Author Interview with Stuart Aken

Yes, I know it's an odd idea: to interview yourself. Butthere are a couple of reasons for this. Firstly, I've been interviewing authorson here for a little over a year now and thought it was time to give myself ataste of my own medicine and discover how easy or difficult it is to answerthese questions.Secondly, I'm away from the computer at present. Since Ilike to give my invited authors as much marketing and publicity as I can, butalso didn't want to starve my followers and visitors of an author interview, Idecided to interview myself. There won't be one next week, I'm revisiting pastinterviews on that Thursday, but they'll be back with a vengeance on 21 Julywith an excellent interview with none other than Susan Moody (aka SusanMadison). Miss it at your peril!
Hello Stuart, please tell us about you, as a writer.My bio is already on this site,so I won't bore you with it again. But, as a writer, I'm driven by compulsion.I must write, or I become even more difficult to live with and my healthsuffers. Fiction is my chosen field because I love to work with theimagination. Even in my early days, I told stories. And reading has been apassion since I was able to understand the written word. I've no particularfavourite genre; the stories come to me and choose their own route, generallyby the behaviour of the characters. People fascinate me: they are so variableand intriguing.Two main themes drive much of myfiction: justice and injustice in all its manifestations is one. The other isthe innate hypocrisy I find in most organised religion: religion has an amazingopportunity to enlighten, educate and improve the world, but almost inevitablyit divides, mistakes dogma for truth, and causes conflict wherever it sits withunreasoned passion.
Your novel, Breaking Faith, isa romantic thriller; perhaps you'd you give us some insight into it in a fewsentences.
As Faith stands shivering beforethe gates of the notorious Longhouse, she has to ask herself why she'scontemplating work with the man her father describes as the Devil's Henchman.Everything in her past warns her that this move may be dangerous. But that'sthe reason she applied for the job in the first place.
Leigh can't believe he's invitedthe local village idiot to interview as his Girl Friday. Her 'homeless' styleof dress hides any female attributes she might possess and she has thereputation of a simpleton. But, on the phone, she sounded warm and intelligent.The only cause for concern was the way his printing assistant, the woman-hatingMerv, might react to a woman working so close to him.
How did you come to write this particular book?
I love walking the countryside;it enriches life and invigorates the spirit. I was walking the steep hills ofthe Yorkshire Dales, many years ago, and visiting a slightly sinister naturalcollection of sink holes called the Buttertubs. Looking down in the dank, darkdepths of the largest of these, I was visited by the question, 'Suppose therewas the body of a young woman down there?' From that simple question the restof the book developed over a period of years. Much of the time, it lay at theback of my mind, absorbing the influences that daily came my way. But, when itwas ready to emerge, it did so more or less fully formed. Though, the originalhad different names for the characters and was told in the third person. Theidea to write it in the first person viewpoints of the two leading protagonistscame later.
Do you have a favourite character from the book? If so, who and whythis particular one?
Faith is definitely my favourite.She's an innocent; naïve through her isolated up-bringing. But she's alsonaturally clever and quick to learn. I loved her for that quality of a cleanslate on which her experiences of life could be written for readers to witness howthey made her grow and change.Of course, I really shouldidentify more with Leigh. I was a professional photographer for some time and I'veworked with models. But I was never the type of man he is, having always been aone woman man who understands that love is far more potent than mere sex in arelationship.
Where can people buy your books?
Breaking Faith, Ten Tales for Tomorrow (ananthology of speculative fiction), Ten Love Tales (ananthology of gentle love stories) and A Sackful of Shorts (acollection of short stories I edited for my writing group of professionalwriters) can all be bought through Smashwordsas ebooks in any format, by clicking on the link for each title above.
Breaking Faith, as a paperbackand for Kindle, and the other books for Kindle can all be bought herefor UK  and here,for USA and rest of the world.
In addition, Breaking Faith, as apaperback, can be ordered from most retailers, using the ISBN978-1-84923-314-9. And, should you live in the East Riding of Yorkshire, it'savailable in all your local libraries to borrow.
What qualities does a writer need to be successful?The hide of a rhino, to shrug offthe inevitable rejections; the perseverance of Hercules, to continue puttingdown words and writing stories even when no one seems to be listening; theability to get under the skin of every living person from innocent child towhore, from dying woman to world's greatest and most brutal bully; and acompulsion to write that's so deep that you feel incomplete on those days whenno words have been written.
What's your working method?
When I'm in a really good spell,I write the creative stuff in the mornings, as my imagination is more active then.I edit the current work in progress in the afternoons. Emails, blog posts,group participation, and other writing duties have to take their turn in theevenings. My stories all begin withcharacters and I do a full page profile of all named characters, using apicture,  as I find it easier to hang personalityon an individual I can actually see. Once I have my protagonists andantagonists, I weave a fairly loose web of story threads in which to involvethem. I always know my theme before I start and rarely write down the storydetails beyond a very vague framework. I allow the idea to develop in mysubconscious until the characters emerge from hiding. That's when I start toactually write. I never look back at the day's writing, unless I can't recall aparticular detail that's essential to some part I'm writing the following day.Only when the whole story is down on paper (or the screen, since I write on acomputer keyboard always: my handwriting is worthy of any doctor) only then doI think of editing. And I leave the created piece alone for at least a monthbefore I start on the editing process. That is a thorough process, which canoften take longer than the original writing.
What's the single biggest mistake made by beginner writers?
I'm going to be honest, andtherefore unpopular. The biggest mistake made by many wannabes is to think theycan write just because they have a keyboard available. Writing is a craft,sometimes merged with art, always combined with imagination. It requires aminimum level of facility with language, an understanding of the rules ofgrammar and spelling, which many people seem either incapable of achieving ortoo lazy or arrogant to bother to acquire. Sorry, but I've read too many booksthat have been poorly written to encourage even more onto the overstockedmarket, thereby diluting the overall quality.But, if a writer has the compulsionand the dedication to learn the rules and understand the medium, then thebiggest mistake is to expect instant success and allow early discouragements todissuade them from continuing.
To what extent are grammar and spelling important in writing?
Utterly essential. Words andgrammar are the writer's tools. It would never occur to an untrained, orunskilled man or woman to rewire their house without finding out howelectricity works. The same goes for writing: if you don't know the rules,learn them BEFORE you put anything out there for the public to read, please.There are plenty of peer review sites on the web, where you can go to haveothers read and comment on your early work. Poor spelling and grammar canrender the meaning of a piece the exact opposite of the intention. Writing iscommunication, and whilst it's true that language is organic and changeable andcan be manipulated, it really does matter that the writer knows how to say whathe or she desires to say. I will now descend from my hobby horse.
How much do you revise your MS before sending it off?
3 million times. Okay, so there'sa touch of hyperbole there. I usually start by reading the piece as a reader,rather than a writer. Then I apply essential description that's been omitted inthe heat of creativity. I reduce or remove passages where little or nothinghappens. 'Telling' is changed to 'showing', where appropriate. Then I check forconsistency of settings, characters, events, etc. Next, I look for spelling,grammatical and syntactical errors and only then read the whole piece aloud.Any clumsy sentences or difficult passages revealed by this essential part ofthe process are then dealt with. I then ask my angelic and patient wife to readthe chapters as I print them off. She has an eagle eye for spelling andgrammatical errors and spots inconsistency with ease; she is also honest enoughto tell me where she feels the story flags or fails to make the point intended.At this stage, I usually subject my writing group to several passages to gaugetheir response. Then it's time to get the whole MS printed and out there forpublication via whatever route seems sensible.
As a writer of different genres, to what extent do you think genre isuseful in the publishing world?
I hate to be stuck into some sortof box, along with other works supposedly similar. But I understand thatreaders, libraries, bookshops and publishers need to classify work in some wayand I can't come up with anything better. So, I put up with an imperfect systemin the same way as most of us put up with the imperfections of the governmentsystem called 'democracy': it's the best of the available evils.
Many authors see marketing as a bind. What's your opinion on this, andhow do you deal with it?
In common with most writers, I'dmuch rather be writing than selling my wares. There was a time when publishersemployed staff to do this and the author was expected to do only a small amountof publicity work so that the next book could be written. Unfortunately, sincethe advent of the ghost-written celebrity novel, the celebrity book of liescalled 'autobiography' and the celebrity book of opportunity, publishers seemto have fallen into the trap of thinking that authors are the best people tosell their books. They aren't. Most writers are shy and do not speak well inpublic; that's why they put their words into written form.But, it's a task that must be undertakenand I do what I must and do it as well and as professionally as I am able. AndI loathe every minute spent on marketing when I could be writing.
What sort of displacement activities keep you from writing?
My part time day job eats into mywriting time, but in common with the majority of writers, I have to earn aliving from other sources. Beyond that, I'm involved in many writing orientatedgroups online and I produce this blog; the daily posts take up time, as do theinterviews. The time I spend with my wife and daughter is separate and I don'tview that as something that keeps me from writing. But I also tire rathereasily, due to my health, and that requires me to rest at fairly frequentintervals.
What support, if any, do you receive from family and friends, or awriting group?
My wife is amazingly supportive; apartfrom feeding and caring for me, she reads and checks everything I write, andinvolves herself in other activities like book signings for friends. Kate, inspite of her teenage needs, understands when I need to be left alone to get onwith things. My writing group, Hornsea Writers, is composed of professionalwriters and we meet weekly to expose our work to one another and receiveforthright but positive criticism. Their encouragement is always present.
Is presentation of the MS as important as agents and publisherssuggest?
If a piece of work is to be sentto a publisher, agent or editor, it had better be as good as it's possible tomake it. Anything less is an insult to the professionals approached and tothose who might become readers of the work. It is even more important if thework is to be self-published; there are no checks and balances there, beyondthe skill, honesty and integrity of the author.
How long does it take you to write a novel?
All my life. I'll expand on that.Everything a writer writes is, to some extent, informed by that author's lifeto that point. But if we're talking about the mechanics, then it depends on thecircumstances of my life at the time. Breaking Faith took around 18 months towrite but it has gone through various different manifestations and the basicidea for the novel came to me many years ago. On the other hand, I haverecently finished the second volume of a proposed epic fantasy trilogy. Thefirst draft, which runs to 200,557 words, took about 3 months to write. It'lltake at least that long to edit and possibly longer. Just before I started onthis interview, I wrote a piece of flash fiction (500 words), which took abouttwenty minutes. I've yet to discover how long it will be before that piece isfit to be read.
Who or what inspires your writing?
Inspiration comes from manysources and there's no single author I can point to as a focus for anyparticular piece of writing I've completed. However, I have a particularempathy with the work of William Horwood. I'm visited by ideas at any time, soI keep notebooks all over the house. I have four in total; all Moleskines, andall rewards for letters published in the British writing magazine, Writers'Forum. Each has a dedicated pen, so I can jot down an idea as soon as it comesto me. Long experience has taught me that putting off the recording of any ideais a sure way of forgetting it.
If there's a single aspect of writing you find frustrating, what is it?
I love writing. But I really dofind the marketing aspect a pain and a bore. I'm no salesman (though I did workfor a year as a company representative and I've also managed a retail shop, soI have some experience of such things).
Is there a particular feature of writing that you really enjoy?
I love the creative phase.Getting down the story and developing the characters along the way is what mostexcites me. But I enjoy the editing process as well; there's somethingparticularly satisfying about creating a sentence that says exactly what you intend.Perhaps I should try some poetry…
Do you believe creative writing is a natural gift or an acquired skill?
I think the ability to tell goodstories in an entertaining fashion is probably a gift. But I believe that thedevelopment of that gift into something that will produce work of a qualityacceptable to the world of publication is an acquired skill.
What are you writing now?
I've just finished the firstdraft of the second volume of an epic fantasy trilogy. I need to edit that,once I've had a break from it. So, I'll write some short stories and may try myhand at another romance novel; something different from the fantasy to createwhilst I complete the edit.
Do you have a website or blog where readers can visit?
I run this blog, of course. Mywebsite – the link is at the top of the page – is full of links to varioussites of interest to readers and writers as well as carrying some of my shortstories and samples from the novel, Breaking Faith, and my other books.
Given unlimited resources, where would you do your writing?
By the sea. The sea is in my blood;my natural father was a sailor and my mother's father worked on the docks inHull. So, I'd love to write from a house on a solid cliff top, in a warmclimate, with the sea accessible below and visible from the window, as I satbehind an antique desk in a study lined with books and fine works of art.
Where do you actually write?
At a modern desk in a tiny room,with books either side and the window behind me; it looks out on the fence thatdivides the house from the one next door, so nothing to view there anyway.Music plays to hide other extraneous sound and the map for my epic fantasyhangs on the back of the door so I can consult it easily when necessary.
Review Links:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8978414-breaking-faithhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/1849233144/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

Next week, no author interview,but I'll revisit those from the past, so you can check out those you've missedalong the way.