Friday Edward Yatscoff is visiting and talking about Panster or Plotter #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #Panster #Plotter.

 Panster or Plotter

 

Day 1

 

1. Are you a panster or a plotter or perhaps a bit of both?

A panster for sure.  I have 20 chapters already written with probably 3 more and I still don’t know how it will end. Next year’s release is FINAL RESPONSE and it’s the only one where I knew the ending from the get go.

 

2. Which comes first - characters or plot for you?

A vague plot beginning first, then is driven almost immediately by characters. My MG and YA novels are mainly plot then slower to be filled in with characters. Random thoughts, descriptions, imaging--everything that pops up out of the blue--are placed in just past where I’m at. As I write they get shuttled down along with the story. When I reach the point where I need them I’ll cut and paste them in. Sometimes they’re a line or two or even a few pages and I don’t want to lose them because they will go in somewhere.

 

3. What are you working on now? Is this a book in a current series or something totally new?

SERVICES RENDERED is a new hard-boiled crime fiction and the only adult novel I have with a firefighter somehow involved. Not sure if my publisher BWL Publishing  has any hard-boiled crime yet, or if they’ll want it. The characters are mainly taken from the tough guys I knew, and knew of, throughout my life. I may self-publish as I have with my Mexican crime novel and my 6 MG/YA novels

 

4. Do you have some kind of object or place that figures in most of your books? I use gems a lot, hospitals and caves.

I like road flares as they burn hot and fast and are the best for setting vehicles on fire.  Also police batons and brass/plastic knuckles because they can inflict a lot of damage and are great equalizers

 

5. Do you write everyday or just when the spirit hits?

If I can’t get inspired to write some new pages every day I’ll go back to the early chapters and edit.  This usually gives me a jump start.  As for the road ahead, the next chapters are always in my head rolling around for some time first before seeing paper.

 

6. Where can we find you?

In the new little city of Beaumont, Alberta.

 

7. Who are your favorite authors? What about a book you’ve enjoyed?

I have several favorites in the crime/thriller genre including Linwood Barclay who won the Arthur Ellis Award last year – I was a Finalist and am in good company. James Lee Burke, Dan Fesperman, James Hall, are just a few favorites.  Female authors Barb Nickless and M.A. Lawson write about real tough females yet haven’t lost their feminine side. I do enjoy historical fiction as well -  Robert Harris, Stephen Pressfield, and Ronald Wright. I read 40 to 60 books a year and review them all.