Ask the Author: Doc Coleman
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Doc Coleman
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Doc Coleman
I think I got a version of this question at this year's Capclave. Actually, I think this is really two questions, and I got both of them over the weekend.
The first boils down to "How do you prepare yourself for writing?" I know that many writers have certain rituals that they do to mentally prepare themselves for writing. Grab a pen and paper, or set up the laptop at the special table. Put on some writing music. Adjust the blinds just so. Wedge the cat out of your chair... and so forth.
I don't do any of that stuff.
I trained myself to be able to write anywhere. I have written in moving vehicles, in crowded bars, in hotel rooms, etc. Usually, I write in my living room, on the couch, while watching an episode of Star Trek. I've seen all the episodes from all the series, so the TV serves two purposes: 1) It is a timer so I know when I've been writing for an hour, 2) It distracts the monkey brain so that the rest of me can concentrate on the world I'm writing. This style doesn't work for everyone, and it did take me a while to train myself to get into it, but I think it is worth it.
The second part of the question boils down to "How do you get inspired to write a particular story?" And that's a little different.
I'm fond of saying that inspiration is all around us, but it takes more than inspiration to make a story. A character or a world can be interesting to think about, but you need something special to make a story out of it. For me, that usually becomes the case of taking a trope, an expectation for a character or setting, and standing it on its head. What follows from that? Where does that lead you? What if Queen Victoria still reigned, and it was still the age of steam? What would you do if you shot your mouth off and got yourself into a gun duel, except you don't have a gun? What if your job was debunking legends of monsters and you found a real one? What if you woke up in Paradise, but then found out that you were only "temporarily dead"? These are the fun questions! They're where my stories come from, and what gives me the itch to write them, so I can find out what happens.
The first boils down to "How do you prepare yourself for writing?" I know that many writers have certain rituals that they do to mentally prepare themselves for writing. Grab a pen and paper, or set up the laptop at the special table. Put on some writing music. Adjust the blinds just so. Wedge the cat out of your chair... and so forth.
I don't do any of that stuff.
I trained myself to be able to write anywhere. I have written in moving vehicles, in crowded bars, in hotel rooms, etc. Usually, I write in my living room, on the couch, while watching an episode of Star Trek. I've seen all the episodes from all the series, so the TV serves two purposes: 1) It is a timer so I know when I've been writing for an hour, 2) It distracts the monkey brain so that the rest of me can concentrate on the world I'm writing. This style doesn't work for everyone, and it did take me a while to train myself to get into it, but I think it is worth it.
The second part of the question boils down to "How do you get inspired to write a particular story?" And that's a little different.
I'm fond of saying that inspiration is all around us, but it takes more than inspiration to make a story. A character or a world can be interesting to think about, but you need something special to make a story out of it. For me, that usually becomes the case of taking a trope, an expectation for a character or setting, and standing it on its head. What follows from that? Where does that lead you? What if Queen Victoria still reigned, and it was still the age of steam? What would you do if you shot your mouth off and got yourself into a gun duel, except you don't have a gun? What if your job was debunking legends of monsters and you found a real one? What if you woke up in Paradise, but then found out that you were only "temporarily dead"? These are the fun questions! They're where my stories come from, and what gives me the itch to write them, so I can find out what happens.
Doc Coleman
When you get to hear someone talk about a story that they're really, really into, and you can just see the neurons firing with excitement and imagination, and then you realize that the story they are talking about is one that you wrote. That is what is best in a writer's life.
Doc Coleman
When Scott Roche invited me to be part of the Way of the Gun Anthology, and told me about the setting, I was intrigued by the idea of the Followers of the Clockworker, a philosophical sect that views God as an engineer and sees the universe as a great machine. I kept tinkering with the idea, and the more I did, the more I saw that philosophy crossing the line into a religious dogma. Given the old west setting, this sparked ideas of old-time tent revivals, which in the Followers of the Clockworker version are "Wind-ups".
I also found myself thinking about what it is like to be a sect of builders and engineers in a world with so much violence and chaos, especially on the frontier when survival was a daily question.
The last piece was when Scott described them as pacifists. At that point I knew that I'd have to create a situation where a Follower would have to pick up a gun. Naturally, he'd have to put his own spin on it. I mean, a Follower of the Clockworker just can't resist the chance to add an improvement or two.
I really like the story, although I think I could have done a longer treatment of the story and shown more of the transformation that Alex went through. I may do more stories in the Way of the Gun Universe if there is enough interest.
I also found myself thinking about what it is like to be a sect of builders and engineers in a world with so much violence and chaos, especially on the frontier when survival was a daily question.
The last piece was when Scott described them as pacifists. At that point I knew that I'd have to create a situation where a Follower would have to pick up a gun. Naturally, he'd have to put his own spin on it. I mean, a Follower of the Clockworker just can't resist the chance to add an improvement or two.
I really like the story, although I think I could have done a longer treatment of the story and shown more of the transformation that Alex went through. I may do more stories in the Way of the Gun Universe if there is enough interest.
Doc Coleman
There are all different kinds of writer's block, from that feeling when you stare at a blank page and don't know what to write about, to what happens when you sit down to write more on a story, but you don't know where the story goes next.
When I've got a story in progress, I go back and read the past few chapters, immersing myself in the story, and that usually gets me back into the swing of things.
Slightly harder to deal with is that blank page. There is so much potential in a blank page it can be hard to know where to take it. Once you know the answer, the solutions is obvious: Write anything. Really, anything. Don't worry about making it great prose. Odds are you're just going to throw it away, but words aren't a limited commodity. Write all you want, you'll make more. If you're stumped for something, write a diary entry. After a while, you'll find the ideas are flowing again, and you can shift gears to a new story.
Another way to deal with writer's block is to stockpile ideas when the inspiration is striking. It is actually pretty easy to have a bunch of ideas ready to be written at any time.
When I've got a story in progress, I go back and read the past few chapters, immersing myself in the story, and that usually gets me back into the swing of things.
Slightly harder to deal with is that blank page. There is so much potential in a blank page it can be hard to know where to take it. Once you know the answer, the solutions is obvious: Write anything. Really, anything. Don't worry about making it great prose. Odds are you're just going to throw it away, but words aren't a limited commodity. Write all you want, you'll make more. If you're stumped for something, write a diary entry. After a while, you'll find the ideas are flowing again, and you can shift gears to a new story.
Another way to deal with writer's block is to stockpile ideas when the inspiration is striking. It is actually pretty easy to have a bunch of ideas ready to be written at any time.
Doc Coleman
Currently working on the fourth draft of The Perils of Prague. Hopefully this will be the final draft and I can get the book published in time for the holiday gifting season.
Doc Coleman
Don't worry about what to write, or even if it is good. Just write. Pick something and write. I started out writing tech reviews because that was something I could do. What I learned writing reviews got me ready to write fiction. It takes about 10,000 hours of practice to master any new skill, so get cracking.
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