Multi-award-winning author, journalist, film critic and fiction writer Kim Newman joins Dr Rachel Knightley at the Writers’ Gym for the final episode in our current series. Kim and Rachel talk about what a healthy and happy writing life can look like, the important relationship between freedom and structure, and how memory and imagination combine to build on our interests as authors into new works within the genres we love.
For a writing workout based on Kim’s interview with Rachel, scroll down or visit WritersGym.com to download every Writing Workout in the series.
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Kim Newman’s Recipe For a Healthy Writing Life
Learn how to pace yourself.
Learn how to meet deadlines.
learn how to get stuff done.
Get stuff out of your head onto the page.
You have to engage people these days on the first page, that is absolutely true. But that’s not the same as starting with a plane crash. But you have to have something there.
And work on the prose. I know it can be kind of tedious, but look at the shape of sentences. Don’t repeat words too often.
Think hard about stuff like character names. It’s difficult. Most people in their life have like one or two children they have to name. Authors have to name thousands of people over a career. So give some thought to that.
If you’re writing historical fiction, learn what names were actually invented recently and you’ll look an idiot if you put them in your medieval character called Vanessa or Pamela. Don’t!
But also work out what names were popular in the 1940s if you’re writing then. That’s relatively easy to find out because now there are lists of what names were popular. But also think about your character’s parents and whether they would pick a popular name. Maybe they wouldn’t if they’re strange or unconventional people or if they’re in one of those families that likes to pass down embarrassing names to their children. think about where your characters come from, what shapes them before you get to the story, the adventure they’re involved in.
Remember that other people have different obsessions to you or different habits to you. It’s not so common now, but you used to be able to tell if an author was a smoker by the fact that all their characters puffed all the time. And I know that there are probably things that… In fact, as a non-driver, I know that I very rarely describe driving. But sometimes you sort of have to and I suspect there are howlers in that because it’s not an experience I have.
That’s the other thing, entertain yourself. If you don’t do that nobody else is going to enjoy it either.