Interview with Neil Gaiman

[Robinne Weiss]

Nice interview with Neil Gaiman on his creative process: Neil Gaiman ||| The Creative Process Interview | The Literary Review

 

[Emurelda]

This is such a coincidence! I was watching yesterday a graduation advice video by him yesterday from 2012. And I just thought to pop my head here this morning and what do I catch - this thread! Fabulous. Off to click-click away. Love his stuff. Haven't read much yet but am starting to.

 

[AliG]

Great interview. Reading The Graveyard Book now. Excellent stuff

 

[Rich.]

I agree, a great interview. I particularly liked the part about the first draft being a voyage of discovery.

 

[Emurelda]

This tickled me so much:

"Douglas hated writing, and he was incredibly good at it, but he didn’t like it, because the act of writing was painful, and would only do it when backed into a corner. He would expend energy not writing, which in some ways is really good. He’d create computer games, or he’d do weird projects with computers, learn all about computers and things like that.

There was a point where he had to be locked in a hotel room for three or four weeks by his publisher to get a book out on time. They’d solicited it, everything was ready, and they didn’t have a manuscript, and he had given up halfway through, and so, they just locked him in. His publishers would sit outside watching videos, and he’d pass pages under."

Hilarious!

 

[Robinne Weiss]

This tickled me so much:

"Douglas hated writing, and he was incredibly good at it, but he didn’t like it, because the act of writing was painful, and would only do it when backed into a corner. He would expend energy not writing, which in some ways is really good. He’d create computer games, or he’d do weird projects with computers, learn all about computers and things like that.

There was a point where he had to be locked in a hotel room for three or four weeks by his publisher to get a book out on time. They’d solicited it, everything was ready, and they didn’t have a manuscript, and he had given up halfway through, and so, they just locked him in. His publishers would sit outside watching videos, and he’d pass pages under."

Hilarious!

Yes! It's a good reminder that there are as many ways of being a writer as there are writers, and there isn't one pathway to success.

 

[Robinne Weiss]

Great interview. Reading The Graveyard Book now. Excellent stuff

Ah! The Graveyard Book! We read that one aloud to the kids years ago--a really lovely tale.

 

[Emurelda]

Great interview. Reading The Graveyard Book now. Excellent stuff

Reserved a copy from the library. I read a sneaky few pages from our local bookshop and didn't realise what an iconic book I had in my hand at the time. Looking forward to reading it. Got to go through Terry Pratchett's book first - The Colour of Magic I think as recommended by KTLN.