Daniel Bensen’s science fiction novel Junction was just released on January 10th (Flame Tree Press). I can relate to Daniel because my wife is also my first and best reader. I can’t relate to Daniel because I never “draw little pictures of where everyone is and how they move around” (though I’m intrigued by the idea).
I hope you enjoy Word Craft #2! I plan on continuing the series with at least one post a month (in addition to my other content).
-J.D.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tell us a little about yourself.
I’m an English teacher and I live in Sofia Bulgaria with my family in the Balkan Tower of Matriarchy. Ruled by my wife’s grandmother on the 1st floor, the Tower of Matriarchy stretches four stories into the air and five generations into filial insanity. We go through a ton of yogurt, and you could eat the drama with a spoon, but there’s always someone when you need them.
Whatâs your book about?
JUNCTION is about survival and exploration in a dangerous alien environment. It turns out there’s been a wormhole in the New Guinea highlands all this time, and when the news gets out, countries start fighting over access. A Japanese nature show host who just happened to be in the neighborhood ends up as the face of an expedition through the wormhole and onto the strange and multifarious planet on the other side. Then monsters start eating people. Even worse, there’s politics.
INSPIRATION AND MOTIVATION
Why do you write?
Like Terry Pratchett said, I overflowed. I’ve always loved reading, and books have seen me through some bad times. I wanted to put more out there.
What do you do when you need additional inspiration or ideas?
I keep a running list of interesting things I learn and ideas I have throughout the day. I email myself these little snippets on my phone, then attach them if I can to whatever projects I’m working on. Often, they interact in unpredictable ways.
If I need more inspiration beyond that, I talk to other people. I have some very good friends who know about all sorts of esoteric things such as economics and marine biology, and when I throw an idea at them, they throw back something much more interesting.
Do you finish everything you start? If a piece isnât working, at what point do you cut your losses and abandon it?
It’s only happened a few times, but if a project becomes a slog, then I put it aside. If I’m not excited about a project, I have better things to do than torture myself than trying to force it forward. The project needs to rest until I get inspired about it again, or until I grow to be a good enough writer to do it justice.
METHODS AND PRACTICES
How often do you write? Do you have a regular time of day and place that your write?
I write every weekday between my classes (I’m an English teacher). That usually works out to two 90-minute writing slots a day, which is great.  I often write in my office, but depending on where my classes are, I write in various cafes around Sofia. When the weather’s good, I walk around in circles in the park and write stream-of-consciousness stuff on my kindle.
Do you keep a writing log? What data do you track (word count, session start/end, etc.)?
I used to track word count, and it was very bad for my mental health and my writing. But now I track how much time I spent writing and what I did on google calendar. For example, “Nov 2. 10:30-11:30AM Centuries – Ben’s notes – found good place for two big chunks.” It gives me a sense of accomplishment, and breaks the enormous process of writing a book into lots of smaller, easier tasks.
What elements of your life distract you from writing the most, and how do you manage those distractions?
My kids. For six years, it was impossible for me to write at home. Now my younger daughter has started going to nursery school and occasionally there is a time when there is nobody screaming in my house.
The way I managed was becoming nomadic. I switched from desktop and speakers to laptop and noise-cancelling headphones. If I get inspired at home, I write an email to myself so I can look at it when I’m at the office.
Do you revise as you go, or wait for a complete first draft?
I try to get to the end before I start revisions. If I get ideas for things to change or if I get advice from beta-readers, I attach them as comments to the appropriate part of the text, so it will be waiting for me on the next read through. I also try to set a project aside and let it rest for a month or so between drafts.
Who sees your work first, and why?
My wife. She’s the smartest person I know and she tells me when I’m wrong.
Whatâs your backup system (for computer files)?
Every day I change the name of the file (by adding the date to it) so I can go back and find an earlier version if I need to. I also email the document to myself every now and then, and I back up to an external hard drive once a week. I once lost an entire draft and it was so demotivating, I had to set the project aside for months. Never doing that again.
What do you do when you’re stuck?
If I’m stuck in a scene I sometimes draw little pictures of where everyone is and how they move around. I also sometimes write a list of everyone in the scene, what they want, and how they react to the other characters who either help or hinder them.
What methods or practices have you used to increase your productivity?
The things that have most increased my productivity lately are (1) not having alpha readers, (2) reading how-to-write books, and (3) writing down the advice from those books as a list in chronological order. Not having alpha-readers (people who read your story chapter-by-chapter as you write it) allows me to fling out a rough draft quickly without worrying whether people will like it. The how-to-write books (such as Lisa Cron’s STORY GENIUS) gave me ways to make choices quickly. Writing down that advice as a list gives me something to do every time I sit down to write. I don’t always follow that plan’s instructions, but it saves a lot of time that I’d otherwise spend staring at the ceiling wondering what to do next. If you’re curious here is that Master Plan.
How important are lighting, sound/silence, smells, and other sensory factors to your writing process?
Noise cancelling headphones, a playlist, and a white noise generator help a lot. Lighting limits the amount of time I write a day. I suppose I should buy some sunglasses.
FORTHCOMING
What are you working on now, and what projects do you have scheduled?
I have JUNCTION launching tomorrow, a historical fantasy called THE SULTAN’S ENCHANTER out looking for a publisher, and two projects I’m not allowed to talk about yet đ I also try to do something small every week. Check my website for those.
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