Q&A with Eliot Pattison discussion

How do you go about writing your books? Are you more of a plotter? Or do you wing it? What sort of research would you do for a futuristic story?

Thanks for taking the time to answer questions!
Mallory

Mallory--

Thanks for taking the time send a message. It's fascinating to me to learn how different authors are in their approaches to writing. Some thrive in quiet places, some crave the throng of a busy Starbucks. Some outline almost every page, some wing it. I don't much care for outlines--and when I am asked to do one in advance, I never stick to it. Writing a novel is a journey I take with my characters. When I start a novel I know the opening, the closing, and have a strong view of my main characters. When you have an instinct for your characters they very much help write the book.

The research for Ashes spanned a wide spectrum. A lot of it, ironically, was on history since I used a lot of early Industrial technology and science in the book.

best, Eliot

Hi Eliot -

I also have a question about your writing process. How much of yourself is in each character and do you consciously create a character with certain traits in mind or does each character evolve differently?

Laura wrote: "Hi Eliot -

I also have a question about your writing process. How much of yourself is in each character and do you consciously create a character with certain traits in mind or does each characte..."


I think undoubtedly every novelist puts something of himself/herself in their characters but certainly there are many more factors that enter into the creation of characters--I have murdering shiftless liars in my books but that doesn't mean I am one. When I create a character it is for a reason--to drive the plot, to stir some thought-provoking theme, to provide friction for the development of the main characters. That means I do have something of a skeletal view of each character but without question each evolves as they interact, each builds flesh as the novel builds. As I have said many times, each novel I write is a journey with my characters and sometimes my characters take me to unexpected places. Writing Ashes of the Earth made the apocalypse for me disturbingly real because the characters were my close companions for many months.

Eliot