It’s time for another guest! You may remember Heather Hayden from a previous appearance on my blog.
Though a part-time editor by day, Heather Hayden’s not-so-secret identity is that of a writer—at night she pours heart and soul into science fiction and fantasy novels. In March 2015 she published her first novella, Augment, a YA science fiction story filled with excitement, danger, and the strength of friendship. She immediately began work on its sequel, Upgrade, which continues the adventures of Viki, a girl who loves to run, and her friend Halle, an AI. You can learn more about Heather and her stories through her blog and her Twitter, both of which consist of equal amounts of writerly things and random stuff she’s interested in.
Q: Tell us about your writing process and the way you brainstorm story ideas.
1. Have an idea.
2. Write down idea before I forget.
3. Write first draft of idea. (This step sometimes happens in a few hours or a day for a short story, or takes as long as a month or several months to complete.)
4. Cursory edit of first draft (for minor and major things I’ve spotted.)
5. Post to Scribophile for critiques (invaluable advice!)
6. Edit. Repost. Edit. Repost. Edit. Repost. Edit.
7. Call it done and hit Publish.
This is a very basic version, obviously. It tends to be a bit more chaotic, and involves more ideas popping up at random times that I have to write down (and occasionally take a side trip to pursue because it’s so alluring.)
Q: Do you proofread/edit all your own books before publishing, or do you get someone to do that for you?
Q: Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing as far as content?
A: Sometimes my science fiction novels get a bit technical, and then I need to do research to make sure I’m not making any horrible mistakes in terms of details or terminology. I also have a hard time keeping track of what places and people look like—but for that, I have spreadsheets and Word documents for organizing and recalling descriptions! I also have difficulty writing fight scenes (visualizing and describing the action), although I think I’m getting better at it.
Q: Did you come across any specific challenges in writing Upgrade? What would you do differently next time?
Q: What are your ambitions for your writing career?
*Winks back, then coughs* I mean, I have no idea what collaboration you’re talking about.
Thanks for joining us, Heather! See you on the rest of the Blog World Tour!
I wish I could find a "like" button. Great interview. I like the idea about using spreadsheets. I may borrow that.
Great post, Alyson; good to hear more about Heather and her work. An anthology, eh? We'll have to look out for that!
Great post, Alyson; good to hear more about Heather and her work. An anthology, eh? We'll have to look out for that!