What comes first for you: title, character, plot, premise, setting, or something else?
Arthur Slade: It’s different every time. But most often it is just a scene. For instance, with the Hunchback Assignments, it was an image of Modo on a rooftop in London, rain falling down as he begins to change his shape. That ended up being part of chapter 7 or 8. Dust was similar because it started with an image of a boy on a road and a truck coming towards him. Also felt a feeling of suspense while I thought of the image. So from that first image the story unfolds.
What happens between getting that first idea and the moment when you actually sit down to write?
Arthur Slade: A lot of time passes. Usually, I jot down a few notes to remind me of the mood and the feeling. I’m often working on something else at the time. The “idea” will just niggle at me until I find the time to unpack it.
Do you keep track of new book ideas, and if so, how?
Arthur Slade: I have a word processor file creatively titled “Ideas and such.” I stick it in there until it pops back out. Or breaks out.
Jefferson Smith: What do you mean by “breaks out?”
Arthur Slade: I guess I was being a little flippant. By “breaks out” I meant that it becomes so “alive” in my head that I have to pursue the idea. It breaks out of the cage I put it in for safekeeping.
Do you use any sort of outline?
Arthur Slade: No, I don’t outline. I usually jot down a few notes about various scenes. Then begin connecting the dots during the first draft.
How would you describe the relationship between the “drafting” phase and the “outlining” phase?
Arthur Slade: In many ways my draft is my outline. Usually, because I don’t like writing first drafts, I write as quickly as possible. The further I get into the novel the shorter the descriptions and scenes become. Then the first draft is done. As Ray Bradbury said, “First put down the bones, then the flesh.”
Do you spend time creating backstory?
Arthur Slade: No. I tend to explore the backstory as I’m writing.
Do you conduct research?
Arthur Slade: It really depends on the book. For The Hunchback Assignments I read Victorian history books, novels from the time, Victorian dictionaries, watched movies and read Dickens, Dickens, Dickens…all in the hope of capturing the “voice” of the times.
How extensive is your research?
Arthur Slade: It’s an addiction. And procrastination from writing. So far too extensive. But it’s fun…
Are there any particular environments or activities that tend to especially inspire new ideas for you?
Arthur Slade: Right before I fall asleep, for some reason. It’s very aggravating. I usually pick up my iPad and email the idea to myself. In the morning I often have no idea what I was talking about. Thanks, Muse!
By percentage, approximately how much of a typical project’s time is spent on research, backstory development, outlining, drafting/editing?
Arthur Slade: 25% research, 5% backstory, 2% outline, and 68% drafting/editing. Of course that’s just a guess. And it may not even add up to 100%.
How many drafts does a typical project require?
Arthur Slade: Usually 8-10.
What do you focus on in each successive draft?
Arthur Slade: I write the first draft as quickly as possible. Then go over it extending scenes and dialogue and adding in the details that I didn’t get that first go around, then with the 3rd draft I may add new sections and go over those that are already created, delete sections, then do that again, and the last drafts are scene by scene, line by line.
At what point in a project do you seek input from others?
Arthur Slade: Usually around the 4th or 5th draft when it is readable, I send it to my editors to be sure I’m not totally on the wrong track. I just ask for their general opinion and no line editing. The second last person to see it is my wife, who is a great line by line editor. She often finds the words I meant to write… Then it goes to the publisher for the last go around.
What tools are most crucial to your process and how do you use them?
Arthur Slade: Scrivener for Mac is essential for the first drafts. It allows you to move chapters around very easily and “see” the story visually. The rest is all written in Pages.
Do you attempt to monitor your productivity?
Arthur Slade: When I’m writing a first draft I want at least 2000 words a day. In a revision it’s more in the number of hours I put in, which is 6 or so depending on when the deadline is.
In terms of your writing process, is there anything you do that is unusual, novel or different from your understanding of what other writers do?
Arthur Slade: I write on a treadmill desk. But more and more writers are doing that. So maybe I’m not odd anymore. Treadheads unite!
Have any significant changes emerged in your creative process between the beginning of your career and now?
Arthur Slade: I think I have a much better understanding of the “deeper” levels of my work. Though, I must say, most of that is intuition in the first few drafts. Then I start to see themes and arcs develop. I also have a better sense for what is a “good” idea, that is an idea that will be interesting enough for a novel or a series.
What is the average word length of your projects?
Arthur Slade: 65,000 words.
What is the average length of time it takes you to complete a project, from concept to final submission?
Arthur Slade: A year.
On average, how many distinct projects do you have on the go at any one time, and can you describe how you divide your time among them?
Arthur Slade: Usually three. The main project…which is whatever novel is due. An open file for the next project. And then something fun like a comic book or an illustrated story or…well, whatever is interesting at the time.
What usually comes first for you: title, character, plot, premise, setting, or something else?
What happens between getting that first idea and the moment when you actually sit down to write?
Do you keep track of those seminal ideas, and if so, how?
Michael J. Sullivan: When I start conceptualizing a book, the first step is to buy a Moleskine notebook. I jot down plot points, glimpses of scenes, even potential character or setting names. It is a constantly evolving work of its own, and I generally spend one afternoon a week to get away from the keyboard and just think and take notes.
Do you use any sort of outline?
Michael J. Sullivan: Yeah, I always outline…now. Early in my career I was a “pantzer,” but I just found it too inefficient. I would end up throwing away large sections of written work that didn’t go anywhere.
What aspects of the project do you outline? (Plot, character arcs, etc.)
Michael J. Sullivan: For the most part I outline plots. I hear some authors do “character profiles” but I generally have a pretty clear idea of who they are from a personality standpoint so I don’t need to “note” those things. I do make some notations on things like family history, names of parents or siblings, where they grew up, those types of facts just so I can easily recall them but that’s about it from a character perspective. Settings are extensively detailed, although only a small fraction of that will ever make it onto the page.
At what point in the process do you create the outline, and to what level of detail?
Michael J. Sullivan: I outline early, basically as soon as I get the big issues ironed out and stabilized. There is very little detail, usually just a few bullet points per chapter.
How would you describe the relationship between the “drafting” phase and the “outlining” phase? Are they intertwined or are they distinct phases? Do you try to keep the outline up to date as your drafting process reveals new potential twists?
Outlines are dynamic, I believe in allowing for discovery, like taking a side trip while traveling across country because you ran into something you found interesting. This might end up changing the direction, and I’ll revise the outline and just continue on, but in most cases it is just a minor interlude then I’m back on the original course.
To what degree (if any) do you find your characters resisting the outline?
Michael J. Sullivan: I wouldn’t say they “resist” the outline…but they do have their own minds and I always listen to them. Doing so just means that I really “know” my characters and what drives them. If I ever find that they want to go toward x and I want them to veer toward y I let them win…always. It’s a sign to me that they are being true to their motivations. So yeah, they derail me all the time, but it’s simple to adjust the plot to accommodate their desires. My philosophy is that I have to keep the characters happy. They have a strong union and the last thing I want is for them to go on strike.
Do you spend time creating backstory?
Michael J. Sullivan: Sure. There is actually tons of “back story” that usually doesn’t make it to the page. I consider this the “iceberg approach” where I know a lot more than is ever exposed. Having this data “known” to me makes it easy to draw from as needed, but I’m careful to never artificially insert back story just because a lot of work went into developing it. For me, if it doesn’t progress the plot, then it shouldn’t come into the story. It has to be a seamless integration with what is going on.
What aspects do you write backstory for? Plot? Characters? Other?
As to characters, I have both back story and their futures mapped out. Again I may never get to “tell those tales” but it’s important for me to know all that information. Determining how much, and when, to expose this information is one of the exciting aspects of the story telling experience.
How extensive are your backstory explorations?
Do you conduct research?
Michael J. Sullivan: Yes, of course. It might be on any number of subjects such as: life aboard a three-mast ship, food preparation during the medieval period, or the arguments about personality development and whether nature or nurture is the defining element. As a writer, I’m almost always researching something which is why a lot of my leisure reading time is filled with non-fiction books.
What kinds of things do you investigate?
Michael J. Sullivan: Basically anything that I don’t consider myself an expert on…so a lot of things: weapons, sword fighting moves, castle design, life aboard a ship, courtly life, how fast someone travels by foot (or horse), even typical foods and clothing from various time periods.
How extensive is your research?
Michael J. Sullivan: It depends on how important the particular aspect is to the overall story. For my fourth book , I had about 25% of it occurring on board a ship. So I spent a great deal of research about life at sea. I didn’t want to do anything stupid that would make someone who is very familiar with that subject roll their eyes.
Are there any particular environments or activities that tend to especially inspire new ideas for you? (Such as: in the shower, while gardening, dreaming, etc.)
Michael J. Sullivan: Walking and bike riding are particularly good for working out plot problems. These are activities that seem to have a unique balance between conscious and subconscious thought. I also tend to talk to myself out loud as there is something about engaging the verbal muscle of my brain that helps me figure things out.
By percentage, approximately how much of a typical project’s time is spent on research, backstory development, outlining, drafting/editing?
In general I’ll usually spend anywhere from three months to several years on the “developmental” aspects of a story. But of course that is done while multi-tasking other projects so I really don’t count those hours. At this point I’m really just making notes in the Moleskine. When I actually start exclusive work on a story that’s when my “clock” begins. I’ll generally spend one to three months developing the outline and story arc depending on how much I already have decided during the conceptualization phase.
Once I actually start writing I produce about 2,000 words a day, so it will generally take me three months to write the book. Then I do my editing which will generally be done at a pace of 5,000 words a day so another month on that. At this point it is ready for “others” and I usually have another two months of work incorporating those changes and doing final proofing and copy editing.
How many drafts does a typical project require?
Michael J. Sullivan: It really depends on how you count a draft. I really only consider it one, with multiple editing passes.
Can you summarize what you focus on in each of those drafts?
Michael J. Sullivan: I generally write the whole novel and the focus there is on plot, characters, and the overall story arc, conflict, and resolution. Then I read it from start to finish as a “reader” looking for areas that need work. At this stage I may be adding a scene, changing some pacing, and in rare instances cutting a scene. Then there is another pass to incorporate changes from editors / beta readers but by this point the changes are minor and really just a “tweak” here or there. Then the last pass is concentrating on cleaning up sentences, removing extra words, fixing grammar issues. Then of course once everyone is done, the editors, the proofers, I still have one more pass and may make some very minor changes on the order of magnitude of removing or adding a word or two.
At what point in a project do you seek input from others? From whom? And what kind of input do you seek?
After her changes have been incorporated then it’s time for the beta readers, other authors input, and publisher’s editors. Generally at this stage I’m looking for things that multiple people bring up. If one person raises an “issue” I don’t put much stock in it, but if two people point out the same thing then I know I need to address something.
What tools are most crucial to your process and how do you use them? (Tools can be software, physical tools, mental tricks, etc.)
Michael J. Sullivan: The two pieces of software I use most often are Scrivner for writing, and WordWeb to help when I need a synonym or to lookup a word.
Do you attempt to monitor your productivity?
Michael J. Sullivan: I do keep a daily word count, because that is the best measure of whether I’m making progress or not. Generally I maintain 2,000 words a day. Of course when editing it may be a negative number. Good days might be as much as 3,500 and a light day will be 1,000. But I’d say 85% of the time I do 2,000 words or more.
In terms of your writing process, is there anything you do that is unusual, novel or different from your understanding of what other writers do?
Michael J. Sullivan: As I mentioned, I’ve been known to go to secluded areas and actually talk through a story aloud. There’s something about engaging the verbal aspect of my brain. I have actual conversations with one “role” playing a devil’s advocate, and the other trying to defend a plot decision. If anyone were to see me doing this they might conclude that I’m schizophrenic. Something that I can’t rule out completely as I also hear character dialog silently in my head.
Have any significant changes emerged in your creative process between the beginning of your career and now? And if so, can you explain why?
What is the average word length of your projects? (If you work in several different length forms, try to estimate average lengths for each form.)
Michael J. Sullivan: It’s funny because there is a great deal of consistency in my work. I’m almost always right at 100,000 words when doing a novel and 5,600 words for a short story. It’s almost like clockwork and I don’t know why. My longest work was the last book of my Riyria series and that was about 175,000 words, but I knew it would be long because I had a lot of plot points that needed to be tied up before the series ended.
What is the average length of time it takes you to complete a project, from concept to final submission? (Again, distinct answers for different length formats are preferred.)
For short stories it takes 2 – 3 days to write and probably another day or two to clean-up and edit.
On average, how many distinct projects do you have on the go at any one time, and can you describe how you divide your time among them?
Currently I have several simultaneous projects. I’ve “turned in” a two-book series that is basically out of my hands until feedback comes back and then I’ll have to do more work on it. While waiting for that, I’m doing research and “high level” plotting on my next “big series” which I’ll start writing in the fall. Then I’m physically writing my current standalone novel. I also have one novel that is written but I’ll have to make some changes based on beta feedback. For the most part it is just sitting there waiting until I can get to it. So presently I have four books and a new series all being moved ahead in one way or another.
Nothing to see here
After yesterday’s self-spamming incident, I’m testing to make sure I’ve turned off the part of my blog that auto-posts new FAQ articles to my FB account. If you’re reading this on FB, I haven’t got it turned off properly. Yet. :-)
