David James
asked
Jonathan French:
I just finished reading The True Bastards and it was bittersweet. It's one of my favourite books that I've ever read and I didn't want it to end. What are some of your main influences when it comes to creating characters? Also, which authors are your main influences when it comes to writing? Keep up the fantastic work and I can't wait to see what you come out with next!
Jonathan French
David,
SO glad to hear you're enjoying the books. Thanks for the questions!
As a character-driven writer most of my process is creating/developing the cast of the books, so it's tough to narrow down specific influences. I try to layer them as much as I can, even if most of it doesn't land on the page it helps inform who they, how they react/speak, etc. The initial inspiration can come from anywhere. Claymaster, for instance, was inspired by a Reaper gaming miniature; this big, misshapen warrior covered in bandages,. He was initially called the Paymaster and was more of shadowy mercenary puppet master. As the world developed and the notion that the Bastards began as sappers hit the page I changed his name to Claymaster (plus, I really like comics and Clayface is a personal favorite villain in the Batman rogues gallery). And every character is, to varying degrees, distilled through the lens of a Spaghetti Western, so that shapes them a bit, too. In the end (hopefully) they all gain their own spark and gain more layers as they walk & talk. I also pull from people I've known or historical folks I've read about. Characters from film/TV, as well. Oats (originally named Wagon) was put in because of a desire to have a character similar to the character of Jayne Cobb from Firefly/Serenity. But I think ultimately he developed into something very different, which is great.
As for my writing influences, my main inspiration is Robert E Howard. In 2008 I read the Del Rey reprints of the Conan/Kull/Solomon Kane stories where they removed all the pastiche writers and got back to pure Howard. Something clicked while I was reading those and I went from a hobbyist writer to someone who wanted to make a go as a professional writer. While I can't claim to be anything like them in ability, I do enjoy: Elmore Leonard, Tanith Lee, Jesse Bullington, Jacqueline Carey, CJ Cherryh, Samuel Shellabarger, to name a few.
SO glad to hear you're enjoying the books. Thanks for the questions!
As a character-driven writer most of my process is creating/developing the cast of the books, so it's tough to narrow down specific influences. I try to layer them as much as I can, even if most of it doesn't land on the page it helps inform who they, how they react/speak, etc. The initial inspiration can come from anywhere. Claymaster, for instance, was inspired by a Reaper gaming miniature; this big, misshapen warrior covered in bandages,. He was initially called the Paymaster and was more of shadowy mercenary puppet master. As the world developed and the notion that the Bastards began as sappers hit the page I changed his name to Claymaster (plus, I really like comics and Clayface is a personal favorite villain in the Batman rogues gallery). And every character is, to varying degrees, distilled through the lens of a Spaghetti Western, so that shapes them a bit, too. In the end (hopefully) they all gain their own spark and gain more layers as they walk & talk. I also pull from people I've known or historical folks I've read about. Characters from film/TV, as well. Oats (originally named Wagon) was put in because of a desire to have a character similar to the character of Jayne Cobb from Firefly/Serenity. But I think ultimately he developed into something very different, which is great.
As for my writing influences, my main inspiration is Robert E Howard. In 2008 I read the Del Rey reprints of the Conan/Kull/Solomon Kane stories where they removed all the pastiche writers and got back to pure Howard. Something clicked while I was reading those and I went from a hobbyist writer to someone who wanted to make a go as a professional writer. While I can't claim to be anything like them in ability, I do enjoy: Elmore Leonard, Tanith Lee, Jesse Bullington, Jacqueline Carey, CJ Cherryh, Samuel Shellabarger, to name a few.
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Jan 06, 2021 01:09AM
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