Ask the Author: Steven Lochran
Answered Questions (7)
Steven Lochran
The PALADERO series was reverse-engineered from the idea I had for a completely different book. In that story, a brother and sister were searching for their lost father through a fairytale kingdom. Along the way they encountered a paladero, a term I coined for a cowboy-knight by combining 'paladin' with 'vaquero', the Spanish word for cowboy.
This character was very Han Solo-like, and he was the most interesting element of what ended up being an abandoned manuscript. But rather than let the whole idea go to waste, I decided to rescue the paladero character and repurpose him in a coming-of-age story.
Rather than the grizzled adventurer he'd originally been conceived as, he became instead a young orphan out to prove himself. I couldn't bring myself to rename him, though. He'd existed too long in my head as 'Josiah Sarif', even though that sounded too stuffy for a kid to go by. So I nicknamed him 'Joss', and everything unfolded from there.
This character was very Han Solo-like, and he was the most interesting element of what ended up being an abandoned manuscript. But rather than let the whole idea go to waste, I decided to rescue the paladero character and repurpose him in a coming-of-age story.
Rather than the grizzled adventurer he'd originally been conceived as, he became instead a young orphan out to prove himself. I couldn't bring myself to rename him, though. He'd existed too long in my head as 'Josiah Sarif', even though that sounded too stuffy for a kid to go by. So I nicknamed him 'Joss', and everything unfolded from there.
Steven Lochran
By enjoying the works of other storytellers, whether they be authors or screenwriters or video game designers or playwrights or painters or poets.
Art breeds art, and inspiration can come from anywhere.
Art breeds art, and inspiration can come from anywhere.
Steven Lochran
I'm editing Book 2 in the PALADERO series and writing Book 3 at the same time. Wish me luck!
Steven Lochran
Keep writing. It's easy to give up. But the only time you're guaranteed to not succeed is when you stop trying.
Steven Lochran
Having written. Bit of a cliche answer but it's true. Most of the time, writing is a laborious slog. But there's nothing like having finished a manuscript that reads from beginning to end, even if it doesn't fully resemble the original idea you had.
The other best thing is when someone reads that manuscript and actually enjoys it.
The other best thing is when someone reads that manuscript and actually enjoys it.
Steven Lochran
By banging my head against something hard.
And when that doesn't work, I try switching to another project with the hope that whatever snag I've hit will mentally resolve itself when I return to what I was originally working on.
And when THAT doesn't work, I try writing fast and loose, putting down dot points of action and dialogue. I then start moving those dot points around the page and forming the connective tissue between them, building the page up like I'm filling in a sketch.
And when THAT doesn't work, I jump to another point in the story that I have a clearer idea of, whether it be the next chapter or somewhere even further afield.
And when THAT doesn't work, I go back to banging my head.
And when that doesn't work, I try switching to another project with the hope that whatever snag I've hit will mentally resolve itself when I return to what I was originally working on.
And when THAT doesn't work, I try writing fast and loose, putting down dot points of action and dialogue. I then start moving those dot points around the page and forming the connective tissue between them, building the page up like I'm filling in a sketch.
And when THAT doesn't work, I jump to another point in the story that I have a clearer idea of, whether it be the next chapter or somewhere even further afield.
And when THAT doesn't work, I go back to banging my head.
Steven Lochran
Thanks for getting in touch, Isabel. Amazon has the Kindle editions, but you can find 'Wild Card' in print via a number of websites. These include eBay and fishpond.com.au, though I always encourage asking your local bookstore if they can order it in for you first. Hopefully you can get a hands on a copy. Let me know what you think of it when you do!
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more