Q&A with Sherry Ramsey discussion
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Sherry D.
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Dec 10, 2013 11:48AM
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Sherry, I am fascinated by the subprocesses of creativity...did your creative inspiration for this book arrive more or less all at once, or did it come to you more gradually? If gradually, do your insights build on one another or reveal themselves piecemeal? I've been asking this question a fair bit lately, to try to make sense of my own process.
Hi Sherry! I just remembered a question I didn't ask you in our interview: what kind of music do you listen to, typically, when you write?
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Wow, questions already! I might as well go ahead and start answering. :) I have to admit that it's ten years since I wrote the first draft of One's Aspect to the Sun, so my memory might be a bit fuzzy. However, I know the initial creative inspiration was the way we say to people we haven't seen in a while "you haven't changed a bit!"...and wondering, what if that were really true? Not aging sounds wonderful, but what problems would come with it? That's what interested me initially about the character.
I'm very much a discovery writer, so after that initial spark, I know I did a minimum of actual story planning. :) I fleshed out the cast of characters (one of whom I initially thought would die early on, but he had other plans) and spent some time on the mechanics of travel and the "world" of Nearspace. But then I just started to write. I write fast first drafts (generally during NaNoWriMo) and my method is to start in and hope for the best!
I do often write a lot of longhand or typed notes to myself, usually a series of questions and answers, that help me work out where the story is going and how it's going to get there. I might do this at any point during the process, not necessarily at the beginning. It's nothing I would call an "outline", just working notes. I like to say I don't need a map, just directions from the guy at the gas station. :)
Now, when it comes to revision, I have to be more structured and think things through a lot more. But I think revision is an entirely different process, so that makes sense to me.
Does that answer the question?
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Hi Patricia! The answer is easy: soundtracks! Music with lyrics is too distracting when I'm writing, but instrumental music is wonderful. I love George Winston's piano music, and I particularly like soundtracks from movies, tv shows, or video games that are thematically related to what I'm writing, but that's not necessary. Sometimes a soundtrack just seems to suit the mood.
My particular favorites right now are Firefly, Halo and Halo Reach, Battlestar Galactica, and my absolute favorite, Assassin's Creed II. I have quite a stack of CD's that I pull from, though.
Hi Sherry...just popping in to say hi as a fellow Tyche author.I have only just unscrambled a problem I've with Goodreads for some years and have a lot to catch up but I intend to keep watching you and Krista here.
Chris H.
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Hi Sherry. I was just wondering: has your work as an editor with Third Person Press changed you as a writer? And if so, how?
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Hi Katnick! Thanks for stopping by, and thanks for the question!
I think working as an editor has definitely taught me a lot about writing. One of the things that has amazed me when reading submissions is just how many different ways a story can go wrong. It might be a great idea, but the characters are flat. Or the characters are great, but they never really seem to do anything. Or the ending doesn't fit the story. Or there's too much inconsequential stuff at the beginning. Or, or, or... And because we (the three co-editors) always read and discuss the stories, I've had to learn how to articulate the problems I identify.
The learning process doesn't stop there, because then we often consider and discuss if/how the problems in a given story might be fixed. Then, because we take very seriously our mandate to give useful feedback to authors who submit to us, there's the experience of explaining our thoughts on the story to the writer, whether in a rewrite request or a rejection.
Of course it's not always easy to apply such lessons to one's own writing, but I think when you spend that much time looking at stories with a critical eye, it's bound to have a positive influence on your own writing. I find I often catch mistakes or missteps much earlier in the writing process, which is nice because it does make for cleaner first drafts.
The downside of working as an editor is that it's difficult to turn that critical eye off when reading for pleasure. :)
