Frost is thrilled that James Swallow has found time to write about his writing day for us – enjoy. And read his novel NOMAD, a belter of a book.
‘Bedtime? Forget it. This is one you won’t put down until it’s finished. We need a new strong character in this genre, and fresh for the New Year, Marc Dane is one.’ Frost Magazine
‘Unputdownable…a must read’ Wilbur Smith
‘nail-biting debut thriller for the post wikileaks world’ Mail on Sunday
‘a globe-trotting espionage thriller…very enjoyable.’ Guardian
James Swallow is a veteran author and scriptwriter with over 15 years of experience in fiction, television, radio, journalism, new media and videogames. He is the three-time New York Times bestselling author. He was nominated by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) for his writing on the critically acclaimed DEUS EX: HUMAN REVOLUTION, 2013’s blockbuster videogame with over 2.18 million copies sold.
Frost is thrilled that James Swallow has found time to write about his writing day for us – enjoy.
The alarm wakes me around 8:00am, and if I haven’t been working ridiculous hours the night before it will have the desired effect and rouse me. Strong coffee and a breakfast snack come next, so the caffeine hits my system around the time I’m at my computer and logging on to the rest of the world. By far the best part of my working day is the commute; I have to travel a lengthy 12 or so metres to my home office, and as someone who used to have a long and dull journey into work back when I had a day job, it’s not something I miss!
At my desk, I skim the internet for the day’s news, check social media and sift through my emails, but my hope is to be into the work for the day by around 10:00am. I start by reviewing the previous day’s writing, whatever it may be – part of a book’s chapter, a piece of short fiction, or script pages – and I edit as I go, fixing things and tightening the writing. By the time I’m done with that, it’s like my writing engine is firing on all cylinders and I’m ready for the main event. I review my plan for the day – how many pages of script I need to write or what my word-count target is – and then settle in to start ‘cutting metal’. At other times, my day might be all about editing if I’m reviewing a finished draft; or it might be a pure study day spent building up a Google search history that which thanks to being a writer of modern espionage thrillers would raise eyebrows at GCHQ and MI5! Other times, I’m off-site working with videogames studios or on location for research.
I’m typically at my desk six days out of every seven, although being your own boss does allow you the luxury of voting yourself a free day whenever you feel you need one! The trade-offs are good and bad – the writer’s lot can be a lonely and isolating one if you allow it to be, so it’s good to break up the schedule with the occasional walkabout or lunch at a local café. It’s also important to keep up a regular connection with your fellow authors in person, or online, if only to share the high and lows of the writer life, brainstorm ideas or just act as a sounding board.
Just a bit of James’ research.
Lunch break comes sometime after 1:00pm, but occasionally it will slip to later if I’m not watching the clock – especially if I am working on something that really captures my attention! I eat at my desk more often than I should, but sometimes I’ll take my lunch on the sofa or out in the garden during the summer months. Then it’s back to the task at hand and I do my best to be done by the time my wife returns from work in the early evening. If I get finished early, I’ll reward myself by unwinding with music, a movie or a game.
But no matter where I am or what time of day it is, I will always have a notepad and a pen within arm’s reach just in case an idea occurs to me outside of “office hours”! As most writers will attest, we are all of us always writing, but we’re not always writing it down…
Published by Zaffre, paperback, £7.99
http://jamesswallow.blogspot.co.uk/ #Nomad