Ask the Author: Eden James
Answered Questions (5)
Eden James
Try not to think too hard. If something isn't coming to mind, forcing it often makes the end product less authentic and more contrived. I will often start something else, either a new piece of writing, or a totally different project altogether. Sometimes this allows the mind the space it needs to contemplate where a particular narrative is going. Long walks help too. Fresh air is always a good antidote to brain fog.
Eden James
Establish a rota: Read. Observe. Think. Ask.
Reading the works of others, whether in fiction, copy writing or newspapers is invaluable. There is always a tendency to write everything down and yes, there is certainly scope for that. Yet, very often reading a passage someone else has written can greatly assist in understanding and establishing a narrative style. Subsequently, I look back at my own words after reading a book and see the need for greater improvement of my own, yet that is where the art lies.
Observation is key. It sounds obvious, but much can be gained by walking around with our eyes open. Especially true in a world where we are increasingly drawn towards devices that 'connect' us through a myopic perspective. Just sit on a bench and watch the world amble by with our own eyes. Some things cannot, and must not be Googled. With observation comes description.
Thinking about our writing, yet not overthinking it either. Good writing cannot be forced. Like a fart. If we try to force it, the result could be ... We may have an idea where our writing will take us, yet something might compel us in a different direction. Follow it, see where it goes, we can always come back to where we were. If we don't return, we might find ourselves embarking on another adventure altogether, and be all the better for it. It is always good to think about what we want to convey and why. Sometimes it's too self-indulgent and can be dispensed with, at others its something we feel we need to express or explore. Thinking about the content and structure can help a narrative flow.
Asking others to read our works can be one of the most embarrassing and nerve-racking moments. Like admitting a guilty pleasure. Yet, the perspectives of others are vital. They are our future readers. Even if the work is not there thing, obtaining their view on it can be essential in shaping where we go with our writing. It's also good practice in receiving objective and often necessary criticism.
Reading the works of others, whether in fiction, copy writing or newspapers is invaluable. There is always a tendency to write everything down and yes, there is certainly scope for that. Yet, very often reading a passage someone else has written can greatly assist in understanding and establishing a narrative style. Subsequently, I look back at my own words after reading a book and see the need for greater improvement of my own, yet that is where the art lies.
Observation is key. It sounds obvious, but much can be gained by walking around with our eyes open. Especially true in a world where we are increasingly drawn towards devices that 'connect' us through a myopic perspective. Just sit on a bench and watch the world amble by with our own eyes. Some things cannot, and must not be Googled. With observation comes description.
Thinking about our writing, yet not overthinking it either. Good writing cannot be forced. Like a fart. If we try to force it, the result could be ... We may have an idea where our writing will take us, yet something might compel us in a different direction. Follow it, see where it goes, we can always come back to where we were. If we don't return, we might find ourselves embarking on another adventure altogether, and be all the better for it. It is always good to think about what we want to convey and why. Sometimes it's too self-indulgent and can be dispensed with, at others its something we feel we need to express or explore. Thinking about the content and structure can help a narrative flow.
Asking others to read our works can be one of the most embarrassing and nerve-racking moments. Like admitting a guilty pleasure. Yet, the perspectives of others are vital. They are our future readers. Even if the work is not there thing, obtaining their view on it can be essential in shaping where we go with our writing. It's also good practice in receiving objective and often necessary criticism.
Eden James
I am currently finishing the sequel to my debut novel, In the Den of Wolves, before publication in September. This work, Where the Red Deer Roam, extends the story established in the first book.
Eden James
Emotions. Being a rather insular, antisocial type by nature, I am very introspective. I find nothing more pleasurable than wandering along a deserted Highland beach, or tracking across an isolated glen. Along the way the scenery can imbue a variety of emotions, reflected in the weather, the landscape, a passing bird. How would I describe it? How could I permeate that feeling to others. Conversely, with a love of the automobile and the excitement of motorsport, that heady mixture of people, places and petrol is something else that inspires a drive to write. To capture a dynamic, intense scene with a whisper of words in the same manner a painter might with a flicker of brushstrokes, or a photographer with a well-timed shot.
The visual world created by imagination is also a powerful inspiration. I may have an idea, an atmosphere, or a scene that I particularly want to create in the mind of my readers, so they see things as I have imagined them. This has invariably led to rather lengthy and superfluous descriptions in manuscript drafts, yet often this can be distilled to salient points as part of a punchy narrative, but is good fuel to explore the senses.
Architecture. Both the natural and the man-made provides a rich seam of inspiration. An architect was a profession I previously considered and I like the technical terms to describe certain structural and decorative elements; corbels, buttresses and quoins.
The visual world created by imagination is also a powerful inspiration. I may have an idea, an atmosphere, or a scene that I particularly want to create in the mind of my readers, so they see things as I have imagined them. This has invariably led to rather lengthy and superfluous descriptions in manuscript drafts, yet often this can be distilled to salient points as part of a punchy narrative, but is good fuel to explore the senses.
Architecture. Both the natural and the man-made provides a rich seam of inspiration. An architect was a profession I previously considered and I like the technical terms to describe certain structural and decorative elements; corbels, buttresses and quoins.
Eden James
I've always had a love of cars from an early age. The stories of how some of the world's most iconic cars came about is as fascinating to me as any fiction, so trying to tap into that joy and open it out to a wider audience who may just see their own vehicle as a means of getting from A-to-B was part of the exciting challenge. Another intrinsic aspect to that though is the involvement of people, from the designers and engineers to the individuals that owned them, especially in the golden age of the 1920s and 30s. Each one with their own intricate stories.
Being inspired by "Early One Morning" by Robert Ryan and "The Bugatti Queen" by Miranda Seymour helped me to establish a framework where cars form part of a more intricate plot. I wanted to explore the themes the authors set out in their books, as a way of complimenting their own narratives, both fictional and biographical.
Being inspired by "Early One Morning" by Robert Ryan and "The Bugatti Queen" by Miranda Seymour helped me to establish a framework where cars form part of a more intricate plot. I wanted to explore the themes the authors set out in their books, as a way of complimenting their own narratives, both fictional and biographical.
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