Haley Victoria

Haley Victoria asked Stuart Turton:

"The Devil and The Dark Water" was easily my favorite read of 2020. It made me want to read everything you publish. I wanted to know more about your process. How do the ideas hit you and what are some first steps when you begin your research project?

Stuart Turton Hugely kind! My process is a bit weird. I have tons of ideas, more than I’ll ever have time to write, so it’s about finding the one that excites me in the moment. Once I’ve honed in on that, I start thinking about the murder - who died, how, why? Answering those questions usually creates the other characters. From that I plan the book out and start writing. I usually write a long draft 130k, which gets tossed away. I’ll keep maybe 10% of it, then start again. The second draft will be 50% there, and then I’ll go again. I keep doing that until I’ve got a book. That goes to my publisher who helps me refine it into the novel you read. The entire process takes 2-3 years and every step of it is utter hell.

More Answered Questions

Gracie

Gracie asked Stuart Turton:

First off I wanted to say that Seven 1/2 Deaths is one of my all-time favorite books and one I’ve re-read countless times. It was also the inspiration for my homebrew Dungeons and Dragons campaign, and my friends had a blast trying to figure it out (with changes of course, since I’m still holding out hope that they’ll read the book!) Why did you choose the Plague Doctor costume for Aiden’s handler?

Bryan

Bryan asked Stuart Turton:

Was The 7 1/2 Deaths inspired by the Zero Escape games? I couldn't help but notice some similarities, especially with the third game in the series: Zero Time Dilemma. Loving the book regardless.

Laura

Laura asked Stuart Turton:

Thank you for writing this book - I loved it and found the concept very refreshing. I was wondering if you're planning to write any more in the same "world" in the future? I'm very intrigued by the village and cruise liner mentioned by the plague doctor.

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