Ask the Author: Mark Duncan
Answered Questions (6)
Mark Duncan
I put myself in the shoes of the character to figure out how they will deal with the conflict in a situation. I stage scenes where the character(s) are in disagreement or are trying to resolve a plan, to drive the plot forward. Once I've done this, the characters start to talk—I'm just transcribing what they say and do as they react to events.
Mark Duncan
You have complete freedom as to how and when you write. You set your schedule and control your environment.
Mark Duncan
When I have a plot problem, I sleep on it. Often, during the night, I'll dream or wake up with a solution. If necessary, write it down before returning to sleep.
Mark Duncan
Read The Craft of Fiction by Will Knott. Outline your book in terms of the conflicts that will drive the plot, and character arcs. Don't be afraid to modify details of the outline as you are writing the book. Get a professional editorial editor and copy editor—they are two different skills—preferably from someone with many years of experience. Keep track of your progress, e.g. the date that you finish each chapter, and have a "deadline" for when a chapter / book are completed.
Mark Duncan
I'm working on various activities relating to the launch of Bringing Up Mike on September 1st, e.g. developing a publicity campaign. I'm also slowly working on outlining a sequel to Bringing Up Mike.
Mark Duncan
Dan Kaufman, Director of the Information Innovation Office of DARPA, spoke at the Computer History Museum on July 24, 2012. During his talk he reflected on a major problem with today’s artificial intelligence systems—sooner or later they tell you something stupid. He suggested that one avenue of solving this would be to have a baby AI that grows up with you, with which you would have a two-way conversation, correcting and educating it over time.
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