Patrick Sullivan
asked
Scott Hawkins:
How long did it take you to complete this story? It's extremely well put together and an amazing debut novel. It's one of the most enjoyable reading experiences I've ever had.
Scott Hawkins
The bulk of the writing that made it into the published version was done in about three or four months. There were maybe six months of "stare at the screen until drops of blood form on your forehead" leading up to that, which included a LOT of false starts. There are maybe 2-3 times as many pages on the cutting room floor as ended up in the book. Sometimes it takes me a while to figure out the right way to approach a scene, so I do alternate versions. Others were just boring--I had a couple pages of Erwin in Afghanistan that didn't work, a big long speech about Buddhism from Steve (yawn), and a flashback of Father coming into power that I could never make work.
Once I had the first draft, I gave it to my wife. She loved the first 2/3, but straight up hated the ending. She literally thwapped me on the head with the last third of the manuscript. If you're wondering, the original version had a lot more to do with something called the black folio, which is mentioned only in passing, around page 370. So I rewrote that completely, which took maybe three months.
Beyond that, there were a couple months of polishing and soliciting feedback from my writer buddies.
Once I got an agent, there was a medium sized rewrite, mostly to tone down the ghastliness. We actually negotiated what percentage Margaret's maggots would be reduced, toned down the bull scene (yes, it used to be worse), and a couple other things.
Once the book sold, I went through...hmmm....I think three rounds of content editing. Maybe four, but the last one was small. This was stuff like "make the first part of the book less confusing" and "can you tone that bull scene down a bit?" :-)
Last but not least, we did copy editing. That's where you learn how little you actually understand about English grammar. Also the copy editors do things like reconcile inconsistent spelling and make sure that the names of minor characters are used consistently.
Start to finish? About two years. But a lot of it was waiting on feedback, or staring at a blank screen and trying to think of something to say.
Once I had the first draft, I gave it to my wife. She loved the first 2/3, but straight up hated the ending. She literally thwapped me on the head with the last third of the manuscript. If you're wondering, the original version had a lot more to do with something called the black folio, which is mentioned only in passing, around page 370. So I rewrote that completely, which took maybe three months.
Beyond that, there were a couple months of polishing and soliciting feedback from my writer buddies.
Once I got an agent, there was a medium sized rewrite, mostly to tone down the ghastliness. We actually negotiated what percentage Margaret's maggots would be reduced, toned down the bull scene (yes, it used to be worse), and a couple other things.
Once the book sold, I went through...hmmm....I think three rounds of content editing. Maybe four, but the last one was small. This was stuff like "make the first part of the book less confusing" and "can you tone that bull scene down a bit?" :-)
Last but not least, we did copy editing. That's where you learn how little you actually understand about English grammar. Also the copy editors do things like reconcile inconsistent spelling and make sure that the names of minor characters are used consistently.
Start to finish? About two years. But a lot of it was waiting on feedback, or staring at a blank screen and trying to think of something to say.
More Answered Questions
Michael
asked
Scott Hawkins:
Scott, I loved this book. The ideas were original in a way I haven't seen in awhile and the characters were great. For some odd reason, whenever I was reading 'Erwin', I couldn't help but here him with Sam Elliott's voice. A little crazy, huh? So... you have to be thinking about a sequel, yes? Carolyn has some serious unfinished to deal with and I'm sure Erwin could handle being her American advisor, right?
Naomi
asked
Scott Hawkins:
Hey. i firstly just wanted to say how much I loved your book. I read it months ago and I still can't get it out of my head. Thank you for creating an epic, completely original, fascinating story. I'm waiting impatiently for any other writing by you. Also, were you ever nervous about how some aspects (the more brutal and gruesome bits) of the book would be received by the readers?
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Jul 28, 2015 03:09PM · flag
Jul 28, 2015 04:44PM · flag