Ask the Author: John Bladek
Answered Questions (7)
John Bladek
Hi Renee.
That's a pretty complex question, actually. Thanks for asking.
I'm not sure how many different people I could actually write a novel with. Davonna and I have been friend for more than ten years, we met through writing, and we've shared our work with each other for much of that time. We read, commented on, revised, edited each other's writing for many years before deciding to write something together. So when we did, we knew the other's style, likes, and habits.
The actual process went something like this: We talked out a basic plot together, decided on setting, characters etc, and wrote a synopsis together online while talking. Then Davonna wrote the first chapter, I looked at it and wrote the next, and so on. We both revised what the other had done along the way. Sometimes Davonna would surprise me with things even though we had plotted things out before hand. We both often changed things and then sent it to the other to see if we agreed on the changes. After we finished a first draft, we both went through it, revising and editing. We did this all on Google docs as we were living in different cities. Most of our conversations were online.
The whole process took some time, but we never argued. We disagreed on some things, but we know each other so well that we talked it out and made decisions we both accepted. I think that's key to working with someone else. You have to have mutual respect and be willing to listen and compromise. Once we finished, I mostly forgot which parts I originally wrote and which ones she did because we'd both gone over the whole thing so many times. So in the end it really did become 'our' work, not just two parts we put together.
It turned out to be a great experience and we're working on new projects right now.
If you ever want to work this closely with someone on a project as personal as a novel, I'd suggest you make sure you know, and get along them pretty well beforehand. (If you took out the references to writing, this probably sounds like marriage counseling. :))
I hope you enjoyed the book. Thanks for reading! And thanks for the great question!
That's a pretty complex question, actually. Thanks for asking.
I'm not sure how many different people I could actually write a novel with. Davonna and I have been friend for more than ten years, we met through writing, and we've shared our work with each other for much of that time. We read, commented on, revised, edited each other's writing for many years before deciding to write something together. So when we did, we knew the other's style, likes, and habits.
The actual process went something like this: We talked out a basic plot together, decided on setting, characters etc, and wrote a synopsis together online while talking. Then Davonna wrote the first chapter, I looked at it and wrote the next, and so on. We both revised what the other had done along the way. Sometimes Davonna would surprise me with things even though we had plotted things out before hand. We both often changed things and then sent it to the other to see if we agreed on the changes. After we finished a first draft, we both went through it, revising and editing. We did this all on Google docs as we were living in different cities. Most of our conversations were online.
The whole process took some time, but we never argued. We disagreed on some things, but we know each other so well that we talked it out and made decisions we both accepted. I think that's key to working with someone else. You have to have mutual respect and be willing to listen and compromise. Once we finished, I mostly forgot which parts I originally wrote and which ones she did because we'd both gone over the whole thing so many times. So in the end it really did become 'our' work, not just two parts we put together.
It turned out to be a great experience and we're working on new projects right now.
If you ever want to work this closely with someone on a project as personal as a novel, I'd suggest you make sure you know, and get along them pretty well beforehand. (If you took out the references to writing, this probably sounds like marriage counseling. :))
I hope you enjoyed the book. Thanks for reading! And thanks for the great question!
John Bladek
I take a walk and run scenes/dialogue/plots through my head. That usually gives me something to put on the page.
John Bladek
Get it down on paper/hard drive. You can't improve what you haven't written.
John Bladek
Having a constant stream of stories running through my head.
John Bladek
I have an adult ghost story, Winterbay Abbey, co-written with Davonna Juroe, which we are putting the final touches on. I also have a manuscript for a steampunk novel I've been working on, filled with crazy machines and monsters and high adventure.
John Bladek
I daydream a lot and think of stories I'd like to read. I also get ideas from songs, usually old ones, and from history.
John Bladek
The idea for Lost In Ghostville came to me during a backyard discussion with a writer friend, Davonna Juroe. She said, "You should write a ghost story," and we brainstormed ideas until I came up with Trey and his homemade, ghost-detecting Ecto-meter.
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