I’m starting a new series on this blog: Word Craft – A Deep Dive Into Writers’ Methods and Practices. I’m fascinated by how writers write — processes are more varied than you might guess — and this interview series is an opportunity to see how other authors practice their craft (and to borrow their best techniques).
My first guest is fellow Flame Tress Press author Catherine Cavendish. Welcome Catherine!
-J.D.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tell us a little about yourself and what inspired you to become a writer.
I live near Liverpool in Britain although I was actually born in Hereford. I have had a varied career which has taken me from advertising and sales through to vocational guidance and helping people of all ages and from all walks of life to get jobs and embark on new careers. These days I am lucky enough to be a full time writer of horror – mainly of the supernatural, ghostly, Gothic kind.
What’s your book about?
The Haunting of Henderson Close is set in Edinburgh’s famous Old Town. The major protagonist – Hannah – is a character guide who escorts groups of people down beneath the streets of modern day Edinburgh to the winding Closes now buried underground. Work commences to extend the tourist attraction of Henderson Close and something is released. Something evil. There have always been sightings of ghosts but now the activity intensifies. The legend of the Auld De’il is revived and Hannah and her colleagues on discover that whatever is happening is centered on them. Their lives and even their very souls are in danger.
INSPIRATION AND MOTIVATION
Why do you write?
I have always written – even before I could properly form words. It is something I have a passion and a need to do. I couldn’t imagine ever not writing.
What do you do when you need additional inspiration or ideas?
I read, watch films or simply go for a walk. Strangely though some of my best ideas occur when I’m in the shower. Then it’s a mad dash to get out, get dried and dressed and get the ideas down before I forget them. It’s a shame I can’t take a pen and paper in the shower with me!
Do you finish everything you start? If a piece isn’t working, at what point do you cut your losses and abandon it?
I mostly finish everything I start but I did have one occasion where I realized I simply couldn’t stand the protagonist and didn’t want to spend any more time with her. That was one manuscript that ended up in the garbage.
METHODS AND PRACTICES
Catherine’s workspace and office assistant
How often do you write?
Every day – even if it’s only marketing material.
Do you have a regular time of day and place that your write?
I generally write from later morning through to early evening, in my home office. It’s a bit of a tip at the moment as we are moving house.
Do you revise as you go, or wait for a complete first draft?
I usually write the entire first draft although I have been known to write most of it and struggle with an ending. When that happens, I go back over and revise everything. That’s when the right ending invariably presents – and writes – itself.
Who sees your work first, and why?
Julia Kavan. Julia has been reading my work for a number of years now. She is also a writer and editor and has an uncanny knack of spotting the errors of my ways. She homes in like a heat seeking missile on plot holes, inconsistencies, repetition and all manner of nasties that I have been sure I had weeded out prior to sending the manuscript to her. Every writer needs a Julia.
What’s your backup system (for computer files)?
I save on a USB memory stick – and sometimes I even mail work to myself as an extra back up
Do you have any particular methods via which you communicate with your subconscious mind?
Sleep!
What methods or practices have you used to increase your productivity?
Having less sleep. No, seriously, restricting time on social media and ensuring that anything that doesn’t have to be done is left until it is needed.
How important are lighting, sound/silence, smells, and other sensory factors to your writing process?
I need to work in relative silence so no background music, TV or conversation. I need to immerse myself totally in the world I am creating.
FORTHCOMING
What are you working on now, and what projects do you have scheduled?
I have recently finished a novel called the Garden of Bewitchment which involves ghosts, a dangerous and malevolent board game and is set in the late nineteenth century, with Gothic undertones. I am also in the process of completing a first draft of a novella set in a haunted hospital.
shehannemoore
Just ordered up my copy. Right up my street, this is x
Audrey Kalman
I’m fascinated, too, by the processes of fellow writers and I look forward to this series. I’m also always amazed at how many writers say something along the lines of what Catherine said about why they write: “I couldn’t imagine ever not writing.” It’s certainly true for me.