Steve Bal4
asked
Peter Derk:
I just read your books, Ghost Dick, and The Heist-iest Heist Ever Heisted, and they where absolutely hilarious; I have never laughed that hard reading books in my life. Sublime dumb-funny at its best. I'm curious about your process: how much of what you write just spews fully-formed onto the page vs. what you may have to massage into shape via editing afterwards?
Peter Derk
Hi Steve!
First, thanks!
Well, my process works like this:
I'll have a general idea where I'm headed, like "Heist Story," then I'll start writing. I take a lot of different paths and go down some rabbit holes, and once I've got the story wrapped, I'll edit out some parts that are just too long, don't really go anywhere, or maybe don't fit that particular story.
But for the most part, I make it up as I go.
What's weird about how I do things is that I might write my way into an idea. For example, in The Heist-est Heist Ever Heisted, the idea of editor's notes being a part of it came when I was maybe half-way through. So then, after I finished the first draft, I had to go back and add editor's notes in nearer the beginning as well.
I guess I see the whole thing as fun, and if I'm not having fun, I doubt a reader will have any. So I'll do some things I have planned out, but I leave a lot of room for surprises as well.
That said, I'm a relentless editor. I'd guess most things I write, I edit them 10 times all the way through, just to get them the way I like.
So the short answer is: both! A lot of what goes down on paper in that first draft ends up in the final draft, but a lot of further shaping goes down as well.
First, thanks!
Well, my process works like this:
I'll have a general idea where I'm headed, like "Heist Story," then I'll start writing. I take a lot of different paths and go down some rabbit holes, and once I've got the story wrapped, I'll edit out some parts that are just too long, don't really go anywhere, or maybe don't fit that particular story.
But for the most part, I make it up as I go.
What's weird about how I do things is that I might write my way into an idea. For example, in The Heist-est Heist Ever Heisted, the idea of editor's notes being a part of it came when I was maybe half-way through. So then, after I finished the first draft, I had to go back and add editor's notes in nearer the beginning as well.
I guess I see the whole thing as fun, and if I'm not having fun, I doubt a reader will have any. So I'll do some things I have planned out, but I leave a lot of room for surprises as well.
That said, I'm a relentless editor. I'd guess most things I write, I edit them 10 times all the way through, just to get them the way I like.
So the short answer is: both! A lot of what goes down on paper in that first draft ends up in the final draft, but a lot of further shaping goes down as well.
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