Jack Campbell continues his discussion with us today. In this portion of the interview, we talk about some things related to his practice of the craft and his personal philosophies.
Many authors cite one or more people who have a large influence on their style. Who are your major influences?
There were many influences on me, most of whom would be regarded as golden age authors today. Heinlein, Andre Norton, Poul Anderson, Gordon Dickson, Zelazny, Leigh Brackett, Tolkein to name just a few. Maybe someday I’ll write something as good as they did.
What three works of fiction had the most profound impact on you as a writer (positive or negative)?
That’s a tough one to narrow down. The Lord of the Rings would be one. It absolutely blew me away as a teen, showing me how history and legend could be combined to tell new stories. Another might by Edgar Rice Burrough’s The Master Mind of Mars, which I picked up in fifth grade and started me reading science fiction and fantasy. Then maybe the Killer Angels, which makes the American Civil War and those who fought in it come alive in a remarkable way.
What types of fiction do you typically read? What types of non-fiction? What are you reading right now?
I read a wide variety of stuff out of general interest, for ideas, for fun, and to see how others handle writing. Right now I’m reading John Prebble’s Glencoe (about the Highland massacre in 1692) , Smith and Kiger’s Oops – 20 Life Lessons from the Fiascos That Shaped America (mainly technological, though it includes choosing Jimi Hendrix as the opening act for the Monkees concert tour in 1967), and The Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan (part of a young adult series about the ancient Greek gods still messing around with humans today).
What is your philosophy of life? How does that influence the way you write?
I suppose my over-riding philosophy is the Golden Rule. Pretty simple but a good yardstick for life. In my writing, I do try to write the sort of stories I liked reading.
When did you start writing?
I started serious writing in 1994, after occasionally messing around for decades before that.
When you are writing, are you organized and methodical, working off of an outline? Or do you have a general idea where you’re going to go and then let the words take you where they may?
Definitely not organized and methodical. I have a general picture of where things are starting, where they’re going and how they’re going to get there. But the characters tend to have minds of their own, and sometimes major characters I hadn’t planned on show up and insist on playing big parts in the story. My writing of a novel usually isn’t linear from beginning to end. Instead I skip around as different parts of the book come to me, then tie everything together. For book contracts I have to submit a three page proposed outline of the books to my publisher, but fortunately the publisher never seems to compare the proposed outline to the final product I turn in. There’s always differences, and sometimes really big ones.
How much research do you do in the course of writing a novel? How long does it take you to write a novel-length manuscript?
Right now I’m requiring about six to nine months to do a 90,000 word novel. The exact time depends on things like distractions and the ever-illusive muse who comes and goes as she pleases. Contract deadlines are a marvelous way of focusing attention. Research will vary depending on the novel or story. A novelette that recently appeared in Analog (These Are the Times) required a lot of research on the events in Lexington and Concord in 1775, including finding historical maps and time lines. A lot of the research for a series like The Lost Fleet is done up front for the first book, and doesn’t have to be repeated for subsequent books in the series. Sometimes when the fleet encounters something new (like a white dwarf star) I need to look up that star’s characteristics, which is very easy to do these days with internet access. One of the research problems I didn’t anticipate came because of the naming schemes I adopted for the ships in the Alliance fleet. While the capital ships have names evoking principles or abilities (Courageous, Valiant, etc.) I decided to name the heavy cruisers after types of armor, the light cruisers after either weapons or methods of attack, and the destroyers after weapons. I started running out of names much more quickly than I’d anticipated, and had to invest in a copy of Stone’s Arms and Armor in All Countries and in All Times.
In your opinion what is the weakest aspect of your writing? What is the strongest? How do you, as a writer, overcome your weakness(es)?
I had a tendency (particularly early on) to avoid details in descriptions and events. I still prefer to keep some things vague (such as character’s appearances, because I want readers to be able to identify with those characters if they chose). But I would dispose of important scenes in a few lines, without bringing them alive with descriptions and details, because I could see all that in my own mind. Now I take more care to translate the
images in my mind onto the page so others can see them. For me, that requires stepping back and imagining I’m verbally describing to someone the things I need to write.
What’s the best advice you can give authors who are just starting out?
1 (1) Read a lot (2) Write a lot. The more you read, the more you see how others do things, the ideas they’ve come up with, the things you want to do and the things you want to avoid. Then you have to write and keep writing. There’s a big temptation to write just one thing and keep revising it endlessly, but you need to stretch and practice and develop. Very few people sell the first things they write. Most of us are grateful for that when we go back and reread those first efforts. Oh, yeah, and (3) don’t give up.