Sorry, you must be a member of this group to do that.
Kathy Karch
asked
N.K. Jemisin:
Mine is a process question... sort of. As a writer, I sometimes struggle to remember that the book I pick up off the shelf isn't the author's first draft. It's not what fell out of the authors mind and onto the page. How different are your finished drafts from your first drafts, and have you developed a standardized revision process that you follow when you go back and start the process?
N.K. Jemisin
Yeah, 0th draft to final draft is wildly different. It's not a thing I can speak to briefly, however. I'll just say that it normally takes several months, and I enlist a lot of helpers along the way -- my writing group, beta readers, my editor. And you do have to be willing to scrap massive chunks of the story and write them over again, which is not fun, but which is sometimes what the story needs.
More Answered Questions
Jordan
asked
N.K. Jemisin:
Hi! Last year I took a feminist science fiction class where we read the Fifth Season. Your amazing, incredible writing has totally blown my mind and I’ve been reading all your books since that class. Do you have any advice for someone (me) that has more or less quit writing for the time being because of depression?
Vivek
asked
N.K. Jemisin:
Hello! I had read such amazing reviews abut your books that it became impossible not to read. And they were right! Read 'The Fifth Season', loved it and have started 'The Obelisk Gate'. Also, love your 'Far Sector' series from DC Comics. What drew you to that medium and would you want to explore more? Thank you! Wishing you a safe year ahead.
John
asked
N.K. Jemisin:
When you writing a novel, where do you start from? For instance, in the Inheritance trilogy, did you start by imagining the setting and then figuring out a story you could tell in it? Or did you start with the characters, and then you imagined the necessary setting for their story to be told? Or some other starting point? Or is this whole question too chicken-and-egg-y? Thanks
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more