Doris Mahala
asked
Darran M. Handshaw:
How old were you when you started writing and how hard was it to get the story from your head to the actual book?
Darran M. Handshaw
Thanks for the question, Doris! I started 'writing with intent to publish' when I was 30 years old. Before that I've always written stories and ideas down for fun, but many stories went unfinished for lack of motivation or inspiration. Thus, I've been writing since I was 10 or so.
The Engineer was the first story I wrote, as I said earlier, with 'intent to publish'. It was such an important story that I knew I had to finish it. That said, the big challenge was the story length. It is a long and complex story in a strange land, so I wanted to give the reader some perspective of the complex and crazy day to day life in Actaeon's workshop, and much of the fascinating details around the world of Redemption. Establishing that sense of normalcy (if you can call it that) made the events that take place at the end of the book that much more incredible and poignant.
All in all, it took me 3 years to write and edit The Engineer. I'm not used to that length of time at all for a project — most of my projects at work as an engineer take 1-1.5 years, so it was a significant undertaking for me. I was able to manage it though, because the story was so important for me to tell.
The Engineer was the first story I wrote, as I said earlier, with 'intent to publish'. It was such an important story that I knew I had to finish it. That said, the big challenge was the story length. It is a long and complex story in a strange land, so I wanted to give the reader some perspective of the complex and crazy day to day life in Actaeon's workshop, and much of the fascinating details around the world of Redemption. Establishing that sense of normalcy (if you can call it that) made the events that take place at the end of the book that much more incredible and poignant.
All in all, it took me 3 years to write and edit The Engineer. I'm not used to that length of time at all for a project — most of my projects at work as an engineer take 1-1.5 years, so it was a significant undertaking for me. I was able to manage it though, because the story was so important for me to tell.
More Answered Questions
Raquel Byrnes
asked
Darran M. Handshaw:
Do you go about writing like an engineer with plans and a schedule or do you just go for it?
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