by dmadson | Mar 11, 2014 | Uncategorized
Right, well… I’ve been absent and I apologise. Life on the other side of the world is difficult to say the least. It is taking some time to get adjusted and when I have energy it goes into working instead of blogging. Hopefully I’ll be back soon.
In the meantime I have been tagged in the Writing Process Blog Chain by my lovely editor, Amanda J Spedding. She asked if I wanted to do this and in my usual enthusiastic style I agreed before considering how crappy I’ve been feeling. But BLAH… here it is – my writing process…
1. What am I working on?
I am working on the final drafting stages of The Grave at Storm’s End, the third book of my Vengeance Trilogy. It is in the painful stage – that bit in the middle where you know exactly what you need to do and write and change, but you still have to get the words down. I love early drafts and I love the finicky final editing passes where every word comes under scrutiny, but these middle bits… not so much.
Because of that I’m also in the brainstorming stage for a new trilogy that is a bit different. And I really really can’t wait to be able to work on something new.
2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?
This is a really tough question, because every writer is unique in some way. For me I concentrate on characters. I make them real and then put them into difficult situations and sit back to see what they do. I once heard the theory that every author is writing to solve a problem, to answer a big question that consumes them. I haven’t figured out exactly what question I am still hunting for an answer to, but broadly I write to find out what people will do when put into situations beyond the average world we know. Plot is characters in action, so without great characters, you have no great plot. It is a theory I will continue to live and write by.
3. Why do I write what I do?
I’m not sure that any author sets out to choose a genre. I think they just fall into it because we write what is natural to us. The day I discovered fantasy I was hooked for life, and it immediately altered my writing habits. To be able to put it into words, I write a genre that allows me to put characters into situations that are unable to be found in a ‘real world’ setting. It is a way of exploring the human psyche, of pushing the envelope to see what we are capable of as a society and as individuals. And I write character based stories because characters are everything to me. People are fascinating and they create their own stories.
4. How does my writing process work?
I write every moment I can. I have two little kids and so I write whenever they are temporarily being quiet. As for HOW I do it – I’m a pantser. I have no idea what’s going to happen when I start writing, I have characters, I get to know them, and then they tell me a story. I write it down. Then I rewrite it. Then, when I’m happy with how it’s going, I get it beta read. Then I make changes. And I re-write it. Then I re-write it some more and get some more people to read it. Eventually, when it’s finally ready, it goes through editing passes (which are awesome fun) and out the other end of this pops a book.
Sometimes I write notes. Sometimes I write A LOT of notes. Sometimes I listen to music. Sometimes I talk at people while I figure it out in my head. Sometimes I daydream in the shower or write scenes in my head while I’m trying to go to sleep. The more into it I get the more obsessed I am and the faster and better the work is that emerges. It is draining, but I love it and can’t imagine doing anything else.
So that’s me done. I’m supposed to tag three other writers in this, but what with being not really in the game at the moment, and the fact that so many writers have already done this, I am just going to tag one special author. Poet and author, Ashley Capes, whose thought-provoking blog always has something interesting to read. I’m going to tag him as a poet today, because poets get so little credit in the modern literary world, when once they ruled the world.
Get to it, Ashley! Can’t wait to read your answers.
by dmadson | Feb 22, 2014 | Reviews
The Lies of Locke Lamora needs another review like I need a truckload of outdated desktop computers, but hell, I’m an opinionated girl so here we go.
I don’t usually like to read reviews of popular books before I read them, as it can colour your experience of them, but it’s hard to avoid the general industry enthusiasm for this book. Those who love it really really love it. They call it the love child between Ocean’s Eleven and any number of other awesome fantasy comparisons depending on whose review you read.
For me, I wish I hadn’t read the Ocean’s Eleven comparison, because it left me constantly waiting for the point where Locke Lamora and his gang were going to pull the epically complicated and convoluted cat (heist) out of the metaphorical bag, when this is an altogether different kind of story, although admittedly containing a heist. But that is where the similarities end.
In its heart, The Lies of Locke Lamora is a simple story (not a bad thing at all, this makes it very focused), a story of survival against all odds. It contains the greatest dialogue I have ever read ever in any book… ever. Hands down.
It also has the greatest opening hook I can recall ever reading. If you read the first page and a half you’ll keep reading.
I read this book VERY SLOWLY. This is often the case for me, as it’s been over a year since I found a book that had me reading non-stop start to finish as fast as possible. More often I find that my critical approach to reading (thanks to being an author myself, damn it) makes it hard to get absorbed in the books I’m reading. It is a curse, but one I am learning to live with. It took me a few months to get through The Lies of Locke Lamora, but there was never a point where I thought about putting it down for good. I found some of the early descriptive paragraphs difficult to wade through, and found that I never REALLY connected with the characters enough to cheer for them, but The Lies of Locke Lamora is beautifully written and unique and I have the second book on my shelf ready to go.
With spoilers I could write a lot more about this book, but I’ll keep it short and sweet. I would recommend this book to any fantasy fan and even a few non-fantasy readers, as it isn’t heavy on the magic swords and wizards business.
4/5
by dmadson | Feb 22, 2014 | Publishing
After this post, anyone who has been following me for awhile is going to think I’m all over the place. But bear with me…
The Blood of Whisperers is back on the table. Maybe… just maybe, I am looking for a traditional publisher.
I KNOW! I know what you’re thinking, the staunch self-publishing advocate is turning tail, so let me explain myself. My family and I have just moved to Canada. My husband is Canadian, so it’s not so way out there, but I have lived in Australia all my life. That being the case, let’s just say the move has been… a bit of a shock. We did it for numerous reasons, the only one that is any concern to this subject being that living in North America would be better for my career.
We arrived. I freaked out at the snow. We got over jet-lag… And then everything began to change. Suddenly our priorities were different, our plans flipped on their heads, and every decision we had already made needed to be reassessed.
I still believe in the strength of self-publishing. I believe that it is possible to create an amazing product that can rival anything produced by a traditional publisher as long as you never let go of your professionalism. And I believe in supporting self-published writers who are doing the right thing.
BUT…
Right now, at this moment, at this stage in my life, I cannot keep doing it. I haven’t got the funds or the drive for the business part of the job. I love the writing, love the social media and talking to fans and all that stuff, but I cannot find the energy in myself for the stress of the business when I make nothing out of it. So that is why, right now, I am putting The Blood of Whisperers back on the table. It’s up for grabs and today, I have queried my first agent ever.
*freaks out*
And so the next step in my journey begins…
by dmadson | Feb 18, 2014 | Uncategorized
To anyone who has been following me in any capacity over the last few months, it is not news that I adore my editor. She is the single most amazing person to have affected my work ever. I’d say she is the best thing that ever happened to me, but I’d be short-changing the greatest husband in history.
Enough quibbling. This is the virgin post of the award-winning Australian horror author, Amanda J Spedding (my editor and best friend) and I can’t wait to see where she takes her ramblings. Check it out, follow her. She’ll make you smile, make you think and make you swear all in the same moment, that’s how brilliant she is.
by dmadson | Jan 29, 2014 | Uncategorized
So it’s been quiet around here again, due to the fact that the rest of my life is ridiculously noisy and stressful. In one week we are getting on a plane to move across the world permanently, swapping a beautiful, if ridiculously hot, Australian summer for an OMGSOCOLD Canadian winter…. what were we thinking!?
With two kids and ten years of stuff to wrap up, it’s been a headache and a half, not to even mention the flight dramas with the US snowed in at the moment.
Fortunately the lovely Ashley Capes came along and took my mind of some of it with a request to interview me for his blog. I must admit I like being interviewed, though not for the reason a lot of people like to be interviewed (so they can feel important – although that would be awesome if I actually thought it was true)… but I like how some interviewers ask questions that really make me think. This was one of those interviews, covering everything from the protection of a writer’s voice, Japanese influences, being an author publisher and my future plans.
Check out part one -> HERE
And part two -> HERE
Fortunately the stress will soon be over and I’ll just have to get over the jetlag. Yay? Then we’ll be back on schedule! Phew!
