Ask the Author: C.J. Carver
Answered Questions (7)
C.J. Carver
My favourite fictional couple at the moment is Medora and Vernon Slone out of Hold The Dark by William Geraldi. They have a deep, violent passion for one another that at times made me gasp. They're bound not just by their relationship but by their home in the cold and merciless Alaskan wilderness, and when Vernon returns home from a desert war to discover his little boy dead and his wife missing, he will stop at nothing in his quest for revenge.
They're beautiful and raw, other worldly, and like no other characters I've met in the fictional world, but thanks to Geraldi's immense skill they feel utterly real and despite the carnage caused as Vernon's wreaks his vengeance, my heart still bled for them both.
They're beautiful and raw, other worldly, and like no other characters I've met in the fictional world, but thanks to Geraldi's immense skill they feel utterly real and despite the carnage caused as Vernon's wreaks his vengeance, my heart still bled for them both.
C.J. Carver
Don't give up. Writing is a solitary business with little reward until you get published, and it's incredibly easy to throw in the towel. That said, a real writer needs guts, determination and an ability to recover from rejection quickly. You will make it - assuming you have talent, that is - but it can be a very long game. So keep at it. Keep strong. But above all, enjoy what you're doing.
C.J. Carver
Telling lies for fun and profit! I think Lawrence Block said that, so don't credit that line to me! Seriously, the best thing about being a writer is that I'm autonomous and in control of what I do when. That said, it's the research that really rings my bell. I have met more interesting people since I became a writer than I've had cups of tea (and I drink a lot). I've met Alaskan troopers, Macedonian anti-human trafficking forces, police officers, the Royal Military Police, the SAS, SIS. I've also met dog-sled champions, hawkers, crocodile & shark hunters. All incredible people and a fantastic resource for a thriller writer.
C.J. Carver
Over time, I've learned that getting stuck is part of the process. It's not so much writer's block as a short spell of writing inactivity where I need a break to let my subconscious chew the creative fat undisturbed. So I don't sit glaring at my computer screen, I get busy. I tuck myself into the library or a busy cafe, and people watch. Or I go for a drive - there's something about movement against the eye that kicks in the right side of the brain (the creative side). If I'm only briefly stuck, like mid-way through a chapter, I might have my next paragraph reveal an unexpected turn. This can work wonders, but above all, if I get stuck, the most important thing is not to panic!
C.J. Carver
There usually has to be something that I truly care about or want to learn about, or explore, before inspiration strikes. For example, the memory-erasing drug that scientists are working on at the moment got me really fired up. I find the idea of tampering with memory terrifying, and the moral implications huge, and these issues are at the core of my latest, Spare Me the Truth.
C.J. Carver
I'm doing a swift re-write on the second Dan Forrester book while I sketch out a rough plot for book 3 and think of ideas for book 4. It's always strange working on three books at once, dipping in and out of each, and it can take a little while to change mental gears from one to the other, but it's a good workout for my brain!
C.J. Carver
I saw an article by the Telegraph's science correspondent Richard Gray, where he stated, 'Researchers have found they can use drugs to wipe away single, specific memories while leaving other memories intact.' Great! I thought. A memory-erasing drug! However, it turned out not to be quite so simple, but who am I to get in the way of a good story!
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