Q and A with author M T McGuire

[Jason]

Hello MT,

Out of the works you've published so far, what is your favorite sentence that you've written?

Jason

[M.T.]

Ignite wrote: "It must be hard to fit forum chatter into precious writing time - do you find it beneficial and what's the balance/trade-off for time spent engaging with readers/potential readers and actually getting on with the work."

Hello there Ignite!

Sorry, I don't know how I missed your post in my last lot of answers.

If I had any meaningful time to write gossiping on forums would be an issue. I appreciate this sounds like an oxymoron but while I can spend 10 minutes checking and replying to the light banter of my fellow forum users. To write, I need a good length of guaranteed time - with silence, and space to think and concentrate - if I want to produce anything meaningful.

On the Mum days, I might get a rare hour's peace but most likely I will be pestered approximately every 30 seconds by a small cherubic child whose idea of 'sitting quiet' is to behave like a hyper-active wasp in a bottle.

So on the whole, on writing days I will check the forums in the morning, pop in for five minutes if I want a break and check them again when I get back from the school run.

On non writing days, if we're at home, I'll check them far more regularly than that because I don't need the same nuclear powered concentration levels to trade silly jokes. I can also do it between, or even during, games. AND I get to have a lovely day with my boy but slip in the odd conversation with virtual grown ups at the same time. So the time I invest in them actaully helps to keep me stable and in touch with my writing, even when I'm not actually doing any.

So the rather long winded answer is that, forums are easy because they do me the power of good connecting me with the people who have/are likely to read my books. It's also great to hook up with other writers and compare notes - writing is a solitary profession. Even better, because the times I visit them are the occasions when I couldn't be writing even if I wanted to, I don't have to feel one jot of guilt.

As for effectiveness. Well, the fact you liked the things I wrote enough to buy my books proves that it is worth investing some time in them.

BUT I have to be realistic. Forums are a bit like the Adamsian (Douglas Adamsian) rule of finding things. You will never find what you are looking for, only the thing you were tearing the place apart to locate last week.

So the golden rules for Authors are...

1. Never visit a forum to sell your book. Go there because it looks interesting and you want to talk to people. Strangely if you approach it as a purely social exercise you will probably sell a lot more books and get a lot more out of it. Rude authors barging into conversations about other topics and banging on about their books don't help anyone. Indeed they got us all banned from the Amazon forums...

2. Like any conversation you walk in on, I find it's worth listening before I jump in. Often, an interesting post with 300 replies will have wandered many miles from the original topic. So I try not to just leap in and answer it without checking what everyone is talking about the other end. If it has wandered it's prudent read up what's being discussed before saying anything.

3. If there are places where you're allowed to bang on about your book, it's always worth doing so.

However, it's worth remembering that people are very weary of the hard sell. So the kinds of posts that start with something like "Gritty, hard-hitting best selling..." ack. These kinds of plugs usually go on to tell you how brilliant the book is and how much you'll like it. This must get people's backs up straight away because the author is implying that readers don't have the wit or intellitence to decide whether a book is good on their own. A bit pompous and condescending I always think.

Usually this kind of plug goes on to tell you how much the people who've reviewed the book loved it and then about 1000 words later, when you're losing the will to live, they may give a synopsis.

Now, I'm no expert at this but it strikes me that a book plug is more of an elevator pitch than a seminar. So I think it's probably wise to keep it short. It strikes me that people are more likely to want a glimmpse of how reading the book might be. Not an excerpt necessarily but I always reckon that a synopsis is good - something short and pithy and written as closely as possible to the style the book is written in. And then something pleasant about the plugee, thanking them for reading, or similar but done in a way that marks the author out as polite and charming or unbelievably witty and funny. Please don't go and look at my plugs for an example of this. I have no idea how to do it, I just think that if I could do it like that, it would be a good idea.

4. This is a soft sell approach and as such it takes a long, long time. As Yoda said, 'Patience.'

A final word about effectiveness. If an author is lucky, they might bump into somebody on a forum who is not another author, who really likes their stuff and starts telling other people about it in all the places where the author isn't allowed to. If such a golden soul happens upon your books and likes them they will increase your book sales exponantially.

Cheers

MTM

[M.T.]

Jason wrote: "Hello MT,

Out of the works you've published so far, what is your favorite sentence that you've written?

Jason"

Jason that's a cracking question and one that I have no clue how to answer. It's also made me realise how much of my writing is conversation. I quite like this one.

"With mumbled see-you-laters and nervous glances upwards they went swiftly about their business, presumably to avoid being spattered with any of the parrot’s."

And in book 1... The Pan of Hamgee's internal dialogue as he's rationalising why he is shaking.

"He told himself that this was because he was soaked to the skin, not because he was absolutely petrified and definitely not because he was standing on the edge of a harbour, up to his knees in a box of quickly drying, quick-drying cement with the prospect of a short swim in the River Dang – most probably downwards."

Oh dear. Nothing particularly remarkable... I'm hoping the effects of lots of sentences like that, in succession are accumulative.

[carol]

Hi MTM
Just here to ensure you recall how wicked your life must have been at times....based on that premise...no rest for the wicked...with yet another question.
Do you ever, or often, have to go back and alter story plot based upon things you want to add and or introduce?
;-)

[Jason]

M wrote: "Jason wrote: "Hello MT,

Out of the works you've published so far, what is your favorite sentence that you've written?

Jason"

Jason that's a cracking question and one that I have no clue how to a..."

Thank you. Both are excellent!

[M.T.]

Jason wrote: "Thank you. Both are excellent!"

Glad you liked them. Good question - it really made me think.

Cheers

MTM

[M.T.]

Carol wrote: "Hi MTM
Do you ever, or often, have to go back and alter story plot based upon things you want to add and or introduce?"

Blimey a cracker there, too.

Hmm. Well, I have always worked on the premise that if it's published it's truth and I can't change it... are you listening George Lucas? Because as far as I'm concerned it's CHEATING! Mwa ha ha haharrgh!

However, I have no doubt that, when the entire Trilogy is complete I will have to go through the first two books with a fine toothcomb to ensure that there are no plot anomalies or continuity errors before I release book three. I might also have to go back and clarify the odd thing, but nothing more than a sentence here and there.

So as an example, there are different factions among the bad guys in the trilogy. The army regiments are loyal to the State and the Imperial Guard less so. The differences between the two are outlined clearly enough in book 2 but although the idea of rival factions was in my head, numb nuts here said nothing about them in book 1. At the time I didn't see the need but looking at it, I'm sure such a difference would be known and mentioned by The Pan and Big Merv...

So yes, I will definitely be going back and clearing up that kind of stuff but I certainly won't be making any major alterations to the plot.

I hope that answers your question.

Cheers

MTM

Edited: to change the word 'plog' to plot. Although 'plog' is such a fantastic word I was tempted not to.

[carol]

Cheers MTM...yes..as you probably know I find it part of my editing role as would your editor especially where books are in series as in eg trilogies and more there are the more needs checking too.
Enjoy the remains of Sunday! :)

[M.T.]

Carol wrote: "Cheers MTM...yes..as you probably know I find it part of my editing role as would your editor especially where books are in series as in eg trilogies and more there are the more needs checking too...."

Very true and enjoy your Sunday as well - currently watching McOther shelter a half lit bar-b-queue with a golf umbrella while it pours with rain... although the sun's out. Sigh.

Cheers

MTM

[Will]

Hi MTM,

do you ever get a serious Block, and if so what do you do to break it?

[M.T.]

Will wrote: "Hi MTM,

do you ever get a serious Block, and if so what do you do to break it?"

Balls, I've just spent half an hour replying to your comment and bloody goodreads has lost it. Didn't even let me do the back button.

So rant-ette aside. Yes, I do. About one third into any book I always get stuck. I think there are three reasons for this.

1. The plot is going in the wrong direction because I don't know all of the characters well enough and although I don't realise what is wrong my subconscious does and powers down my mojo. There is no solution to this other than waiting until my subconscious sorts it out and presents me with a solution. Which is does given time. This is why I couldn't handle a pukka publishing contract right now.

2. I'm in denial because I've written something I really like but which doesn't fit. I agonised over a scene in book 2 where Lord Vernon phones directory enquiries. It was some of the funniest stuff I'd written at the time but putting it in meant breaking the entire plot so although it nearly broke my heart I had to leave it out.

3. Real Life is too intense and there is nothing left for writing - there have been a couple of times when there has just been no room, usually if I'm going through the mill a bit emotionally. I've had to stop writing for a few months, before now, because my mind couldn't even be arsed to wander.

4. I haven't fed my imagination properly - yes, always look after your pets. It's all very well writing but if I want to get stuff out of my imagination, I have to put stuff in; music, film, other books, art etc. If I am very strapped for time and I've spent every free moment writing then, like a sponge, I get a brain that's had everything squeezed out of it and the only way to kick start things is to stop writing for a while and watch, read, look and listen...

OK, how do I break it? Well usually I do something like draw awful pictures of the characters to post on facebook, of I brief the designers about the cover for the next one or I make merchandise and put it on www.zazzle.co.uk/drawnbyhand* - actually don't tell anyone but I make much more money from that than selling books.

And thus it is, that once I have ignored the block for long enough, it goes away. Phnark. Very British.

So Will, I happen to know you're a writer - The Banned Underground and the Mystic Accountants - and you have a publishing deal, which means you have to produce a book every 6 months. OK so I might be a bit more productive when McMini is a little older but that's a sod of a lot more than I could do now so I'm interested, do you get stuck ever and if so, what's your solution?

Cheers

MTM

[Will]

Look, we get to ask the questions here. You are the one being grilled. So shut up and answer. (Er?)

You talk of your plot going in the wrong direction - so how much of it have you plotted in advance? Most of it? All of it? Or just the basic outlines?

[M.T.]

Will wrote: "Look, we get to ask the questions here. You are the one being grilled. So shut up and answer. (Er?)

You talk of your plot going in the wrong direction - so how much of it have you plotted in adv..."

You big smecker.

OK, in answer to your question, not that much.

So... with the K'Barthan Trilogy, I knew what happened at the beginning, I had a vague idea of the politics and the romance and I knew what happened in the last scene of book 3. So I sat down and started writing towards it. I must confess that once I got to Book 2 I had very little to go on.

I did plan a bit more in that I decided certain scenes were in, which I then wrote, but the whole Nigel plot strand was because I'd written the restaurant scene about five years ago (badly, I had to rewrite it) but I liked Lucy's line about redecorating in red with Nigel providing the paint and yeh, I wrote an whole extra 50,000 words to jemmy that joke in.

So I think the answer to that question is that I had the basic outline. I did plan book 2 much more before I started writing but it was still quite a seat of the pants experience.

Once I've written the stuff I know is happening in Book 3 I'll see how much planning I need to do for the rest of it but I do sketch out the scenes in a notebook before I write them up and that seems to help keep the focus.

Hmmm... Looking at this post, the answer, whatever I've actually said, is clearly a no.

Cheers

MTM

[M.T.]

NYKen wrote: "Hi MT. Thanks for your time here at Q & A. Your answers have been both fun and informative. Thanks for giving us a peek at your writ..."

Hello again, Ken.

I am just off to bed, once again Blighty time has cut me off BUT I will edit this post to answer your questions tomorrow, my time, which will be very late your time but still Sunday, just!

The same goes for everyone else, if you want to ask, feel free and tomorrow morning my time, late Sunday yours, I'll answer!

Cheers

MTM

[M.T.]

OK Ken, here are the answers!

1] This has had me curious over this weekend. What is the origin of "Mwah ha ha hargh?" And what type of laughter is it? By that I mean there are many different kinds of laughter like, happy laughter, psychotic laughter, etc.

OK, basically I am lumbered, for my sins, with an evil meglomaniac laugh and so I thought I might as well write it down as is. I sometimes laugh in a more low key way like this. Hnur hnur hnuuuurrrrgh but all sound inherently evil. Mwah ha ha hahrgh!

2] What is your favorite meal to prepare?
Ham potroast beause it's so simple, it goes like this.

1. Get a big ham joint and put it in a bowl of water to soak overnight (removes a lot of the salt).
2. Turn oven on to 180c about 350/500f Gas reg 6.
3. Chop up some carrots, onion, swede and a couple of turnips and lob them into a big casserole.
4. Make a hole in the pile of veg and shove the soaked ham in there.
5. Stick in a bay leaf and spinkle four or five peppercorns over the top of the veg.
6. Fill the pot with cider.
7. Bring to the boil on the hob. While you're doing this, wash some baking potatoes and score round them with a knife.
8. When the thing has boiled, stuff the lid on and put everything into the oven.
9. Leave it there until the ham is cooked.

3] What is your favorite dessert?
Apple sponge. Stewed apple, with a little orange zest in it and a quite stiff cake mix spread on top, cooked in the oven. Ah it's heaven.

4] What is your favorite drink?
Wine. Just about every soft drink you can buy is sugary and loathesome with a meal (exept a rock shandy; bitters, a slice of lemon, ginger ale and soda water). Wine is the perfet accompaniment to food. And beer of course but wine makes you marginally less fat. I have wine with supper 4 nights a week. I wish it ould be more but I want to pace myself and give my liver the occasional break!

I hope that answers your question.

Cheers MTM

[M.T.]

OK so I reckon that just about rounds it up. Ken and everyone else, thank you for dropping by and asking such interesting questions. I hope you've all enjoyed reading my answers as much as I've enjoyed giving them.

And AF, thank you so much for giving this opportunity. It's been a blast.

My name is M T McGuire.

Thank you and Goodnight.

Few Are Chosen
Warning: contains car chases, futuristic technology and sarcasm
Usually £1.50 or $2.99 but currently 70p and very possibly 99c.
The Wrong Stuff, K'Barthan Trilogy: Part 2
Contains more car chases, more futuristic technology, more sarcasm and a dash of romance -
£2.05 or $3.50
Unlucky Dip Prequel to Few Are Chosen
How The Pan of Hamgee met Big Merv - 99c or 73p on Amazon.