AuthorTalk with Kelly Steed!

Highlighting Stasis.

Question: "With many novels that involve research, authors tend to feel they either over studied or under researched. Did you ever have those insecurities or frustrations with Stasis?"

Steed: "Stasis started out as a short story that turned into a novella that turned into a novel. In the beginning, Colleen and I didn’t really appreciate the difficulty of writing hard science fiction. The science has to be as accurate as possible and you can’t skimp on that or the whole novel suffers. Most of the difficulty involved obtaining good reference materials. In that respect, our neighborhood libraries were like a bookshelf meaning they were sorely lacking materials on cryonics. All we found were some magazine articles that gave us little information."

"Since I have a background in historical research, most of the scientific and medical investigation fell to me. Any research involves the same needle in the haystack skills. I did worry about comprehending the material accurately so I looked up every unknown word not relying on contextual judgments to ensure that I knew what was what. My husband has a technical mind I discussed any confusing concepts with him before sitting down to write. Then I had him read those portions to ensure that they were clear and understandable. My most major fear became reader comprehension. "

"Having gone through the cryonics experience with Stasis, I now have the confidence that I can learn anything I need to for future projects whether I’ve had experience with the subject or not. As far as I’m concerned, there is no such thing as over studied only under studied. If an author under researches, the manuscript will be flat and it will be noticed by readers particularly science fiction fans who are very astute when it comes to that sort of thing in hard science fiction."

 

Question: "As the author, what is your favorite part of the book?"

Steed: "My favorite part of Stasis is the scene where James Harris is caught taxidermying the neighbor’s dog. It’s horrific and darkly comedic at the same time. I had a great deal of fun writing that scene! James is definitely my favorite character, the kind you love to hate and can’t wait to see what he is going to pull next."

 

Question: "Do you consider yourself a science fiction author, or do you prefer dabbling in all areas of writing?"

Steed: "I primarily consider myself a science fiction horror author. Stasis is a crossover. Camelot’s Revenge (JoNa Books 2004) and Past Through the Ice (currently on hold) are alternative histories so they fall within science fiction. While both have paranormal elements neither go to the point of horror as Stasis does. Late Return (current project) is a young adult horror novel. On the Eve of War, Reflections of a Civil War Soldier Edward Michael Watson (also a current project) is historical fiction. I have also written a few nonfiction pieces mostly ghost stories based on my personal experiences."

"I don’t believe in limiting myself to any one genre. I write what comes to me. I like to stretch my writing muscles and take on new challenges. I’ve read a lot of advice against writing in more than one genre. Some stated it would make it harder to gain a reader following. Others that readers would be turned off by genres outside their range of interest meaning I could get away with anything that fell into the speculative fiction realm but to delve outside it could be career suicide. Well, I’ve always rubbed against the grain rather than with it in my life. I’ll take my chances on attracting more than one group of readers rather than stifle my creativity."

 

Question: "Do you think you would have continued work on Stasis had the story not taken Second Place in the “First Page Contest ?“ If you had laid it aside, do you believe you would have eventually returned to it?"

Steed: "I probably would have laid it aside for awhile but eventually I would have gotten back to it because too much time had all ready been invested by then. I had faith that I would one day be able to improve my writing so that it was publishable quality. I really just needed to know at the time how close to the mark I was coming."

 

Question: "Any advice to authors out there who may be considering a novel that involves heavy research? Should an author know precisely what they need prior to first draft, or would you recommend writing the novel and later “filling in,” the needed research? Another noted method, though not often recommended, is to research as a book is being written. These are several general opinions, what would you advise?"

Steed: "I think that any person considering becoming an author, who has a firm story idea and can’t sit down and make a preliminary list of information they are going to need, should probably consider a new career field. It’s normal during the actual writing process to increase the length of that list but you have to have a basis to start from. You can’t hang a plot outline on supposition alone you must have something concrete to work from. In my mind, it is impossible to write a story and then go back and fill in all the details. With Stasis, we had everything except detailed information on cryonic freezing and the proposed revival processes. Our research uncovered sketchy details, which we used as placeholders until I got a computer and got online. Then I was able to flesh out that part of the novel. I don’t think we could have written as far as we did without some basic cryonics information."

"My advice is to do as much research as you can prior to sitting down and writing; then continue researching as you go along. Things will crop up that need more attention or new topics will surface that will send you scurrying to a search engine or library."

"Research is the most difficult element to writing a novel simply because it’s hard to gain access to the required sources due to financial considerations. Purchasing books and traveling to records repositories can be expensive. To offset costs see if a secondary source can be obtained through interlibrary loan, check into highering a researcher in some cases it may be less expensive than travel or contact experts in the field via the Internet and see if they will allow you to pick their brains. Fair warning it’s very frustrating and time consuming! Past Through the Ice had to be put on hold due to financial considerations four times in the past ten years."

"One thing I’m very proud of is that three reviewers praised Stasis for the amount of research that went into it. The fact that it was so visible meant that I did my job. All writers should strive for that sort of praise in their work."

Copyright © 2003, Laurawrites.net. All rights reserved. All parts used with permission.

 

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