A Word Please

I’m honored to have author Gareth Lewis as my guest today. I recently read his suspense novel The Sin of Hope, and I can’t say enough about the magic of his storytelling. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

Before we talk more about the book, let’s meet the man behind the words:

Normally I would post a photo here, but Gareth is a mysterious man who cannot be defined by a mere image. His identity is so secret, he has never even seen himself. I am legally allowed to tell you this:

Gareth Lewis has written a number of novels and shorter pieces in a few genres, including fantasy, science fiction, and thrillers. A programmer, he
has a degree in computer studies, and lives in South Wales.

Connect with Gareth in the following places:

Website: www.garethlewis.eu
Blog: www.garethlewis.eu/blog
Twitter: www.twitter.com/gdlewis23 or @gdlewis23

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Here’s a look at the book we’ll be discussing:

A secret older than religion, or a more recent delusion?

Hired to find the witness to a crime, PI John Daly soon realizes he hasn’t been told everything. With the Vatican and local mobsters also on the man’s trail, does his loyalty to a client of questionable sanity outweigh his religious devotion and his chance at redemption?

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Now on to our chat, which took place in a covert exchange via encrypted channels:

The plot’s concept fascinated me. What inspired the story?

That’s a bit hard to pin down because it percolated in my mind for a few years before I felt ready, and capable, of writing it. The central idea comes from my problems with religion on a philosophical level. Its inconsistencies can only come from something created by man. If you apply logic to them, well, this is what I came up with.

I have an interest in philosophy which often finds its way into my work (I suspect many writers are the same, whether consciously or not). I’ve taken some night classes in the subject, one of which was about religion and science. As an atheist I found myself having trouble agreeing with the stance of the Christian lecturer (differing viewpoints are good for philosophy, even if religion is difficult [religious types tend to take the existence of God as a first principle, since it’s a matter of faith, and I’m not aware of any logical arguments which can provide a firm grounding for the existence – or any need of – a supreme being {which isn’t to say an argument can’t be made for something which could be mistaken as such, but that’s for another book }]).

One of the main statements I found curious about his religious standpoint was the view that evil is the absence of good – in much the same way as darkness is the absence of light. Except that darkness can be seen as the natural state of the universe, with light being the aberration. And if you view it that way, does it mean that evil is the natural state of the universe? There are of course counter-arguments, but this – along with my earlier thoughts on the subject – started the line of thought which ultimately resulted in the heart of this story.

Did you do a complete outline first, or did the story unfold as you wrote?

I generally outline first, and for this one I had a fairly full outline. It was written as part of my second NaNoWriMo. Since I don’t like being late I tend to write fast if I have a deadline, so my first NaNoWriMo was done in ten days. This time (2011) I was prepared, and had two novel ideas ready to try and see me through the month. So I spent October on outlining them, most of the work on The Sin of Hope so that was fairly detailed – I know all the beats for each chapter so there’s no slowing down because I don’t know what happens next.

I still failed to stretch them out till the end of the month, The Sin of Hope being done by the eighth, and Coral Throne done by the eighteenth. I’ve given up on lasting it out till the end of the month.

I know some consider letting the story unfold as you write more artistically pure, but I’ve never understood that – all you do is make more work for yourself in the revisions. Outlining still has the unfolding process, it just occurs earlier.

I let stories stew in my head until I feel compelled to write them. How long they’re there varies. Some may only be weeks before I feel I’ve got enough of a grasp of them that they’re not going to evaporate as soon as I start making notes, whereas others can be stuck there for years (either allowing them to form more fully, because I don’t feel competent enough to write it as well as I feel it needs, or just because of all the other ideas clamouring for attention [I currently have three novel ideas – all sequels – milling near the front, with I haven’t counted how many behind them, and all waiting for me to finish the novel undergoing proofing, two short stories in differing stages, and a series of fifteen linked novelettes/short stories of which I’ve completed the first drafts]).

The Sin of Hope evolved over years (although the name I came up with during the outlining). I can’t remember why I chose the pulpy detective feel for it, but it was early on. Initially it was a bit more surreal, the detective waking up drugged by the mobsters he’d been investigating, and remained dazed enough that he’s not sure how much of what he experiences is real. It also had a hallucinatory femme fatale who would actually beckon him off the edge of a roof at the end. But in writing I tend to ground the more fantastical elements unless I’m controlling myself, so that probably wouldn’t have worked.

In outlining, I first of all write the basic sequence of events, work out what characters I need, and make sure everything hangs together. Then I start detailing the characters, especially the POV ones. This involves working out the voice, agenda, and general character arc. I then break the sequence down into chapters, with a basic description of what occurs in each. This breakdown will generally be a single sheet of paper.

I then detail the events of each chapter on a separate sheet of paper each (makes it easy to change chapters around, although you do need to number them in case they all go flying), breaking down further the precise sequence of events. I also list the character moments I want each to cover, so those are planned out, and these are done before I fully break down the specific sequence of events.

(When writing a fantasy or science fiction story – where world-building requires more work – I’ll also tend to make a list of the things that need covering and place them in chapters so I can ensure everything’s covered by the time it’s needed, and that I can space some things out so as not to overload the info-dump)

I’ll generally continue breaking down the details until I feel ready to start (or, in this case, until the official starting date), possibly changing stuff as later parts of the story show they aren’t going to work. This is where most of the pre-writing rewriting comes in, as the logic of the story becomes more concrete.

The main character, P.I. John Daly, is a complex man. You do a superb job with character development. Tell us a bit about your creative process.

Thank you kindly. The initial idea for Daly is the detectives from old pulps (he’s named after Carroll John Daly, credited as writing the first hard-boiled detective story), as that was the flavour of story I wanted. He was then shaped by the way the story developed – especially the choice of setting it in a modern setting rather than the era of the pulps – and the way I tend to write this kind of first person narrative.

The character arc tends to be the bit most heavily tweaked in revisions, especially with a single POV character, as characters tend to become more concrete through the writing (the amount of time you spend developing them during the outlining phase firms them up but they can still grow in the writing). It’s generally a process of making sure their arc aligns closely to complement the story, or at least doesn’t go in the opposite direction.

Daly didn’t require much changing, just minor tweaks to tighten up his arc. I usually write out the main moments of the character’s development as bullet points. If the moment takes a lot of words to even write a note about then it may need breaking down. My main goal is to simplify the arc (I do the same with most arcs, and the plot in general, trying to make sure they’re easy(ish) to follow without sacrificing the heart of the story).

In this case his arc was primarily about his dealing with his ethical choice when the basis of his morality is proven unsound (viewing morality as an external value system imposed upon one, and ethics as ones internal value system, usually based on morality). That’s simple enough, isn’t it?

Given it’s in the first person, Daly’s voice had to be pretty much determined from the start. The only real change was making sure he sounded American, and that the first person text used American terms, which as a non-American I could easily miss. So I hired an American editor, Susan Helene Gottfried (West of Mars) to make sure it sounded authentic. Working with her was a pleasant and rewarding experience and I recommend her to anyone looking for an editor.

You have a lot of published work, encompassing an array of genres. The Sin of Hope is suspense. A while back I read To Hunt Monsters, which is a very cool and unique vampire story. I believe you also have work that would be considered fantasy and science fiction. You are a natural storyteller, undefined by a specific genre. Is there a genre you find easier and/or more enjoyable to write within? And is there a genre you find unappealing or out of your comfort zone?

Stories are about making things up. Why would I want to confine myself?

But fantasy is probably the genre I’m most inclined towards, and which I have the most ideas for. A lot of this is based on the books and comics I enjoy reading – books tends to be more fantasy, some science fiction – and what I watch on television. These inevitably influence the ideas that come to me.

Fantasy and science fiction can allow you to explore ideas in ways which would be harder to do in more ‘real’ settings. A few of my stories deal with politics of various flavours, which generally requires a fabricated setting.

Also, action scenes can be a lot more interesting and fresh in fantasy and science fiction (interesting environments to set them in, and interesting tactical options from the technology, magic system, or whatever), and I do tend to write quite a few. Hopefully not to the detriment of the story, but they can keep the pace going.

As for unappealing genres, I doubt I’ll ever write a romance. As an element of a story it’s fine, but I have no desire to write something where it’s at the heart. Although maybe as a writing exercise, and if the banter can be kept sharp it might be interesting to… no, probably not (and certainly no erotica).

I said this in my review, and I truly believe, you are one of the most talented authors the world has yet to meet. What is it that drives you to create fictional worlds?

Psychosis and self-delusion. This is what I want to do, and I’ll continue doing so until some buggers start buying my books in enough numbers to allow me to make a living at it.

Describe your writing environment. Neat or messy? Silent or noisy?

Define neat? Everything’s where I want it, even if I happen to not know where that is at any given point. And I prefer it silent.

Tell us one place in the world you’d like to visit, and why.

I can’t really think of anywhere. Going anywhere seems like too much of a hassle, and then you have getting back to think about. I’ve never seen the appeal of going away on holiday – how can it be relaxing? (Yes, I’m a miserable bastard)

What’s your preference, a summer day on the beach or a winter day in the mountains?

Winter day in the mountains. I don’t like it too hot, and I don’t like crowds (and if it’s sunny you know the beaches will be crowded – barring incidents which would probably mean I wouldn’t really want to be there anyway. I told you I was a miserable bastard).

And what is there to do on a beach other than get skin cancer? Your only view is the ocean and the aforementioned crowds.

But now I can’t help considering the possibilities of a fight scene on a beach. Sure, mountains would offer more danger with the long falls, but that’s been done plenty of times, so would hardly be novel.

Thank you, Gareth! Your answers are almost as entertaining as your novels!

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All Gareth’s books are available on Amazon, in both print and Kindle format:

Amazon.com Widgets

Also available on Amazon UK and Smashwords.

If you would like to learn more about Gareth’s novel To Hunt Monsters, you can read my interview with him here: http://quietfurybooks.com/blog/2011/08/gareth-lewis-hunts-monsters

I hope you’ll take the time to connect with Gareth and explore his fictional world.

Thanks for reading.

literature blog

Tags: author interviews, Fiction Writing, First Person Narration, Gareth Lewis, indie authors, NaNoWriMo, P.I. Novels, Pulp Fiction, Religion and Science, Religious Viewpoints, Suspense Authors, The Sin of Hope, To Hunt Monsters