A long time ago, when I was in my last year at university, I was working on my creative dissertation. I had a plan, and it would have gotten me a good mark – which is the point of going to university, right? Get the experience and the diploma. I was all set for this, and to think of something unique for the future that would catapult me to author success.
What I didn’t expect was to come up with an idea that, if I could get it right, would possibly be one of my best ever stories. That feels like a whole different life to me now.
I’ve put off writing it because I didn’t feel ready. I was scared that I’d mess it up. Ruin my best chance at having a career at this.
Well, I’m still scared, but I probably always will be until I try. At least now I’m ready to give it a shot.
A speculative fiction story that’s been brewing for a decade
My final year at university was ten years ago, and I’ve been sitting on this story ever since then, when one of my dissertation tutors challenged me to come up with something original. It was a challenge I was fully prepared to ignore – it’s stupidly hard to come up a totally original idea!
Something clicked. I had an idea, and it spiralled from there. Despite my gut telling me it wasn’t the right thing to do for my dissertation, I followed the advice and worked at it.
Needless to say, while I got a good result, I think my original plan would have been a better mark. Still, I had an idea. One I wasn’t ready to write, but it was there.
Over the next ten years I would return to it every so often, flesh out the world, figure out in more detail motivated my protagonists, and, most importantly, what I wanted the reader to think or feel while reading. There are going to be some tough questions asked, but I think they’re worth asking. Just the thought of it excites me.
Of course, this all depends on whether I can pull it off. The story needs to be engaging, and the characters relatable. I can do those things, but every story is a different challenge.
Who influenced this idea?
It’s fair to say my dissertation tutor had a big impact on this project, pushing me to develop the idea in the first place. A few other tutors help, too, by opening the door to authors and books that I hadn’t considered before.
I’ve made no secret of the fact that Margaret Atwood is one of my favourite authors. Her work is fantastic and thought-provoking, and that’s something I want to emulate with this project. Oryx and Crake, and the whole Maddaddam trilogy, is up there as some of favourite books and the very nature of what those books are has influenced how I’ve planned this story.
Expect to see influences from other authors, too, such as George Orwell, Ursula K. Le Guin, Naomi Alderman, Sir Terry Pratchett, and many more. The way these writers have crafted their worlds and stories, how they’ve tackled issues big and small, and created an incredible work of fiction at the same time is something I can only aspire to right now.
I’m hoping that one day, whether with this project or one in the future, I’ll be able to reach that level of success with my own stories.
What about the Weight of the World series?
You might be wondering if this new project will slow progress on The Weight of the World series, and that is totally valid.
I’ve talked before about I work on multiple projects at a time as a way to make sure I come back to each draft with fresh eyes, but with Reality Check out, and Recall Order releasing later this year, I’ve already moved onto book 3 of the series. It’s currently out with beta readers so I can get some feedback on where it’s at – I really want to nail the ending of this one.
The plan is to write the first draft of this new project while this is happening, and then go back to revise book 3. I already know this new one is going to take a lot of time to get right – such is the complexity and depth I want to reach.
As you’ll know from reading Introductions: Volume One, I have another series in the works, too, and you’ll probably see that before this new project. The point is new things are coming – and I’m excited for you to see them…eventually!
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