Josh
asked
Paul Tremblay:
Hello, Mr. Tremblay. I just finished A House Full of Ghosts and was completely floored. It is my favorite book I've read in the last 3 or 4 years. I can't wait to delve into more of your work. I was wondering what kind of writing process you go through when writing a novel and if it varies compared to your short fiction?
Paul Tremblay
Hi, Josh,
Thank you very much for the read and the kind note.
To state the obvious, novels and short stories, in their construction, are quite different. With short stories I generally take a few notes, character sketches, and then make it up from there. A short will take 2-4 weeks for a completed draft, sometimes more. With more than half of my novels I spend time outlining or writing a 10-15 page plot summary along with all sorts of notes and random thoughts on characters, before sitting down to write the first page. But every novel/story is different and I try to find what method I think feels right for the story. I didn't write a summary for A Head Full of Ghosts (I kept a little notebook; otherwise, I just dove in) but I did for The Little Sleep and Disappearance at Devil's Rock.
Thank you very much for the read and the kind note.
To state the obvious, novels and short stories, in their construction, are quite different. With short stories I generally take a few notes, character sketches, and then make it up from there. A short will take 2-4 weeks for a completed draft, sometimes more. With more than half of my novels I spend time outlining or writing a 10-15 page plot summary along with all sorts of notes and random thoughts on characters, before sitting down to write the first page. But every novel/story is different and I try to find what method I think feels right for the story. I didn't write a summary for A Head Full of Ghosts (I kept a little notebook; otherwise, I just dove in) but I did for The Little Sleep and Disappearance at Devil's Rock.
More Answered Questions
William Harvey
asked
Paul Tremblay:
Paul, I think I stalked you on GR right after a HFOG came out. Top 5 horror novel for me and easily my favorite of the last 15-20 years. The ambiguity left me aching to talk to it with people and it’s really amazing how split down the middle the readers are in feeling it was a tale of mental illness vs a story of demonic possession. That takes a very special writer to be able to walk that line. Oz Perkins?
Ami
asked
Paul Tremblay:
You write young people and siblings in such an amazingly true-to-life fashion. Does that come from your own experience with siblings or more so from the interactions of your children? PS: Merry is perhaps my favorite fictitious 8-year-old. She ranks right up there with Scout Finch. Thank you for writing such an amazing tale. I can't wait for more.
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