David G. Brown interview

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

When did your love of books begin?

Pretty much as soon as I could read. I didn't have a favourite genre or even a great selection. I just devoured whatever books made their way into our house.

When did you start to have the wish to become an author?

I used to act out epic stories with figurines as a child. Then in sixth grade I discovered an interest in writing poetry. That interest became an obsession a few years later and I filled notebook after notebook with angsty poems. I started writing my first (terrible) manuscript in eleventh grade. It was a high fantasy something-or-other called Memoirs of the Mockingbird.

How have you found the process for becoming an author?

It's a long road. There is a lot to learn, both in terms of the craft and the all-important skill known as self-critique. However, with everything I learn, the more enjoyment I get out of outlining and writing.

What would you say to those wanting to become an author?

(1) Dive in and start writing. It doesn't take long to finish a manuscript if you commit to getting words down every day. (2) Don't expect your first draft to be anything more than exploration. Be prepared to nuke and start again. Over at Darling Axe Editing, we refer to this as "burning down the house," and it can be the best thing for a developing novel. (3) Build a community of critique partners who are not your friends or family. Seek out other writers in your area. Talk shop, be open to constructive feedback, swap manuscript critiques, and together you will improve far more than you could on your own.

Tell us about your book/books:

I have published articles and short fiction, but I am still chasing novel publication. I have two manuscripts represented by Valerie Noble from the Donaghy Literary Group, and we've shopped both around to all the major imprints. No bites, which has been pretty disappointing, but this is a reality of traditional publishing. It's extremely difficult to convince publishers of a debut, since they have to sell both the book and the unknown author.

However, my agent is super supportive. She insists that my manuscripts will one day be picked up, but I need to keep writing until I get that first breakthrough. So I'm writing! And I'm very excited about my current work-in-progress, which is a magical realism story about a guy waging war against the administration of his call centre while also trying to upgrade his carpool.

If any of your readers are interested in learning more about my querying journey, they can check out the longer version of my story here. And here is another blog post about querying strategically.

What do you love about the writing/reading community?

The writing community on Twitter is so active! People are super helpful and supportive. Also, it's a great place to find free resources like craft articles and agent interviews.

If you could say anything to your readers what would it be?

Stay tuned for my debut novel, because the one I'm working on right now is going to be my breakthrough, I can feel it :)

Where can people connect with you?

I'm on Twitter as @SeptimusBrown and you can check out my editing business at DarlingAxe.com.