Ask the Author: T.W. Iain
Answered Questions (8)
T.W. Iain
Had to add the book manually (and it looks like the cover isn't showing - not sure what's gone wrong here!), but you should be able to find it here:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...
Any problems, let me know and I'll try to sort them out.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...
Any problems, let me know and I'll try to sort them out.
T.W. Iain
Hi, Sam. Glad you enjoyed Errant. I've had a quick look for it on Goodreads myself, and can't find it either (I think a couple of other books are missing too). I'll dive a bit deeper, sort it out, then let you know.
(And thanks for bringing this to my attention.)
TW.
(And thanks for bringing this to my attention.)
TW.
T.W. Iain
That's tricky. I find ideas come from all over the place. Usually, by the time the book's written, the original idea has morphed so much that it's hard to recall its origins.
My most recent book is Expedient, which is a side-story novella that came about while I was writing Deep Water (Dominions III). That book had some stuff about 'body pouches', and I started wondering if it would be possible to have a removable section of skull in which to store items. I'd seen a documentary some years ago about a woman who had a huge hole in the middle of her skull, where her brain should have been, and yet she still functioned normally, so I thought that a small 'pouch' wasn't too unrealistic.
I let that idea simmer, and it developed into the story that became Expedient. So the idea came from a 'what if' combined with something I'd seen years ago.
My most recent book is Expedient, which is a side-story novella that came about while I was writing Deep Water (Dominions III). That book had some stuff about 'body pouches', and I started wondering if it would be possible to have a removable section of skull in which to store items. I'd seen a documentary some years ago about a woman who had a huge hole in the middle of her skull, where her brain should have been, and yet she still functioned normally, so I thought that a small 'pouch' wasn't too unrealistic.
I let that idea simmer, and it developed into the story that became Expedient. So the idea came from a 'what if' combined with something I'd seen years ago.
T.W. Iain
I'm not sure if I believe that writer's block exists. Not as some huge artistic barrier to creativity, anyway.
I have times when stories aren't working. I have times when the words aren't flowing as well as I would like. I have times when the plot is becoming muddled, and I'm working myself into a corner. But these aren't writer's block. They're just problems I need to work at.
Like all problems, they need different solutions. Sometimes I simply need to push through, and the words will start coming (and I can always delete the ones that were causing me to stumble). Sometimes I need to take a step back and return to my planning. Sometimes I need to move to a different scene, maybe writing from another character's point of view for a while. Sometimes I may need to put that particular story away and work on something fresh.
But I don't think any of this constitutes writer's block. They are only a block if I don't try different things to solve them.
I have times when stories aren't working. I have times when the words aren't flowing as well as I would like. I have times when the plot is becoming muddled, and I'm working myself into a corner. But these aren't writer's block. They're just problems I need to work at.
Like all problems, they need different solutions. Sometimes I simply need to push through, and the words will start coming (and I can always delete the ones that were causing me to stumble). Sometimes I need to take a step back and return to my planning. Sometimes I need to move to a different scene, maybe writing from another character's point of view for a while. Sometimes I may need to put that particular story away and work on something fresh.
But I don't think any of this constitutes writer's block. They are only a block if I don't try different things to solve them.
T.W. Iain
Am I qualified to answer that question? This is still a 'work it around the day job' thing for me at the moment. But three books out - that has to count for something. And writing is taking up more and more of my spare time.
Maybe I should answer by looking at what spurs me on to write. Why do I get up early each morning? Why do I spend so long tapping away?
I used to play quite a bit of guitar, and I really enjoyed recording the strange sounds that came out and playing with them. I've got hours of stuff somewhere. I don't know if it's good or not, but it felt really good to create this stuff.
Writing's like that. I get to create worlds and people. I get to mould how these characters develop. Sometimes they do things I didn't expect, and I have to react to that. When I reach the end of a book, and I look back at what I've created, I feel proud. It might not be good (especially in that first draft), but it's something I've created.
Maybe I should answer by looking at what spurs me on to write. Why do I get up early each morning? Why do I spend so long tapping away?
I used to play quite a bit of guitar, and I really enjoyed recording the strange sounds that came out and playing with them. I've got hours of stuff somewhere. I don't know if it's good or not, but it felt really good to create this stuff.
Writing's like that. I get to create worlds and people. I get to mould how these characters develop. Sometimes they do things I didn't expect, and I have to react to that. When I reach the end of a book, and I look back at what I've created, I feel proud. It might not be good (especially in that first draft), but it's something I've created.
T.W. Iain
Write. Simple as that. Staring at a blank page doesn't help, so just start typing, or writing longhand, or dictating - whatever way you want to work.
Something I do is trying to blank my mind and writing whatever surfaces. I don't edit as I go, or try to form the thoughts into a story. I don't correct any inconsistencies (and I try not to correct spellings either). I just write whatever comes to me.
Sometimes it's garbage. Sometimes it's nothing more than a way of venting whatever I'm feeling. But at other times it contains a spark of an idea that I can use. And then I can work on that, letting more ideas come. They might be a mess initially, but I can work on them. And, slowly, they become a story.
Another piece of advice is to aim for a routine. Try different things - writing in the morning or the evening, at a desk or on the sofa. Try writing for ten minute chunks or hour long slots. Try a few things, see what's most comfortable, and then set aside some time, each day if possible, to be in the place you found comfortable. If you don't feel 'the muse' every time, that doesn't matter. Just write something. You'll develop a habit, and then your writing will come easier.
So my advice is to write to a routine. If 'the muse' isn't there, force it to come through determination and the tap of your fingers on the keyboard.
Something I do is trying to blank my mind and writing whatever surfaces. I don't edit as I go, or try to form the thoughts into a story. I don't correct any inconsistencies (and I try not to correct spellings either). I just write whatever comes to me.
Sometimes it's garbage. Sometimes it's nothing more than a way of venting whatever I'm feeling. But at other times it contains a spark of an idea that I can use. And then I can work on that, letting more ideas come. They might be a mess initially, but I can work on them. And, slowly, they become a story.
Another piece of advice is to aim for a routine. Try different things - writing in the morning or the evening, at a desk or on the sofa. Try writing for ten minute chunks or hour long slots. Try a few things, see what's most comfortable, and then set aside some time, each day if possible, to be in the place you found comfortable. If you don't feel 'the muse' every time, that doesn't matter. Just write something. You'll develop a habit, and then your writing will come easier.
So my advice is to write to a routine. If 'the muse' isn't there, force it to come through determination and the tap of your fingers on the keyboard.
T.W. Iain
I think writing, for me, started off as an escape from things in my life that I had little control over, but I've kept at it, and now it's what gets me out of bed in the mornings. How do I get inspired? By turning on my laptop, seeing where I'd got up to in my current project, and starting to type.
To be honest, routine has a lot to do with it. I've carved out a nice chunk of time before the day job, and now I'm standing at my desk, coffee steaming, typing away before I've had time to think about how stupidly early it is.
I suppose there are other things that inspire me. Getting the first cover through for the first Dominions book helped show me that all these words were a book. Getting to the end of a draft inspires me to carry on with the next one. Looking at my annotated PDF of edits and realising that all those red marks I've made will help improve the story, and that the more edits there are, the more it will improve, inspires me to keep on going.
And, of course, if I didn't write, I'd have to find something else to do.
To be honest, routine has a lot to do with it. I've carved out a nice chunk of time before the day job, and now I'm standing at my desk, coffee steaming, typing away before I've had time to think about how stupidly early it is.
I suppose there are other things that inspire me. Getting the first cover through for the first Dominions book helped show me that all these words were a book. Getting to the end of a draft inspires me to carry on with the next one. Looking at my annotated PDF of edits and realising that all those red marks I've made will help improve the story, and that the more edits there are, the more it will improve, inspires me to keep on going.
And, of course, if I didn't write, I'd have to find something else to do.
T.W. Iain
I always seem to have a few things on the go now, mainly because I let things rest before each round of edits (it helps me see them with fresh eyes). I've got the fourth Dominions novel nearing completion, and I'm pulling together the planning for the fifth. I know what needs to happen at the end of the sixth book, and it's interesting finding different ideas that will get the characters all in the right place at the right time (not that I expect them to behave and do what I ask.)
I'm also working on a new series, which I'll put out when I have a couple of books finished. I'm part-way through the first draft of the second of these at the moment, but I'll probably have to alter some of the first book to make them work together.
I'm also working on a new series, which I'll put out when I have a couple of books finished. I'm part-way through the first draft of the second of these at the moment, but I'll probably have to alter some of the first book to make them work together.
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Jul 10, 2020 07:45AM