The Captain's Blog: Blog Hop. My Writing Process

Today on the Captain's Blog I am participating in a blog hop. I was tagged by Jenny Burnley @JennyBurnley1. Her blog is here:

http://www.jennyburnley.co.uk/bloghop

I then tagged Michael Cairns @cairnswrites. His tagged blog is here:

http://cairnswrites.com/category/auth...

I was asked to answer four questions about my writing. So here goes...

1: What am I working on?

I usually like to work on a couple of things at once, that way I don't get bored with one project. So currently I'm editing Unity Book One and polishing up the cover. I'm also putting the finishing touches to a slightly extended edition of Josiah Trenchard 2: Morgenstern. This will bring the word length in line with parts 1, 3 and 4. I don't know why it ended up being shorter, it just did. Anyway, the re-write will cure that. Plus I've started working out the plot for JT 5: Arkhangelsk, but more of that later...

2: How does my work differ from others in my genre?

That's hard to answer. I guess I try to be original? That's very hard to do when writing science fiction. It's very easy to fall back onto stereotypes. So for example, when I created the Space Navy, I decided to base it upon the British Royal Navy, rather than the American version or the Marines. I spent a lot of time researching how the RN rank structure works, what life aboard a submarine is like. It's these little details that make or break a story for me. Inevitably some militaria from other services around the world creeps into my work, but that's inevitable. Military experts would probably pick holes in my books. But the point is that I've tried to be different.

The other way my work is different is that I've tried to include as many different races, creeds, colours and even regional personalities as possible. For example, a couple of my characters are Geordies (from the North East of the UK). There are so many different regions in the UK, different accents and cultural differences, it seems wrong not to delve deeply into them. Traditionally, the British military would recruit from all over the UK. There would even be specialist regiments, Scottish, Welsh, Northumbrian. So why not have the same thing in science fiction? A friend of mine often refers to my work as "Geordies in Space", which is a direct reference to the Muppets "Pigs in Space". It's a little glib, but it does exemplify what my books are about. Apart from Dave Lister in Red Dwarf, I can't think of any other famous Scousers in space? Can you? I can't think of any Geordies in popular science fiction and Geordie La Forge doesn't count!

3: Why do I write what I do?

I was always creative, even from being a child when I would make models out of cereal packets and draw. I did Art and Design right through school and into University. Then I had a ten year career working in the Animation industry as a prop and set maker and finally Art Director on Bob the Builder. Then through a series of events that I won't go into here, I became a gardener. Gardening is a great job, if a little wet at times. I did it for many years without any problems and then gradually I became aware of a hole in my life. I didn't do anything artistic any more. I didn't paint, draw, make models or write. I felt I was missing something important.

I had some stories left over from my university days that I had developed into TV scripts when I was working on Bob the Builder. I desperately needed an artistic outlet. I had been thinking about trying to write them as novels, so I wrote a book called "Unity" and then looked into publishing the traditional way, which is hard. Then a friend suggested self publishing on Amazon and here I am.

The point is that I needed to do something artistic like I need to breathe. I love to write and I build models for the covers and Photoshop them. Even if I never make much money in the self publishing game I will still create the books. I do this because I have to, because I need to. It completes me. I love what I do and I think that shines through in my work.

4: How does my writing process work?

I have a huge story arc / time line for my science fiction universe printed onto several sheets of A4 paper and stuck to the back of my wardrobe doors. This covers major events and gives an overview of the whole series plot. This is broken down into two streams which follow the two book series that I am currently working on, Unity and Josiah Trenchard. I have an idea for a third and possibly fourth which would take place within the same story arc.

Each book then takes place within a set time within that arc and will revolve around key events. The next thing I do is come up with a basic theme for that particular book, for example, zombies, Frankenstein's monster or a space battle. My next Josiah Trenchard book is primarily a huge space battle and I have taken my inspiration from a doomed World War Two merchant convoy that was trying to take supplies to Russia. Through a series of blunders, most of the convoy's protection fled and left the merchants to the mercy of the German fleet. Only a few merchant ships made it into safe harbour and that was mainly due to one very brave Captain. This story seemed to fit my gallant Captain Trenchard perfectly. The next book will also be Trenchard's "Wrath of Kahn". He will meet and battle an old adversary to the death!

The next thing I do is rough the book's story out using post-it notes on a wall. This makes it easy to move things around until I'm happy with the flow of the narrative. Next I begin to write. I like to keep the chapters short, around 3,000 words which equates to roughly six pages in Word. I write every morning before I go out gardening as I'm fresher then. You have to write every day and treat it like any other job, it's no good just writing when you feel like it, you'll get nothing written. Each morning I edit what I did the day before and then write something new.

Eventually I will have a rough draft. I return to the start and begin to edit. Then I edit all over again. Once I'm happy with the rough draft, I read the book to my wife, editing as I go. She comments on plot, characters and anything that doesn't seem to be right. She reads a great deal and has no truck with anything that a character "wouldn't do" or is too convenient. After she's heard my books read, we argue about the plot points and then I invariably go and do what she told me to anyway, after I've thought about it. She's usually right, but don't tell her that! After I've edited all her suggestions, which sometimes can mean a drastic re-write, I leave the book alone for a few weeks and work on something else.

The final stage is for her to read the book back to me, like listening to an audio book. This is important, I don't look at the screen, it's too distracting. I simply lie back and let the story flow by. I'm listening for how the dialogue sounds, does the action work? I can really tune the characters properly this way. Meanwhile my wife is proof reading as she goes, checking spelling, punctuation and grammar. Once that's done, the book is ready to publish.

Well, that my blog hop done. I hope you check out Jenny's and Michael's who I've tagged. There's lots of great independent authors out there. Go ahead and try a few!

Honour, strength and unity.

Jon.