Interview Yourself #3: My Writing Process
Hi, folks! Today, I’m continuing with a new, unique series of posts. In the coming weeks, I’m going to be interviewing myself using pre-written questions from other blog sites, starting with these from Lawrence Wray.
It’s going to be a lot of fun, and a great way for me to reveal a little bit more about myself, my writing and my habits. Are you ready? Good – let’s get started.
Do you write every day, 5 days a week or as and when?
I write as often as possible. I write something or other every day. Even when I’m on holiday, I take a notebook and keep a journal. I also write poems most days, and I try to do a little bit of work at the computer every evening.
Do you aim for a set amount of words/pages per day?
I aim to write an average of 1,000 words per day on my WIP (work in progress), but I also keep a journal and run my book blog on top of that.
Do you write on a typewriter, computer, dictate or longhand?
I mostly write at a computer, although I write my journal by hand and also carry a notebook around. Most of my poems are written by hand, and I wrote my first few books by hand until I realised it took literally three or four times longer to finish them.
Where do the your ideas come from?
It’s hard to say – they usually start as a little spark and then grow and evolve over time. A fair few of them have been developed off the back of dreams that I had, or little thoughts that whizzed through my head while I was lying in bed. Sometimes I write them down, but most of the time I assume that if I still remember the ideas in the morning, it was a good idea.
Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer just see where an idea takes you?
I have an outline and some rough character profiles, but I tend to change the story line as I’m writing it. Sometimes, the changes are minor. Sometimes they’re not.
Dane Cobain
How do you think you’ve evolved creatively?
Funnily enough, I recently wrote a guest blog for another site about the evolution of my writing and you can read it right here. But overall, I think I’ve matured and improved over the years. Practice makes perfect and all that.
What is the hardest thing about writing?
Getting people to buy your books once you’ve finished them. Unless you have a major deal with one of the big publishers, convincing readers to actually *buy* your books is always going to be one of the hardest things. There’s so much choice on the market that it’s difficult to cut through the noise.
What was the hardest thing about writing your latest book?
I can’t think of anything, really. I’ve written 40,000 words in a month and really enjoyed the process. It’s been easy. It’ll probably come back down to getting people to read it once it’s on the market.
What is the easiest thing about writing?
The writing itself. It’s fun, and it feels a lot like scratching an itch. As long as I have a computer and some time to do it, I’ll write.
How long on average does it take you to write a book?
It’s difficult to answer this one. Former.ly took three years, Eyes Like Lighthouses was written over the period of a couple of years, and No Rest for the Wicked had a gap of about five years between writing and publication. My current work in progress should take less than three months from start to finish. On average? It used to be a couple of years and that’s now down to three months.
Dane Cobain – Come On Up to the House
So there we have it – that’s the latest instalment of Interview Yourself over and done with! Thanks, as always, for reading, and be sure to keep your browser pointed to DaneCobain.com. You can also sign up to my mailing list, follow me on Facebook and Twitter or check out my books for further info. I’ll see you soon!
