Eclectic Interview
Filed under General • 19-01-2012 •
I was recently interviewed by Stuart Clark for the Eclectic Authors blog. Here’s an excerpt:
Are your first drafts as streamlined as the novels appear to be or does a lot end up on the “cutting room floor” so to speak?
“I edit as I go along. Each time I sit down to write, I start at the beginning and read through to where I finished at the end of the last section, making changes as I go. This means that by the time the first draft is completed, it’s actually been edited many times. That said, I did cut 20,000 words from Silversands.”
Following on from that, can you talk us through your self-editing process?
“A piece of writing – whether it’s a sentence, a paragraph or a whole page – has to have some sort of rhythm and flow to it. This is doubly true for lines of dialogue. I go back through and try to find that rhythm. I cut out unnecessary words and exposition; ditch adverbs; and replace everyday words with phrases that are more direct and striking.”
You can read the whole thing here, and read Stuart’s review of The Recollection, here.
Tags: Gareth L Powell
