Ask the Author: Andrew David MacDonald
Answered Questions (9)
Andrew David MacDonald
I've spent a lot of time thinking about where Zelda and her tribe end up and reckon I've got a pretty good idea! Never rule out a sequel sometime in the future :)
Andrew David MacDonald
I haven't, but I'll check it out!
Andrew David MacDonald
I'm looking into it :)
Andrew David MacDonald
Thanks for the question!
I’ve talked about this before in some interviews, so I’ll append below the answer I gave to Shelf Awareness about the genesis of the novel.
Best,
ADM
When We Were Vikings is such a well-crafted, perfectly paced novel. How did this story evolve for you as a writer?
The novel grew out of a short story, though it was written from the perspective of the character who would eventually evolve into Gert. At the time I thought I was writing about people I didn't know. A couple years after I finished the story, I realized that Gert's resentment about sacrificing aspects of his own life to take care of Zelda mirrored my own resentment towards a family member whom my brother and I had to take care of, in many respects, when we were teenagers.
I tend not to write about my own life, at least not explicitly, so it was surprising to see much of my internal world reflected in a story that initially seemed so foreign. From there, I started wondering about Zelda and Gert. Were they any closer to achieving their hopes and dreams, to finding love and acceptance out there in the world? From the bits and pieces I wrote to try and answer those questions, Zelda's voice started coming through. Eventually those bits and pieces became When We Were Vikings.
[from https://shelf-awareness.com/readers-i...]
Thanks for the question!
I’ve talked about this before in some interviews, so I’ll append below the answer I gave to Shelf Awareness about the genesis of the novel.
Best,
ADM
When We Were Vikings is such a well-crafted, perfectly paced novel. How did this story evolve for you as a writer?
The novel grew out of a short story, though it was written from the perspective of the character who would eventually evolve into Gert. At the time I thought I was writing about people I didn't know. A couple years after I finished the story, I realized that Gert's resentment about sacrificing aspects of his own life to take care of Zelda mirrored my own resentment towards a family member whom my brother and I had to take care of, in many respects, when we were teenagers.
I tend not to write about my own life, at least not explicitly, so it was surprising to see much of my internal world reflected in a story that initially seemed so foreign. From there, I started wondering about Zelda and Gert. Were they any closer to achieving their hopes and dreams, to finding love and acceptance out there in the world? From the bits and pieces I wrote to try and answer those questions, Zelda's voice started coming through. Eventually those bits and pieces became When We Were Vikings.
[from https://shelf-awareness.com/readers-i...]
Andrew David MacDonald
Reading, without question. When I'm reading a good book, one that makes my heart ache or my brain whir, I want to get back to my own stuff and write something that makes other people feel that way, too.
...plus lots of coffee...
...plus lots of coffee...
Andrew David MacDonald
The Paris of the Lost Generation, no question. Provided I had a massive expense account and could bring my cat. That's technically not a fictional place, so I might be cheating, but I'd like to hang out with all the other writers, flappers, and live in a decrepit but charming Parisian hotel cranking out novels and stories and asking Gertrude Stein about what the hell her poems are about and getting portraits of me and my cat done by Picasso.
So I guess I'm saying I want to be Owen Wilson in Midnight in Paris, minus the marriage that's falling apart.
So I guess I'm saying I want to be Owen Wilson in Midnight in Paris, minus the marriage that's falling apart.
Andrew David MacDonald
I love this question, because I asked it a lot - and still do, whenever I get a chance to chat with other writers. I remember being kind of frustrated whenever I got answers that were vague, or overly philosophical; I'm pretty pragmatic, and am myself interested in practical advice. Maybe you're the same? In that spirit, here are the steps I would take - and really DID take - to improve and eventually write a book, etc.
1. Read a lot, and read widely.
This is kind of a no-brainer. You want to figure out what kinds of books you like, don't like, what genres appeal to you, and sponge up the rules of writing. A lot of guides talk about grammar, style, formatting, etc. If you read a lot, you'll have internalized much of this stuff. Plus writers write books for people to read because they like to read.
The widely part is important because you never know what kind of cross-pollination happens between what lives in your brain and what you're putting in.
2. Write for Words, Not For Time
This is a trick I used by necessity, back when I had a full-time job. I found that if I wrote for time, I got less done, and really didn't give myself the chance to write in small chunks during the day. You want to build up your writing muscle and challenge yourself to write more; writing for time doesn't do that.
On that subject...
3. Build Up Word Count and Write Every Day
Start with something managable, like 250 words a day, and scale it back by fifty words. So start with 200 words a day. I think anyone can do that. You can do 100 words in the morning, AFTER COFFEE OF COURSE, and then do 50 words on your lunch break, and 50 before bed. Add more if you have more energy.
Once you've done that word count for a couple weeks, add 50. If that's too easy, add 100. Build up to the Gold Standard(tm) of 1000 words a day. Write daily, preferably at the same time, and preferably in the morning.
Why the morning? Because you aren't tired from the wash of life then, and you'll be starting the day with a win. For added bonus points, you can do the Pomodoro Method to break your writing up.
4. Study Story Structure
You probably intuitively know when a story is broken, just from having been exposed to movies and TV shows and books. Think about movies with crappy endings, or that feel like a drag, or that take a long time to get into. There are structural reasons for that, and so I encourage you to look at screenplay structure, Joseph Campbell, Vonnegut's diagram for stories (a great video is on Youtube, if you just punch in "Vonnegut Story"), the five point plot structure, etc. Look at your favorite books and break them down.
If that sounds fun, then you and I have a lot in common :D
If it doesn't sound fun, that's okay too. I encourage you to think of yourself as a craftsperson who is learning how to build a book you can be proud of, vs. as an artist who dips into the muse-bucket. See The War of Art by Pressfield for more!
When I used to teach writing, the story I would use to break down plot is "Brownies" by ZZ Packer. Give it a read (it's excellent) and see if you can isolate all the elements of the five point plot structure, and how smartly Packer employs them.
4b. Fulfill Your Promise
Any story you tell starts with a promise. Will Frodo destroy the ring and save the world? Will Luke Skywalker overcome his archrivals on the Dark Side? Will Harry Potter defeat the noseless one?
Your promise will appear in the first fifty pages of your novel, and will give you a clue about how your story should end (hint: your ending has to address that promise in some way or another).
5. Finish your story
Don't stop to edit. Get your first draft done as fast as possible. You might want to get practice doing this with NaNoWriMo. Shut off the inner editor. Let your first draft be play.
To this end, I can't recommend Lamott's Bird by Bird, particulary the chapter, "Shitty First Drafts" (available in PDF all over place on the internet), enough.
6. Write Throught Sass
Your brain is going to do whatever it takes to dissuade you from finishing your book. Don't listen to negative self talk. Every word you write is getting you closer to mastering your craft, finishing your book. Take pleasure in the process, or at least try to.
--
I didn't expect this answer to be this long, but what the hell. I hope you find this useful.
Happy writing!
1. Read a lot, and read widely.
This is kind of a no-brainer. You want to figure out what kinds of books you like, don't like, what genres appeal to you, and sponge up the rules of writing. A lot of guides talk about grammar, style, formatting, etc. If you read a lot, you'll have internalized much of this stuff. Plus writers write books for people to read because they like to read.
The widely part is important because you never know what kind of cross-pollination happens between what lives in your brain and what you're putting in.
2. Write for Words, Not For Time
This is a trick I used by necessity, back when I had a full-time job. I found that if I wrote for time, I got less done, and really didn't give myself the chance to write in small chunks during the day. You want to build up your writing muscle and challenge yourself to write more; writing for time doesn't do that.
On that subject...
3. Build Up Word Count and Write Every Day
Start with something managable, like 250 words a day, and scale it back by fifty words. So start with 200 words a day. I think anyone can do that. You can do 100 words in the morning, AFTER COFFEE OF COURSE, and then do 50 words on your lunch break, and 50 before bed. Add more if you have more energy.
Once you've done that word count for a couple weeks, add 50. If that's too easy, add 100. Build up to the Gold Standard(tm) of 1000 words a day. Write daily, preferably at the same time, and preferably in the morning.
Why the morning? Because you aren't tired from the wash of life then, and you'll be starting the day with a win. For added bonus points, you can do the Pomodoro Method to break your writing up.
4. Study Story Structure
You probably intuitively know when a story is broken, just from having been exposed to movies and TV shows and books. Think about movies with crappy endings, or that feel like a drag, or that take a long time to get into. There are structural reasons for that, and so I encourage you to look at screenplay structure, Joseph Campbell, Vonnegut's diagram for stories (a great video is on Youtube, if you just punch in "Vonnegut Story"), the five point plot structure, etc. Look at your favorite books and break them down.
If that sounds fun, then you and I have a lot in common :D
If it doesn't sound fun, that's okay too. I encourage you to think of yourself as a craftsperson who is learning how to build a book you can be proud of, vs. as an artist who dips into the muse-bucket. See The War of Art by Pressfield for more!
When I used to teach writing, the story I would use to break down plot is "Brownies" by ZZ Packer. Give it a read (it's excellent) and see if you can isolate all the elements of the five point plot structure, and how smartly Packer employs them.
4b. Fulfill Your Promise
Any story you tell starts with a promise. Will Frodo destroy the ring and save the world? Will Luke Skywalker overcome his archrivals on the Dark Side? Will Harry Potter defeat the noseless one?
Your promise will appear in the first fifty pages of your novel, and will give you a clue about how your story should end (hint: your ending has to address that promise in some way or another).
5. Finish your story
Don't stop to edit. Get your first draft done as fast as possible. You might want to get practice doing this with NaNoWriMo. Shut off the inner editor. Let your first draft be play.
To this end, I can't recommend Lamott's Bird by Bird, particulary the chapter, "Shitty First Drafts" (available in PDF all over place on the internet), enough.
6. Write Throught Sass
Your brain is going to do whatever it takes to dissuade you from finishing your book. Don't listen to negative self talk. Every word you write is getting you closer to mastering your craft, finishing your book. Take pleasure in the process, or at least try to.
--
I didn't expect this answer to be this long, but what the hell. I hope you find this useful.
Happy writing!
Andrew David MacDonald
Historically, I've actually had THE OPPOSITE of writer's block, which is to say I have trouble, when I'm in the middle of a project, sticking to it. My writing mentor calls this 'the Grass is Always Greener' conundrum, where the going starts getting rough and another idea hits and you think, now THAT sounds like a project I can write without getting into the tangled weeds I'm in right now.
Of course, EVERY project ends up in some form of said tangle and said weeds, and at that point you get ANOTHER idea and think, hey now, that is a SURE FIRE WAY TO LITERARY GLORY. And so you abandon this second project in favor of this sexy, sexy new project.
And on and on the mobius strip goes, and at the end of a decade you're left with fifty half finished novels, subsisting on saltines and tap water while the majority of your income, such as it is, goes to keeping your cat in high end litter and canned protein that you can't even afford for yourself.
Did I answer the question? Maybe peripherally...?
Of course, EVERY project ends up in some form of said tangle and said weeds, and at that point you get ANOTHER idea and think, hey now, that is a SURE FIRE WAY TO LITERARY GLORY. And so you abandon this second project in favor of this sexy, sexy new project.
And on and on the mobius strip goes, and at the end of a decade you're left with fifty half finished novels, subsisting on saltines and tap water while the majority of your income, such as it is, goes to keeping your cat in high end litter and canned protein that you can't even afford for yourself.
Did I answer the question? Maybe peripherally...?
Andrew David MacDonald
The sound of a spoiled, geriatric tuxedo cat, howling at 3am, and realizing you ran out of the Trout Lovers Supreme pate wetfood cans required for sleep. No second sentence necessary.
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