Ask the Author: Ted Galdi
Answered Questions (13)
Ted Galdi
Hey Denise. I like to start by thinking of a message I want to get across, something I want to say about the world, ie the theme. The characters and plot evolve from there.
Ted Galdi
Hey Sandra. My pleasure. FYI, it's "Lion" not "Lola." Ha.
Ted Galdi
Hey. A good amount of the work, at least for me, happens before I actually start "writing," i.e., playing with the story idea in my head, thinking about characters, outlining, etc. When it's actually time to write out the chapters, I aim for 2k words a day, which I often don't hit. If I can get to 1k, I'm happy. I won't let myself do less than 500, no matter what the hell may be going on that day.
In general, once you have a basic outline, I think it's a good idea to bang out the first draft as quickly as you can. You can spend time refining in drafts 2+.
Thanks for the question!
In general, once you have a basic outline, I think it's a good idea to bang out the first draft as quickly as you can. You can spend time refining in drafts 2+.
Thanks for the question!
Ted Galdi
Hey Lonna! For my first two books, I strictly used NetGalley to manage ARCs. However, going forward, I plan to use my VIP Readers email list to communicate with ARC readers directly, putting together, like you mentioned, a "team." Once ready, all the details will be emailed out to members of the list.
You can sign up here, only takes a couple seconds: http://eepurl.com/c9J9iD
You can sign up here, only takes a couple seconds: http://eepurl.com/c9J9iD
Ted Galdi
Hey Patricia. I actually haven't read this one.
Ted Galdi
Hey Eugene! Thanks for the question. Yes, you are correct in that the virus in the book is Ebola. However, the way the story works, the revelation of the virus type isn't a spoiler; rather, Elixir's conflict revolves around Sean, the main character, reacting to his girlfriend catching the disease. Ie, can he save her? So, I have publicly mentioned that Ebola is in the book. Even on TV a couple times! http://www.wral.com/wral-tv/video/140...
Often I've referred to it as a "mysterious disease" in descriptions, but I don't think readers knowing it's Ebola will spoil the suspense of the story.
As for the time it took me to write it, I actually began on the story well before the real-life Ebola outbreak. At first I came up with a premise, in early 2013, involving a teenage genius getting caught up in conspiratorial situations, against his will, because of his intelligence. That idea evolved in my head over the course of six months or so. It then took me about a year to write the actual book.
Thanks again for your question Eugene, and I hope you enjoy the story!
-Ted
Often I've referred to it as a "mysterious disease" in descriptions, but I don't think readers knowing it's Ebola will spoil the suspense of the story.
As for the time it took me to write it, I actually began on the story well before the real-life Ebola outbreak. At first I came up with a premise, in early 2013, involving a teenage genius getting caught up in conspiratorial situations, against his will, because of his intelligence. That idea evolved in my head over the course of six months or so. It then took me about a year to write the actual book.
Thanks again for your question Eugene, and I hope you enjoy the story!
-Ted
Ted Galdi
Hey Beth. I actually was not. Glad you enjoyed it, though!
Ted Galdi
That's a lot of questions in one, but I'll try my best!
Movie = 8 1/2
Song = "Plainsong" by The Cure
TV Show = It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Drink = Red wine
Vacation Spot = Las Vegas
Food = Porterhouse steak
Color = Blue
Book = The Catcher in the Rye
Season = Summer
Holiday = Christmas
Movie = 8 1/2
Song = "Plainsong" by The Cure
TV Show = It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Drink = Red wine
Vacation Spot = Las Vegas
Food = Porterhouse steak
Color = Blue
Book = The Catcher in the Rye
Season = Summer
Holiday = Christmas
Ted Galdi
Hey Christine. Yes, here's a link to the official Elixir Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/elixirthebook
Ted Galdi
Hey Dustin. Thanks for the question. With Elixir I intentionally went for a stripped-down writing style, ie trying to convey action in as direct a way as possible, removing any "filler" words. For instance, a common phrase such as "In a couple of minutes," I'd instead write as "In a couple minutes," dropping the "of." Also, outside of dialogue, I use very few adverbs, which also leads to a more "direct" feel of the words. Though related styles aren't common in YA books, they tend to pop up in third-person adult thrillers and literary-fiction novels.
That being said, though the directness of Elixir's style can be spotted in other books, there are other elements of it that are purely its own, which is likely another reason it seems so unique to you. In particular, I have a background in screenwriting; the action in Elixir unfolds similar to that of a movie, relying predominantly on visual and external-sound techniques, as opposed to beefy internal monologues, which are common in most YA stories.
I hope that answers your question. On a related note, I'm glad you're enjoying it so far; let me know what you think when you're done!
-Ted
That being said, though the directness of Elixir's style can be spotted in other books, there are other elements of it that are purely its own, which is likely another reason it seems so unique to you. In particular, I have a background in screenwriting; the action in Elixir unfolds similar to that of a movie, relying predominantly on visual and external-sound techniques, as opposed to beefy internal monologues, which are common in most YA stories.
I hope that answers your question. On a related note, I'm glad you're enjoying it so far; let me know what you think when you're done!
-Ted
Ted Galdi
Hey Taylor. About a year and a half ago I had a simple idea to write something about a teenage genius who gets into trouble because of his intelligence. Though it was a cool concept, I didn't have an actual plot or any story substance. After thinking about the concept for a while, it started to come to life when I decided to weave in the love-story element.
Once I knew that Sean would have something to fight for - saving his girlfriend from Ebola - the supporting characters and the plot really started coming together and I was able to make an outline for a book. I started writing the actual chapters about a year ago.
As for motivation moving the idea along, music was very important. It really helped me get in the right head space to think about the initial concept in different ways and move it forward.
Thanks for asking!
-Ted
Once I knew that Sean would have something to fight for - saving his girlfriend from Ebola - the supporting characters and the plot really started coming together and I was able to make an outline for a book. I started writing the actual chapters about a year ago.
As for motivation moving the idea along, music was very important. It really helped me get in the right head space to think about the initial concept in different ways and move it forward.
Thanks for asking!
-Ted
Ted Galdi
Hey Tricia. Thanks for the question. Elixir wasn't written as a "to be continued" book; it has a clear resolution at the end. That being said, though there won't be a sequel that's a direct continuation of the original story, there's definitely room to write a second book that takes Sean and other characters in Elixir and places them in a new situation. I haven't committed to writing one yet, however, there's a possibility I would in the future. At any rate, with the official launch of Elixir just around the corner, I should have some time to focus on writing again in the near future; I've been pretty busy the last couple months with the publication and PR for Elixir. I'll be writing again soon...whether an Elixir sequel or something entirely new.
Ted Galdi
Great! Just emailed you a copy Stephen.
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