Haley Victoria
asked
Stuart Turton:
"The Devil and The Dark Water" was easily my favorite read of 2020. It made me want to read everything you publish. I wanted to know more about your process. How do the ideas hit you and what are some first steps when you begin your research project?
Stuart Turton
Hugely kind! My process is a bit weird. I have tons of ideas, more than I’ll ever have time to write, so it’s about finding the one that excites me in the moment. Once I’ve honed in on that, I start thinking about the murder - who died, how, why? Answering those questions usually creates the other characters. From that I plan the book out and start writing. I usually write a long draft 130k, which gets tossed away. I’ll keep maybe 10% of it, then start again. The second draft will be 50% there, and then I’ll go again. I keep doing that until I’ve got a book. That goes to my publisher who helps me refine it into the novel you read. The entire process takes 2-3 years and every step of it is utter hell.
More Answered Questions
Dustin Hill
asked
Stuart Turton:
I've not been so engrossed in a book in such a long time and really wish I could read it again for the first time. I loved it and recommended it to many others. Obviously, I eagerly await more of your work. I found your novel to be an extremely clever mix of Agatha Christie, Groundhogs Day and Quantum Leap. I expected Aiden to say "Oh boy..." at the beginning of every new day. Great work! Please don't stop... ?
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