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| An
interview with the Author
The
Riddler's Gift -
First Tale of the Lifesong
A : Two years, full time. I find it impossible to write something with this scope in a 'few stolen hours a day'. So I didn't work on anything else for two years. It gets easier when you're isolated. On a normal writing day I'm in my writing room by 8am and I don't come out until 5pm, sometimes later. There's no telephone in there, no internet connection. Just the white page, and the blinking cursor. If I don't write, I know I'm in for a boring day. Q : Does this 'isolation style' of writing put a strain on relationships? A : Well, yes it does, at times I want to do nothing else than write. It's a selfish occupation for most of the time. But my wife is my biggest fan, and she supports my writing immensely, so she's happy to leave me alone in my eyrie. She does plead with me to read early drafts of the work in progress, but I don't let anyone read those. It's like showing someone a painting while you're still mixing the colours on the canvas - it's always going to be a poor reflection of what you're aiming for. Q : Where do you get your inspiration from? A : Visions. For me it's a process of being receptive. I meditate every morning at the beginning of my writing session, I try to dissolve my ego, to disappear as a conscious entity. It sounds kinda weird but it's really just closing your eyes and letting go. Then I shift my awareness towards Eyri, and see where I pop up. I write what I see, no matter how ridiculous it seems. I just try and be a witness, without judging. Some days I'm on fire. Some days I just see the blinking cursor, and hear the rain on the roof. That's why I've got to be there every day. I still don't know when the inspiration will hit me, I can't invoke it beyond just being in a place where I can use it when it comes. Q : But how do you know your story is going to make sense if you're writing 'flash fiction'? Do you have a master plot structure that you work to? A : No plot structure, no. This is a scary way to write because sometimes you end up with piles of story which you can't seem to tie into the plot. My plots have to be discovered, rather than invented. I sift through what I've written until the linking scene comes to me, and then suddenly there's this flash of joy - aah! That's how it ties together! I think, subconsciously, I already know the plot. Plot problems are moments of blindness. I have a vague idea where the plot is going, but I find that if I try to define a detailed plot, the story gets boring and I lose the fire. Q : Who are your greatest influences? A : Well firstly I have to say that I have a terrible memory - I learn things by understanding the principle involved and forgetting the details. In school I developed my short-term photographic memory to the exclusion of all else, so I did fantastically in the kind of exams they set you, which revolve around being able to remember a list of points, facts and details. But long-term memory of details? Gone. So I learn the principles of each story I read, but can't remember what the characters did. In this manner everything I write is influenced by what I've learned from writers I've read. I find Stephen Donaldson an immense inspiration, which is probably why I write dark characters the best. Tolkien is like studying calculus - it has no application in my daily life, but it expanded my mind and gave fantasy a depth and scope which enables me to think differently. He created an architecture of thought which goes beyond the horizons. Then there's Robin Hobb, who brought in all the emotional depth of storytelling which I felt Tolkien lacked. She tells a wonderful, heartbreaking story most of the time, and so I don't copy what her characters say and do, but I try to infuse this emotional sensibility into my writing. Q : What is the greatest challenge with writing this kind of book? A : The amount of time you have to go without earning a cent. It begins to wear down on you, because no matter how romantic it is to be a writer and to follow your dream, the world moves forward on financial wheels. And I thought my work was done when I'd written 'The End', but that was about a quarter of it. Editing is a painful metamorphosis. Getting a book into print can be a long road. Selling it well requires even more dedication and persistence. I think this gets easier once you're a well-established author within the market, but for an outsider it can be very tough. |
Something Wicked Magazine has an in-depth
interview in the Winter 2007 edition. READ THE INTERVIEW
or get the magazine from www.somethingwicked.co.za   ABOUT GREG HAMERTONGreg Hamerton has written two books and many articles about extreme sports. He has been writing fantasy since 1999, and THE RIDDLER'S GIFT is his debut fantasy novel. He is currently working on the Second Tale of the Lifesong.  |
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