Author interview: Tom Norford
What inspired you to write in the fantasy/sci-fi genre, and how does that inspiration reflect in your stories?
I’ve been a fan of science fiction, fantasy and horror for as long as I can remember, so writing in those genres was more like a default position than a conscious choice. I’m ambivalent about highfalutin interpretations of what science fiction and fantasy mean for readers and society as a whole. ‘Cool stuff’ is what attracts me to these genres more than anything: dragons are cool, magic is cool, spaceships are cool, worlds full of different sentient species are cool. So, I try in turn to put things I think are cool into my stories. There was a time when I couldn’t understand how a story without any of those things could hold any attraction at all. I’ve grown up a bit since then, but not much.
Why did you choose the indie author route to publication?
Again, it was more of a default position than a conscious choice. Once I had my novel written, I started querying agents, but had no idea how saturated the market was. I only queried about a dozen UK agents which I realise now was hopelessly naïve. Hearing how many queries agents receive every week was an eye-opener. While I do think that being traditionally published gives a writer kudos, it’s got drawbacks and doesn’t always equate to quality. I’m quite an impatient person, so indie publishing gives me the power to publish to my own timescale. I also have total creative control over the story, the cover, everything. Querying agents must be one of the most boring, soul-destroying tasks imaginable. I don’t think I can face doing it again. It just gets in the way of writing, so I’m happy staying indie for the foreseeable future.
Can you share a bit about the world-building process in your series or novel? How do you balance creativity with consistency?
For The Starved God, I started with a few central concepts and it grew organically from there. The story arc informed the world-building and vice versa. For example, I needed the characters to travel by boat, which means they must have a certain level of technology, which in turn means organised trade, industry, navigational science, a naval class and so on. Conversely, the characters’ biology means a whole new bunch of taboos, religious beliefs and practices.
The details of the world rapidly threatened to spiral out of my control, so I kept a glossary and info pages to keep track of everything. Word choice was a challenge. Can you say someone ‘wolfed down their dinner’ if the characters have never seen a wolf? Can the narration call something ‘ad hoc’ if the characters have no knowledge of Latin? I faced a lot of questions like this.
What unique challenges do you face as an indie author in the fantasy/sci-fi genre, and how do you overcome them?
Obviously it’s a crowded market, but that applies to crime novels, self-help, poetry, everything. I think a unique challenge for SF and fantasy authors is the pressure to invent out-there concepts that no one else has thought of, a unique selling point. I fear the desire to achieve this sometimes leads to stories being a little bit silly. I try not to worry about the thought that someone else has already come up with an idea I’m working on. Ultimately, humans find other humans endlessly fascinating, so if you conjure up realistic, interesting humans, the reader will be interested.
Who are your favorite fantasy/sci-fi authors or works, and in what ways have they influenced your writing?
I love the sheer scope of writers like Asimov and Olaf Stapleton, with stories spanning thousands of years and world altering concepts which profoundly change what it means to be human. I wanted The Starved God to have that grand feel, but also with the grime and rudeness of stuff like Joe Abercrombie’s Third Law series. Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Children of Time was also a big influence in the way it builds a new world by exploring the limits of evolution in a rigorous, believable way.
The book I’m working on at the minute is probably more influenced by old school British SF in which science-fiction type occurrences disrupt the lives of normal people, stuff like John Wyndham’s Day of the Triffids, Wells’s War of the Worlds and particularly, John Christopher’s The Death of Grass.
How do you develop your characters, and who is your favorite character from your works? Why?
For The Starved God, I created a brief profile for each main character with things like events from their history, their family background, personality quirks and the like. For minor characters I took the Big Five personality types (conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness to experience and extraversion), and used an Excel formula to give each character a random score for each trait.
During the writing stage I had to stop and think quite a few times, to figure out how a character would react to the situation, and sometimes I surprised myself with my choices – but then, real people don’t always act with consistency. But generally, having those character profiles ready and waiting meant that I had a fair idea of what they would do.
The Starved God wasn’t particularly character-based. The main character is well drawn enough, I think, and shows some character progression, but he’s more there as a hook on which to hang the events and themes. I’m much more invested in Fran, the main character from the novel I’m working on. She’s a children’s social worker who is dedicated but has a lot of flaws including a volcanic temper and an addiction to tramadol. She makes one or two terrible mistakes that drive the story forward. She doesn’t know it yet, but I’m going to kill her new boyfriend quite soon. Sorry Fran!
Could you discuss the role of magic/science or fantastical/sci-fi elements in your stories? How do you create rules and limitations for them?
I decided early on that The Starved God would be scientifically literate, with no magic, no animals which could never exist, no telepathy or faster than light travel. This created in-built limitations on what was possible, and forced me to explore the parameters of what evolution is capable of. Richard Dawkins once described Jurassic Park as ‘far-fetched but not silly’ and this is the principle I worked to. There was one humanoid creature – a bit like a vampire - where I pushed the limits a bit.
How do you approach the plotting and planning of your series or novels? Do you prefer to map everything out beforehand or let the story evolve as you write?
I map everything out, working from broad strokes, and gradually becoming more and more detailed. The process is basically like this: 1: Coming up with a ‘hook,’ an idea such as a world, a character or plot device. 2: Setting out the broad strokes of the plot by writing a paragraph or two for each act of a three-act structure. 3: Writing a few paragraphs for each chapter. 4: Writing twenty or so bullet points for each chapter. 5: Writing the story using the bullet points as a guide.
I use other tools like character profiles, and plot grids, and a lot of the creative invention takes place in my head when I’m sitting on a bus or bored at work, but that’s basically it. During the drafting stage, things crop up and I go off in different directions somewhat, but the planning gives me an overall structure to work within. I think this means that as I’m writing I can focus more on the quality of the prose because a lot of plot mechanics are already worked out.
What is a theme or message you hope readers take away from your work?
If there’s a ‘message’ from my first novel and the one I’m working on now, it’s probably the idea that just because you’re right, doesn’t mean you’re good. Zealotry of all forms, whatever the subject, is a sure-fire way to dehumanise those people who don’t share your beliefs, or simply aren’t zealous enough. Religion by no means has a monopoly on this attitude; just open Twitter. My work in progress features an environmental charity who, while they’re correct in their overall goals, descends into cult-like behaviour and all the bad stuff which comes with that. I’m quite interested in different forms of hypocrisy, such as moral licensing and luxury beliefs, because these quirks of thinking reveal a lot about how humans work, and they create a lot of scope for humour and drama.
In what ways do you connect with your readers, and how has their feedback influenced your writing?
Feedback from my readers is pretty limited, because my sales are pretty limited. I’ve had nice reviews for The Starved God on Amazon and this has encouraged me to carry on writing, and I’ve taken on board the criticisms. I have a monthly blog on Substack but it’s not got many subscribers and no one ever leaves a comment. I enjoy doing the blog but sometimes it feels like a weird solo therapy session where I blurt out whatever’s on my mind. I’ve had some interaction on Facebook with people who’ve read the book, which is always nice.
As an indie author, what advice would you give to aspiring writers wanting to publish in the fantasy/sci-fi genre?
Listen to advice and feedback from people with experience, but remember that a camel is a horse designed by committee (or an orc is an elf designed by committee if you prefer).
Remember that a marketable book is not necessarily the same thing as a brilliant book. How you balance those objectives – marketable, brilliant - is up to you. For some reason, writing as a pursuit seems very much obsessed with commercial success, when compared with other amateur creative endeavours. Many people would be happier if they regarded writing as a hobby rather than a route to commercial success.
What are the biggest challenges you face as an indie author?
People are trying to rip indie authors off all the time: digital promoters, vanity publishers, cover designers. I’m fairly savvy about scams and stuff, but I see a lot of older folk particularly who’re taking up writing in their retirement falling for this stuff and pumping money down the drain.
The technical aspects of self-publishing presented a steep learning curve, and I’m still by no means an expert. Formatting Word docs for upload to Amazon, trim sizes, PDF bleed, learning about ARCS, reader magnets, all that stuff. I still don’t quite understand how Bookfunnel works, and frankly, there are better things I could fill my brain with.
The other big challenge for me is simply finding the time and space to write. I’ve got a full-time job, two kids (one of whom has a lot of additional needs) and there’s no space in my home for a quiet writing bubble. One bonus of being too poor to give up work and focus on writing is that I’m almost scam-proof. The scammers won’t wheedle cash out of me because I’ve got none to give!
Add any Links here –
Substack blog: https://thestarvedblog.substack.com/
Author website: https://sites.google.com/view/thomas-norford-author/home
Universal link to The Starved God on Amazon: https://mybook.to/thestarvedgod
