Something special this week!

Fellow Kiwi Philippa Ballantine is a fantasy writer hailing from Wellington, New Zealand. In the coming year she will have three books hitting the real and virtual shelves. The first of which a supernatural fantasy, Geist, from Ace Books, released in late October — just in time for Halloween!

Today, I’ve turned my blog over to Philippa so she can talk about her writing journey.

Thirteen years in the Muse’s back pocket

Actually it has probably been longer… but for arguments sake let’s just say it is thirteen years since the Muse of Writing got her hooks into me.

I think she found me in my Dad’s bookshelves reading, and sneaked up on me. I am sure it was her whispering to me ‘you should try writing something like this yourself’. I never guessed where that would lead me.

So in my teenage years I wrote—nothing seriously but more as a way to express my thoughts, but when I got into my twenties I decided to really give it a go. I had stories and they had to get out. It seemed like a harmless thing to do.

My first novel length piece I actually completed was Weaver’s Web. This is the novel I consider my apprenticeship piece, and I confess I learnt many things from it. The first and most important was of course, that I could finish a book.

It doesn’t sound like much, but there are an awful lot of people out there who set off to write a novel and never get to that finishing point. When I think about all those half finished manuscripts it makes me a little bit sad. So it was an achievement and I did actually have a party to celebrate that (much mulled wine was consumed!).

The other important thing that first novel taught me was editing. As I struggled through a sea of red ink and rewrites I learned very quickly my weak points, the word crutches I liked but had to be removed, and how even a weak scene, with the proper editing could be turned around.

So once I had learned these two most important lessons, there was no stopping me. The Muse was still whispering ideas into my head, and I couldn’t stop writing them down.

Soon enough I was working on Chasing the Bard, and enjoying messing around with Shakespeare. That was an eye-opening revelation—I could use subjects I found interesting as inspiration for my stories! That only doubled my enjoyment.

If I wanted William Shakespeare and faeries I could do that. If I wanted faeries and cyberpunk — no one was stopping me. As my novels started to pile up (just counted and it is eight so far) I gained a little more confidence in myself. I began to feel like a writer.

However the Muse isn’t always kind. It would be remiss of me to suggest otherwise. Every writer has days when she is hard to find, or she can turn on you and whisper ‘you’re awful at this, why don’t you give up?’ Doubt is the mindkiller, and the only way to conqueror it is sheer stubbornness.

Like a marathon run, it is just a matter of putting one foot (or one word) in front of the other and keeping going.

Even so, sometimes, honestly it is hard to remember why I keep doing it. Other days I feel like I have the secret to the life the universe and everything.

Yes, being a writer is a bit of a rollercoaster—but truth be told maybe that is why I do it.

Or maybe it is the other things. The joy of story. The unexpected turns of a character. Making up your own jokes and imagining someone else giggling. Maybe it is just getting the puzzle completed.

Because to me, that is what a novel really is; slotting in characters, working out plot, getting to the end, and putting all the pieces together.

Getting the story finally finished and on its way to publication is so satisfying—a unique feeling of accomplishment and relief.

Then when other people read it and enjoy it, that is just the icing on the cake.

By this stage in my life, I am used to living with the Muse—so much so that I can’t imagine being without her. She has bought wonderful people into my existence, as well as achievements I never imagined I’d get. So for all the ups and downs I’m glad of my place chained to the Muse.

I’m a writer after all. That’s where I belong.

___

Thanks very much indeed, Philippa! You can find out more about Philippa and Geist at booksoftheorder.com and pjballantine.com.

Adam Christopher is a New Zealand-born SF novelist, now living in the UK.

Adam is represented by Stacia Decker at the Donald Maass Literary Agency.

His debut novel Empire State is out now from Angry Robot.