I leave tomorrow for the Celsius 232 festival at Aviles in Asturias, Spain, where I will be spending a few days in the company of George RR Martin and a cornucopia of other authors. Those of you preparing to get jealous, I hear the weather there is currently capricious. Those of you who might actually be there with me, my interview is at 17.45 on Wednesday 18th. But I’ll be there until Sunday, so by all means stop by and say hi, get a book signed, whatever.
Sadly, it means I won’t be here to update, but those of you not in spain need not despair! I have prepared a positive bonanza of content to bring you during my absence, for this very week I am guest blogging every day at the premises of my publisher, Gollancz, on the subject of my writing process, if you can call it that. Today, monday, a piece on planning has appeared, tomorrow, the subject shall be writing (the first draft, specifically), on wednesday I shall discuss revision, on thursday editing, and on friday finishing, all suffused with my usual wit, insight, wisdom and humility. Ahem.
I will see y’all next week…
19 comments so far
I got all excited when I saw Spain. Damn shame I’m working and the drive up to Aviles from where I am is just over 9 hours. I’m gutted.
Spain! Spain!! Never hear of these get together’s in somewhere like Maiden Bradley or Chipping Sodbury do you? 😉
Joe,
Have a great time I would love to go to Spain this time of year!!!
P.S. Tell Martin that Bronn needs to be a POV character in the next book!!
Challenge GRRM and Rothfuss to the circle, 2 v 1 … you can take them.
Morgan,
Rothfuss and GRRM would probably just sit on him until he suffocates.
Morgan,
They’d totally trip over each other’s beards. But Rothfuss isn’t there, anyway…
Must be a strange feeling being in the same room amongst the midst of such a well respect, hugely admired, vastly sought after author, loved around the entire world. Wow, I bet George R. R. Martin’s is incredibly jealous of you…
See what I did there?… I implied that it might be Martin’s but really I was talking about you… You know it’s a terrible joke when you have to explain it, especially to yourself…
Anywho, I look forward to reading your stuff, so it better be interesting! Otherwise I’ll come back onto here and give you some manly (but entirely empty) threats.
Have fun in Spain, I’ll be reading your guest posts on the Gollancz website. Sounds like very interesting stuff…
Have fun in Spain. Apropos of nothing, I was reading an interview with Glen Cook on a French website where he says this:
“Fantasy.fr: Some new writers say that you’re an influence for them. Is it something that put pressure on you when you write new books?
No, I don’t even think about it. I know I’ve influenced several writers of the current generation, probably most strongly Steven Erikson and several other American writers that I don’t know anyone outside the United States has heard of like Joe Abercrombie or Ian C. Esslemont…”
http://www.elbakin.net/interview/exclusive/Glen-Cook-aux-Utopiales-2011-l-interview2
How does it feel to be a famous American writer unknown outside the States?
Maybe he was joking or something. He is normally pretty sharp, that Cook chappie.
Celyn A,
It feels great. Especially as, aside from the short story he had in Swords and Dark Magic, I’ve never read any Cook. I hear he’s good though, and probably the sort of thing I would be influenced by…
Have a nice one in Espana,get some rest and enjoy yourself.
But next time choose a place with some decent beaches, stroll down our Greek shores,you’ll be blown away.
@AntMac
As sharp as a blunt knife apparently…
Not gonna lie.
I respect Cook, think he’s talented, but… he’s one of those authors where you read his books and enjoy the scenery, setting, prose and so forth, but you’re left with this feeling, mentally and in the heart, that there’s just something “missing” overall in his work. Almost as if his characters are hard to relate with.
Tried making it through “Instrumentalities” after reading Song and the Heroes. It was an immense challenge. He throws together so many cultures under a single banner and mingles so many elements it throws you off mentally, somewhere.
Or maybe I am just strict per cultures in fantasy and demand a real world feel to them? I don’t know…
Hmm.
I didn’t feel the cultures in Instrumentalities lacked a real world feeling exactly, but I get where you are aimming there.
They were kind of . . . feverish? Strained?. Anyway, under some sort of strain, kind of if you wrote about the third reich or mohammads Arabia without pointing out it was life during wartime.
Mind you, I can think of another writer who you can say the very same of, and we love it from him, it is his thang.
coff*Erikson*coff
Hi Joe. A shame you come so close to me and work prevents me from assisting. Why it had to be a Wednesday?
Anyway, if you ever come to Barcelona consider yourself invited to a beer and a tour to all Gaudí masterworks.
With the comment that Cook made, sounds like a future Hollywood script about this generation of writers. Once again Hollywood changes history and fifty years from now they will make out that you are in fact an American writer 😉
@Gary
As someone who lives in the States…that statement is regrettably, true.
Battle of Sterling Bridge anyone?
Joe,
Since you are a fledgling American author how about a trip to the states?!?
I thought the Black Company was brilliant and Cook fell off a bit after that. That being said, I wish I could write like that. How hard is it to keep your work at such a high level? The Heroes is one of my favorite books ever. You seem to get stronger as you write whereas most authors experience a bit of a lull.