Ask the Author: Roderick T. Macdonald
Answered Questions (7)
Roderick T. Macdonald
"That icy touch behind your ear, the sinking feeling you experience when you know everything has gone wrong, and there is nothing you can do to stop, or change that hideous fact. That’s what you’ll feel tonight, when it wakes you, but don't worry; the feeling won't last forever..."
Roderick T. Macdonald
This might sound funny, but it's true: I wake up.
I dream very vividly a lot of the time, and have tons of great ideas in the strange margin between sleep and waking, as my mind begins to spin up to waking speed, but still has the lassitude and freedom of random sleeping thoughts. I dream stories too, or at least strange things that try to have a narrative structure, however out there they can get!
I slowly wake and realise I've been chewing over an idea in my mind, or having an imaginary conversation, and it takes firmer shape. As I become more awake I sometimes fashion it into a concrete narrative idea, just for the fun of it, and because I don't know what else to do with it! I have to write down these ideas before I do much else in the day, or they are gone, more often than not - though some that I really chew the cud on, are with me all day as I continue to work at them.
Other than random inspiration striking that way, I get inspired by reading histories, taking walks, watching TV, playing games, talking with my friends and especially my wife. I like to experience the art and see the clever artifice of other creative people, and bounce my ideas and impressions off what I am exposed to, and see what happens. Most of the time it is silliness or nonsense, but sometimes really good ideas, characters, dramatic moments can leap into being, if I can just capture them fast enough before they fade away!
Travelling is a huge inspiration for me - whenever we go on holiday I am looking for old sites, historical landmarks, museums and collections of the art and artifacts of people from different times and cultures - that is huge as it helps me put myself into worlds inspired by those things, but with the twist of magic being present. Though to be honest I spend a lot of time just imagining life in 16th century Italy, or 14th century Scotland, or in the lost Kingdom of Aksum in parts of what is now Ethiopia in the time between the fading of Rome and the rise of Islam. I am a sucker for churches, castles, graveyards, catacombs. Simply cannot get enough. Palaces (and houses!) with pictures, tapestries and period furnishings are also like catnip for me. The Georgian House and Gladstone's Land in Edinburgh were early exposures to places frozen in time, and Edinburgh itself is a living history that you can walk through and marvel at, with so many places to fire the imagination. And it does not have to be the deep past - the artifacts of the mid 20th century can now look like they are from another world!
That is a lot of blather right there. The key, I think, is this: I try to remain curious about most things I see. Natural, or man-made. I read a lot on random subjects (hello days lost on the internet!), and I look to history, other cultures, and other artists for inspiration.
In sum: I stay curious, I sleep, I read, I talk, I travel, and I enjoy the things that other people have made, from soap operas to art house movies, from cartoons to the old masters to the waves of modern art, and all of that goes into the chemical soup of my brain, and out, sometimes, pop some ideas that delight me enough to write down. If I remember them long enough!
I dream very vividly a lot of the time, and have tons of great ideas in the strange margin between sleep and waking, as my mind begins to spin up to waking speed, but still has the lassitude and freedom of random sleeping thoughts. I dream stories too, or at least strange things that try to have a narrative structure, however out there they can get!
I slowly wake and realise I've been chewing over an idea in my mind, or having an imaginary conversation, and it takes firmer shape. As I become more awake I sometimes fashion it into a concrete narrative idea, just for the fun of it, and because I don't know what else to do with it! I have to write down these ideas before I do much else in the day, or they are gone, more often than not - though some that I really chew the cud on, are with me all day as I continue to work at them.
Other than random inspiration striking that way, I get inspired by reading histories, taking walks, watching TV, playing games, talking with my friends and especially my wife. I like to experience the art and see the clever artifice of other creative people, and bounce my ideas and impressions off what I am exposed to, and see what happens. Most of the time it is silliness or nonsense, but sometimes really good ideas, characters, dramatic moments can leap into being, if I can just capture them fast enough before they fade away!
Travelling is a huge inspiration for me - whenever we go on holiday I am looking for old sites, historical landmarks, museums and collections of the art and artifacts of people from different times and cultures - that is huge as it helps me put myself into worlds inspired by those things, but with the twist of magic being present. Though to be honest I spend a lot of time just imagining life in 16th century Italy, or 14th century Scotland, or in the lost Kingdom of Aksum in parts of what is now Ethiopia in the time between the fading of Rome and the rise of Islam. I am a sucker for churches, castles, graveyards, catacombs. Simply cannot get enough. Palaces (and houses!) with pictures, tapestries and period furnishings are also like catnip for me. The Georgian House and Gladstone's Land in Edinburgh were early exposures to places frozen in time, and Edinburgh itself is a living history that you can walk through and marvel at, with so many places to fire the imagination. And it does not have to be the deep past - the artifacts of the mid 20th century can now look like they are from another world!
That is a lot of blather right there. The key, I think, is this: I try to remain curious about most things I see. Natural, or man-made. I read a lot on random subjects (hello days lost on the internet!), and I look to history, other cultures, and other artists for inspiration.
In sum: I stay curious, I sleep, I read, I talk, I travel, and I enjoy the things that other people have made, from soap operas to art house movies, from cartoons to the old masters to the waves of modern art, and all of that goes into the chemical soup of my brain, and out, sometimes, pop some ideas that delight me enough to write down. If I remember them long enough!
Roderick T. Macdonald
I was daydreaming, thinking about nothing in particular, when I just wondered what would happen if a thief, in the process of escaping from a prison, released the prison's most dangerous resident, a demon. That seemed pretty interesting, so I kept thinking about it.
I had to work out why the thief was there, and the demon. How the thief would be able to free the demon, why he would do it, and what the results would be. Before I knew it, the major components of the World Belt, my fantasy milieu, were falling into place.
I sat down at my computer, and over 6-8 hours straight produced a 34 page outline there and then, from that first idle daydreamed thought. The outline had some flab to it, meandering thoughts and what ifs, but the skeleton of the story from start to finish was there. I knew then I had a novel to believe in, and began to write.
I had to work out why the thief was there, and the demon. How the thief would be able to free the demon, why he would do it, and what the results would be. Before I knew it, the major components of the World Belt, my fantasy milieu, were falling into place.
I sat down at my computer, and over 6-8 hours straight produced a 34 page outline there and then, from that first idle daydreamed thought. The outline had some flab to it, meandering thoughts and what ifs, but the skeleton of the story from start to finish was there. I knew then I had a novel to believe in, and began to write.
Roderick T. Macdonald
It is currently all hands to the pumps on the release of my first book, The Thief and The Demon. I'm a late bloomer to social media, and so have been getting to grips with synchronizing my website to FB, Amazon, and of course goodreads! Twitter will happen, but not quite yet! Uploading the book and troubleshooting how it appears on the various Amazon pages is taking up my time, along with creating new content for my blog, and staying in touch with old friends on FB!
Once the dust settles it will be time to maintain my blogging schedule, look to set up events and readings, and continue my digital outreach. Ideally I would like to settle into a new writing rhythm and get to work on The Killer and The Dead, my second World Belt novel, by mid October. Then I can try to use NaNoWriMo as an inspiration to get a solid chunk of the first draft written in November!
Once the dust settles it will be time to maintain my blogging schedule, look to set up events and readings, and continue my digital outreach. Ideally I would like to settle into a new writing rhythm and get to work on The Killer and The Dead, my second World Belt novel, by mid October. Then I can try to use NaNoWriMo as an inspiration to get a solid chunk of the first draft written in November!
Roderick T. Macdonald
Hahahaha! I am an aspiring writer!
I look at this as advice to my younger self, who wanted so desperately to be a writer, but was brittle and precious about his ideas and words. I'm not saying all aspiring writers are like that - just that I was!
The biggest single piece of advice is to recognise that getting help is not a weakness, it is a strength. A good editor (for instance) is not trying to turn your book into something of theirs, they are trying to help you make the most of your ideas, storytelling, and style. I was insufferably precious about my writing in my twenties, yet terrified of letting anyone assess it. That wonderful arrogant insecurity took me years to get past. It is an impossible situation to be in. Yes, your writing may not be as world-shaking as you like to believe, but if you never ask for help, or give other people a chance to read your work and respond, then I believe you will have a very hard time advancing as a writer.
Just remember that you still have the final call on any decisions regarding your writing. Gather a team, have supporters who believe in you and help you to believe in yourself, advisors to challenge and stimulate you, but also take responsibility for your work - it is going to have your name on it, so own it. If you disagree with beta readers, or editorial suggestions, then as long as you have good reasons for your disagreement, and they have to be good, not merely "But I like it better that way!", then you would do well to stick with your vision. Now your reasons for maintaining your vision need to be logical, formal, grounded in the text and the world and characters you are creating, because then you can clearly articulate why you feel your way is better, and be confident in your choices. Your team is there to advise, but you are still the captain, and can take charge at any time.
A last piece of advice which worked for me, but may not work for you. Embrace structure. I was a seat of my pants writer in my teens and twenties, but discovered the power of a good outline in my late thirties, and rely on them now in my forties. I have finally published my first novel, after spending far too many years struggling with a first epic and allowing time to slip away from me, but now I have solid outlines for three more novels ready to go. I don't have the luxury of spending years trying to work out how to finish my novel anymore! I found that structuring my time and my ideas allowed me to be more creative, not less, on each page. A lot of the pressure I put on myself when I was younger to come up with ideas and steer the story straight chapter to chapter was completely removed by doing a lot of thinking in advance and creating an outline which I could then enjoy filling in and fleshing out as I write.
I hope this is useful to you - as I said at the outset, this advice is really most applicable to the young man I was, but I think the core is useful to everyone: get help, take ownership, at least try structuring your time and writing process to see if it helps.
Good luck to all aspiring writers!
I look at this as advice to my younger self, who wanted so desperately to be a writer, but was brittle and precious about his ideas and words. I'm not saying all aspiring writers are like that - just that I was!
The biggest single piece of advice is to recognise that getting help is not a weakness, it is a strength. A good editor (for instance) is not trying to turn your book into something of theirs, they are trying to help you make the most of your ideas, storytelling, and style. I was insufferably precious about my writing in my twenties, yet terrified of letting anyone assess it. That wonderful arrogant insecurity took me years to get past. It is an impossible situation to be in. Yes, your writing may not be as world-shaking as you like to believe, but if you never ask for help, or give other people a chance to read your work and respond, then I believe you will have a very hard time advancing as a writer.
Just remember that you still have the final call on any decisions regarding your writing. Gather a team, have supporters who believe in you and help you to believe in yourself, advisors to challenge and stimulate you, but also take responsibility for your work - it is going to have your name on it, so own it. If you disagree with beta readers, or editorial suggestions, then as long as you have good reasons for your disagreement, and they have to be good, not merely "But I like it better that way!", then you would do well to stick with your vision. Now your reasons for maintaining your vision need to be logical, formal, grounded in the text and the world and characters you are creating, because then you can clearly articulate why you feel your way is better, and be confident in your choices. Your team is there to advise, but you are still the captain, and can take charge at any time.
A last piece of advice which worked for me, but may not work for you. Embrace structure. I was a seat of my pants writer in my teens and twenties, but discovered the power of a good outline in my late thirties, and rely on them now in my forties. I have finally published my first novel, after spending far too many years struggling with a first epic and allowing time to slip away from me, but now I have solid outlines for three more novels ready to go. I don't have the luxury of spending years trying to work out how to finish my novel anymore! I found that structuring my time and my ideas allowed me to be more creative, not less, on each page. A lot of the pressure I put on myself when I was younger to come up with ideas and steer the story straight chapter to chapter was completely removed by doing a lot of thinking in advance and creating an outline which I could then enjoy filling in and fleshing out as I write.
I hope this is useful to you - as I said at the outset, this advice is really most applicable to the young man I was, but I think the core is useful to everyone: get help, take ownership, at least try structuring your time and writing process to see if it helps.
Good luck to all aspiring writers!
Roderick T. Macdonald
The best single thing?
Getting to live a life of the mind, to think and create all at once. To set yourself difficult goals and problems, and have the immense satisfaction of reaching those goals and solving those problems. Writing can be intellectually and emotionally stimulating and satisfying, and can provide some very significant moments of pleasure when things go right, and a sense of lasting contentment when all the pieces are put together and you feel you have done good work.
Doubts will always exist, but the moments of joy, certainty and exhilaration are worth it, and blow those pesky doubts out of the water.
That, I think, is the best thing about being a writer.
Getting to live a life of the mind, to think and create all at once. To set yourself difficult goals and problems, and have the immense satisfaction of reaching those goals and solving those problems. Writing can be intellectually and emotionally stimulating and satisfying, and can provide some very significant moments of pleasure when things go right, and a sense of lasting contentment when all the pieces are put together and you feel you have done good work.
Doubts will always exist, but the moments of joy, certainty and exhilaration are worth it, and blow those pesky doubts out of the water.
That, I think, is the best thing about being a writer.
Roderick T. Macdonald
I don't think I have ever been truly blocked, but I have run into difficulties with scenes and sections of a book, or had general motivational lapses, shall we say.
When I'm wrestling with something and having a hard time resolving a problem in writing I have maybe 4 main responses. First - sleep on it. I just admit I'm not going to solve that problem right now, and rely on a good night's rest to let me come back at it with a fresh perspective. I tend to wake up with ideas, so this approach serves me well. Sometimes being a dog gnawing at a bone just causes frustration and zero progress for me.
The second response is also simple: I go for a walk. I am an inveterate daydreamer, so walking and allowing the world to wash over me will often spark a new thought, or help me spot a new perspective on whatever it is that is bugging me. As with the sleep remedy, the aim is to switch my mind off the problem, and allow it to work unfettered - get the conscious process out of the way so to speak. I don't know how it works, but it does!
Third - read a book/watch a movie. Go and inhabit another narrative, not the one I'm struggling with. Again, this is a way of resetting my mind, and feeding it stimulus, which allows me to re-approach my problem refreshed. Sometimes in reading or watching, I will find myself thinking about that dramatic structure, those characters, their dialogue and motivations, and wonder how I might handle something similar, and those thoughts morph into a potential solution to my problem. Or I just get totally sucked in and simply enjoy what I am experiencing for its own sake, and am refreshed by it - which again, can allow my brain some respite from the problem that has been frustrating me, and so I will often have a little Eureka! moment and find a way through the problem.
The fourth way is to persevere. If I'm struggling with a section, and I don't think it is working - I tell myself I have to get through it in order to get to the next section I am more excited about. Just get something down, even if I think it is cardboard, and move through it, promising to redraft and rewrite as required, but just get through it and move on. If the other three strategies have failed, then this one has to be broken out and stuck with, as anything else is just likely to be a procrastinatory tactic, designed to keep me away from finally dealing with my issue! When I have done this - I often find that all the extra work on the section that once caused me such stress has resulted in a very good outcome, and writing that on review I am very happy with.
I hope this answer helps!
When I'm wrestling with something and having a hard time resolving a problem in writing I have maybe 4 main responses. First - sleep on it. I just admit I'm not going to solve that problem right now, and rely on a good night's rest to let me come back at it with a fresh perspective. I tend to wake up with ideas, so this approach serves me well. Sometimes being a dog gnawing at a bone just causes frustration and zero progress for me.
The second response is also simple: I go for a walk. I am an inveterate daydreamer, so walking and allowing the world to wash over me will often spark a new thought, or help me spot a new perspective on whatever it is that is bugging me. As with the sleep remedy, the aim is to switch my mind off the problem, and allow it to work unfettered - get the conscious process out of the way so to speak. I don't know how it works, but it does!
Third - read a book/watch a movie. Go and inhabit another narrative, not the one I'm struggling with. Again, this is a way of resetting my mind, and feeding it stimulus, which allows me to re-approach my problem refreshed. Sometimes in reading or watching, I will find myself thinking about that dramatic structure, those characters, their dialogue and motivations, and wonder how I might handle something similar, and those thoughts morph into a potential solution to my problem. Or I just get totally sucked in and simply enjoy what I am experiencing for its own sake, and am refreshed by it - which again, can allow my brain some respite from the problem that has been frustrating me, and so I will often have a little Eureka! moment and find a way through the problem.
The fourth way is to persevere. If I'm struggling with a section, and I don't think it is working - I tell myself I have to get through it in order to get to the next section I am more excited about. Just get something down, even if I think it is cardboard, and move through it, promising to redraft and rewrite as required, but just get through it and move on. If the other three strategies have failed, then this one has to be broken out and stuck with, as anything else is just likely to be a procrastinatory tactic, designed to keep me away from finally dealing with my issue! When I have done this - I often find that all the extra work on the section that once caused me such stress has resulted in a very good outcome, and writing that on review I am very happy with.
I hope this answer helps!
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