Ask the Author: Simon Wright
Answered Questions (6)
Simon Wright
Start! We can all have a great story in our heads but you have to put something down on paper (software!)
Drive! Once it has begun, you have to be strict and get it finished, even the bits that feel like they will be difficult or awkward to write; once they are down, then you can tinker and edit.
Help! Get some, either to proof-read as you go or simply to bounce ideas or narratives off. There’s nothing worse than dragging yourself through the tale and losing motivation when nobody is there to give you a proverbial slap. Your work will always be better if someone has told you ‘it doesn’t make sense’, ‘you’ve used the wrong wording’ or ‘that character would never say/do that’!
Drive! Once it has begun, you have to be strict and get it finished, even the bits that feel like they will be difficult or awkward to write; once they are down, then you can tinker and edit.
Help! Get some, either to proof-read as you go or simply to bounce ideas or narratives off. There’s nothing worse than dragging yourself through the tale and losing motivation when nobody is there to give you a proverbial slap. Your work will always be better if someone has told you ‘it doesn’t make sense’, ‘you’ve used the wrong wording’ or ‘that character would never say/do that’!
Simon Wright
Sharing my stories with others. All I want is to entertain, engage and maybe surprise those willing to read my work. My personal gain from the process is seeing the events play out in the manner I want them to, my biggest disappointment of TV and cinema is that I can’t decide the ending myself!
Simon Wright
Well, this feels like a cheap answer; as the second part of the trilogy, it is a natural progression to continue the story! However, the trilogy itself was never a done deal, Daughters of Legacy was going to be a standalone novel at first but creating the characters, their history and motivations, made me fall in love with them. I couldn’t face leaving them where they were! Indeed, the second story came to me around Chapter 8 of DoL, the third during Chapter 13! It has used all of my willpower to take an enforced hiatus between book 2 and 3 as my heart simply wanted to keep telling the tale immediately; my head won the battle though, a breather to reflect and organise sets me in a better position to complete the trilogy effectively and efficiently.
Simon Wright
I play set pieces in my head. These germinate for months (sometimes years!) and begin to lead me into the story that will connect the images I’ve created. In many ways I feel like the stories, and more often the characters, help to tell the tale themselves. So I guess the inspiration comes from within narrative. However, we all need to get that first word on the page; for that, I rely completely on my wife for inspiration/motivation.
Simon Wright
I have not suffered this much to date but I have two strategies when the words won’t flow. Firstly I procrastinate and do any5hing other than think about the story, after a few days I often get very anxious to return to the keyboard. If this fails, I will discuss what has already been written with my family and proof-readers, their enthusiasm becomes infectious and I am soon bursting at the seams to get that next chapter started.
Simon Wright
I am currently in the planning phase of the third book in the Fimarr trilogy; I won’t provide the title to try and save some mystery until release! At the same time, I have two modern world stories fermenting in my brain, Love Above All, based on a short story I wrote for my wife, and As Good A Man There Never Was which is a parody of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol with some new twists.
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