via Alan Baxter, Best Collected Work 2016

1. You write across a lot of genres and markets. Have you always been so eclectic or when you started out did you have a ‘go to’ market and genre?

Wow, what WAS I thinking when I started out? Feels like it was a long time ago.

I think I mostly just suck at knowing what the genre boundaries actually are. My reading is pretty eclectic, hence my writing is, too. I was surprised when people started telling me I was writing horror. I never really set out to write horror, but it was a big influence on me in my teen years so it inevitably appeared in my writing. Maybe that’s the reality of writing: you become your influences.

I don’t recall having a ‘go to’ market or genre. Not on purpose. Starting out was all a bit random.

Nowadays what I most love to read and write are stories with a contemporary setting and an element of the weird or supernatural. But even then, I don’t stick to that preference completely. I’m always going to need something different and new and maybe even apparently random in my reading and writing life.

2. You got your writing break by publishing short stories over a number of years. What are your top tips for writing a powerful short story?

Oh, man, there’s probably a different answer for every short story writer — or every short story. Short stories are a sprint, whereas novels are a marathon, so the needs are different. What I like in a powerful short story is the sense that the story has ended before it has finished. If you know what I mean? I like the feeling there’s *more* to the story, but the storyteller just didn’t have the time or space to share it. That, for me, provides a kind of urgency to the telling. You get to the end and start to wonder what in hell is about to happen next.

For example, powerhouse Karen Joy Fowler ends her story Younger Women with two possible ways forward. But you just know there are more options she’s not telling you about. And you leave the story wondering which way it went after Fowler ended it. Check it out here.

But that’s just one answer and I’m sure there are dozens more ways to think of powerful short story writing.

3. While we’re discussing short stories, which is your favorite short story that you’ve written and why?

My favourite short story is always whichever story I’ve just finished writing. Srsly. It really is. I spend quite some time thinking my most recent story — whatever it is — is the best work I’ve managed so far. And then I replace it in my affections with another, newer story. My newest short story is coming out in Fablecroft’s Cranky Ladies of History later this year and features the Countess Bathory. So you just know that’s gonna be a blast!

And apart from always loving my newest story, I admit to being particularly proud of No Mercy For The Executioner which appeared in the Review of Australian Fiction in late 2014. (So, it’s my second-most-recent short story.) That story began in a dream, which turned into the first line: ‘When the world ends, it’s the Jewish guy who brings the sake.’ I grew up on post-apocalyptic stories: when I was a teenager, we all thought nuclear war would decimate the world any second. Plus, as a kid raised quasi-Catholic, I can remember earnestly discussing the imminent second coming in first grade. But I’ve never been much attracted to actually writing post-apocalyptic stories until I wrote Mercy and then I just kinda let loose. Teenagers, holed up underground, drinking the last of Earth’s liquor and eating tinned peaches. And then the violence begins… Oh, yeah, that’s a fun story.

4. Bad Power mixes police procedural with speculative fiction. What are your top 3 crime reads? How about top 3 spec fic reads?

Ooooohhh!! Top reads! I love questions like this. Yeah, BAD POWER mixed two things I love. Well, maybe three. 1) crime stories 2) spec fic, and 3) contemporary settings.

Okay, top 3 crime reads would have to start with Kate Atkinson’s CASE HISTORIES, which I loved. I grew up on Agatha Christie books, and THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD stands out. Then maybe Nicola Griffith’s THE BLUE PLACE counts as crime. But it was probably Walter Mosley who made me want to write crime, so I’m going to sneak in DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS (plus, this is really five now, but a special mention to the first of Craig Johnson’s Longmire books, THE COLD DISH (which is a kind of western cosy, if you can believe that)).

Spec fic is harder because *cough* it seems so much broader (not that I want to play favourites). Also I never classify spec fic as spec fic in my goodreads reading list, so now I’m screwed trying to remember all my favourite spec fic reads. ;p

But I do have to mention Ben H. Winters’ THE LAST POLICEMAN, since it’s a mix of crime AND spec fic. And so is the excellent BAD THINGS by Michael Marshall Smith.

My all-time-favourite spec fic reads would have to include Tanith Lee, though, so let’s say THE BIRTHGRAVE. Oh! And Mary Gentle’s ASH! Aaaaaand, crap, so many others. I’m trying to think of something that’s really stayed with me, so I’ll go with Shirley Jackson’s THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE. But, y’know, so many.

InkAshlings: I am so updating my Goodreads with some of these suggestions! Also, I love Christie!

5. Will there be more books or short stories set in the world of Bad Power and can you tell readers anything, even a cryptic clue?

I didn’t actually set out to write BAD POWER, you know. It started as two stories that shared some eerily similar traits: Shades of Grey and Palming the Lady. I realised I had this strong woman cop in both stories, so I decided to make her the same character. I was probably just being efficient. I think I was also influenced by the fact a couple of early readers both said they loved Detective Palmer. Which kinda surprised me, because I didn’t have a lot planned out for her at that stage. But she’s become a bit of a hero of mine.

She’s also pretty similar to the strong woman cop I invented for my ISHTAR novella, even though I wrote those stories at completely different times. See? Random. It’s like I never plan out anything in my ‘career.’

And then, of course, the stories were saved from the obscurity of individual publishing by the Twelfth Planet Press project: Twelve Planets. TPP collected those two stories and three more that I’d only kinda started working on in one volume. We called the BAD POWER collection a ‘pocketbook police procedural.’

I did start plotting a BAD POWER novel out in my head, but certain other projects have gotten in the way. But Bad Power: The Novel might become a labor of love one day when I get some time. I mean, I had this whole structure and back story for it. Hopefully I’ve written that down someplace. Actually, y’know, even if I haven’t I still remember it pretty clearly. I’ve really got to get faster at finishing stories. I have a WHOLE BUNCH MORE I want to write.

And BTW: Fablecroft published a 6th Bad Power story in their anthology One Small Step in 2013. The story was called Indigo Gold and featured a new character, some new powers, and a hat pin. So, yeah, I’m sure I’ll end up writing more of those stories in one way or another. I love my BAD POWER world and I love all those crazy, creepy characters. BAD POWER is one project I’m inordinately proud of.

6. You are currently collaborating on a couple of projects, including a novel and a graphic novel. What does the collaboration process look like for you?

It looks like a whole lot less stress & a heck of a lot more fun than coming up with all the answers yourself! And suddenly the planning becomes really fun. The writing is pretty much just as hard (or not hard, depending), but the planning is really where collaborating shows its strength. I recommend it heartily!

7. What’s your advice for those writers that want to try collaborating on a project?

Pick someone to lead the project. You might not know who that person is at the very beginning, but sooner or later you all have to agree which member of the team owns the vision & voice. Without that, the project runs the risk of becoming a ‘writing by committee’ project. And the thing about committees is, all the best, more unique and risky stuff often gets dissolved in favour of relentless compromise. In a good collaboration, one person knows whether or not what you’re pitching is going to fit the project.

My other advice would be: if you’re NOT the leader or the owner of the vision, never stop pitching. Sometimes you might want to give up on sharing your ideas because you think they’re stupid or you think people will laugh. And people will often laugh. But the team will miss out on some good stuff if you give up on yourself too soon. Believe that!

8. You’ve also written a novella for the Ishtar collection and have an upcoming novella called Waking in Winter coming soon. What is it that appeals to you about the novella and what are the ingredients for a great novella?

I’m so excited about WAKING IN WINTER. PS Publishing bought that novella in 2013 & scheduled it for around mid-2015, so I can’t wait to see it on the page. We’ve just finished copy edits. And I’m still really proud of my ISHTAR novella with the comically long name, And the Dead Shall Outnumber the Living (for real, I started out with that title as a kind of joke, but I just love the enormity of it, so it stayed.)

I’ve only tried novellas those two times, but I’ve fallen madly in love with the format as a reader and writer. I think it lets you play with all the best aspects of novels — character, adventure, stakes, narrative — without the dross that people often have to use to make a novel more novel-length. So many novels feel like they sag in the middle, just IMHO. Or maybe I’m easily bored. Actually, yeah, I am easily bored.

I think the other thing I like about novellas is that they’re short enough to sustain the kind of mood a short story can deliver. A very mannered or stylized novel can feel very long indeed. But a stylized novella can still pack a punch without losing any momentum.

So that’d be my pick for novella ingredients: character AND style AND narrative AND mood AND momentum. Love novellas. Wish they were easier to find. PS Publishing has put out some doozies, so it’s worth checking their pages first.

9. What’s one question you’ve never been asked before but wish you had been asked?

I racked my brain for an answer to this question. Then I eventually realised that no one has ever quite asked me this: What’s the one piece of advice you wish you’d been given when you were starting out?

10. Now answer it!

Sabotage and salvation will come from unexpected sources. Srsly. Very unexpected sources. The entire idea of a writing ‘career’ is unpredictable in the extreme. The only thing you can do is keep writing. That way, you’re practised and ready for the salvation when it happens. And you can move past the sabotage when it’s delivered. So that’s it, the best advice you’ll get as a starting-out writer: Just. Keep. Writing.

Deborah Biancotti is the author of two short story collections from Twelfth Planet Press: Bad Power and A Book of Endings. She is co-author of the Zeroes trilogy with Scott Westerfeld and Margo Lanagan. Deborah’s novella Waking in Winter will be out with PS Publishing in mid-2015. The first Zeroes book is published in September. You can find Deborah online, but she spends more time on Twitter than anywhere else.

You can read my review of Bad Power here. Thanks again for a great interview, Deb!

What’s your writing process like?

The short answer is that my writing process is still evolving as I am new to this game and it often looks a mess to an outsider looking in. I find that I start writing without much planning and then get stuck between 10-20 000 words on first draft and need to stop and take stock and start a planning process of what my plot looks like. I only worry about plot in first draft, then worry about world building and research details and consistent characters in second draft.

How do you come up with characters?

I often start a story with a couple of burning scenes in my mind and characters just happen. For my first fantasy novel, I had four protagonists, which was too many. I did a course with author, Kate Forsyth, and she got me to stick with one, my favourite, who is now the Claire character. In my second fantasy novel, which is half written in first draft now, I started with a revisionist take on Snow White and Rose Red and the two Princes they marry so in a sense had some vague character traits already laid out for me. I then scratched the idea and went with telling the story of Prince Charming’s brother without the framework of the fairy story. It gave me more freedom. In my crime novel, about fame and fandom, I based the two main actress characters off actual actors on the screen, but obviously as I write, I imbue them with what I need for the story so that now, they aren’t anything like those two actresses at all. On the whole, I often write the characters to match the plots in my head, so even when my characters start out as being one thing, they morph to meet the needs of the story.

Do you use character sheets, like with characteristics and backstories and quirks and friends and looks and favorite things and family stuff? Do you write backstory things, and little stories about everyday things and stuff they get up to, just to get to know them better?

No, I don’t. I should. It would save me so much time in second draft on getting characterizations and motivations right. I do plan the basics in my story notebook eg character motivations and desires and fears.

How are you inspired; do you use music, do you go for walks, do you watch movies/shows/read?

I am inspired by the entire world. Sometimes it’s the lyrics to a song, sometimes it’s to history, sometimes it’s to minor characters in books and movies, or to the way actors portray some form of human emotion. Stories always start from the place of, ‘what if?’ ‘What if Prince Charming was horrid?’ ‘What if the murderer in Wire in the Blood hadn’t given himself away to Tony and Carol had been strangled?’ ‘What if a character could travel back in time?’ I never have a shortage of ideas.

Do you have someplace where you like to go to write/think?

I like to write at night in bed in my notebook. Otherwise I set time aside and just type away at the computer. It doesn’t matter if it isn’t any good. That’s the main thing. Just keep typing. Especially on first draft. You can fix inconsistencies and bad writing later. The main thing is to start. A writer writes. That’s it.

Have you read books on writing?

Yes, and I really recommend doing it. The best one I’ve read is ‘On Writing’ by Stephan King. Go read it. Now. I’ve also got some books on english grammar and puncutation because I’m rubbish at it, a thesaurus handy and a great little book by Australian author, John Marsden, with writing exercises for students. I should read more. I hear Carmel Bird is good.

How do you work out plots and subplots and twists; and do you do something to keep track of everything, like a mind map or diagrams or have a book full of scribblings of things?

I have a notebook now for each story I tell. It is too hard to keep track otherwise. I am getting better at planning. I used to just smash out word and worry about logic later, which was incredibly time consuming and impractical. For my current fantasy ms, Thashidion, I have been plotting and planning in an A4 notebook late at night. The best tool for figuring out plot/sub plot and twists has been advice from Joanne Anderton. Particularly in genre fiction, start with the ‘what if?’ and follow up with the ‘so what?’ question. So if the what if part is ‘what if Prince Charming was emotionally abusive?’ the ‘so what?’ might be ‘and that makes Snow White have to learn her step mother’s magic to free herself. Too bad she let the step mother die.’A twist might be that the step mother was never actually all that evil and now Snow White must deal with that emotional realisation.

You can read The Kelnarium Prophecy here and a mentor’s critique here. You can purchase my book of poetry on Amazon and Smashwords

Others have already covered the Aurealis so I want to briefly cover the Conflux Writers Day.

The day kicked off with Joanne Anderton teaching us about ways to create working worlds. I loved her road test for a coherent story and world: World’s need to be based on ‘what if?’ ideas but you need to test the idea with a ‘so what?’ follow up. In other words, keep worlds as simple as the story needs to be, don’t let the world get in the way of the story. Anything that isn’t relevant to the story will need to be deleted on an edit.

The second Plenary Session was on using minutes when you don’t have the hours and was delivered by the awesome Kaaron Warren. I found this talk to be one of the many highlights of the day simply because Kaaron said some things that were confronting to me as a writer that are also obvious if we are to come at writing as a professional business! Kaaron let us all know in no uncertain terms that writers need to write for continuity and to stay professional. A special time and a special place isn’t necessary! Writing is in our head (ideas) and our hands (from paper to pen) and there’s no point in waiting for time and inspiration. It will never come! This was timely advice for me as I start a new full time job and wonder how on earth I’ll get all of the projects I’m working on done by the end of the year!

After the Plenary lectures, were a host of speed date style 20 minute talks on various aspects of writing processes, writing skills, submitting and publishing and building your career as an author. I enjoyed the very quick run down on six mistakes first time writers make (not reading enough, not learning craft of writing, not knowing where to start, not knowing story structure, forgetting the show don’t tell rule and inconsistent POV). Next up was an equally helpful session on Character Motivation. I was very excited after this one as the session addressed numerous problems I have been happening with my first novel. Motivation is shaped by deep desires and fundamental fears and the reader must always know both.

A quick break and then we sped through the essential elements of the novel with Chris Andrews and then learnt all about word frequency analysis as a self editing tool. After this talk, I was convinced more than ever that Scrivener may well be a good investment! I attended two talks on research- one by Rob Porteous and one by Cat Sparks, with both covering different aspects of the uses of research which were incredibly helpful for me as I work on my second ms. I particularly liked Rob’s tricks for generating speculative language and names and Cat’s tip regarding spot research.

We ended the day on two more Plenary lectures. The first, from Ian McHugh, addressed submitting short stories and dealing with rejection again and again and again. I haven’t tried submitting short stories anywhere yet but Ian inspired me and I know I need to start! Rejection is all part of the author game! I found the pithy advice of ‘have doubts, ignore doubts, keep enough irons in the fire (10 stories at a time), show off (accept praise when story accepted) and be afraid but do it anyway!’ to be short but helpful.

The last lecture ended the day on a positive note with an author success story. I loved hearing from Keri Arthur about the trials and tribulations of making it to the New York Times Best Seller list and sat in awe when she told us she wrote five pages every day! No wonder she is so prolific!

You can see photos from the Conflux Writers Day and the Aurealis Awards Here. Photos all copyright Cat Sparks.

There are many debates online and elsewhere about the future of books of course; debates about the book selling and publishing industries role with the rise of self publishing and ebooks; debates about the death of the hard copy book; cries of Brave New World and technological terror, cries of civilisational progress… but never before has there been such a concentrated and academic discussion all in one place. Each day of the month Isobelle has enlisted a different author, editor, agent, essayist, poet, student, teacher, book seller, book publisher or librarian to write about an aspect of the pros, cons and potential innovations of the ebook. Comment on a post and you instantly go into the draw to win your own ereader, signed copies of Isobelle’s books as well as some audio books!

You don’t need to be interested in Isobelle’s books or want to win a competition to participate. With advice and discussion on ebook formatting, self publishing, kindle and other ereader types, the future of picture books as ebooks, enhanced ereaders, interactivity and reading, creative possibilities and the ereader and much, much more, this is a month all writers and readers don’t want to miss!

Interested? Today’s guest post is by respected Australian steampunk author, Richard Harland. Previous posts by Helen Chamberlain, Nick Bland, Sophie Masson and Alex Adsett can be viewed by clicking links on the side of Richard’s post. The website itself will self destruct when the month is up, but all posts and comments will be archived on Isobelle’s blog.

An interesting and informative forum for discussion, this is the month the Australian book industry talks about ebooks…

Click here for the link for today’s post by Richard Harland: http://greylands.theslipstream.com.au/2012/07/pop-ups-playaways-and-cruising-for-kindles-richard-harland/#comment-136

Click for more information on the website’s purpose, Isobelle Carmody and Min Dean here: http://greylands.theslipstream.com.au/

This blog post was compiled by InkAshlings independently of the Greylands ebook launch. Any mistakes are my own. Specific details about the Greylands ebook launch are located on the website. 

The panel was led by Prof. Ivor Indyk (Founding publisher and editor of Heat, and Giramondo Book Imprint), Dr. Angelo Loukakis (Author, former publisher with Harper Collins and Schuster and Schuster, Author advocate),  Ms Pip Newling (Memoir writer, bookseller and book blogger), and Dr Susan Hawthorne (Poet, novelist, political activist. Director of Spinafex Press).

I took down notes to the best of my ability. Any mistakes or errors are my own.

What are key concerns for Publishers? (with reference to ebooks/small publishing houses)

Susan: Overwork due to publishing issues around surviving as an independant publishing house, staying original and maintaining energy.

Ivor: New digital printing technology can increase sales and reduce costs for independent publishers, which is a benefit for younger, newer, more experimental writers. Author’s should strive to use word of mouth eg a blog and harness new technology.

Angelo: There is a world of difference between books (which make money and have a big readership/market) and literature (small print run, quality, experimental usually, restricted market). Know your audience. Know what manuscript you are selling.

Pip: Be aware of what’s out there. For example, the Harper Collins Varuna Award allows for manuscript development with an editor with view to future publication. Enter every competition you can and understand your writing audience and responsibilities. Remember that posting any work on blogs is counted by publishing houses as “official publication.”

Common mistakes that authors make (and what you can do to avoid them)

Angelo: Before you submit your work, do your homework. Be well read, a BIG reader- not just in the genre of your ms. Know what your twist is on your chosen genre. What’s your genre brand?

Ivor: The use of first person is the most difficult to use. If you start off using it as an inexperienced writer it can backfire. You need to personalise that “I” with quality characterisation.

In your cover/query letter, DON’T introduce your novel as “fiction novel.” Get genre specific. Audience specific. Your open letter is important. Remember: 98% of unsolicited slush ms is rejected.

Get an author apprenticeship before trying to publish a novel- this shows training and care about craftmanship. Tell the publishing house who you’ve been taught by, where you’ve been previously published and NETWORK. Understand that writing is a big risk, but so is publishing a new author.

Pip: In Australia, there are big opportunities for poetry and short stories right now, but do be selective. Quality, not quantity.

Understand digital publishing and self publishing. It is an option, it gets your work out there, but know the downsides.

Have a blog as a marketing tool. Online presence means readers.

Susan: You need to get the attention of the person you are sending your ms to. Stand out in your cover letter. Be meticulous. Get it right before sending in the heat of the moment.

Don’t get upset about rejection, but DO have an intelligent phone conversation about your work where possible. Be patient too- there is a 3 month turn around for most ms’s. Detailed critique means you are doing well!

So, what stands out?

Ivor: Voice- your own distinctive writing quality. Characters with accents and idioms.

Writing style- rythm and texture

An original and idiosyncratic story that presents a new way of seeing things- something out of your own personal context that you alone have.

Susan: Someone who is passionate and immersed in their work.

If it’s boring for the writer, it’s boring for the reader. Read aloud and edit to get the rythm right. A work that grips will get published.

Writing in Different Ways (directed at Pip)

Pip: Memoirs are both an act of presence and an act of remembrance. This can be a difficult balance.

Do draft alot and invest time in your work. If you don’t believe in it, nobody will. Think: how much work will editors need to put into your work? Is this really the best standard I can reach before sending out?

The problem with self publishing is there is no editor to achieve this polished quality. Something to consider.

Legal Issues with being Published (Directed at Ivor: Australian Society of Authors)

Ivor: There are legal and commercial issues with being published;

Legal because books are delivered on a commercial contract basis- a formal, negotiated agreement. Copyright of intellectual property is involved.

Commercial: Royalties and advances need to be agreed upon. Get advice before you sign a contract and never sign what you don’t understand. Think carefully before “assigning rights.”

Get a reputable agent by being selective and researching into who will work best for your ms. The publishing industry is a relationships based one, so network.

Miscellaneous (From Q and A)

1. Do, take part in writing courses/masterclasses/writers festivals. These all count as professional writing experiences and training.

2. Do understand proof reading and copy writing.

3. Life experience matters. If it’s relevent to your ms, it goes in your cover letter.

Thanks to the panel for being so helpful. I certainly learnt alot! My next panel is fantasy specific, May 20th. Expect a post.

If there are any concerns with this blog post or you have any questions, please contact me at inkashlings@gmail.com.

I’m one of those people who has always been a bit of a perfectionist. I have to write in a linear fashion and agonise on getting every passage right. Savvy internet novelist’s such as Kate Elliot, Isobelle Carmody and Jim Hines kept repeating how much a first draft was always crap. Always. No matter how talented one was or how published. How much you should just go, go, go without any consideration of the nicities.

I guess I never really believed them until author Judith Tarr started mentoring my own ms and I realised how much I was writing less of a complete novel on my first attempt and more of an extremely detailed chapter summary. It killed me to hear from Judith that this was the truth. “Oh my God, you mean even when I get to 80 000 plus words I’m not done yet,” I asked in my novel writing naivity.

The truth is, even when I write that first guaranteed to be terrible draft, I will have to fix things, I will have to fill in the gaps, show and not tell. I will have to write four or more drafts. At least. And that’s before I even get to editing.

So here’s a tip you’ll hear from many authors and I now realise is absolutely necessary to finishing something. Write the entire damn thing out. Don’t stop for anything. Just get it down on paper/in your computer.

Trust me on this one. I’ve learnt this the hard way.