Mark Robson interview

[AmazingAmanda253]

Can one get the your Imperial series in the US?

 

[MJRevell]

I'm going to pretend this is all just one question: Do you set a writing schedule for each day? Do you find it hard to stick to it? How much do you aim to write per day?

Thanks for taking the time to answer everyone's questions.

 

[Mark Robson]

Can one get the your Imperial series in the US?

At present, Amanda, the answer to that is sadly, no. However, that is something that I'm working very hard to correct. The only way that you can source the books is through UK companies, so the postage might be quite pricey.

I'm going to pretend this is all just one question: Do you set a writing schedule for each day? Do you find it hard to stick to it? How much do you aim to write per day?

Thanks for taking the time to answer everyone's questions.

The answers to these are: yes, yes, and 2000 words.

I try to write a thousand words in the morning, or from 9am until 12pm, whichever is the shortest. Again in the afternoon I will write for 3 hours, or a thousand words, whichever is the shorter. This means that at worst I spend 6 hours a day thinking about the story. Is that hard to do consistently? Oh my word, yes! There are no end of distractions that niggle and lurk, waiting to lure me away from my laptop. This place is probably the worst for that!

 

[Patrick Mahon]

Mark,

Now that you're writing full time, rather than during spare moments inside and outside work in the RAF, do you find that there are different challenges? Clearly you have more time to write; but do other things try to fill that time, now that the "proper" job isn't there to do that?

 

[Mark Robson]

Mark,

Now that you're writing full time, rather than during spare moments inside and outside work in the RAF, do you find that there are different challenges? Clearly you have more time to write; but do other things try to fill that time, now that the "proper" job isn't there to do that?

Absolutely! There is never enough time for writing. To be honest, I have no idea now how I managed to write at the rate I did whilst still holding down a full time job. It is true that I spend more time out promoting than I did when I was in the RAF, but I often find that my day slips past as I do lots of 'essential' admin that never seemed to encroach when I was working full time.

I think perhaps part of the problem is that I get brain-ache if I try to write for an extended period of days/weeks. The writing then degenerates to a chore (much like any job) and some of the joy of the writing process is lost. However, once the book is finished, I then find I can spruce up the sections that I struggled through, as I seem to find a new lease of life once the storyline is committed to paper.

 

[Carolyn Hill]

It's impressive that you write both in the morning and in the afternoon in a single day!

Do you sometimes find that, overnight, your subconscious has worked out some of the things that were giving you brain-ache the day before?

 

[Mark Robson]

It's impressive that you write both in the morning and in the afternoon in a single day!

Do you sometimes find that, overnight, your subconscious has worked out some of the things that were giving you brain-ache the day before?

Sometimes - more often than not, however, difficult sections remain difficult until I've drafted them, often sweating out each sentence in painfully slow fashion. It's great when I hit an easy section, when suddenly all the imagery is alive in my mind and I find the pictures spilling onto the keyboard with incredible fluidity. Sadly that doesn't happen often enough.

Plot problems are more frequently solved in the fashion you describe, though, Brown Rat. I also find distance running a good way to work through plot problems. If I go out and run 4-6 miles, the rhythm, combined with the fact that my heart pumps a lot more blood around my brain, sparks more original and logical thought patterns. Well that's my theory and I'm sticking to it!

 

[Circus Cranium]

Mark; Did Lardass have to pay to get into the contest?

Just kidding. I just started 'Imperial Spy' and am looking forward to becoming an addicted fan.

AJ

 

[Allanon]

Mark, I think it's amazing how you found the dedication to write while in the RAF, I am in the RAF too and between working all day and travelling home to my wife and two small children I find I'm so exhausted it's as much as I can do to read a good book never mind write one. It is my intention to write though, I do not know if I'm any good but I shall try. How did you balance it with the work, did you strugle as I am?

Sorry that's a long one.

 

[Mark Robson]

Hi Allanon. Sorry it's taken me so long to spot this. The interview board isn't one I look at very often.

The answer to your question is yes, I struggled. But to begin with there were no publisher deadlines to worry about, so the only goals I had to meet were my own. I've always been pretty disciplined, so I wrote most nights even though I was exhausted. My wife was pretty inspirational, as she was working harder than I was and still managed to squeeze in winning awards for her degree exam results that she was studying for in the evenings. I guess we were both fairly motivated individuals.

Don't be too hard on yourself, though. Try to set aside time on a regular basis to write, but if you have to rearrange it, or even miss a session or two, it doesn't matter in the big scheme of things. So long as you commit to it ... and enjoy it, then you'll get there in the end. Good luck with the writing.