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CN: Congratulations on completing the first draft of your novel. That’s a tremendous feat. How long did it take you?

Ian: Just over two years, but the idea for my novel and many of the chapters for it were floating around fully formed in my head before that.

CN: What was it like to go back and read through it after time had passed?

Ian: I haven’t read through the whole thing from beginning to end. Who has time to read a book?!? I have read over the second half of my novel and am now picking out the parts that may have evolved from the beginning, that way I can go back and make adjustments so that it all flows…

CN: From what you have read so far, do you see a need to rewrite the beginning or any other part?

Ian: In order to not feel overwhelmed by the prospect of WRITING A BOOK, I decidedto divide the book into two parts. I set out to write from beginning to middle and then decide at that point if I wanted to continue with the project. When I reached the mid-point I stopped and formed a writer’s workshop with a friend from high school, partly to be “re-energized” for my second part. Writing is itself an extremely draining art, running a workshop is even more so. The workshop lasted for almost 6 months and in that time I didn’t write a thing. What to do, what to do? So, in perfect Hollywood fashion, the workshop went on hiatus! And I came back to my book. The moment I wrote the first chapter of the second half of the novel, the rest flowed. I’m also a big believer in brainstorming and outlining. I outlined just about every chapter in my novel. Also, before I began writing I wrote biographies on every major character so that I would have inner justifications and motivations for their actions, even if that motivation never made it into the book, I would know them. So in summation I did not feel the need to rewrite the beginning because the beginning, middle chapter and the ending were always crystal clear in my mind from conception. 

CN: What are you most proud of right now with this draft?

Ian: My characters and the fact that although I may make changes and additions, the story is finished. I could pop off tomorrow and it will remain.

CN: How did you keep yourself motivated to write?

Ian: What makes a good writer is a good reader. I read; writers motivate me…such as, Arthur Golden, Robert Graves, Elizabeth Bishop, Bret Easton Ellis, Jane Austen, James Frey etc.

CN: What was your writing schedule?

Ian: Sit down in front of the computer at least once a day and write something, even if it was just a character’s sentence then refine it until it sounds as uncontrived as possible. I never said, “Self, this has to be done by this date.”

CN: How do you find the editing process?

Ian: Errr Ummm… I keep a notebook by my bed because ideas pop into my head for details that I think should be included. These little details haven’t stopped coming, so I’m not yet ready to say that I am truly editing.

CN: What advice do you have for the editing process?

Ian: Whistle while you work…or at least read what you’ve written aloud. It helps you catch sentences that are ‘over worded’ and unnatural. Your writer’s voice should be like you in real life, never passive. Print out what you’ve written, don’t edit on screen, then grab the magic red pen and well you can take it from here….  

CN: Having completed the first draft of a book, how did you balance writing while working full-time?

Ian: I didn’t. I wrote my novel right after I left college and during my time as a temp. This is what afforded me the downtime that was necessary in order to devote myself to the project.

CN: What are you currently working on?

Ian: My current goal is finding a new job; one that bears a striking resemblance to work and not an episode of MTV’s Real World meets NBC’s The Office. (and no that was not the blog form of product placement)  

CN: What is your creative goal?

Ian:  I wrote my novel with a singular goal, I needed to release it from me. I did not sit down and say I want to be published or other people need to read this. I wanted to see if I could capture a point in time.    

CN: What advice do you have for people who are working full time but also trying to complete a novel?

Ian: It depends on what your definition of ‘job’ is….If you are working at a job and all it is to you is a job then you can do it. You can manage your time effectively and set your priorities. If your job is your career, in other words if you are pursuing a career in a line of work other then writing then good luck with that endeavor. You can’t have two masters and serve both equally well, either your career will suffer or your writing. So pick one and then sail on.