Ask the Author: Nigel Cole
Answered Questions (7)
Nigel Cole
So far all my books and short stories have started with a random idea that felt like it was worth expanding on. For 'Trolls' it was 'what if a celebrated drunkard claimed to have seen a unicorn, and actually had?' For 'Hannibal'... well, that would be giving too much away at this stage :-)
Nigel Cole
I have to, just to stop my head from exploding. When I have an idea, or even when just a phrase I like pops into my mind, then I have to write it down or it will nag it me incessantly until I do. It's like an alarm clock going off in your subconscious - you can hit snooze for a while but it will keep coming back until you deal with it.
Nigel Cole
The phrase 'aspiring writer' is an odd one. If you write something, you're a writer. You don't need to be published or have any kind of commercial success to be a writer, you just need to write. If the question is actually asking 'what's your advice for people who want to try and make money out of writing?' then again the answer is 'write'. Then write some more. Keep writing some more after that. In the end, writing is a compulsion, not a vocation.
Nigel Cole
The next book 'Hannibal is Coming', which isn't a sequel to 'Trolls', as well as making notes for the so-far nameless book which will be the sequel to 'Trolls' (though current front-runner in the name stakes is 'Back to the Fuchsia', following on from probably the worst pun in the first book). 'Hannibal is Coming' is a more of a comedy-drama based in part on the village in Wales I grew up in and the people I knew as a child.
Nigel Cole
Not writing. Looking back at what you've written can be immensely satisfying. Coming up with an idea that needs to be written down can be electrifying. Having a finished novel can be an amazing feeling. The only troublesome part of being a writer is actually writing.
Nigel Cole
Sometimes the best way is just to write anything just to keep going and then deal with throwing out the garbage later. For 'Trolls' I had a first draft that was 232,000 words long. The finished novel is 98,000 words. The other 134,000 words weren't all bad and I'll probably recycle some of the ideas in another book. Sometimes even good parts have to be sacrificed for the sake of the whole. The bottom line is, even if you are writing rubbish and you know it, at least you're writing.
Nigel Cole
Hi Andre. I haven't done any cartoon work for a few years now but I do still produce artwork once in a while. I did some promotional artwork for Hammer Films anniversary in 1997 and more recently a few abstract pop culture pieces and my own book artwork. And no, I didn't take the beard comment seriously - my own partner regularly mentions the hygiene issues associated with a goodly growth of face fuzz!
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