Today, talking about her first draft process is crime writer Angela Marsons.
Angela lives in the Black Country with her partner, a bouncy Labrador and a swearing parrot.
She first discovered her love of writing at Junior School when actual lessons came second to watching other people and quietly making up her own stories about them. Her report card invariably read “Angela would do well if she minded her own business as well as she minds other people’s”.
After years of writing relationship based stories (My Name Is and The Middle Child) Angela turned to Crime, fictionally speaking of course, and developed a character that refused to go away.
In September 2013 she was signed to Bookouture.com in a 4 book deal starting the DI Kim Stone series in SILENT SCREAM to be published 20th February 2015.
When you decide to write something new, what is the first thing you do?
Grab an A5 notebook and scribble notes. There is no order to the notes and they will be a mixture of character ideas or plot lines or things I’d like to research. I don’t try and organise my thoughts I just try and make a note of them. This pad will then accompany me wherever I go.
Do you have a set routine approaching it?
I like to let an idea burn for a little while to see if it fizzles out. Some ideas have grabbed me violently for a day or two and then just as quickly died. If I’m still thinking about it and making notes a week later then I know it’s time for stage two: research.
Pen and paper or straight to the keyboard?
For me it is pencils and A4 notepads. I’ve never been able to write straight to the keyboard. There is something about the sound of the lead scratching across the page that links directly to my creative mind.
How important is research to you?
Extremely important. I like to have a good grasp of the subject matter and love to learn. The only hazard is knowing how much to put into the book. After doing the research for Silent Scream I know far more about motorbike mechanics and restoration, archaeology and osteoarchaeology and even Post Mortem techniques. This makes me exceptional fun at parties!
How do you go about researching?
I use it as an excuse to buy more books. I love an Amazon package filled with factual books but I do sometimes worry about my ‘Items Bought’ list. I’m pretty sure it would look like a Psychologist’s pension plan!
I try to write only about places that I know well or have at least visited so that I can give an authentic account of the atmosphere and surroundings.
I find Wikipedia addictive. I log in to search one particular item or fact and then find that it just won’t let me go.
How do you store everything; ideas, research, images that catch your eye?
It all gets put into one pile ready for the delicious task of sorting. I’m not sure if it’s an author thing or just me but I love a good pile to organise and sort. Sometimes I’ll save the task for when I’ve hit a roadblock. I might just see a fact or a note that I’d forgotten which propels me back to the book with fresh ideas.
Tell us how that first draft takes shape?
After filling books with research I put it all aside into the one big pile with scraps of notes and anything else I’ve accumulated.
I open a brand new, crisp A4 hardback lined pad and just start. I don’t like to plan anything to begin with because I want to see where the story is going to take me. I usually know how I want the first three or four chapters to go but then I like it to grow organically. I like the surprise of the journey. I love it when new ideas change the shape of the story as I go along.
Are there any rituals you have to do or items you must have with you while writing that draft?
For me the ritual of brand new writing pads and a new pack of pencils is symbolic. It’s the beginning of a fresh new journey. The only other thing I must have is speedy access to the Tassimo machine. I find this increases the productivity rate exponentially.
Does the outside world exist or are you lost to us for a period of time as the magic works?
What world? To answer, yes I am lost to the world once I’m in that zone. I always think of the first draft as being just for me; it’s my playground. The censor, the editor and the English teacher are all busy elsewhere. I have escaped them for a while. So I write it how I want to, enjoying the freedom of their absence but safe in the knowledge they’ll be back for the second draft.
What does your workspace look like?
For the first draft I sit at the dining table which looks out onto the back garden. There is no computer, Ipad, Smartphone or even carrier pigeon. I am excommunicated from technology and distraction. Although there are times when the antics of visiting Robins, Blue Tits and Sparrows take far more of my attention than they should. I don’t listen to music when I sit down to write but once I’m in the zone One Direction could be performing live on my patio and I wouldn’t notice.
Edit as you go or just keep getting words out?
Just keep getting words out. I write only on the right hand side of the page so that anything that comes to mind gets scrawled quickly on the left. I leave myself messages like ‘rewrite later’ or ‘good place for research’ or just ‘rubbish-do again’. But I try not to stop moving forward with the pencil.
I see many writers counting words in a day. Word counter or other method of keeping track of progression?
I do tend to log an approximate word count at the end of each writing session which I can often gauge by the severity of hand cramp! I don’t have a word target when I sit down to write. Normally, my motivation is a particular scene that I’m dying to write, usually a difficult or emotional one.
So, that first draft is down. Roughly how long did it take? And what shape is it in?
The first draft of Silent Scream was written in a month. It was an amazing experience because the pencil just would not stop. I was setting my alarm at stupid o clock just so I could get a couple of hours writing before I went to work. It wasn’t in the greatest shape and an entire plotline, a few chapters and countless sentences never made it to the second draft.
In what format do you like to read it through, e-reader, paper or the computer screen?
I like to read it as I’m typing it onto the computer. I do this upstairs in the spare room where all the critics are kept. This is when I let them out to have their say.
What happens now that first draft is done?
I mourn. There is a definite sadness present for me when I finish a story, just like when you’re reading a great book that you don’t want to end. There is a sense that I will never ‘discover’ that story again. But within a couple of days I am eager to get started on the next phase of the journey which is to make it the absolute best that it can be.
Thanks for digging into the depths of the first draft. It’s been a pleasure having you.
Thank you for inviting me.
You can find Angela on her website, Twitter, and Amazon.
Silent Scream
Even the darkest secrets can’t stay buried forever…
Five figures gather round a shallow grave. They had all taken turns to dig. An adult-sized hole would have taken longer. An innocent life had been taken but the pact had been made. Their secrets would be buried, bound in blood …
Years later, a headmistress is found brutally strangled, the first in a spate of gruesome murders which shock the Black Country.
But when human remains are discovered at a former children’s home, disturbing secrets are also unearthed. D.I. Kim Stone fast realises she’s on the hunt for a twisted individual whose killing spree spans decades.
As the body count rises, Kim needs to stop the murderer before they strike again. But to catch the killer, can Kim confront the demons of her own past before it’s too late?
Margot Kinberg says
Rebecca – Thanks for hosting Angela.
Angela – Congratulations on that book deal! I wish you much success. I couldn’t agree with you more about the vital importance of research; I think it lends a book authenticity. And I only wish my handwriting were legible enough to allow me to write drafts that way.
Alex J. Cavanaugh (@AlexJCavanaugh) says
No carrier pigeon? Yes, I bet you are fun at parties! Your wit shines through here on the page so well.
Kay says
I laughed at the idea that “Items Bought” on Amazon would be suspect. I can’t imagine what someone might think of mine as well as my browsing history there. Obsessed with crime novels much?
Looking forward to reading SILENT SCREAM and love the pops of color on the cover. Best of luck!
crimeworm says
Angela seems lovely, very funny and great company, I bet. I love writing in pencil too, a line of them, all nice and sharp…I’m really looking forward to Silent Scream now! Thanks Rebecca, I say this all the time but I so adore this series!
carolinemitchell says
I really enjoyed this interview. Angie is the nicest person you could meet, and I’m thrilled with the early success of Silent Scream. I have been lucky enough to obtain a review copy and if you like crime thrillers you’re in for a treat.
Jacqui Murray says
I love to own the books that I use for research. They inspire me even when I’ve read them thoroughly. I’ve tried checking books from the library. It works, but if I love them, I end up buying them!
Sally Pritchett says
A great insight into someone else’s process into the first draft. (And can I say it’s nice to see someone else still uses pen/pencil and paper for their first draft.)
cleopatralovesbooks says
I adore this series even though I’m not a writer it is fascinating to hear the different processes writers use to compile their first draft. Thanks too for highlighting Angela Marson’s book which sounds as if it is one that needs to be on my TBR!