Here Is My Copy Of The Blue Peter Blog.
Hello!
My name's Justin Somper and I'm really excited to be Blue Peter's very first 'Star Author'. That's quite some title to live up to so wish me luck! I'm the author of the VAMPIRATES books. Perhaps you have read DEMONS OF THE OCEAN or TIDE OF TERROR? (Don't worry if you haven't - I shan't be quizzing you!). Over the next three months, I'll be writing a blog just for you guys, which I hope will tell/show you what it's like to be a real-life author. Some of it is probably just as you'd expect but I hope there will be plenty of surprises too. It should be an interesting few months for me as I'm due to hand in the manuscript of the third VAMPIRATES novel, BLOOD CAPTAIN, towards the end of May. I have a LOT of writing to do to make that deadline and I'll be keeping you posted here on how I'm getting on with it.
As well as telling you what I'm getting up to, I'm here to answer YOUR questions about writing. I'd love to hear from any of you writers or would-be (hey, what's stopping you?!) writers out there. Maybe you're working on a story yourself and want some advice on planning the plot or creating characters. I don't have any 'magic' formula but, chances are, I've wrestled with some of the same challenges as you - and still am! So please don't be shy about getting in touch.
This is a great week, I think, to be starting the blog. For one thing, Thursday, 1st of March is World Book Day, which is all about celebrating the fun of reading so I reckon a great way to mark the day is to tell your best mate about a book you've read and enjoyed. Better still, lend them your copy!
How am I going to be spending World Book Day? Well, for a start, I'm one of the ten lucky authors who were asked to write a one pound book especially for the day. I've written a mini VAMPIRATES adventure called DEAD DEEP, the action of which occurs between that of the first two books. I say 'mini' because the one pound book comes in at 10, 000 words, whereas my last book was around the 94, 000 word mark. You'd think that writing a 10, 000 word book would be easier and quicker than writing a 94, 000 word one, wouldn't you? I did but I was wrong! It was a good learning curve for me as I realised that I like time to build up my characters and story. I even had to start writing shorter chapters!
On World Book Day itself, I'll be joining the likes of Anthony Horowitz, Malorie Blackman and Jacqueline Wilson for a special event at London's Globe Theatre. We'll have an audience of about 300 London school kids. I always enjoy doing events with readers, but I get a little nervous beforehand. Getting up and talking about books is kind of a performance - but I'm more nervous than usual about this World Book Day event. For one thing, it's hosted by Lizo from NEWSROUND, so there may be a camera or two there. And also, I'll be 'performing' alongside some of the biggest names in the writing business.
I guess I'd better go and practice... See you next week and don't forget to send in some questions for me!!!
Justin
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Hi guys! Thanks for all your posts on the blog, your kind comments about my 'Vampirates' books and your GREAT questions. I want to give these the attention they deserve, so please bear with me. I'll answer as many as possible this week and over the next eleven weeks that I'm blogging here.
It's been a really hectic week due to World Book Day. The event at the UnderGlobe on World Book Day itself went really well. Although eight authors were involved, we managed not to run TOO far over time. It was fun meeting the 300 kids who came along, plus the other authors. Below is a pic of me backstage with Anthony Horowitz and Caroline "The Roman Mysteries" Lawrence. How did you lot spend World Book Day? Let me know. Now, onto YOUR questions ...
What do you do to prepare before writing a book?
Gingerjames, you ask how I prepare before writing a book. It changes all the time but with 'Blood Captain', the book I'm currently working on, I spent a while plotting out the book into "three acts" and then into individual chapters. This was quite hard but it is proving really helpful - it might be something for you to try with your own writing, especially if you are attempting a longer story for the first time. One of the most useful aspects of plotting in this way is that it prompts you to ask yourself lots of questions about the story.
The other thing I do at the start is research any new characters and locations. For 'Blood Captain', I had fun researching cowboys to create my new cowboy Vampirate, Johnny Desperado. I also have a big new location in the book, called Sanctuary. It's a mountaintop retreat for tormented vampires and I wanted it to have a very particular feel and to persuade readers it might actually exist. In my new office I have a wall where I put up pictures to inspire me about how characters and locations might look.
I heard you are friends with Anthony Horowitz. Do you have any other writer friends. Also, how do you go about publishing a book. Thank you.
Lucia, you want to know how you go about publishing a book. Obviously the first thing you need is an idea. Then you have two options. Either you go off and write the whole book OR you write a chunk of it plus a synopsis of how the story will continue. For 'Vampirates', I initially wrote eight chapters plus a synopsis and some other background notes. The next step is almost certainly to get an agent. Their first role is generally to pitch your idea to one or more publishers. Publishers don't always have time to look at stuff sent direct to them by writers but they will look at what an agent shows them. That doesn't mean they're going to take it, though! 'Vampirates' was turned down by a fair few publishers before it found the right home. You just have to remain hopeful and try not to bite off all your nails at this point. How about I cover the next parts of the publishing process in future blogs?
And now some quick-fire answers ...
How long did it take you to make Vampirates 1st and 2nd episode?
Bookster, it took about five years to write 'Demons of the Ocean' (including research) and about one year to write 'Tide of Terror'.
I write really good stories at school, but at home I am hopeless. Have You got any tips I could use, and a title to write a story about?
Writing machine, if you can write stories at school you must be able to do them at home too! My tip is to sit down and write uninterrupted for an hour and see how much you get done. A title for your story? "The Worst Week of My Life".
For awhile I've been wanting to say how much I enjoyed your books, they were quite an up-lifter to me, because movies and such about vampires have gotten so bad, I was glad to see a children's book without anything bad, especially without things that could fly over younger ones heads. Tis only sad that it was such a quick read.
I was wondering if Blood Captain is going to be the last book? I read on a website(That I cannot find now.) that is was going to be the last, which really made my heart sink.
Will you be updating your website anymore? Would you ever be posting pictures of your characters, other than what is on the website? I'm sorry for many questions, I suppose I could say I'm like Grace, because of that and much more. Its just exciting to see this blog.
I really do hope to see you updating this, and hopefully more books after Blood Captain.
Reeper, 'Blood Captain' is NOT going to be the last 'Vampirates' book ...
Justin I have read your first Vampirate book, it was my favourite book and a fantastic idea. I have made myself a Vampirate I have started your second book but I really want to know when your third book is coming out and are there anymore planned after that!
Gingergeorge, 'Blood Captain' will be published in September ... so I had better get back to working on it!
Have any of you been inspired to get writing? If so, let me know how you're getting on and what tips you'd like to help you along the way. Catch you next week!
Justin
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Hi guys! I hope you've had a good week. It's been an exciting and busy one for me. Exciting because my World Book Day book, Vampirates: Dead Deep, made number seven in the best seller lists (my highest ever ranking!) and busy because I was out and about visiting schools this week. Hello to all those of you I met and thanks to all the rest of you who have sent in comments and questions to the blog. Keep them coming!
I thought this week I'd give you some ideas on how to develop characters, as this is a question that has come up both on the blog and when I've been out and about. It's part of the writing process I really enjoy. Sometimes it comes easily, sometimes it takes a bit more work.
In my new book, I'm introducing the character of cowboy vampire, Johnny Desperado. I had the idea for him a good couple of years ago and he almost appeared in Tide of Terror, but I decided that his time hadn't quite come. When I sat down to plot out Blood Captain, I had a much better idea of how he would work within the story. Then I just had to find his "voice" and his "back story". This took a bit of work. I knew that Johnny was more of an authentic cowboy (i.e. someone who worked with cattle) rather than a shoot-em-up "Cowboys vs Indians" type. But where might he have come from? How would he talk? What would he look like? How would he die?! (I always like to have a good "crossing story" for my characters.)
To get to grips with these questions, I got hold of a couple of books about real-life cowboys. I also bought a few DVDs of Westerns. I had originally intended for Johnny to be blue-eyed and blonde - a really iconic American figure. But as I read in the book about Mexican cowboys or "Vacqueros", this seemed a more interesting way to go. I found out that Vacqueros were very talented horsemen and often taught the other cowboys how to "break" wild horses in. I'm always interested in outsider figures in Vampirates and the Mexican cowboy seemed to offer more potential here too. I could also see him charming my lead character Grace, so I decided to go with it. I'm not going to give away the whole of Johnny's story here, but suffice to say it involves a journey from Texas to the South Dakota Badlands, where he meets a nasty end.
All of this came together through reading around the subject and "cutting" and "pasting" a story together. I did watch a couple of Westerns, which gave me a nice feel for some of the landscape he might travel through and a sense of the loneliness of his life. When you're working on characters, there's nothing better than getting inside their heads and getting inside their world.
And now the quick-fire stuff...
Thanks for the great tips!! By the way I have been reading your special world book day book dead deep. I love it and I am so addicted
How long did it take you to write it?
Gingejames, Glad you enjoyed Dead Deep. It took about four months to write, even though it's quite a short book!
Hey Justin, its Ryan here, Well, I have seen the cover on your inspiration wall for BLOOD CAPTAIN. It looks absolutely brill and I cannot wait to read the book.
HalfbloodRyan, leave it to you to spot the book jacket! It's pretty cool, isn't it?
Its enjoyable being able to read these blogs, its not an often thing to find. Not a first starting one anyway.
Over in the US, your books tend to come late. Such as Tides of Terror, its not coming out here until this summer. Writing is personal for me, so I would like to know insight to others. Well, thanks.
Reeper, nice to hear from a reader in the US. Yes, Tide of Terror is out there in June.
I love writing and drawing but whenever I have to write a story I cant think what to do it on. Could ya please give me some tips
Amber4rooney, hope this week's blog gets you thinking about creating characters.
Have you ever meet J.K. Rowling (Harry potter writer)
Lauryn, I haven't met J K Rowling yet but, of course, I'd love to. I was once alone in a hotel lounge and she came in but I went a bit shy!
OK, I'm off to do some more writing now. Keep the questions coming and have fun with your own writing - and reading - this week!
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Hi guys! I hope you've all been busy reading and writing. Truth to tell, I haven't got much writing done this week as I was struck down by flu. I have, however, been doing LOTS of reading. These days, being in bed with flu, is one of the few chances I get to just lie back and read. Thanks for your comments and questions on the blog. Do keep them coming!
One of the questions we writers get asked ALL the time is "where do you get your ideas from?" It's a tough one to answer and I can't do much better than quote the inventor Thomas Edison who said, "genius is one per cent inspiration and ninety-nine per cent perspiration." Ideas are magical, unpredictable things. Take Vampirates. A lot of people think that I was rather cunning and strategic in putting the worlds of vampires and pirates together. Not a bit of it! The word "Vampirates" simply popped into my head one day. I knew that something very special had happened. Not only did the word SOUND exciting but the idea of meshing together the worlds of vampires and pirates seemed full of promise.
Who knows exactly where this idea came from - I just feel very lucky that it dropped into MY head. That said, the initial excitement gave way to some uncertainty, anxiety and sense of responsibility. In other words, the inspiration was swiftly followed by perspiration!
I felt that as the idea had come my way, I really had to do it justice. I was very aware that I knew next to nothing about vampires and, frankly, even less about pirates. I knew that if I was going to make something of the idea, I'd have to start doing my research. Now, obviously, I couldn't research vampire pirates BUT I could look into the worlds of pirate history and vampire myth and help the idea to grow (a bit like feeding a plant, I guess!) As soon as I started finding out about pirates and vampires, I began to see different ways in which I could take the idea. I had a sense of some of the characters I might like to include and possible settings for the story.
This was also a time to ask myself lots of questions about the story, such as would it be set in the present, past or future? Another important question was who would be the good guys and who would be the bad guys? (Traditionally, both pirates and vampires tend to be "the baddies" even if they are "anti-heroes" but two sets of baddies isn't helpful in a story!)
Once you start developing an idea, its internal logic that helps you to flesh it out further. Here's an example. Because I decided to set my story in the future - and because I have vampire characters who are the "living dead" - I could bring together characters from many different eras and locations. For instance, my character Sidorio is based on a real-life Roman pirate. He sits neatly in my story because although he was killed in Roman times, he has been a vampire ever since.
It's no exaggeration to say that the single moment of inspiration which brought me the idea for Vampirates has changed my life. So do watch out - you never know when inspiration might strike. Be ready to catch that idea and run with it!
My mate Edd suggested to me that you could put other groups of characters together to make exciting new stories - for instance, you could take Zombies and Cowboys and write about "Zomboys". I think there's definite potential there! Can you guys think of any fun combinations of characters that would work well together? Remember, the word itself has to work well too. Let me know any of your top ideas!
And now the quick-fire stuff...
Thanks this will really help me while I write my stories and make my characters that much better!!
Spoony, glad you liked my tips on creating characters. I hope you'll have a go at developing your own characters and report back on your success.
Actually, a lot of Americans are light brown-haired. The blondes are typically died this way. Brown eyes seem common too...but America is also made up of a lot of culture, so its all here. I suppose iconic means, in this case, what people would see as American.
I saw that a few of your characters were based on real life figures, or figures in real life events. So are all of your characters based on real life figures, or are some made up, like maybe Grace and Connor, from a bit more of imagination.(Not that the others didn't take imagination, rather, you had to make up there background too)
Also, what gave you idea for these characters?
Reeper, thanks for posting again and point taken about blonde Americans! No, not all of my characters are based on real-life characters. In almost all cases, the initial idea for a character just comes in my head, but I might then do some research to flesh them out and make them distinct from other characters.
I have read your book and it is great I got 3 WBD books because my 2 friends didn't want their tokens. They have been really silly because they keep asking me for a lend of my books I know what you did last Wednesday, The horrible science book and of course Vampirates.
Leanne, I hope you're enjoying all those World Book Day books you scooped up. Sounds like you could start your own mini-library. Go girl!
What are you busy writing at the moment? if anything. I am a big fan of your book and look forward to any more! :-)
Funky kid, I'm busy writing Vampirates 3: Blood Captain. As mentioned earlier, I didn't get much done this week due to illness, so I'd better start making up for lost time! See ya ;-)
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Hi guys!
Thanks for your comments and "get well" messages. I'm pleased to say that I'm fighting fit and back at the helm of Blood Captain. As my mum said to me yesterday, "you're always happier when you're writing". You know what? She's not wrong!
Reeper - you asked so many great questions last week that I've written this week's blog as an interview with you...
Reeper: How do you organise your story?
Justin: I touched on this in an earlier blog. I never used to do much planning but writing a big story like Vampirates, it's really helpful to do so. For the first book, Demons of the Ocean, I got some big flip chart paper and made a grid of all the chapters. Initially, I did this with post-it notes so I could swap around chapters. For Blood Captain, the book I'm working on now, the grid is on the computer and I refer to it and alter it all the time.
But what would I advise you to do? It really depends how long the stories you're working on are and if you're wanting to write a continuing story - like a book sequence or TV series. There's definitely no harm in a bit of planning - it should make your story tighter and more give it more pace. Have a think about the "journey" you want your key character/s to make during the story. There might be other stuff you "know" about the characters that doesn't need to come out in this story or episode. Just keep it in reserve for later! You might like to break the story into "three acts" and have two cliffhangers along the way or just split it in two and have something big happen halfway through. Remember that you probably want the most tension right before the end of the story. But don't get too hung up on all this. Really, the more you write - and read - the more you'll find ways to organise your thoughts and characters.
Reeper: Were you ever afraid someone would come up with the idea of Vampirates and publish a book about them before you?
Justin: Yes I was. My first thought when I had the idea for Vampirates was "great idea! Get writing!" My second was, "I don't know enough about pirates or vampires to write this! Better do some research!" And my third was, "What if someone else has this idea too?" All I could do was get on with my writing and see what I personally made of the idea. I'm pleased to say that now, though people are initially excited by the concept of vampires meets pirates, a lot of people seem to be invested in the characters and storylines I've come up with beyond the initial idea.
Reeper: Have you ever felt like giving up on your books?
Justin: Nope! Even when lots of publishers were saying "no thanks" to Vampirates, I thought that the idea would eventually win out. And it did, thanks to readers like you!
Reeper: Do you have friends and family supporting you in writing? Have they always?
Justin: Absolutely! My friends and family are a huge support and often have to endure readings of new chapters, bounce ideas around or pep up my spirits when I say "I'm not sure I can do it!" My friend Debbie has been especially helpful and even gave me the idea for a figurehead who comes to life - so I dedicate the character of Darcy Flotsam to her!
Reeper: How do you choose the illustrator for your book covers?
Justin: My publisher chose Bob Lea but I think he's great so I'm very happy with their choice.
Thanks for the interview, Reeper!
If you have any questions you'd like me to answer, post them on the blog. Looking forward to reading more of your comments and questions next week!
Have fun reading and writing this week, guys.
Justin
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I cannot tell you how honoured I feel that you would do that! What's so amazing is that I have to do an interview with someone for school, and I didn't even know I was doing one yet!
*Gets hold of self* Alright, now...You say that when you thought of Vampirates, it was spur of the moment thing. You also don't have any other books on the market, so were you much of a writer before Vampirates?
I've read in a few interviews on the net that you have a job while writing Vampirates, and are working with two publishers. What exactly do you do in these jobs? I ask because we don't usually know how writers make money while writing.
When you first started off with the book, did you intend for it to be a Children's Book? Will Blood Captain be aimed for Children or Young Adults?
Locations- In Demons of the Ocean, the island that Grace and Connor live on is in Australia, am I right? Was there a reason you chose this location?
Do you have plans for any other books, other than Vampirates.
And, do you ever get Fan Art? (This one is pure wonder)
Its nice to hear you're doing better, and its probably a good thing writing is like that for you. After all, anything worth doing isn't easy.
Have a nice week, and good luck with your writing!
~Reeper
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Hi guys! Well you lot were a bit quiet last week, I must say! What happened? Were you all too busy making Dalek cakes to celebrate The Doctor's return? Were you planning your entries for the Blue Peter "My Movie" comp? Or were you, perhaps, suffering from a chronic, communal case of Writer's Block?!
I'm often asked whether I get writer's block and, if so, how I deal with it.
The answer is... it depends what you call writer's block! Some people say it's that feeling of staring at a blank computer screen - or piece of paper - and not knowing how to begin. My experience is a bit different to that...
There are days when you sit down at the computer and the words just seem to flow. The dialogue comes out right. The length of your chapters is what you were hoping for and you successfully get your story from the "A" to "B" you were hoping to. And then... there are other days when it's like writing underwater. The words may still come but they don't feel quite right. The dialogue veers into cliché. The chapters are massively too long and the story seems to have taken a strange turn. This is how I tend to experience writer's block. To coin a phrase, I'm just not "in the zone".
I reckon it comes down to the same thing. On some days, you find it easy to get (back) into the world of your story and, on other days, it feels like whatever you do, you're shut out. Susan Cooper (author of the fabulous 'The Dark Is Rising') once compared writing to "a closed room with a door without a handle. Just occasionally that door opens and you can get in." I think she may be being a bit harsh, but there are some days when I think of that closed door, grin inanely and nod my head.
On the other hand, I was chatting to another author, K M Peyton (author of the classic 'Flambards'), recently and we agreed that if we only wrote on days when we "felt like it", we'd get very little writing done at all. And she should know what she's talking about... she's written a book a year for the past sixty (yes, sixty!) years. Respect!
So if we accept that some writing days are tougher than others, what tips can I pass on to help you through the toughies?
1. The first thing is... don't get upset or take it too seriously. You'll get back in there and faster than you think. Stressing about it is only likely to make you tired and cross and the problem worse.
2. Write anyway - Sometimes the best thing you can do is just allocate the same time to writing and see what you come up with. You might say to yourself, "today's a tough day so I'm not likely to come up with anything amazing". And just by giving yourself a break, you might surprise yourself! Whether you spend the time looking at the pad or computer, uninspired, or you write loads of "drivel", you'll probably find that just by sticking with it, you come up with an idea you can use in your next writing session - a way back in.
3. Go and do something else - Writing stories is a strange process and sometimes you need to switch off your conscious mind in order to let the subconscious get to work. You could go and see a movie, or do a bit of shopping or meet with some friends.
4. Talk through the block - You could just sit down with a good mate and tell them where you've got to in the story and why you're stuck. I find that when I do this, I often talk myself to the answer I'm looking for without them really saying anything. Warning: you need a patient mate for this!
5. Clear other distractions - It's all too easy to get distracted from your story when your head starts
filling up with other stuff. This could range from another bit of work you have to do or working out what to get your best mate for their birthday. In this case, it's generally worth giving your full attention to one of the pressing things and getting it out of your head. Then your story can expand into those free brain cells again! Warning: for this technique to work, at some point, you have to let your writing be the top priority!
6. Do more research - Sometimes you hit a bit of a wall in a story when you introduce a new character or a new location. In this case, a bit of fresh research is often the key. And remember, "research" need not mean spending hours in the library or on the internet. It could simply be asking yourself questions about the character or writing a small piece of prose from his or her point of view to help you get to know them better.
7. Go and do something physical - It's funny but this seems to work every time - from walking to running, swimming to gymming. By giving the body a workout, you somehow shake up your brain and you might even get ideas coming to you as you pound the streets.
These are just some of the techniques that work for me. Next time YOU are struggling with a story, see if one or more of them work for you. And let me know.
Now I hope some of you are going to send in some fresh comments and queries this week. Otherwise, I might get writer's block about what to put into next week's blog ;-)
Justin
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Hi guys! I hope you all had a great Easter and that you're enjoying the break from school. I had a brilliant Easter weekend. I got loads of writing done, which made me very happy! It wasn't too much of a hardship jumping out of bed and putting in a couple of hours' writing time on those sunny mornings. The only day I had completely off was Easter Sunday when I spent a very warm and sunny day by the river in Henley. Of course, while I was at the river, I couldn't resist checking out some of the boats, so I didn't completely leave the story behind! There was even one ship flying the pirate flag. Good to know that even in civilised Henley, the spirit of piracy is alive and well. Now onto your very excellent questions...
I just wanted to say again, that I really really loved the first 2 Vampirates Books. I actually finished them in the space of 3 days!!!
I was wondering though, how did you come up with the character of Lorcan Furey? What inspired you? He is most defiantly my favourite of the characters.
I can't wait for the third book to come out. Thank-you so much for making me love reading again!
Gupreet, nice to hear from you again. Thanks for your flattering comments. I'm not exactly sure how I came up with the character of Lorcan. He kind of just walked in to the story fully-formed. He seems very popular with readers and I'm not sure that he was sufficiently to the fore of 'Tide of Terror'. He will be back centre stage in 'Blood Captain'!
Hi again! I sent you an email just the other day and am glad you responded and sent me this link. It was interesting to read about what you do as an author. Do you have any children that inspired you for the characters Grace and Connor? I thought that Dead Deep was the third book, but now I know it's a story in between the first and second book. As I said in my email I am writing another story called "Ghosts from the Past" I think it will be better then my last book, but I hardly ever get to work on it. I'm hoping today I will be able to. Thanks for listening!
P.S. You like Abercombie? That's awesome!
Danielle, good to hear from you again too! The character of Connor was in part inspired by one of my nephews, Matt, who was about the same age when I was working on the first book. It certainly helped me to think, "What would Matt do or say or think about this?" But, as you go on, the character really takes over and now I can ask instead, "What would Connor do... etc?" Good luck with your new story and thanks for subtly pointing out that I seem to have been wearing the same t-shirt in a lot of the blog pics! You'll be pleased to know it's in the wash today!
i tried that stuff and I found really helpful The physical stuff was surprising helpful, but I had to spend a long time finding a patient enough friend to help me. when I found her she was very kind and understanding. she turned out to be having the same problem and we found each over answers to our puzzles.
everything worked and I would use it again
Emilea, I'm delighted that talking to a friend helped with your writing. Remember this next time you get stuck!
I found myself organizing my story, which made it all better, so many different ideas for the story came to mind while doing it too.
Not gonna ask much this week...Just.
How exactly do you get a book published, and printed?
I was going through the many stories I started in the past, today, and realised how hard it was for me to organize everything.
So how do YOU organise your story? Or do you even? I find myself jumping and then typing up everything, just to end with nothing. No matter how much research I did in that day.
Were you ever afraid someone would come up with the idea of Vampirates, and publish a book about them, before you?
Have you ever felt like giving up on your books? Do you have friends and family supporting you in writing, have they always?
And, last but not least, how do you choose the illustrator for your book covers? Or does the Publisher do that?
Reeper, hello! Loads of great questions from you as ever...
I touched on the start of the publishing process in a previous blog (scroll down!) and I'll write about the next steps soon! 'Blood Captain' will be, like all the books in the sequence, a children's book. That said, I seem to have quite a wide age-range of readers, which is cool. The new book is a little more sophisticated and perhaps a bit more scary than the first two. The characters and the world of the story are developing all the time.
You're right that the action of the story kicks off in Australia. Not everyone spots that! The reason for that was partly that I thought most children's books tended be set in the UK or the US and I wanted to do something a bit different. I also wanted a good jumping off point from which the ships in the story could sail. They haven't moved very far in the first two books, but the action travels to India in 'Blood Captain'.
First off I would like to congratulate you on writing such amazing and gripping books. Did you want to write a book before you got the idea of Vampirates or was it when you got the idea that you first attempted writing a book? I am trying to write a book but I just don't have any good ideas, I have started countless books but they just seem to go no where. Would you recommend persevering or giving it a brake and seeing if the brilliant idea I've been searching for just comes to me.
When I read on your blog blood captain was not going to be your last Vampirate book I was over the moon, when you write your books do more ideas come to you therefore you have to write another book or have you had it planed from the beginning how many books you were going to write and what was going to happen in them. If you haven't planned how many books your going to write then how many more do you reckon you will write, (please try to maximise this figure).
Rolo, thanks for saying such nice things! I attempted writing long before I got the idea for 'Vampirates'. I even had something published. But I think 'Vampirates' marked a really proper start on my career as a children's author. I have a very definite answer for you - PERSEVERE! Don't worry about getting a big "high-concept" idea. Try to write about some engaging, believable characters to start with. They could either be doing really regular stuff in a realistic setting OR you could put them in a very strange setting (e.g. outer space or the Wild West) but still try to make them act and talk in believable ways. That's something I really try hard to achieve. If you want further inspiration on this, watch the current series of 'Doctor Who' - the writers are really ace at this. Come back and let me know how you get on. Oh and there will be at least six main 'Vampirates' books because my UK publisher has contracted them!
Keep your questions coming in, and catch you next week!
Justin
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Hi guys!
I just got back from the London International Book Fair. This fair, which packs out Earl's Court, is a three-day event, gathering together everyone who's anyone in publishing from all over the world. Publishing companies take stands there to showcase their wares and I was especially excited to see that my UK publisher, Simon & Schuster, had decorated their stand with a massive Vampirates display. As you can see from the photo, it certainly brought a smile to my face!
I'm dead lucky that Vampirates has over 20 publishers all over the globe, from Italy to Poland, from Russia to the USA. This very morning I signed a contract with Finland and I've also just agreed an offer from Romania (I figure they like vampires over there!). I get sent copies of the different editions of the books so I'm building up a nice library. My agents have encouraged publishers to use the same cover artwork and Vampirates logo, even if it means changing a letter here or there. Almost all of them have done this - the exceptions being the super-stylish Italians (who elected to put Lorcan Furey on their cover) and my US publisher, Little Brown, who commissioned some very different, but nonetheless stunning, artwork. I'm happy to say that both these publishers did still use the logo, so that the books have a strong link wherever you pick them up and whatever language you read them in.
Now I'm no great linguist, with only "A" level French and a bit of holiday Italian and Spanish, but it's still great fun to flip through the books and see the stories in different languages. In the case of the Russian edition (which has extra metallic lightning on the front), I don't even recognise the letters as it uses a different alphabet. I do get e-mails from time to time from the translators who work tirelessly to get things right for their country's readers. My French translator Catherine is especially precise, and sometimes asks me questions I can't even answer!
One of the nice things about the London International Book Fair is that you never know quite who you might bump into there. I was really thrilled to see my Spanish publisher Teresa. Demons of the Ocean has done really well in Spain - I've just been sent its 5th edition - so it was great to say hi and a very big thank you to Teresa for championing the book over there.
A number of you have been asking about the publishing process and I hope you can start to see from this roll-call of names just how much of a team sport it is! I guess I started the ball rolling but there are a lot of other people - my agent, my publishing team, the cover artist and logo designers (different by the way), my international agents, the international publishers, translators etc. who have made a vital contribution to the books' success. Perhaps that also shows you that there are lots of fun jobs in publishing aside from being a writer yourself.
Now, a few answers to your questions and comments...
Hello! I've been reading all your blogs and firstly, I'd like to thank you for all your tips. They are really fantastic! I've always loved reading and writing, and I've written a lot of stories. Reading your blogs has inspired me to continue, so I'd like to thank you for that too! I've got a new idea, and established the plot and I'm currently working out the characters - names, ages, appearances, personality, likes/dislikes... Is that what you do before writing?
When you were beginning your career, how did you really get started and get established? Authors always say the key is to read a lot - which I have always done. But what I'd really like to know is how you really kick off your career.
I know you said you'll post about publishing, so I'm looking forward to reading about that!
Is it possible for younger people to get published? I know some do - for example, there was one author who had a book published when she was 14 - but this is very rare. Do publishers prefer books from adult authors even if the books are of the same or close standard?
Oh yeah, and I forgot to say - I'm not going to try to rush my story to get it out there and published a.s.a.p. I'm going to make the story perfect even if it takes me ages!
One thing I wonder is how you know when your story is publishing quality. Publishers only want good stories and I don't know if my writing is that kind of standard or could be that standard. Did you just know when your writing was good enough for publishing or did you just try?
RACHEL, hello and thanks for your lovely feedback. I'm excited to hear that you're working on something yourself. Sounds like you're doing lots of great preparation. This will help you loads when you come to the writing, I reckon. In terms of kicking off your career and getting published... well, it certainly is possible for young people to get published. There's a UK author called Catherine Webb, who was first published aged 16... and very good she is too (check out The "Extraordinary and Unusual Adventures of Horatio Lyle"). Christopher "Eragon" Paolini was 18, I think, when he first got published. Publishers like publicising young writers so they take teen writers very seriously. I would just say, to balance that, that getting published is not a race and in many ways I'm grateful that I'm in my 30s now that Vampirates is taking off. You don't want to burn out! One of the nice things about writing is that you never get too old to do it. Indeed, I think it gets better as you bring more life experience to what you write. It isn't like being a pop star or a sportswoman, where you have to look a certain way or be mega-fit. So why rush? The main thing for you now is to have fun with your writing. Hope I'm not sounding like a fuddy duddy here ;-)
The questions that you answered to the other people who commented answered some of my questions too. Thanks for responding when I asked about the characters Grace and Connor. Since I finished the second book I have been hoping to get the Vampirates Dead Deep book as soon as I can. I am so into the series that I find it hard to really concentrate on another. I found that same problem when I was reading the Lemony Snicket books and I was delighted to hear that you actually met Lemony Snicket! I am hoping to find a way to get it shipped to me from the uk but amazon.com.uk doesn't ship down here. I am hoping to try again soon. I was just reading Reepers comment above and found questions that I would also like to know the answer to. One more thing, Have you always wanted to be an author? and have you always been interested in vampires and pirates?
DANIELLE, nice to hear from you again! I've always wanted to write. I'm not sure if that means I've always wanted to be an author. Perhaps! I have NOT always been interested in vampires and pirates. Indeed, as I've said before, the idea for Vampirates was a bit intimidating for me at first as I knew next to nothing about vampires and even less about pirates. These days, however, having done a fair bit of research, I am really into pirate history. It's fascinating!
I know you had said some things in previous blogs about publishing, I guess I mean morely, What are the expenses? I've read that publishers require you to pay for the printing, and that such. I shall wait for the blog when you explain though.
Australia was a pretty good pick then! I don't think there's a whole lot there, which makes the small town they lived in much easier to imagine.
You made the story so much farther into the future, is there a reason? I haven't found much that could make it seem futuristic, other than a sports car. I want to say I recall something about a flood...but I've had to read more books since Vampirates, so I could be wrong?
Characters- When writing, how do you choose names and ages for your characters. That's always been a problem for me, its like, I don't want everyone the same age, and I surely don't want to use very common names. Do you have this problem?
Ah, also, its may seem my questions are repeated, I just don't put them as great as I could. Sorry for that.
Oh...six books, that's an exciting thought! Now there needs to be a store that gets them sooner over here...
REEPER, my man! I promise to talk more on the publishing process very very soon (probably next week) but NO, publishers don't require you to pay for printing the books. That's their job. I love choosing names for my characters and, as you'll have noticed, I like quite strange, hard-to-place names. Go wild with it! I agree that it's also good to have a wide age-range of characters. It gives an added dimension to stories when people have different ages and therefore different levels of experience to share and draw on.
Keep those questions coming and catch you next week!
Veale pronto (as they say in Spain!)
Justin
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Hi guys!
Way back in my second blog, I talked a bit about how you get published. Since then, a number of you have been asking about how the publishing process works so I think it's high time I picked up the story!
The author's first and main point of contact at their publisher's is their editor. Mine's called Venetia and it was her idea to make Vampirates a sequence of books rather than a one-off. This gives you an idea of just how important your editor's input can be! Venetia is a Commissioning Editor, rather than a Copy Editor. This means that she decides which books and authors to publish on her "list". The amount of contact between author and editor varies from case to case. I generally get on with writing the first draft of the book myself. Then, I hand it over to Venetia and the editing process begins. In some ways, this is a bit like being at school and getting very detailed feedback from a teacher. The difference is that you don't have to follow all your editor's suggestions! That said, I really enjoy the editorial process and having someone else closely read the book and suggest ways that it can be better. I'd say that in 9 out of 10 instances, I agree with Venetia's suggestions and make the changes. I'll give you an example of when we disagreed! In TIDE OF TERROR, she thought I should cut the character of Jez out altogether and kill off Bart instead. I had to say "no!" to this but I did give it plenty of thought.
Venetia's suggestions generally fall into two categories. She'll look at the structure of the book overall and see how it's working. If the pace is uneven, she might suggest cutting some text or even a whole chapter or two. In Demons of the Ocean, we cut two chapters where Cheng Li sailed off to Pirate Academy, as they sat strangely in the middle of the book (especially as the action moves between Grace and Connor throughout). And in Tide of Terror, there's a chapter we cut where Connor and Bart are sent by Molucco to buy coffins. On the other hand, after reading Dead Deep, she asked me to write a fresh chapter - Chapter Three - to increase the action in Calle del Marinero and show Connor, Bart and Jez getting up to some piratical mischief.
As well as suggesting big changes like these, Venetia will also look in a more detailed way at my writing and let me know if there are any particular pieces of description or dialogue that could be worked on. Sometimes she suggests how to do this. It might only be a matter of changing, adding or removing a word or two.
After we've sorted everything out to our satisfaction, she'll bring in a Copy Editor. It's her job to read the manuscript in minute detail, checking for things including spellings, correct choice of words and grammar. Sometimes I repeat the same word within a few lines. I might not notice this but my fab Copy Editor - Jane - always does! Editors use a special range of symbols to "mark up" their changes on the manuscript, so it can look a bit like code at points. The other thing which Copy Editors do is check the continuity of the story and the books in the sequence - this is really helpful with a big ongoing saga like Vampirates.
Once my two editors and I have agreed all the changes, the manuscript goes off to be typeset. This means that instead of working from the version I've typed up, it comes back still as loose pages but formatted just like you see it in the finished book. At this point, I generally have one more read through and can still make a few changes if I want to. But after that, I have the tough job of letting it go.
It's quite hard letting go but at some point you have to - if you want to see it published anyhow ;-) I'll let you into a secret though - sometimes when I'm reading the book out loud - at a school, say - I make small alterations as I'm going along!
Now, a few answers to your ace questions and comments...
Well, I take no offence in the "My Man" comment, I have lots of boy relatives after all, but I am a girl. Just so you know.
Did you mention this blog would be up for only a little bit?...12 weeks, or something Do you plan to continue blogging, or will this be it?
Ok, this doesn't have so much to do with publishing, just a quicky.- There's all these contests out there where if you win, you can get your book published However if your book is published its only one.(Saying you have a series planned) Sometimes they even obtain the copy rights, and its not really yours anymore.(Like any contest.) This and more. So would you suggest actually publishing or a contest.
And thus comes the next question.- In previous entries, you said you didn't really know much about vampires or pirates before this book. Have they much grown on you since you've started the book? A lot of times people write with what they like, Adventure, Horror, Mystery. It doesn't really seem this way with you though. Is this true?
The fact that you got to go and sword fight for the book is really quit cool. Are there other things you have done or plan on doing, so you can better the book?
Such as languages. Did you learn them over your life, or did your book have something to do with this?
Welp, I'm out of questions. So I wish you a good week, and good writing.
Sayonara! (Goodbye.)
REEPER, HUGE apologies for thinking you were a boy! How embarrassing! In answer to your question, the Blue Peter team asked me to blog here for 12 weeks but, now that I've caught the bug, I will be starting up my own blog soon! Vampires and especially pirates HAVE grown on me since I started writing about them. The more I find out about them, the more engrossed I am and keen to weave pirate fact and vampire myth into the stories. And it doesn't stop there. As I've mentioned before, I'm bringing some cowboy history into Blood Captain and I've recently been researching Indian forts for the story. In some ways, I think Vampirates defies or at least blends genres. It's part mystery, part adventure with (hopefully) a good dollop of comedy and even a spot of romance. Whaddya reckon?
I love Vampirates one of the most exciting books I've read and that's saying something!
JASMINE, thanks for your lovely comment.
:) You're welcome!
I thought that too - like you said before, it's good to know how your characters would react. It seems strange to say it, but I want to sort of get to know my characters - as if they were real people I'd just met.
I have trouble coming up with interesting names for characters, though. How do you come up with the names?
:D My story is going to be about pirates! I've always found pirates interesting, so I've always tried to find out a lot about them. I agree, pirate history is very interesting! I'm researching it for my story.
Have you ever looked at a book called Pirateology? I find it very good - it has a lot of pirate information in it.
Another question for you - what's your favourite book?
RACHEL, you were asking about coming up with interesting names. If you're struggling with this, and want to find some unusual ones, a good trick is to watch the credits at the beginning and end of TV shows and jot down any cool names. Play around with swapping first and second names and say them out loud to see how they work. Whenever I sign books, I always note down any unusual names of kids I meet so that I have a ready list to work into the story as and when. I'm constantly coming across scraps of paper with something like "Baribefe" or "Luc" scrawled on it! The character of Joao in Dead Deep was a tribute to a Brazilian boy called Joao who had written to me about the books. (My editor wanted me to change his name as it is hard to pronounce. I had to say "no" to that too given the situation!) No, I haven't read Pirateology yet, though I hear it's very good. My favourite pirate book is an encyclopaedia I bought in the USA. It's called Pirates! An A-Z Encyclopaedia by Jan Rogozinski. I always thought encyclopaedias were a bit boring until I found this. I've got loads of useful stuff from it, including the ideas for Cheng Li and Sidorio. It's fun just to flip through and read sometimes.
Hi again! Thanks so much for answering my questions!It seems you put a lot of work into researching pirates. What was one of the most interesting things you found out? When I was reading the first book and found out that it was set in the future I wondered why pirates came back into existence when today there aren't any. What made you want to put it in the future instead of the past? The other day, when I was in language arts we went to the media centre to vote on books to put in our L.A. classrooms. I thought your book might be there, but sadly it wasn't. I'm hoping that more people in the U.S. find out about your book because it's a great read. I've already told many people in my family about it and I'm convincing some of them to read it. Is there any author that you've met, maybe at one of the book fairs that you've been to, that you have become good friends with or will always remember?
Thanks for listening and good luck! I can't wait to read the next book, I just have to find out how get it first.
DANIELLE, hope you've had a good week! Thanks for getting in touch again and acting as my publicist in the US! One of the most interesting things I found out about pirates was that Roman pirates kidnapped Julius Caesar. As you know, I managed to work that into the story! There ARE pirates around today. And I thought that it made sense to have pirates in the future because, with global warming and sea-level rise, there would be a lot more ocean for them to roam around and whoever controlled those vast oceans would be very powerful indeed!
Have a great week, guys, and do keep sending in your questions and comments...
Trust the tide!
Justin
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Hello again!
How's everyone doing? The big news from here is that I'm a little sunburned with a rather short new haircut. Also, I've been doing loads of writing on 'Vampirates: Blood Captain'. Only one month to go until I hand it in, so get ready to send me lots of productive and calming vibes ;-) Actually, this week I wrote the last chapter... so I now know how the book is going to end (and it's a tear-jerker!). But I've still got enough stuff to write in the middle section of the book to keep me busy over the next few weeks.
Last week, I talked about the publishing process and I thought I'd do so again this week, as this seems to be an area of interest for a lot of you. Last time, I talked about my editor but that's only one important person at the publisher's. I've talked before about how publishing is a 'team sport' so I thought this week I'd introduce you to some other key members of my team...
AGENT - My agent represents me and my work and is the person who did the deal between me and my publisher on 'Vampirates'. Her company has sold the rights in 'Vampirates' to over twenty publishers around the world. Indeed, she's just returned from the Bologna Book Fair in Italy, where she had lots of chats with foreign publishers of 'Vampirates'. Fortunately, they all seem to have been saying nice things! She's also the one talking to movie and TV companies about the books. Sometimes agents sell on to publishers, international publishing and movie rights, in which case the publishers RIGHTS DIRECTOR then sell them on.
ART DIRECTOR - The art director works for the publisher and is the person who decides what your book jackets will look like. They talk to the editor and sometimes the author too and come up with an idea for which artist to approach and brief them on the kind of look they'd like. It was my art director's inspired idea to ask Bob Lea to illustrate the 'Vampirates' jackets. Interestingly, my art director approached another company to create the 'Vampirates' logo. I think the logo and Bob's illustrations work brilliantly together. Hope you agree!
MARKETING TEAM - These are the guys who come up with great ideas for making you guys aware that my books exist. Their work ranges from commissioning posters and bookmarks for bookshops, to running my website and coming up with cool ideas for competitions etc. They also work very closely with my...
PUBLICIST - My publicist plans my tours and appearances at literary festivals etc. She's already worked out about four week's worth of touring around publication of 'Blood Captain' in the autumn. She sorts out everything from deciding where I should go to working out how many kids I can talk to in a day (my personal best is 900 in a day). She also fixes up cool hotels and train times. She is also in charge of pitching me to the media for interviews, appearances and photo-shoots. So, look out, Blue Peter¦ your phones will be ringing once again!
SALES TEAM - The sales director and her team are responsible for getting bookshops excited about my books. They talk to the big bookshop chains, as well as independent bookshops, supermarkets and online retailers. The sales guys try to get the bookshops to order as many copies of the books as possible and to get them into all those '3 for 2' promotions and 'Book of the Month' slots that you see when you walk into a book store.
I hope I haven't left anyone out!!! (If I have, I'll sneak them in next time!)
Now, a few answers to your fiendish questions and choice comments...
Hi Justin, me here... AGAIN!!
I am really looking forward to reading BLOOD CAPTAIN. Are you getting worried now that you are coming up to the reported deadline (the first blog you said that you have till the end of May.).
Something that cropped up in my mind the other day (what with the announcement that the 4th Young Bond book will be published in Hardback rather than Paperback) is have you ever considered publishing VAMPIRATES in hardback? It would be a great marketing ploy as it would be unusual for the series, I hope this doesn't sound offensive as it does when I read it back as VAMPIRATES doesn't need any marketing ploys. Its awesome!
Ryan, hi! Am I worried about my deadline? LOL. Let's just say that I'm full of adrenaline. I feel very 'in the zone' with the writing at the moment. You always want more time on a book but equally it's exciting to know that once you've handed it in, it won't be too long before the readers get their hands on it. You also asked about whether I'd like 'Vampirates' to be published in hardback. The answer is that it already is. On my bookshelf, I have hardback editions of the books from the US, Spain, Italy, Norway and Russia. In some countries, such as the US, it comes out first in hardback and then in paperback. In others, Spain for instance, it will only be published in hardback. It's a question of 'different strokes for different folks'. I think publishing straight into paperback in the UK was a sound decision because it means young readers can buy it for themselves with pocket money.
Ah, I wouldn't be embarrassed if I were you. Besides, even if I had put my real name, you'd think me to be more of a boy! (Payton)
I believe that you'd be right with your genres. It couldn't be better either, cause there the best types to mix together
Well, considering we (the Readers, commenter's, ECT) are under 16. How exactly would getting published work? I can see it being different due to that. I assume this would be a better question for a publisher though...
I am very anxious to get on with reading Vampirates, but I know that'll be awhile. So do you have any suggestions for the time being?
How long does it usually take to write a book?
Wow, out of questions...
Sorry about that...and there not being a lot said.
Might come back with more later.
Reeper, a.k.a. Payton, helloo! The simple advice on publishing is a) don't get too hung up on it, b) write something you're really proud of and c) if you want to take it further, start talking to an agent. This is especially true if you're under 16. I can't repeat this enough - it's more important to develop as a writer than to get published immediately. It will stand you in better stead in the long run. As to a book suggestion, that's a tricky one. There's so many good ones out there. I did recently re-read one of my own teen favourites, which is 'The Outsiders' by S E Hinton. If you haven't yet read it, give it a go! Maybe one of the other bloggers here can make another recommendation to you...
I am very happy to say that I was able to order Vampirates Dead Deep from the UK. It is supposed to come in about 2 weeks, and am excited to find out what happens next in the story. I was wondering, why does it take so much longer to be published in the book stores in the U.S.? Also, did Vampirates Dead Deep come out before or after Vampirates Tide of Terror? I wanted to know, do you think you'll want to write more then six books if all goes well? Thanks for answering my questions from my last entry and the new blog entry was very helpful, keep writing!
Danielle, hello again. I hope 'Dead Deep' is on its way to you as I write. In terms of scheduling, it all depends on what slots publishers have in their schedules, what other books they're planning to publish and when they think is a good moment for a particular book to come out. I appreciate this means you currently have to wait almost a year for the US editions of the books. 'Dead Deep' was published after 'Tide of Terror', even though it is set before it. Right now, I would love to write more than six 'Vampirates' books. The further I go into the story, the more potential I can see for the action spinning off in different directions. We'll just have to see - if my publishers and my readers agree, you never know!
How do I become a author of my own book?
Gwyinni, hi. You become an author by writing your own story, so the chances are you already are one!
Thanks for all the advice about publishing!
Ah, ok, I'll keep an eye out for interesting names; thanks!
Yes, pirateology is really good. It's a story but it also has a lot of information about pirates. :)
Did you want to be an author when you were a child? I want to be an author... but I know it's hard to become established so I'm going to get another job first too! :)
Rachel, hi again. Yes, I think I pretty much always wanted to be an author. When I was at secondary school, the author Jan Mark came to do a writing workshop. She advised me to get a job that paid the bills, which was good advice. But do keep writing! It can be hard when you're juggling two jobs, but it's worth it!
Hey! Love your books! Keep it up :]
I was just wondering, as an author you must check out the competition of other children's authors sometimes. What do you think of the likes of J.K Rowling and her Harry or Phillip Pullman and his Lyra. Also, if your books were turned into a film, how would you feel about auditions open to the public and what kind of people would you like to play certain characters?
Emz, hi and thanks for your feedback. I DO read other children's authors, including J K Rowling and Philip Pullman, but not so much to check out the competition but rather because they are really great reads. Sometimes it can be inspiring to read other writers but sometimes you can read them and think 'aargh! I'll never be this good.' If the 'Vampirates' books get made into movies, I think open auditions are a great idea, if only so I can do my best Simon Cowell impersonation ;-)
Have a great week, guys, and do keep sending in your questions and comments...
Trust the tide!
Justin
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Hi guys, time for a confession! I didn't realise but apparently a good few of you have been leaving messages under my first post as well as the current one, so I've left a few of your questions unanswered. Are you trying to confuse me? Don't you know that technology challenges me at the best of times?! Oh well, I have found your posts now so here, with apologies for the delay, are some answers!
i want to write my own book but sometimes I rush into the story too much and don't know what to write; could you give me some tips?
ERIN, it sounds like it might help you to plan out your stories a bit. It's always tempting to just get into the writing (and sometimes that's the right thing to do) but try jotting down the 'arc' of the story you think you want to tell. Where does it begin? Where does it end? What are the key turning points in the middle? You could even number the key points in your storyline, say 1-10. You can flesh this out further and further until you feel if you don't write something soon, you'll burst! Good luck!
Hey! Thanks for replying to my comment, when you become incredibly famous I shall be pointing at the TV and going "He commented me!" hehe.
Right, so calming advise. I guess I should know this as I'm revising for my SATS and was really nervous but I think I'm under control now!
Try and think positive! Glare at a mirror and tell yourself "this book is GOOD! It will do WELL! My readers will LOVE it!" you may feel a bit stupid but it helps get you feeling more positive and might even make you laugh which is always good! :]
Before the big day, treat yourself! Indulge in something like a big bar of chocolate whilst watching one of your favourite films, or doing one of your hobbys like reading...or fishing if that's your thing! Spend lots of time outside when possible as the weather is lovely (Well where I am) and visit different places with great views to look at.
I'm sure you know all this, but just thought I'd say anyway!
Aaand! Are you considering writing another series or book after Vampirates? I hope you do! Especially if it was different from Vampirates, so could maybe gain a different type of audience as Vampirates may not be some people's kind of thing!
EMZ, big thanks for the great advice on keeping calm! I've been putting them into practice. Good luck with your upcoming SATs!
Hi Justin, I am happy to say that Vampirates Dead Deep came to my house two days ago! At first when I opened the box I thought they forgot to put it in, but then after I shuffled through the paper inside I found it. It's much smaller then I thought it was! I am going to start reading it after I finish the book I'm reading now. It's so great to read about news on movies. lol. I know you have to focus on the books right now, but it's good to know that you're thinking about it! How did you really get started as an author? Did you start paying an agent and then she found the rest of the team? Or did you try to get your book published first? The new blog entry was really helpful, I never knew that there were so many people involved. If I try out for the movie, if you do end up making one after you finish the books, you can be a Puala Abdul to me =) (I'm watching American Idol right now, Bon Jovi is preforming) hehe. Well, if I think of any more questions I'll be sure to write!
DANIELLE, glad that 'Dead Deep' arrived. Yes, it's only a little book but it was only one pound! Hope you enjoy it anyhow, just read it s-l-o-w-l-y! You're right in that I did start by hiring an agent and she then kind of found the rest of the team. I knew that the best chance of getting the book published was with her on board.
What is it like after you publish a book? I see that you travel a little, but how about after that? Do you get straight onto the next book, or do you get a little bit of a break?
It would be so cool to see Vampirates as a book or tv series. The only thing about that is that they choose such cheesy voices for the characters now'a days!
Ok, I shall give the book a try, it looks interesting (How about it guys, any ideas? I'm up for anything that doesn't involve talking dogs...) I would suggest "As Simple As Snow" by Gregory Galloway to anyone wanting a really good read.
Have you ever lost what you were writing? You probably have to backup a lot, does this become a "pain"?
Book-How did Darcy "cross"? She doesn't seem to know really, but then when you read about how Jez "crossed", its kinda of confusing.
More Book- Bart sure seems to love his tea. Is this an Australian thing, or does the Diablo come from somewhere with tea-lovers (Because they serve tea). At first I thought it might be set in Southern U.S. because of that, then I realised you were from the U.K, and a lot of people say you guys love your tea.
REEPER, you were asking what happens after I hand in the new book. Good question! Well, I'll hand it in at the end of this month. My editor will then have a read and we'll work through any rewrites by the end of June (not much time when you think about it!). The book will then go off to be typeset and I'll have a bit of a mental break from 'Vampirates'. As you know, I'm heading off to Australia in July. When I come back, I'll start publicity for 'Blood Captain' leading up to publication in September. I'm then spending almost all of October on tour. So I probably won't actually start writing Book Four in earnest until the end of 2007 but I'll be storing up ideas, doing some research and starting to plot it out in the meantime.
Hi! Justin I love the books and I can't get enough of them! I'm wandering how long Vampirates series will last? Is this the end? also I would like to tell you I'm writing a long story about vampires and I'm hoping if you could give me any tips for characters.
Hi its me again! I know you haven't posted a comment back yet but I couldn't wait!I just forgot to ask you, when you first started writing your book did you ever feel that it would be awful and that it wouldn't be successful. I am writing my first big story and that sometime, maybe, when I'm older I could publish it out perhaps? But when I'm writing it now I think to my self "Oh, this is boring!" Or "People wouldn't like this!" I just want to know how do you get the inspiration for the cool plots in the Vampirates!
Hope you are well and all my luck to Blood Captain I think it would be FANTASTIC!
LORCAN RULES (AKA RHOSYN), I think like most authors I have plenty of moments of thinking 'this is awful!' and 'will people like it?' The other thing with a continuing sequence like 'Vampirates' is that readers get very strong ideas about the characters so there's the added danger that people will be cross at me for putting a character through some horrible situation or even killing them off! But that isn't going to stop me ;-)
I love your books they are so cool!! I was really unhappy when Jez got killed in the second Vampirates book!! However I still really enjoyed it! In the future I aspire to be a great writer and reading your books has taught me a lot. It is great the way you end some of the chapters with cliff hangers. The captain of the Vampirates ship is amazing, he seems so mysterious and evil in the shanty yet when Grace meets him he is very kind and gentle but still mysterious!!
CLIO12, thanks for your great feedback. Don't count out Jez just yet! He just might be more resilient than you think.
I really love your books and hope to be as good as you one day. I love to write, sadly though with school in the way I don't get as much time as I would hope! :( but still I can certainly find the time to read Vampirates... and then I can't put it down but oh well! I am not complaining! :)
i really love your work. that's all I can say. I am sure you have found yourself in the position of knowing what to say but not being able to find the right words... well maybe you have and maybe you have not but that's how I am now... can't find the right words. :)
guess I can say this... you are one of my top fave authors! :)
LUPIN_WEREWOLF, hi! Thanks for saying such nice things. Yes, trust me, I do know what it's like to be lost for words!
when did you start writing?
5WHITEA, you wanted to know when I started writing. The answer is I've pretty much always written ever since I was very young. The trick - if you want to become a writer - is just never to stop!
Your book is so so so so great. I cannot wait till your next books come out. Thanks
FOOTYGIRL12313, HOWLIE MONKIE, CRAIG and madmilk, thanks to you all for the compliments! It's readers like you who help make the writing so rewarding.
Have a great week, all of you, and do keep sending in your questions and comments...
Trust the tide!
Justin
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Hi guys, hope you've all had a good week. I've been hard at work writing. Not long to go now! I thought I might talk some more about the act of writing itself this week. One thing that people very much fall into two camps over is writing dialogue. Some find it really easy to write dialogue; some find it really tough. I think, like all other aspects of writing, the answer is practise!
I really enjoy dialogue and, as you may have noticed, use it a lot in my stories. I think it's a great way of developing a character and I try to give mine a distinctive way of talking so that I can drop a few "he said" or "Connor said" from the text. Ideally, I want you to be able to easily follow who's talking, just as if you were watching a movie or TV show. One easy way to do this is to give a character a word that they tend to use and other characters don't. For instance, my Aussie pirate Bart often calls his friends "Buddy" so if that word appears, it's generally safe to assume it's him. And, in the new book, I have a Norwegian pirate who uses expression, "min elskling" ("my dear" in, you guessed it, Norwegian). Obviously you don't want to overdo this.
I think that dialogue is a great way of moving a story forward quickly. It's quick to read and, for that matter, write. But, as with all your writing, you must have a look at it once you've done it and check that it "serves" your story. Rambling dialogue is as tedious on the page as it is in life!
With dialogue, you just can't beat good research. And the best research you can do is simply to listen to how people talk. Think how clever Catherine Tate was to pick up that phrase "am I bovvered" which is exactly how a certain kind of person does talk. Just by listening to your dad, teacher, people on the bus or in a café, you could pick up something just as useful.
Of course, when you write dialogue in a story, you'll want to ditch most of those "ums", "ers" and false starts that we all pepper our sentences with. Use these sparingly for when you really want to show someone having difficulty getting something out.
Oh, and one final thought on all this... don't always have characters say what they are thinking or wanting in their dialogue. It's often more interesting if they say one thing but we know - or suspect - that they really mean the opposite. For instance, you might have one character ask "does my bum look big in this?" and another respond, "erm, no... NO! You look great!" The slight delay and then the over-compensation tells us the true story.
Now, time to talk about the questions you've sent in this week...
That's strange, most blogs tell you when you have news comments though, so you don't have to worry about missing one.
Let the mind rest, in other words. Sounds quit interesting Do you ever get tired of doing all the things a writer does? Such as publicity, and travel? Do you usually take anyone with you, animals, family, friends.
Where is your publicist sending you?
REEPER, I think that getting out and about and meeting fans is one of the great perks of this job. Who wouldn't want to travel places to talk about their work and hear from people who really enjoy what you're doing?! I've also been lucky to go onto radio and TV shows (including Blue Peter!) to talk about my book, which is a great way to reach new readers. Frankly, I could do this kind of publicity all the time but there is the thorny issue of actually writing the books - which I enjoy very much too. It's true though that I'm in a rather different mindset when I'm out and about touring (very showman, extrovert) and when I'm writing (quiet, unshaven, hermit-like... I'm exaggerating just a little) so I like to ringfence writing time rather than mixing up the two. I generally go on tour with my ace publicist Penny or someone else from the marketing team. On one occasion, I took my Mum with me for the weekend, which was fun for us both (I think!).
Thanks for all the information about publishing.
How easy is it for a new writer to get published without an agent, though? And, how would you go about getting an agent?
RACHEL, it's tricky - but not impossible - to get published without an agent. If and when you're looking for an agent, a good source of info is a book called 'The Writers and Artists Yearbook' which is published annually. Amongst other things, this lists out agents' names and even tells you what kinds of authors they represent. Most - but not all - children's book authors are represented by agents who specialise in children's books.
I hope that you don't loose any of your comments again. It's really nice that you went back to answer them. I'm on the last chapter in my book and am excited to read Vampirates, I'll probably start reading it tomorrow or Saturday. I'll try to read it slowly, but I usually get into where I can't stop reading. I do hope that one day you'll be able to come to the U.S on tour. Any chance of that happening in the future? Besides writing, is there anything else that you're really into and enjoy, such as sports or other hobbies? What's the longest you've ever been on tour, or going to be? Who decides where you go on tour? Well, out of questions, write back soon!
DANIELLE, I would LOVE to come on tour to the US. If the books continue to sell well over there, I'm sure it will happen! (That's my not-so-subtle way of saying spread the word to all your friends :-)) In terms of sports/hobbies... I have to say that it's quite hard finding time for them at the moment. That said, I try to swim as often as possible and I'd like to get in some tennis this summer. I moved house about six months ago and I have my own garden for the first time so I'm really enjoying that. Mostly though, I like chilling out with friends, especially in my garden (spot any theme here?). And I really - big surprise - love reading (in my garden!). I think that my tour this autumn will be the most number of days so far. It's pretty much the whole of October, but I think the most I'm on the road at any one time would be about five days, which means I can get home and do my washing in between ;-)
thank you for commenting back. Yes I try to base some of my characters for people to really like them and yes I do really get attached to your characters! But I hope you don't kill anyone except Sidorio of couse! LOL
RHOSYN, I can't promise that I won't kill off a key character or two in the course of this. When you're a pirate, it's all too easy to get brought down in battle. Of course, it's a bit trickier killing vampires, but even so...! Strictly speaking, Sidorio IS dead. If you remember, in 'Tide of Terror', he was on the burning ship attacked by Connor and the other pirate crews. Will he rise again in 'Blood Captain'? Erm, I can't tell you that. You'll have to find out for yourself later this year.
i love reading books I find them really interesting but I have a problem, what shall I read next please give me a suggestion I'm 9 and have read Anne Frank and HARRY POTTER THE GOBLET OF FIRE okay well BYE.
BBOOKK, thanks for your post. I think I'm going to ask your fellow bloggers here to suggest a top read for you. So come on guys... what would you recommend for this book-hungry nine year-old? (BBOOKK, I'm assuming - of course! - that you've read ALL the 'Vampirates' books?!)
Have a great week, all of you, and do keep sending in your questions and comments...
Trust the tide!
Justin
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Hi guys, how's tricks?
I was so sorry to hear the news about the fire on board the Cutty Sark. Whether it was started intentionally or by accident, it's really sad and shocking. At the time of me writing this, they are saying that the ship can be saved, which is great news. It's a blessing really that the mast and other key artefacts were off-site as part of the renovation of the ship. I was lucky enough to visit the Cutty Sark a couple of times last year - once to an event and once to do some filming for 'Blue Peter'! My pictures this week are from those visits. I found being on the ship really inspiring and hope to get back on board once it is restored.
This week, I thought I'd share with you the shape of my writing day. I do most of my writing in the mornings. I like to get to my desk by 8:30 am. I've tried both earlier and later but an 8:30 am start seems to deliver the best results. I'm usually awake around 7:00 am and quite often I'll have a cup of tea in bed and perhaps think through the chapter(s) I want to work on today. When I get up, I don't go straight into my office. I walk to my local high street, which is about 10 minutes. There I pick up a coffee and blueberry muffin (healthy eating has to wait until the book is finished!). I then make another stop, closer to home, for some bottles of water. Then, loaded with supplies, I head home to start writing.
Of course, the walk is not simply about getting coffee etc. I could make coffee at home. But I like to get out into the air, partly to feel like I'm actually going to work and partly because a short walk gives my brain a chance to wake up and start gearing up for the job ahead.
Back in my office, I have a book with a different Buddhist saying for each day of the year. I like to turn the page and think about what it says each day. Today it said "be crazy in your own way", which is great advice for a writer on any day!
I then switch on my computer and get going. I might jot down a few brief notes on scenes, or pieces of information, I want to include in a chapter. Then I type straight onto the screen. I'm a two-finger typist, but surprisingly fast! I generally try to write a draft of the whole chapter in one go. I view this a bit like a sketch. Once I get the bare bones down, I can then spend as long as I want adding flesh to it. It's all about trying to bring it closer and closer to what I've imagined and make it as true as I can from every character's perspective. Sometimes this happens surprisingly quickly; sometimes it takes more effort.
I always print the drafts of the chapter off onto paper so I can read them from paper rather than on-screen and make notes in coloured pen. I'm afraid I do keep doing this quite a lot. I seem to need to hold the chapter in my hand, rather than view it on screen, to get a proper feel for it. It's hard to say how many drafts a chapter goes through, because I go through it any number of times, making small changes. Of course, it doesn't always flow so smoothly and I may have to drastically rework it on another day.
I do set myself targets of how much I want to write but this varies a lot depending on how far into the book - and how close to my deadline I am. I'm generally happy if I've written 1500 good words in a morning. Sometimes I can manage 3000 or more. Other days, there are very few good words indeed!
In the afternoons, I get on my with my other job, as well as doing things like writing blogs and answering fanmail. I try to work some "dead time" into my day too, whether it's swimming, going for another walk or just sitting quietly. I find increasingly that a little bit of dead time is invaluable in getting the brain ready to begin again the next day. It's a bit like recharging your laptop or phone, I guess. The brain is a bit like a battery!
Now, onto the questions you've sent in this week....
Oh yes I've forgot. He is practically dead!
Yesterday Film stars were filming in a town near me which is really rare. Keira Knightley was one of them and I was excited to see her. But she didn't even wave unlike Sienna Miller who did. I was really disappointed that she didn't wave or anything. Have you ever met a person you really liked but when you meet them you start to get disappointed?
Also I knew you wanted to be an actor as I do when you were younger. Did you get any parts?
RHOSYN, hello again! I'm glad Sienna Miller gave you a wave! Yes I have met a famous person who I admired but wasn't very nice in the flesh - but I'm not naming names! I've also met some really lovely famous people - including the Blue Peter presenters. I guess people are people. As you say, I did briefly entertain thoughts of being an actor when I was younger. I kept hoping I'd get discovered and would end up in some big new movie version of 'Oliver!' or some such. Did it happen? No, I am STILL waiting to be "discovered"! (Maybe if 'Vampirates' becomes a movie, I'll get a walk-on part!)
Hmm, one thing I don't like about reading about books online, is that, they usually tell you things that the author probably didn't want to be told yet. Such as...Sidorio...rising again.
BBOOKK- Depending on your reading level...
I'll suggest "The Shakespeare Series"****
Its read is similar to Vampirates. Don't worry, they don't speak like "Where art thou, my beloved. Hast you be in thy Garden?"
Something smaller to read is "Ghosts I have been" The end isn't that great, but its pretty good.
****The Shakespeare Series is three books long. You can actually buy all three of them in one big hardback.(It makes you look like you read a lot!!! :-p)
Your garden must be pretty big...Flowers, or fruits and veggies?
It would be so cool to do that in a job, of course. What would you say your favourite place to visit has been?
I read that getting published without an agent can be risky. Because you'd have to get it printed by yourself. Then get places to sell it for you. You'd be spending your own money. ECT.
I shall say, I am the person that cannot write dialogue well. I'd rather explain the scenery...XD
Well, I shall be going. Summers almost here and that means you gotta do a lot, to play a lot REEPER, thanks as ever for your comments. My garden is pretty small so flowers rather than fruits. Most importantly though, there is now a table and chairs in it so I was actually able to sit and write outside last week (between rainstorms!).
The story that I finished writing in January, when I went back and read it through, I did see that in some parts I did do where the characters say what they think in their dialogue I'll try not too do it so much in the story I'm writing now (thanks for the tip!) I started reading Vampirates Dead Deep I'm anxious to get to Grace and the Vampirates. I was a little confused in the part when Connor saw the arm wrestling girl, Kally, pull from out under the table and had no visible legs. When you described what he saw wasn't sure what you meant("Her legs were hidden in an oilskin bag fastened at the waist with a cord")It took a few moments to figure it out, but I'm pretty sure what it means now. Have you ever looked back on one of your books and thought, I could've done that differently? Me and the other people that comment on this site always ask you questions, but if you could ask one of your favourite authors a question what might it be? Do you have a favourite author or book? Do you have any questions you'd like to ask your fans?
DANIELLE, hello! Yes, I do sometimes look back on bits of books and think that I could have written something differently and indeed better. I try not to get TOO hung up on this, though as it's not really an option for me, is it? ;-) I think the most important thing is to feel that you're developing as a writer. I think I am and I think I'm doing things in the new book, say, that I wouldn't have been able to do in the first book. One of my favourite books is 'Cloudstreet' by Tim Winton. I absolutely love it. I wrote to the author and he sent me a signed postcard, which I keep in the book as a bookmark. The book is set in Western Australia, where I will be in July (can't wait!) so I'm planning on re-reading it either before I go or when I'm out there. You also asked if I have any questions for my fans? The answer is YES! I find it enormously helpful to know what you are enjoying reading - in my books and other people's. What books do you enjoy reading? Do you have a favourite fictional character? Let me know by commenting on this blog!
Hi Justin. I'm really looking forward to reading BLOOD CAPTAIN. Roll on September!
Anyway, do you yet know, roughly as I know you haven't completely finished yet, how many pages and/or words BLOOD CAPTAIN will be?
My mum and dad have said that I can come see you when you go on tour in October and it'll be great as I'll get to meet you (a writing hero!) and get you to sign my copies of the books.
RYAN, my man! Good to hear from you again. I'm afraid I still can't tell you how long 'Blood Captain' will be yet. I reckon at least as long as 'Tide of Terror' but possibly longer. It very much depends what happens when my editor gets her hands on it later this week!!! Looking forward to meeting you in October!
Have a great week, all of you, and do keep sending in your questions and comments...
Trust the tide!
Justin
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Hi guys, how's everyone doing?
Two pieces of good news this week! Firstly I have finished the first draft of 'Blood Captain'. Result! As you'll see from the first photo, it's a hefty beast. (And it makes a very good pillow!)
Now I'm sure all of you like to hand in your homework nice and early every time, right? Well, not me! I like to leave it until the very last minute. In the end, I sent over to my editor the first half of the book last Thursday (so she could start reading it over that very wet and windy Bank Holiday weekend). Then I sent over the remainder yesterday, having worked on some final bits and pieces over the weekend.
When I say 'sent', I simply attached the document to an e-mail and whizzed it off into hyperspace. You might think that it's a bit of an anticlimax to e-mail it rather than plonk it down on my ed's desk, but it's a whole lot easier to be honest. And it saves a lot of paper and ink.
Coming to the end of a (draft of a) book is rather strange. I build the book up in chunks of chapters of about 1500-2000 words each. As you know, I have a plan, which shows me how those chapters fit together to make the whole jigsaw. But as I was copying each chapter into one big file, and intertwining the adventures of Connor and Grace, I did feel suddenly nervous. I was pleased with the individual chapters but would it work overall? The truth is, as my good friend Graham, another writer, reminded me - you're just too close to the book at this point to be able to judge. So I just got on with it and decided to wait to hear what my editor and agent say. Keep your fingers crossed, guys!
It's a bit sad finishing a book and knowing that you're writing the last - for now - scene featuring a particular character. It feels a bit like saying goodbye to your mates, because I've been living at close quarters with these characters for the past six months. At this point, I'm always so pleased that I have more books to go in the sequence so I know I'll be able to play with these characters again soon. And as I came to the end of writing, I had a rush of ideas about the story of the next book. That happened to me at this point with 'Tide of Terror'. It's a good feeling.
The other thing that happens when you finish a book is that you feel pretty exhausted. As the second pic shows, I've been more than ready to catch up on my Zs - but not quite ready to let it out of my clutches!
The second piece of good news is that this is NOT my last blog on the Blue Peter site. The nice people at Blue Peter have asked me to carry on blogging for another few weeks until the end of the current run of the TV show. So I'm afraid you haven't seen the back of me yet! Should be fun to talk to you about how the edit of 'Blood Captain' goes.
Now, onto the comments and questions you've sent in this week....
Wow, I can't believe how much it'll cost to restore it! I never could understand why restoring something would be so expensive...after all, you can't really use old material. It is very fortunate though that they had tooken most of its structure out.....
That must be nice. My backyard is turning into a pretty nice place to sit and read. If we had a cover over the swing, I'd probably be out there during storms as well
Well, times almost here for you to finish the book. Are you excited? I always felt like it was a good accomplishment when I would get farther into writing a book, or even a chapter. When it was finished though, I couldn't help but wonder if it was enough.
What was it like when you first started writing? You probably hadn't figured all the tips and such that you know now. Was it any harder? Easier?
I was watching something on pirates the other day, and it said why they were probably so keen on rum. Apparently its because it didn't go bad like water or all of their preserves. So it brought a question to me. How exactly does the Nocturne get their food? The Diablo stops at Ma Kettles a lot, so I can see how they do.
Do you have a favourite snack to keep you in the mood for writing?
Reeper, hi! Lots of great questions, as ever, from you. Good info about the rum. I've heard that too. Which favourite snack keeps me in the mood for writing? I'd have to say the latte and blueberry muffin, which I pick up each morning before writing. Now the book is finished, I'm swearing off the muffins for the moment. We'll see how long that lasts :-)
I'm sorry to hear about the ship but glad that some things were saved! Well, of course my favourite book is Vampirates and I really like the characters Lorcan and Grace. Other then Vampirates, I enjoy the Series of Unfortunate Events books. Sadly, I finished the last book in October My favourite character in that book is Violet and Count Olaf. Those are the two books that are my favourite and I'm still searching for another GREAT read like them. I just bought a few more books that I will start reading after I'm done with Vampirates Dead Deep, and waiting for the next Vampirates to come out. I am so glad you find time during the day to write to us on this blog, it means a lot. Seems like writing chapters during the day takes a lot of going over the same thing again and again; I see why it takes so long. Do you always work on your books at home? Is there a favourite spot of yours in your house or somewhere else that helps you think and feel very concentrated? I never really knew what Blue Peter was, what exactly is it? A company or...? When you said you went to the ship to film, what was it you were filming? After a day of writing how do you usually feel? Do you feel like it was worth it or you feel like you didn't do enough? Thanks for listening! =)
Danielle, hello again! I'm glad you're enjoying the blog. I am too. It's much less work and much more fun than I thought it would be. I do almost all my writing at home in my new(ish) office. It's very much my space for writing. As mentioned in my first blogs, I've got a wall plastered with images copied from books and magazines to inspire me and I also have my trusty dictionary and Roget's Thesaurus to hand, as well as shelves of reference books about pirates, vampires, cowboys etc etc! After a day of writing, I usually feel pretty productive. Even if what I've written ends up getting cut (by me or my editor) it will usually have helped me to explore the world of my story and perhaps led me to a realisation about a character or about how to make a scene better or more exciting.
How many Vampirate books are you hoping to write?
Rhosyn, hello again! No celeb sightings this week, then?! Yes, villains are fun to read and great fun to write. How many 'Vampirates' books am I planning to write? At least six. I've already got a few ideas for Book Four.
I'm back! Anyway, just a bizarre question I know but...
If you had to go on an Dessert Island...what 5 objects/food/people would you take and what would be your reasons?
Emz, welcome back! Was that one question you asked or 15? I'm not sure! At this point, having just finished writing 'Blood Captain', I think a spell on a desert island would suit me very well. I'd take my five closest friends (they know who they are!). My five objects would be a snorkel + mask, sun-lotion, sunnies, a really comfy sunlounger to read in and my Scrabble set. Food-wise, we'd catch fish and have lots of barbecues but I'd take a few spices and other things to whip up a great marinade!
Hey Justin. Well, June is a few days away. OMG! As I type this it is the 28th May so only 3 more days left. Or has the deadline already passed? Mmmm...
Anyway. I am really looking forward to Blood Captain and knowing that you are now completing it feels a little odd. I'm a writer too and am hoping to find an agent in the not too distant future, and as a write, I appreciate all the work that goes into a book. The reason it feels odd is because I can't help myself thinking about what you are writing right now, this second. With some authors its hard because they don't speak about their schedule and even deadlines. With you though, its fun to know as you can think, 'is Justin killing a character right now?' 'is Justin now writing a huge fight scene?' etc.
That leads me to my next bit... Do any characters die in Blood Captain. Of course, you can't say who but can you give us a clue? I was shocked when Jez was killed because we hadn't seen a lot of the NORMAL Jez. I do like how he became a Vampirate though. Very cunning. Lol.
Anyway, I got to go now as my time on the computer is running out and my sister sits nudging me for her turn.
Ryan, last bit not least! Thanks, as ever, for your thoughts. It was a bit nerve-wracking to be honest sharing details of my deadline with you guys. But I thought it would be interesting to open out the publishing process a bit and show you what really goes on. We often hear about authors writing away in attic rooms but, as I hope I'm showing, it's not quite like that. Do any characters die in 'Blood Captain'? I have to be a bit careful answering questions like those as some readers are very keen to have that kind of info but others aren't. So I'm going to keep schtum for now ;-) I know what you mean about Jez. I know he died quite soon after meeting him in 'Tide of Terror'. In retrospect, perhaps it would have been handy to have him appear in 'Demons of the Ocean' (maybe I need to do a new Director's Cut of 'Demons'!) but actually I quite like the way that you're just getting to know him when he dies. It demonstrates the brutality of the world of piracy in the books. And, as you say, we get to know Jez more after he crosses.
Have a great week, all of you, and do keep sending in your questions and comments...
This week I've got a question for you as well ... lots of people ask me about turning 'Vampirates' into a movie. I want to hear your views on books vs movies. Do you enjoy seeing your fave books like Stormbreaker, Harry Potter and Narnia being made into movies? Do the movies live up to the books? Are the movies a good representation of the books for fans coming to the story fresh? Does a not-so-great movie put you off going back to the books? Your thoughts on this subject please!
Trust the tide!
Justin
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Hi guys, how are you all?
Thanks for all your postings this week. Lots of great questions from you so let's get straight down to it ...
I was just wondering if you could answer some of my questions, you may not be able to but it would be great if you could! (I'm starting with the important questions!!) What do you do if people give you negative feedback because I want to be an author but when I get people saying the don't like my stories I want to chuck it in the bin? Could you give me some advice to deal with this? When is the best time to get ideas because some days my mind stops and I just can't think of anything at all, is there some way to help this? d lastly: 3. When did you start writing? Just a small question I've always wondered.
Well good luck and keep writing no matter what!!!!
LOLLIPOP, some great questions from you. Firstly, you asked what I do if people give me negative feedback "because I want to be an author but when I get people saying they don't like my stories I want to chuck it in the bin".
What an interesting question! I think the first thing to say is that we've all been there. As a writer, putting stories out "into the ether", we open ourselves up for feedback, both positive and negative. It's great when people say nice things about our work but, for some reason, one negative comment seems to outweigh ten or more rave reviews. That's just human nature!
Personally, I think it's always worth listening to feedback of both kinds. It's not always comfortable receiving criticism but there may be something useful to learn from it. I find reading what fans - or non fans! - are saying about my books on Amazon and other sites is generally helpful. I've gained useful feedback on characters and storylines. But I think it would be wrong to be a slave to this.
As a writer, you have to strike the write balance between writing the way you believe and feel is right and writing to please other people. Yes, we want as many people as possible to enjoy our work, but we can never please EVERYONE! Maybe your story just didn't appeal to one of your mates. But maybe other friends of yours would really like it. My advice to all you budding authors out there is to develop a "second skin". I'm working hard on that myself.
LOLLIPOP, you had two other questions. When is the best time to get ideas? I've got two thoughts on that. Firstly, work out when you reckon you're at your most creative and - if you can - clear some "ideas time" then. For instance, my creative brain seems much stronger first thing in the morning and experience has shown I'm better at solving problems in my stories at that time than, say, my low point mid-afternoon. The other answer is to find an activity that helps clear your head and encourages the ideas to flow. My top three are 1) swimming, 2) going for a walk and 3) being on a long train journey.
You also asked when I started writing. I think about age four!
I like the idea of seeing an amazing book being turned into a film. Sometimes after reading a brill book, you can imagine them making good movies. I think Vampirates would make awesome movies. But I do try not to get to hyped up because as the movie adaptation of Eragon by Christopher Paolini proved a massive disappointment I don't want to see a brilliant book be butchered. I like when they are true to the books. Rather like the Harry Potter films although some things are added and changed, they are roughly accurate.
I've got two questions Justin:
1) Which of the three Vampirates books you have written is your favourite. Michelle Paver, the author of the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series said when I met her that it is always the book which she has just completed. Are you the same?
2) Which of the three Vampirates books you have written do you feel, personally, would make the best movie? Out of the two we can read, I think Tide of Terror as it comes on leaps and bounds from Demons of the Ocean.
Anyway, have a good week and its awesome that you get to stay longer!
RYAN, hello again. Which of my books is my favourite? Yes, I think I would agree with Michelle Paver (lovely lady, by the way) in that my fave book is the one I have just finished or am working on ... so the answer is 'Blood Captain'! However, I am also curiously fond of 'Dead Deep'. Which of my books would make the best movie? I think that because of the continuing story arc, a movie team would probably want to take the first three or four books together rather than just adapting one book. I think that would deliver a more satisfying story. That said, I think it would be really interesting to develop a fresh story for a movie, which brought new and existing fans into the lives of the characters from a different angle.
In answer to your question, I think in some ways, books as films are GREAT as some people (and younger children) find it difficult to read books, which is a shame as it means they have to miss out on great books like yours. But some films are not done very good and therefore completely mess up the book! But I think you should defiantly look into having Vampirates made into a film! And have open auditions for the roles! I think its great that everyone can have a chance to be in it, not just stage school starlets!