The Writing Process and Greg Van Eekhout

Greg Van Eekhout is the rock star of middle school writing. My first experience with Greg was when I met him at World Fantasy in 2009. As fate would have it, the book I had finally advanced to in my big stack o' to reads was Greg's first book, Norse Code. Norse Code's cover made it look like any other urban fantasy. But that's not why I bought it. I bought it because of buzz about Greg from Sarah Prineas.

And this book was awesome! I met Greg when I'd only gotten to page 60, and asked him for an autograph. He dutifully wrote, "Don't read past page 60. Greg Van Eekhout." But on Saturday night, I needed some me time, and I sat in the bar with the book, reading, trying to exude friendly, but really wanting alone. After a short time it didn't matter, because I was only thinking about the story. And then it was suddenly midnight.

So, I started paying attention to what Greg might be publishing, reading his blog. And next was Kid Vs Squid The title was so awesome. Couldn't say no to that. So...I read the first few pages. And I knew that this was one of those books Bryon and I would have to read to each other on the commute to work. It struck as as very much like those Scholastic adventure books we bought from a flier in school. It was a lot of fun. The Boy at the End of the World wasn't as much fun, but it was still good, and the hubs and I still talk about Protein as a suitable name for mammoths every time we see a walking with pre-historic beasts program.

So, I'm a fan, and I get a little shy around Greg because I am a fan. His wonderful humor keeps me reading, but at the same time he can contrast humor and drama really well. Another writer I'm a fan of, Jim Hines, does the same thing in a different ways. A writer could have worse role models for humor.

Thanks, Greg, for the interview.

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Tamago: Do you have a regular drafting process, or does your drafting process vary from book to book? (If it varies, please keep one project in mind as you answer these questions.)

Greg: My drafting process is totally stupid. First I outline. Then I start writing. Then I decide my outline is stupid and I start ignoring it. Then I regret ignoring my outline and I dump a bunch of words and go back to adhering to my outline. Then I decide the entire enterprise of writing a novel is pointless and stupid and the only thing keeping me going is the fact that I've already spent my advance and can't afford to give my publisher their money back. Eventually I stumble my way to the end of the book and I brag on Twitter about how awesome I am for having written another book. I do not recommend my process to anyone. It's completely inefficient, frustrating, and ridiculous. The only thing I can say for it is that, eventually, the books get written, and I haven't missed a deadline yet.

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Mirrored from Writer Tamago.