I'm so so grateful to the author Matthew Ward, who invited me to be a host. He was kind enough to do this interview with me and I'm excited for you to read it, so without any further ado let's get right into it!
(This interview is spoiler FREE.)
What is
your writing routine?
I’m very
much a ‘start early and work through’ person. If I don’t get underway by about
half eight in the morning, the day very quickly turns to dust.
How long
I’m writing? That depends. If I’m in the drafting stage, I normally aim to
get a chapter done each day, which means that the days can sometimes run long
if I’m struggling with a particular scene or even a recalcitrant sentence. If I
can’t get a chapter done in a day, it’s normally a sign that I’m trying to do
too much in too few words … and I need to get better at spotting that earlier.
As far as
the broader task goes? I normally write one draft, front to back, then go back
and do two edits. The first is dropping in details I think the story needs, but
I didn’t include the first time, and the second is pruning for length. Books
the size of Legacy have to keep a fair pace going, and however
efficiently I think I’m writing, there’s always more I can smooth away to keep
the story moving.
What comes to you first, the plot or the characters?
Bit of both,
because the plot is the characters. Or the main characters, anyway.
In the
case of The Legacy Trilogy, the relationship between Viktor and Josiri
is more important than the actual events – what happens, happens to shape that
relationship, rather than the other way around … at least for the most part.
Other
characters join the cast as part of the writing process, either to provide
perspective, drive the plot ... or because I have something (or someone) fun
I’d like to include. The best characters are often the ones introduced this
way.
How do you handle writer's block?
I suspect
what we term ‘writer’s block’ is a bit different for everyone. I certainly
don’t run out of ideas, which is one of the common symptoms I see listed.
As I
mentioned earlier, my frustrations tend to arise out of chapter simply not
refusing to die, and needing another scene, and another. And most times it’s
because what I thought was a chapter is actually two or three chapters, and I
need to reappraise the structure a bit.
When the
obvious has finally dawned, I’ll either push on through and finish the chapter
according to its new place and format in the grand scheme, or I’ll stop for the
day and come back fresh the following morning, or later in the week. Sometimes
stepping away is the right thing to do. Gives the brain a chance to do a little
unconscious processing.
What is your favourite and least favourite part of the
writing and publishing process?
I actually
really like editing – the odd nudge and tweak that really makes the story and
characters shine. In truth, I don’t do much heavy editing for structure, so
it’s all about polishing events and dropping in cool bits of foreshadowing.
I’ve eaten my greens during the drafting process, so now it’s time to have fun
with dessert.
On the
other side of the coin, I hate the opening sentences in new chapters. Always
overthink them, writing them a dozen times and ultimately end up throwing most
of what I’ve written away.
What piece of advice would you give to an aspiring
author?
Keep
writing!
It’s
really dull advice, but it’s the best there is. For all but the very luckiest
or best connected, it’s a long road to publication. You need to stay the
course and hone your craft so that when luck does break your way, you’re ready
for the opportunity.
I suppose
the other piece of advice is to figure out as early as you can what style of
writing (and what writing process) works for you. Everyone’s different, and
while there are plenty of folk on the internet determined to give you the do’s
and don’ts of writing, in the end, what works for you is what works. There’s so
much bad advice out there, and it can really kill your confidence if you let it.
Of course,
this is also advice, so I’ll leave it up to you to decide whether it’s good or
bad.
You have said before that you have drawn inspiration
from Slavic folklore, what is your favourite thing about it?
I love the
gothic feel to it – unsurprising, as so much of classic gothic fiction is
rooted in Slavic folklore. It’s that sense that there’s something strange
lurking beneath the forest’s edge, or in the river weeds or in that one,
isolated cottage where no one goes.
It
breathes wonder into the world, and the world can always use a little more of
that … just like Slavic folklore could use being acknowledged for it’s far-reaching
influence more often than it is. Without it, there are no vampires or
werewolves and precious few witches.
I also
love (or perhaps that’s not the right word, considering) the duality present in
a lot of Slavic folklore – that transition point in history when benevolent
spirits were recast as demons and tempters as Christianity spread deeper into
Eastern Europe and evicted older deities and traditions. Mythology reflecting
history. There’s a lesson there.
How did you come up with the trilogy? What inspired it?
The core
story has been lurking in the back of my head for twenty-plus years now, though
what precisely inspired it, I couldn’t say. I can point at odd bits and pieces
along the way – I know where particular elements drew their inspiration, but the foundation of the story’s a lot harder to define.
I know
that feels like a cop-out answer, but it’s the truth. Or maybe I should lean
back into what I said before? That the story began with Josiri and Viktor, just
as it will likely end with them too.
What should we expect from Legacy of Steel?
Short
version? Legacy of Ash with the dials turned up. The challenges are
greater, the consequences steeper. Old alliances are tested in new ways, and
the stakes are much, much higher.
But at the
heart of it all, it’s still the characters we know and love (or hate). For all
that this is a sweeping narrative of vying nations and meddling gods, the core
is always about men and women finding their place in the world, and attempting
to make that world a better place.
How much did Legacy of Ash and Legacy of Steel change
after their first drafts?
Legacy
of Ash went through
the largest change – roughly 50,000 words worth, as a matter of fact. Sort of
as a trial by fire of ‘tighter and pacier is better’. It’s easy to say now, but
nothing of value was lost – it was all trimming back slightly waffly or
overly-wordy language.
By
comparison, Legacy of Steel lost maybe 20,000 words during editing but
as with Ash, the book is fundamentally the same one I drafted. A little
clearer in places, and a lot tighter, but still the same story. If anything,
there’s more whimsy in Legacy of Steel, and I’m really glad to have been
able to keep it.
What was your favourite scene to write in Legacy of
Steel?
Oh, that’s
a hard one. There are a couple of moments where you can feel the bombastic
music swelling and the tide turning … those are always great. But there are a
couple of chapters towards the end that takes place in very different settings
to the ones we’ve seen before. I can’t really give any more details because,
well … spoilers, but you’ll know them when you see them.
What was the hardest scene to write in Legacy of Steel?
Being a
horribly repressed Englishman, I get really, really nervous about writing
romantic relationships … which is why there aren’t so many of those in my
books. Even so, Legacy of Steel turns on four such relationships, and
doing them justice takes a lot of work.
It’s much,
much easier to kill people. (In a literary sense, of course.)
Which is your favourite character? If you don’t have
one, which character did you enjoy writing about the most?
I love
Anastacia and Kurkas, both of whom have way more of my sense of humour than is
entirely healthy. They also get to do as they please for most of the plot –
it’s the benefit of being side characters, I suppose. Rest assured, we spend a
lot more time with both than with did in Legacy of Ash.
If you had to describe each of your main characters in 3
words, what would those words be?
Determined,
unswerving, conflicted (Viktor).
Generous,
defiant, frustrated (Josiri).
Arrogant,
honourable, resentful (Melanna).
Angry,
angry, more angry (Rosa).
I have noticed that in recent years military-focused and
faster-paced fantasy novels have become quite big and books like The Legacy Trilogy which have a more
traditional vibe to them have become a bit of a rarity. Would you say that this
new trend caused any setbacks for the publishing of Legacy of Ash?
Honestly,
I’ve no way to know … but if it’s as you say, then it’s probably done me a favour
because everything old is new again! I’m not often ‘cutting edge’. I should
probably try to enjoy it more.
Could you describe Legacy of Steel in five words?
War calls.
The gods wake.
What can we expect from Legacy of Light?
Well, by
now I’m sure you’re not expecting everything to end well for everyone at the
close of Legacy of Steel. If anything, there’s a steeper mountain to
climb than at the end of Legacy of Ash … but we can discuss that more
nearer the time.
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