Ask the Author: Stuart Doughty

“Ask me a question.” Stuart Doughty

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What mystery in your own life could be a plot for a book?

Stuart Doughty I must have lived a dull life because I can't think of any mysteries in my own life, let alone any that could become a book. Most authors make up stories and plots as they go along. Yes, some stories have an element of truth behind them, but most are simply imagination.

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Did you plot out Paint It Blackmail in advance, or did you "just start writing," as you advised below? Did you outline, use index cards, draw diagrams or are you just incredibly intelligent to have kept that whole awesome plot in your head?

Stuart Doughty Ann: I'm so sorry. I've only just seen this question. Apologies for slow reply. I can't write a novel without plotting it out in advance, at least to some extent. I'm not a "pantser" i.e. those writers (like Lee Child I believe) who just start writing and work it out "by the seat of their pants" as they go. I write a plot breakdown, or beat-sheet as it's often known, which gives the main points of the story. I do this in Word with numbered paragraphs. I don't draw diagrams, nor use index cards, but some writers do. Inevitably this outline will change as I write, and new ideas arrive. In Paint It Blackmail I changed who the villain was at least twice, I think. You keep the overall idea of the plot in your head but not all the nuts and bolts. Am I incredibly intelligent? I couldn't possibly comment. The thing about "just start writing" was directed at those who say "how do I start to write?" For many years the advice from writers famous and not famous has always been: pick up a pen and get going; write something, whatever it is. You can always revise it later. Many thanks for you question.

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Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

Stuart Doughty Writers are always asked this and I don't think there is usually an answer apart from something unhelpful like "hard thinking." Ideas pop up - some of them are dreadful of course, some not so bad.

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