Ask the Author: Darran M. Handshaw
Answered Questions (3)
Darran M. Handshaw
Thanks for the question, Doris! I started 'writing with intent to publish' when I was 30 years old. Before that I've always written stories and ideas down for fun, but many stories went unfinished for lack of motivation or inspiration. Thus, I've been writing since I was 10 or so.
The Engineer was the first story I wrote, as I said earlier, with 'intent to publish'. It was such an important story that I knew I had to finish it. That said, the big challenge was the story length. It is a long and complex story in a strange land, so I wanted to give the reader some perspective of the complex and crazy day to day life in Actaeon's workshop, and much of the fascinating details around the world of Redemption. Establishing that sense of normalcy (if you can call it that) made the events that take place at the end of the book that much more incredible and poignant.
All in all, it took me 3 years to write and edit The Engineer. I'm not used to that length of time at all for a project — most of my projects at work as an engineer take 1-1.5 years, so it was a significant undertaking for me. I was able to manage it though, because the story was so important for me to tell.
The Engineer was the first story I wrote, as I said earlier, with 'intent to publish'. It was such an important story that I knew I had to finish it. That said, the big challenge was the story length. It is a long and complex story in a strange land, so I wanted to give the reader some perspective of the complex and crazy day to day life in Actaeon's workshop, and much of the fascinating details around the world of Redemption. Establishing that sense of normalcy (if you can call it that) made the events that take place at the end of the book that much more incredible and poignant.
All in all, it took me 3 years to write and edit The Engineer. I'm not used to that length of time at all for a project — most of my projects at work as an engineer take 1-1.5 years, so it was a significant undertaking for me. I was able to manage it though, because the story was so important for me to tell.
Darran M. Handshaw
The works of Roger Zelazny, of course! I love his writing, and plus, I could learn to create the Pattern on the island - which I could then walk, allowing me to reach into shadow and pull anything I needed from it.
As for music, I've been enjoying Eluveitie a lot lately. They are a Swiss folk metal band that is just phenomenal.
And last but not least, and assuming the food could preserve indefinitely, I'd bring sashimi with me. Though, being on an island, I might be able to procure it myself!
As for music, I've been enjoying Eluveitie a lot lately. They are a Swiss folk metal band that is just phenomenal.
And last but not least, and assuming the food could preserve indefinitely, I'd bring sashimi with me. Though, being on an island, I might be able to procure it myself!
Darran M. Handshaw
Great question! Even as an engineer, I've never been a great fan of plan and schedule. Too much planning absolutely can stifle the creative process. Probably why I ended up moving to an R&D role at my job, where we call the product creation process the 'fuzzy front end'.
I apply a similar approach to my writing. I'll jot down some notes, key character descriptions, and a list of cool scenes that I've come up with in my head. Usually I'll have a cool opening scene that I start with, and from there I try to fit in all of the other great scenes and characters I've envisioned. This invariably changes some things. As I write, I begin to outline and the outline gets tighter and tighter as I go along (which makes sense, because there is less you can deviate once you've chosen a course without going back to make changes).
Even if I'm working toward certain scenes in my outline, those scenes are still in flux until I write them down, but if I change them, they need to fit in with the rest of my outline at that point.
So, to answer your question more simply: I develop a plan in parallel with the creative process.
I apply a similar approach to my writing. I'll jot down some notes, key character descriptions, and a list of cool scenes that I've come up with in my head. Usually I'll have a cool opening scene that I start with, and from there I try to fit in all of the other great scenes and characters I've envisioned. This invariably changes some things. As I write, I begin to outline and the outline gets tighter and tighter as I go along (which makes sense, because there is less you can deviate once you've chosen a course without going back to make changes).
Even if I'm working toward certain scenes in my outline, those scenes are still in flux until I write them down, but if I change them, they need to fit in with the rest of my outline at that point.
So, to answer your question more simply: I develop a plan in parallel with the creative process.
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