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
Leslie Gay
asked
Scott Hawkins:
Thank you so much - your response and my correct guess made my day! Sidebar, after I'd already submitted my question, I had a thunderclap moment - given Father could send David back in time, I thought OR Roanoke Colony! (of course, one of the other Librarians dealt with the bodies/skeletons - Margaret?) :) Thank you again! -Leslie
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