Ask the Author: Scott Hawkins
Answered Questions (136)
Scott Hawkins
Not exactly, but close. My very first dog's actual name was Puppy Dog. Every body gave me a hard time about it, but the dog herself loved it. We used to go out jogging a lot in the neighborhood. Any time a little kid and /or the kid's parent saw her they'd be like "look at the Puppy Dog" and she'd get all excited--tail wagging, wanting to say hello, etc. "Yes! Yes, that's me! I'm Puppy Dog!" She thought the whole world knew her.
Sometimes I'd call her P.D. for short,. Petey was kind of a nod to that.
Fun fact though-when I was writing the scene where (spoiler alert) the character was getting attacked by dogs, I was having trouble keeping track of which dog was biting what. So I modeled them after my own pack (we had a beagle, Thane was in fact named Thane, plus I think three or four others in-house at the time.
Sometimes I'd call her P.D. for short,. Petey was kind of a nod to that.
Fun fact though-when I was writing the scene where (spoiler alert) the character was getting attacked by dogs, I was having trouble keeping track of which dog was biting what. So I modeled them after my own pack (we had a beagle, Thane was in fact named Thane, plus I think three or four others in-house at the time.
Scott Hawkins
Probably the main way the computer day job influenced the writing was by coloring what I didn't want to write. Before I actually had written any books I had kind of vague notions of doing some sort of techno-thriller, in the William Gibson / Neal Stephenson space. Or even just a straight-up thriller, like Tom Clancy or whoever.
This was all years ago, mid-90s. I even typed up a few pages in that direction, but writing that sort of story just wasn't fun for me. After 40 hours of slinging Javascript the last thing in the world I want to do in my spare time is to have to be technically plausible about cyber espionage and computer crime. It's just not fun. Give me some elves or a werewolf or something like that.
That said, I do think some of the underlying ideas about language in Mount Char came from my computer science academic background. I talked about that here, so I'll just link.
This was all years ago, mid-90s. I even typed up a few pages in that direction, but writing that sort of story just wasn't fun for me. After 40 hours of slinging Javascript the last thing in the world I want to do in my spare time is to have to be technically plausible about cyber espionage and computer crime. It's just not fun. Give me some elves or a werewolf or something like that.
That said, I do think some of the underlying ideas about language in Mount Char came from my computer science academic background. I talked about that here, so I'll just link.
Scott Hawkins
It really is hard to say. At this writing (Sept. 1, 2019) I'm just about done with a major rewrite of the book I was working on last year at this time. It's in the ballpark of done. If you added up all the remaining problems that I know about, we're probably talking a couple of weeks worth of work. Once that's done I start showing it to other people. But the reason you get feedback from other people is so they can point out problems that you missed. Your guess is as good as mine on how what they'll find and how long it will take to fix. Sometimes it's "long weekend" sometime's it's "this is unfixable. Start over."
That said, I've got a good feeling about this one. Also my wife read the first four chapters and liked it. That's actually a really good sign. You'd hear "wife" and thing "oh, she'll cut him some slack." No. That is not how it works with Heather. She was (justifiably) savage with what I showed her last year, which is a good part of how we got to the major rewrite that I've been working on for the last nine months.
Anyway, the upshot is I don't know but hopefully pretty soon. That vague enough for you?
Thanks for the interest though.
That said, I've got a good feeling about this one. Also my wife read the first four chapters and liked it. That's actually a really good sign. You'd hear "wife" and thing "oh, she'll cut him some slack." No. That is not how it works with Heather. She was (justifiably) savage with what I showed her last year, which is a good part of how we got to the major rewrite that I've been working on for the last nine months.
Anyway, the upshot is I don't know but hopefully pretty soon. That vague enough for you?
Thanks for the interest though.
Scott Hawkins
I absolutely love, love, love what Hillary Huber did with the audiobook.
I don't know how familiar you are with the book publication process, but by the time that thing hits stores you've almost got every word memorized. It was a least a couple hundred hours to write the thing in the first place, followed by any number of end-to-end rewrites, copy editing, etc. Point being, by the time you're at the end of that most people have had enough of the book for the next ten thousand years or so.
I've listened to the audiobook twice now. That's how much I like it. She just absolutely nailed it. She's got great comic timing, the voices are distinct without being caricatures and I just like her voice. Plus it's a little different hearing someone else read it out loud than it sounded in my head--different interpretations of where the accent would go in a spoken sentences, or something? That's kind of interesting too.
Anyway, it was quite literally a dream come true. I've been a big audiobook guy for years , so I used to daydream about one day having someone produce a book I had written when I was on the treadmill or whatever. I was so, so happy.
Plus the process was fun. Hillary called at one point to talk about how to pronounce the Pelapi words, and what kind of accent the characters have and all that. It was so cool.
Anyway, I don't really get to pick (if someone buys the audio rights, they pick) but if I ever finish another book & and somebody wants to produce it, I will make sure Hillary's name comes up.
We still touch base on twitter every now and then as well--very nice woman. She also narrated A Mind of Her Own, which caught my eye by being #1 in audible across all categories the other day, plus about ten zillion others.
I don't know how familiar you are with the book publication process, but by the time that thing hits stores you've almost got every word memorized. It was a least a couple hundred hours to write the thing in the first place, followed by any number of end-to-end rewrites, copy editing, etc. Point being, by the time you're at the end of that most people have had enough of the book for the next ten thousand years or so.
I've listened to the audiobook twice now. That's how much I like it. She just absolutely nailed it. She's got great comic timing, the voices are distinct without being caricatures and I just like her voice. Plus it's a little different hearing someone else read it out loud than it sounded in my head--different interpretations of where the accent would go in a spoken sentences, or something? That's kind of interesting too.
Anyway, it was quite literally a dream come true. I've been a big audiobook guy for years , so I used to daydream about one day having someone produce a book I had written when I was on the treadmill or whatever. I was so, so happy.
Plus the process was fun. Hillary called at one point to talk about how to pronounce the Pelapi words, and what kind of accent the characters have and all that. It was so cool.
Anyway, I don't really get to pick (if someone buys the audio rights, they pick) but if I ever finish another book & and somebody wants to produce it, I will make sure Hillary's name comes up.
We still touch base on twitter every now and then as well--very nice woman. She also narrated A Mind of Her Own, which caught my eye by being #1 in audible across all categories the other day, plus about ten zillion others.
Scott Hawkins
Erwin is a fun character to write because all you really need to do is drop him in a room with somebody who he doesn't like. After that, the scene pretty much types itself. But I'm not sure that would be sustainable at book length. Have you ever seen those Saturday night live movies where they take some sketch that was funny for five minutes and turn it into 2 hours? That's the sort of thing I'm worried about.
A short story might work.
A short story might work.
Scott Hawkins
Thank you for reading. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Scott Hawkins
I"m not sure about the sequel. I spent a couple hours working on notes last weekend. The first act seemed solid, but I'm not completely convinced it's going anywhere.
We'll see, basically.
We'll see, basically.
Scott Hawkins
Thanks Blotsm! I'm really happy that you liked it. I'll try to have something new for you shortly.
Scott
Scott
Scott Hawkins
Saraaaaaaaaaaa!!!
Thank you! That's kind of you to say. You're very gracious and you have handsome kids!
Scott
Thank you! That's kind of you to say. You're very gracious and you have handsome kids!
Scott
Scott Hawkins
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Scott Hawkins
No-ish. I ended up being fairly happy with the shell programming book.
However, the BEA WebLogic Handbook had enough mistakes that it could probably be considered fiction. We can say that one is set in the universe of Mount Char.
However, the BEA WebLogic Handbook had enough mistakes that it could probably be considered fiction. We can say that one is set in the universe of Mount Char.
Scott Hawkins
I used to spend quite a bit of time in Herndon. There was a little park behind the condo I stayed it with jogging paths that wound through the neighborhoods. That's always where I pictured Steve getting jumped by the dogs.
I can't make any promises about the sequel, but I'm tickled that you're interested. If I can come up with an idea that works I'll absolutely do it, but I'm leery of writing my own version of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, if that makes sense.
I can't make any promises about the sequel, but I'm tickled that you're interested. If I can come up with an idea that works I'll absolutely do it, but I'm leery of writing my own version of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, if that makes sense.
Scott Hawkins
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Scott Hawkins
Hey Isaac,
I'm working on something not related to Mount Char at the moment. Where I'm at with the prospect of sequels is I think when / if I ever finish this book, I'll do a short story or two set in the Mount Char universe and see if anything sparks. Without getting too spoilery, you can see where it might be tough to find a worthy antagonist for a second book.
And yeah, I am terrible about keeping up with the blog. Social media in general, really. That's actually not all that cool. I'll try to be better about that.
If / when anything is ever ready to read I will post it everywhere, of course.
I'm working on something not related to Mount Char at the moment. Where I'm at with the prospect of sequels is I think when / if I ever finish this book, I'll do a short story or two set in the Mount Char universe and see if anything sparks. Without getting too spoilery, you can see where it might be tough to find a worthy antagonist for a second book.
And yeah, I am terrible about keeping up with the blog. Social media in general, really. That's actually not all that cool. I'll try to be better about that.
If / when anything is ever ready to read I will post it everywhere, of course.
Scott Hawkins
Thank you, Gabrielle! I hope to have something for you in 2019
Scott Hawkins
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Scott Hawkins
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Scott Hawkins
Hey Katy,
The first time I heard about the bull was from my third grade teacher, Mrs. Marx. She was big into ancient history and mythology, and she used to give us the lowdown on Medusa & co. In hindsight, I'm not sure why she'd share something like the brazen bull with a bunch of third graders, but it was a different world back then. Or maybe she was just nuts?
It definitely made an impression. I was one of those vivid imagination kids.
After I got over the initial trauma I didn't think about it for decades. I wish I could say it came up again in some sort of scholarly research context, but the truth is that around the time I was doing a rewrite of Mount Char, I stumbled on a Cracked article that mentioned it.
At the time I was working an angle that Father was the hidden hand behind a lot of recognizable historical stuff--he was secretly Genghis Khan, he built pyramids all over the world, that kind of thing. The bull played neatly into that in that it was horrifying, had some basis in historical reality, and hadn't been done to death.
The "hidden hand of history" idea ended up not being a huge part of the final product, but the bit with the bull obviously stuck. And it's not an accident that the Library is a pyramid shape.
Scott
The first time I heard about the bull was from my third grade teacher, Mrs. Marx. She was big into ancient history and mythology, and she used to give us the lowdown on Medusa & co. In hindsight, I'm not sure why she'd share something like the brazen bull with a bunch of third graders, but it was a different world back then. Or maybe she was just nuts?
It definitely made an impression. I was one of those vivid imagination kids.
After I got over the initial trauma I didn't think about it for decades. I wish I could say it came up again in some sort of scholarly research context, but the truth is that around the time I was doing a rewrite of Mount Char, I stumbled on a Cracked article that mentioned it.
At the time I was working an angle that Father was the hidden hand behind a lot of recognizable historical stuff--he was secretly Genghis Khan, he built pyramids all over the world, that kind of thing. The bull played neatly into that in that it was horrifying, had some basis in historical reality, and hadn't been done to death.
The "hidden hand of history" idea ended up not being a huge part of the final product, but the bit with the bull obviously stuck. And it's not an accident that the Library is a pyramid shape.
Scott
Scott Hawkins
How disturbed were your dreams when you were writing this? In other words, did you find it hard to keep this wonderfully interesting world from intruding on your real world as you wrote the book?
Hey Elaine,
It was a big part of my head space, but in a good way. I don't recall ever dreaming about Mount Char, and it's not hard to keep the book world separated from the real world. TBH, I usually don't talk about what I'm writing at all. I read a psychology study at one point that said if you talk about doing X, you get approximately 50% of the gratification of actually writing it. I think the tip was in relation to exercising and eating right, but I think it applies to writing as well.
When I'm working on a project, I think about it a lot, especially near the end. I go over dialogue when I'm driving, looking for plot holes when I'm in the shower, trying to spit-and-polish all the character moments. Towards the end it does get a little overwhelming. I can't pay attention to movies, I can't read other books...it really is just about all that I think about. "Obsessive" would not be too strong a word, I think.
It's not unpleasant, though. Writing Mount Char probably was the most fun I've ever had.
Scott
Hey Elaine,
It was a big part of my head space, but in a good way. I don't recall ever dreaming about Mount Char, and it's not hard to keep the book world separated from the real world. TBH, I usually don't talk about what I'm writing at all. I read a psychology study at one point that said if you talk about doing X, you get approximately 50% of the gratification of actually writing it. I think the tip was in relation to exercising and eating right, but I think it applies to writing as well.
When I'm working on a project, I think about it a lot, especially near the end. I go over dialogue when I'm driving, looking for plot holes when I'm in the shower, trying to spit-and-polish all the character moments. Towards the end it does get a little overwhelming. I can't pay attention to movies, I can't read other books...it really is just about all that I think about. "Obsessive" would not be too strong a word, I think.
It's not unpleasant, though. Writing Mount Char probably was the most fun I've ever had.
Scott
Scott Hawkins
Do you have any advice for an aspiring writer?
Hey Jennifer,
It sounds like you're more of planner than I am, so I'm maybe not the exact right person to ask about this. But I do have a couple of thoughts.
My first couple of attempts at novel writing died on the vine partly because of over-planning. For instance, say I planned a big emotional scene that was supposed to be the climax of the second act (or whatever) but when I got around to actually writing it, it didn't work as well as I hoped. If if was a key scene, the whole book could (and did) stop working. Nowadays I try to do a proof of concept sketch before committing to a strategy.
I also wasted a lot of time sticking to a strict linear order of writing the chapters I had planned out. I was doing chapter 1, then chapter 2, ..... The problem there was that a lot of times when I was working on chapter 5, I was actually more in the mood for chapter 9. Then, when I got to chapter 9, I was actually thinking about chapter 3.
Bear in mind these aren't universal truths, just something that worked for me. But my takeaway from the early efforts was:
1. Write what you feel like that day, in any order. Worry about stitching it together later.
2. If something's working, run with it.
3. Write the scenes you feel passionate about. When you have a few that work, try to structure the book around them.
All that is fine up to a point, but I should also mention that I'm moving away from a strict "no outlining" policy. It can take the book to some interesting places, but you burn a lot of pages to get there. I threw away something like 250,000 words for Mount Char, and a similar number for the one I'm working on now. It's exhausting. There's got to be a more efficient way.
Another couple of tips:
1. Read "how to write" books. Some are better than others, but they all have something useful.
2. Make time to write every day.
3. If you can, go to workshops. I always find them hugely valuable.
Good luck!
Scott
Hey Jennifer,
It sounds like you're more of planner than I am, so I'm maybe not the exact right person to ask about this. But I do have a couple of thoughts.
My first couple of attempts at novel writing died on the vine partly because of over-planning. For instance, say I planned a big emotional scene that was supposed to be the climax of the second act (or whatever) but when I got around to actually writing it, it didn't work as well as I hoped. If if was a key scene, the whole book could (and did) stop working. Nowadays I try to do a proof of concept sketch before committing to a strategy.
I also wasted a lot of time sticking to a strict linear order of writing the chapters I had planned out. I was doing chapter 1, then chapter 2, ..... The problem there was that a lot of times when I was working on chapter 5, I was actually more in the mood for chapter 9. Then, when I got to chapter 9, I was actually thinking about chapter 3.
Bear in mind these aren't universal truths, just something that worked for me. But my takeaway from the early efforts was:
1. Write what you feel like that day, in any order. Worry about stitching it together later.
2. If something's working, run with it.
3. Write the scenes you feel passionate about. When you have a few that work, try to structure the book around them.
All that is fine up to a point, but I should also mention that I'm moving away from a strict "no outlining" policy. It can take the book to some interesting places, but you burn a lot of pages to get there. I threw away something like 250,000 words for Mount Char, and a similar number for the one I'm working on now. It's exhausting. There's got to be a more efficient way.
Another couple of tips:
1. Read "how to write" books. Some are better than others, but they all have something useful.
2. Make time to write every day.
3. If you can, go to workshops. I always find them hugely valuable.
Good luck!
Scott
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