An Interview with Stephen Dedman

Stephen Dedman is a published Australian author of fantasy and science fiction. He was also the editor of Borderlands (a science fiction, fantasy and horror magazine), but that folded after issuing episode 11. When Stephen Dedman isn't writing, he's working at Fantastic Planet Science Fiction and Fantasy bookshop. He also teaches writing at the University of Western Australia. Stephen Dedman has had many of his short stories published and has written and published four novels.

How did you get into writing? At what age did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I've been making up stories for as long as I can remember, and writing them down since I was six (if not earlier), but I don't know just when I realised that writing could be an occupation rather than a hobby:

What was your first book or story that you completed? Did you ever get it published?

First story... no idea. My first book was a time travel novel that I wrote while in junior high; I finished the first draft, but never succeeded in doing anything more with it. I started selling stories soon after I finished high school; wrote another novel, a ghost story, about ten years later, but never sold that... but I did sell the next novel I wrote, The Art of Arrow Cutting.

How did you finally get published? When were you able to write on a full time basis? Please explain your success story?

Getting short stories published involved a trial-and-error process of finding markets for the sort of sf short story I wrote. When the Australian sf publishing scene evaporated in the late 80s, I started submitting stories to US magazines instead, selling to small presses and then to the pro markets.

Getting to write full-time was partly a matter of luck: the first half of the advance for my first novel arrived at the same time as the government department I was working for decided to downsize and offered me money to stay away for a year. I figured that the two lumps of money would keep me for a year, and give me time to finish another novel, so I decided to try writing full-time until I ran so low on money I needed to look for another job. I spent the next five or six years writing full time, with some extra money residencies and scholarships and occasional part-time or casual work. Unfortunately, my second novel didn't sell well, and my publisher decided not to buy any more from me after my third.

I don't consider that much of a success story: it ended too soon, and not happily. At best, it was a vignette.

How do you stay motivated to finish a novel?

Save the best bit for last (I always know how my novels should end, even if I'm not always sure how I'm going to get there, and am always willing to change an ending if I get a better idea), and don't jump ahead. Having an advance and a deadline helps.

How do you stay focused?

By writing to entertain myself, and not worrying about other readers until after I've finished the first draft.

What is your writing schedule like? Do you write in the mornings, evenings, and for how long?

Unfortunately, I'm no longer a full-time writer, so I write when I have the time and the ideas, which isn't as often as I'd like. When I was a full-time writer, I'd set myself a goal of 1000 words/day, minimum; I'd usually start in the morning after I'd dealt with my e-mails, and most days I'd have made quota by lunchtime, then decide whether I wanted to keep writing.

How do you get your ideas? What is your method for remembering them?

I read a lot of non-fiction on subjects that interest me, and when I find something that looks as though it might be useful, I either jot down a note in a file on my computer, or do my best to remember it: I trained as an actor, so I have a good memory for words, but I also keep a list of promising titles, settings, etc., on file.

How do you get over writer's block?

I wait until it goes away. I wish I knew a better way, but I don't.

What piece of advice would you give to someone thinking of becoming a writer? What is a good starting point for them?

Read widely. Write for your own entertainment; write what you want to, or feel you need to. Don't think about other readers until you start your second draft, or about money until you've started making some.

That said, start off with short fiction, if you can; you'll get feedback, and learn where your strengths and weaknesses are, much faster if you write a story a month rather than a novel a year.

To find out more about Stephen Dedman, and his published work, check out the official Stephen Dedman website.