Ask the Author: Simon Wright
Answered Questions (6)
Simon Wright
Reading & Research.
Simon Wright
Losing yourself to the work.
Simon Wright
Given that I number myself firmly among this group, I feel unusually qualified to answer this one. My golden rule is to just write. Don't wait for that brilliant idea to arrive. Just start. Other than that, here are five principles that have served me well:
1. Turn up - establish a routine that works for you and stick to it. I walk first thing but make sure I'm at my computer by 09:00.
2. Tune in - give yourself time to just allow ideas and thoughts to percolate
3. Type something - sometimes I'm still writing into the evening. Other days I'm done by 10:00. Even on the hard days, get something down.
4. Trust yourself - don't edit as you go. Just go.
5. Team up - collaborate. None of us are as good as all of us. other perspectives will make your writing better.
1. Turn up - establish a routine that works for you and stick to it. I walk first thing but make sure I'm at my computer by 09:00.
2. Tune in - give yourself time to just allow ideas and thoughts to percolate
3. Type something - sometimes I'm still writing into the evening. Other days I'm done by 10:00. Even on the hard days, get something down.
4. Trust yourself - don't edit as you go. Just go.
5. Team up - collaborate. None of us are as good as all of us. other perspectives will make your writing better.
Simon Wright
The sequel to The Colossus, entitled The Twin Rings, is currently in Copy edit and I hope to publish it in October of 2024. Meanwhile, Book 3 is in early gestation.
Simon Wright
The inspiration for The Colossus was a combination of three things. A factual article in the Guardian newspaper about a shipwreck salvage operation, research into a possible Ottoman origin story for the ship, and the burning need to find fresh purpose in my life during Covid lockdown.
I like the idea of there being both a push and a pull. The pull for me was the collision of fact and fantasy that provided a creative spark. The push was the very real need to fill my days at home with some meaningful activity.
I like the idea of there being both a push and a pull. The pull for me was the collision of fact and fantasy that provided a creative spark. The push was the very real need to fill my days at home with some meaningful activity.
Simon Wright
A friend alerted me to a Guardian article about a shipwreck salvage operation off the coast of Cyprus. I brainstormed some possible creative angles and landed on a story that time jumps between 1630, when the Ottoman merchant ship sank, and 2012, when my salvage operation began.
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