Ask the Author: Michael Scott Bertrand
Answered Questions (5)
Michael Scott Bertrand
I develop an "official soundtrack" to my book. I find songs that would be awesome in the big-screen adaptation of my tale. That helps me envision the scene - or the characters - in my head, and I use that later when I sit down to write. I like the big classical orchestra sound (think Star Wars or Raiders), and the way the music rises and falls along with the tension in the story. For you, it could be rock, jazz or diggeradoo music . . . whatever feels best!
Just to clarify, I listen to the soundtrack in the car or when I'm out for a walk . . . I don't listen to my soundtrack, or anything for that matter, while I'm trying to write.
(Note to Abrams, Spielberg, Favreau or any other film directors reading this: the opening and closing scenes of Flying Conquistadors are set to Bizet's "Chanson du Toreador" from Carmen. I have further thoughts that we can discuss on-set.)
Just to clarify, I listen to the soundtrack in the car or when I'm out for a walk . . . I don't listen to my soundtrack, or anything for that matter, while I'm trying to write.
(Note to Abrams, Spielberg, Favreau or any other film directors reading this: the opening and closing scenes of Flying Conquistadors are set to Bizet's "Chanson du Toreador" from Carmen. I have further thoughts that we can discuss on-set.)
Michael Scott Bertrand
Flying Conquistadors was born out of frustration! I had been trying to write an altogether different story, with a different lead character. There was nothing about Pan Am, nothing about Lindbergh.
I had spent a year or so trying to write that damn tale, but the story and my characters were stuck in the mud. I had done too much research, too much web-wandering, and was trying to cram too much into not enough space. I wanted to get my main characters to the Yucatan, but I was having trouble getting them out of Madrid, which is where I insisted the book begin.
So I started to think about stretching my story out. Instead of force-feeding everything into a single book, stretch it out over two book . . . or maybe three. I stopped writing, and started researching again, and tried to figure out how to put the story together in a more logical (and better-sounding) manner.
During this new round of research and deep thought, I came across an old newspaper article that intrigued me. It was about Charles Lindbergh, on a promotional tour in the Spirit of St. Louis, spotting unmapped ruins deep in the jungles while flying from Guatemala to Belize City. I decided to dig deeper, and looked into Lindbergh's tour . . . which led me to Lindbergh's later journeys with his wife, Anne, to view and photographs Mayan ruins throughout Mexico and Central America. Trips they took on a cool-looking amphibious plane, on loan from Pan American, which had just hired Lindbergh as their Technical Advisor.
That was the genesis of Flying Conquistadors. A few months later a young mailboy in the back of the plane - Oliver Wheelock - would get promoted to become the narrator of the tale. I also made the decision that the early days of Pan Am were too much fun to pass up, and I decided to devote several chapters in the book to the airline's (and my narrator's) beginnings. But that's for another post . . .
I had spent a year or so trying to write that damn tale, but the story and my characters were stuck in the mud. I had done too much research, too much web-wandering, and was trying to cram too much into not enough space. I wanted to get my main characters to the Yucatan, but I was having trouble getting them out of Madrid, which is where I insisted the book begin.
So I started to think about stretching my story out. Instead of force-feeding everything into a single book, stretch it out over two book . . . or maybe three. I stopped writing, and started researching again, and tried to figure out how to put the story together in a more logical (and better-sounding) manner.
During this new round of research and deep thought, I came across an old newspaper article that intrigued me. It was about Charles Lindbergh, on a promotional tour in the Spirit of St. Louis, spotting unmapped ruins deep in the jungles while flying from Guatemala to Belize City. I decided to dig deeper, and looked into Lindbergh's tour . . . which led me to Lindbergh's later journeys with his wife, Anne, to view and photographs Mayan ruins throughout Mexico and Central America. Trips they took on a cool-looking amphibious plane, on loan from Pan American, which had just hired Lindbergh as their Technical Advisor.
That was the genesis of Flying Conquistadors. A few months later a young mailboy in the back of the plane - Oliver Wheelock - would get promoted to become the narrator of the tale. I also made the decision that the early days of Pan Am were too much fun to pass up, and I decided to devote several chapters in the book to the airline's (and my narrator's) beginnings. But that's for another post . . .
Michael Scott Bertrand
I'm working on the second book in the Treasure of Tenochtitlan trilogy. It's a story set (for the most part) in Spain. I'll be announcing the title in a few months.
Michael Scott Bertrand
That's easy: write.
Think of it as your job, and your writing station as the office you work at. Do you think your boss wants to see you reading yet-another book on writing, or see you watching "Masterclass" when you are supposed to be working? Of course not. She/he wants you to write. You will be judged by how much you write, and how well you write. So stop putting it off, and write.
One way I try to crack the whip on myself (esp. during the early phase of "raw material development") is to "grade" myself each day on how many words I write. I need to write a minimum 750 words a day for a "D", 1500 words for a "C", 2250 for a "B" and 3000 for an "A". I keep a calendar next to my writing desk and give myself a grade at the end of each day. At the end of the working week (5 or 6 days) I average my daily scores, and my goal is a "B" or an "A". That gets me anywhere from 11,000 to 18,000 words in a week, which I think is pretty darn good.
Think of it as your job, and your writing station as the office you work at. Do you think your boss wants to see you reading yet-another book on writing, or see you watching "Masterclass" when you are supposed to be working? Of course not. She/he wants you to write. You will be judged by how much you write, and how well you write. So stop putting it off, and write.
One way I try to crack the whip on myself (esp. during the early phase of "raw material development") is to "grade" myself each day on how many words I write. I need to write a minimum 750 words a day for a "D", 1500 words for a "C", 2250 for a "B" and 3000 for an "A". I keep a calendar next to my writing desk and give myself a grade at the end of each day. At the end of the working week (5 or 6 days) I average my daily scores, and my goal is a "B" or an "A". That gets me anywhere from 11,000 to 18,000 words in a week, which I think is pretty darn good.
Michael Scott Bertrand
I jump around when I'm writing - a LOT. If I'm stuck somewhere, I'll take a break, then come back and work on an entirely different section. Maybe I'll skip to another chapter, or some action scene that is more fun to work on, or even to the final chapter. I find that forces me to focus on my entire story, not just "what comes next."
Think of how a filmmaker works: she/he breaks the story down into components, then figures out how best to film those individual scenes. Rarely does a filmmaker shoot scenes in sequential order (yes, there are some very famous exceptions), and it is only in editing and post-production that the big picture comes together.
I'll add that there are times (too many!) when the gods of prose abandon me altogether. When that happens, and you can't come up with a good sentence to save your life, don't force it. Do some research, make some notes in your manuscript, and pat yourself on the back for moving the ball forward. Live to write another day.
Think of how a filmmaker works: she/he breaks the story down into components, then figures out how best to film those individual scenes. Rarely does a filmmaker shoot scenes in sequential order (yes, there are some very famous exceptions), and it is only in editing and post-production that the big picture comes together.
I'll add that there are times (too many!) when the gods of prose abandon me altogether. When that happens, and you can't come up with a good sentence to save your life, don't force it. Do some research, make some notes in your manuscript, and pat yourself on the back for moving the ball forward. Live to write another day.
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