so, sign up on my website: http://solarversia.com/about/
And you'll receive your free advance copy on the 22nd June. Make sure you also know about the promo game I'm running for anyone who reviews it on Amazon in the first month after its full release (on the 31st August):
http://solarversia.com/amazon-reviewe...
Thanks for the question, I look forward to hearing what you think of it.
Best wishes, Toby
Toby Downton
I've never had it. I bought a fantastic book early on (Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story) that helped me get clear on the plot and the scenes that were involved at each stage of the story.
When I come to write a scene, I do a bit of planning first by asking a series of questions:
Whose POV is it?
Where and when does the scene take place?
Which other characters are in it?
How does it move the plot forward?
What makes the scene interesting from a reader's perspective?
What important information do I need to include?
How do I best "show" the elements of the scene, rather than "tell" them?
Is the scene best shown in this manner, or would it be more interesting if I showed it from a different perspective, or maybe didn't include it at all?
The answers to questions like these help to form the outline of the scene, which I then convert to prose ... or they helped me see that I was on the wrong track and needed to take a different approach.
When I come to write a scene, I do a bit of planning first by asking a series of questions:
Whose POV is it?
Where and when does the scene take place?
Which other characters are in it?
How does it move the plot forward?
What makes the scene interesting from a reader's perspective?
What important information do I need to include?
How do I best "show" the elements of the scene, rather than "tell" them?
Is the scene best shown in this manner, or would it be more interesting if I showed it from a different perspective, or maybe didn't include it at all?
The answers to questions like these help to form the outline of the scene, which I then convert to prose ... or they helped me see that I was on the wrong track and needed to take a different approach.
Toby Downton
As of right now, May 2015, I'm doing the draft 4 read-through of Solarversia with my editor, getting rid of typos and cutting extraneous words, sentences and paragraphs, in order to make it the best book it can possibly be.
When I'm not doing that, I'm working on the marketing side of things, reaching out to people on Twitter, organising interviews, and learning how to format the book properly for inclusion on Amazon.
When I'm not doing that, I'm working on the marketing side of things, reaching out to people on Twitter, organising interviews, and learning how to format the book properly for inclusion on Amazon.
Toby Downton
I originally got inspired to write in March 2014 when Facebook bought Oculus Rift for $2bn. I knew that there would be no better time in my life to write Solarversia, and that if I was able to write it in time (to coincide with the release of VR headsets like Oculus Rift) it would get a huge boost in visibility when the mainstream media started covering the topic of VR.
Since then, I've needed no further inspiration. Knowing that I had an all-important deadline, and that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was enough for me to leave my job and to work on the project full time.
Since then, I've needed no further inspiration. Knowing that I had an all-important deadline, and that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was enough for me to leave my job and to work on the project full time.
Toby Downton
After spending ten years searching for meaning in my life, I had a vision about a year-long game played in a virtual world by millions of people. The vision was inspiring enough that I left my job soon afterwards in order to learn everything I could about technology and startups, in an effort to create a company that could make such a game.
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