W.R.I.T.E. with Simon Kewin
- Phil Parker
- 2 hours ago
- 7 min read
Simon Kewin (he/him) has over 100 short stories in the wild, and he’s the author of a growing number of novels, including the Office of the Witchfinder General books, published by Elsewhen Press, cyberpunk thriller The Genehunter, “steampunk Gormenghast” saga Engn and the galaxy-spanning Triple Stars trilogy. He’s originally from the Isle of Man and now lives deep in the English countryside. He still thinks digital watches are a pretty neat idea.
I was lucky to find Simon in those rare moments when he wasn't writing. For someone with a humungous catalogue of work to his name, that involves a great deal of luck! As with other authors, he politely acquiesced to answering questions based on my irritatingly contrived W.R.I.T.E. acronym. So, let's not waste any more time!
1. Simon Kewin is the prolific author of His Majesty’s Office of the Witchfinder General series, to name but one collection. There are many more. Let’s start with that series though, tell us about this government agency that deals with mythical creatures.
The Office of the Witchfinder General has been quietly protecting the British realm from unnatural and supernatural threats since 1645. The Witchfinder General himself operates out of 13 Downing Street (the existence of which is officially denied), but there are offices all over the British Isles. My series of books about the Office are set in the present day, mostly in and around Cardiff.
The Office is facing grave difficulties: not only from the constants threats to the public caused by hauntings and demonic incursions and the like; the Office itself is threatened by shadowy forces that want to see it destroyed. Its very future is in doubt, not least because it refuses to use magic in the fight against magic.
My hero, Danesh Shahzan, is a young operative based in Cardiff. He starts out being devoted to the cause, but soon starts to have doubts and questions about how the Office works. This isn’t helped by learning something about himself that he can never reveal to his fellow Office operatives…
2. Let’s launch into our highly contrived set of questions. W is for World Building. Where, with most authors, we could focus on one type of world, you’re different. You write different forms of fantasy then switch over to science fiction. How does this affect your world building? I mean, where do you even start?
"It works for me because of the differences. When I’m working something science fiction, and I’m trying to write something where the science is accurate – or at least believable – then I find myself longing for a magic system and a world where crazier stuff can happen. When I’m writing fantasy, I sometimes miss the clearer framework that scientific understanding provides."
Obviously there are a lot of grey areas and overlaps between the two genres. A magic system has to be internally consistent, for example. Mainly, I’m not really sure that science fiction and fantasy are that different. I’m not really sure if any forms of fiction are that different. Everything is people overcoming difficulties in an imagined setting.
3. R is for Routine: being so prolific must mean you write twenty-five hours day, eight days a week. Are you mega disciplined? Or do the words flow when you sit at your computer?
Sometimes, it’s a complete slog. Sometimes it feels like I’m just a typist and someone else is whispering the words to me. On some days I might only write a few words, make some notes, do some editing. On others, a couple of thousand words can magically appear on the screen. It’s definitely more fun when that happens!
I’m probably not as disciplined as I could be. Ironically, when I worked full time, I was more regimented, because I had to be. If I had a spare hour, I used it. Now, when I have more time, it can be a struggle to find a focus. Setting an arbitrary target is one way to focus my mind – that or an impending deadline.
4. I stands for Inspiration, which provokes the question, does inspiration differ depending on the form of speculative fiction? Where does it come from? How do you marshal it into action when you write fantasy and science fiction?
The form of speculative fiction doesn’t matter too much for me. Whatever the genre, I start off with the little thrill of a cool idea, or maybe the excitement of “What happens if I combine these two unrelated things?” – and the story begins to emerge. Humans understand the world through story, and I think “inspiration” is just the mind naturally imagining what could happen. As to marshalling it, it’s just a matter of being open and receptive to fresh ideas and angles.
"If I’m stuck in a story, it’s weird how often some chance remark or sight shows me the new direction I need to take. Of course, it’s just the mind making connections, as it’s evolved to do, but it feels like the universe miraculously providing answers."
5. The T in this sequence refers to Type (yes, mega contrived!). Acknowledging the way you write across such a broad literary spectrum, do you have a preference? We’re also talking about other types – such as Point of View. Third person? First person? Third person omniscient? Past tense? Present tense? Which and why?
Typing vs. handwriting? Always typing. I can’t think straight without being able to cut and paste text, move things around. Analogue is too clunky.
As to Point of View, I tend to default to third person, limited omniscience. That allows me to focus in closely on one or a few characters, see things from their viewpoints, but then to pull out and get a wider perspective as I need to. I’ve never written “full” omniscient viewpoint, but I can see the appeal.
I do sometimes use first person. The science fiction trilogy I’m working on at the moment – The Möbius Sequence – is mainly written in a first-person perspective as it suited the thriller-style protagonist, but even there I drop into third person to represent different voices and wider perspectives.
6. With E for Edit, we’re talking about the process of taking something that looks like a lump of rock and turning it into a shiny diamond. How do you define the facets of your stories?
It’s different for short stories and novels. With a short piece, I may just start with a setting, or a line, or a character, and I discover what’s going on as I write. Then, obviously, lots of polishing is needed. For a novel, that feels too dangerous. I could end up rambling into a dead end, or making no sense. So I like to have a clear beginning and end defined – I may even write both first – and then allow myself the freedom of discovering how I get from A to B.
I do enjoy the editing and polishing process. When something slots into place, when it shines, it’s glorious.
7. While the questions have been squeezed into the letters of W.R.I.T.E. - there’s another one that’s pertinent to Simon Kewin. It’s O for Organisation. Like Merlin, who lived his life backwards, you do much the same with your stories. You don’t always start at the beginning. Tell us how this Merlin-like writing method arises.
From sheer incompetence on my part. I wouldn’t recommend this approach. My Witchfinder books have been written in a sensible order, by the way: so far, Book 1, then 2, then 3, then 4, with Book 5 planned. But you’re probably talking about my Triple Stars science fiction trilogy, which I wrote backwards: Book 3, then Book 1, then Book 2. This came about because Book 3 was supposed to be a standalone novel, but then I discovered there was this whole fascinating lead-up to those events, so I wrote those.
To make matters worse, with my current Möbius Sequence novels, the first book I wrote turned out to be Book 2, so I’ll go 2, 1, 3.
Like I say, I’m not sure if I’d recommend this to anyone.
8. If it had been possible to squeeze an A into W.R.I.T.E. there would have been a chance for you to offer Advice for people who write and want to publish their work. What words of wisdom can you impart?
Do it because you love doing it. Write and keep at it. Have fun. Ignore the doubters. Don’t be hard on yourself if it isn’t working. Don’t read the reviews – and, in fact, be very careful who you do listen to for advice and feedback. Be true to your own vision.
"Write several things so that all your hopes aren’t pinned on just one. Learn your craft, but don’t get lost in endless writing advice articles and books. You instinctively know how stories work; you can create your own."
9. There was another A word that felt left out, Admire. Which writers do you admire and why?
So many. The easy answer is to say “The one I’m currently reading,” but if I had to pick one it would be Ursula K. Le Guin for her range and her humanity. But many, many others.
10. Your website tells us you have over a hundred short stories too. They’re a very different animal to the novel. What prompted you to get into this style of writing? How would you say it differs from novel writing?
I started with short stories because I couldn’t imagine it was possible to write a full novel, and because I had lots of ideas teeming around in my head, so many I knew I couldn’t turn them all into full novels in one lifetime. Gradually, my stamina and confidence grew, and I learned to write and structure longer pieces. I gained confidence and ambition.
I’m not convinced a short story is fundamentally different to a novel, other than its length, as some people claim. You still need arcs and character development etc. Short stories are an end to themselves, for sure, but they’re also a good way to learn how to write concisely and clearly. Several of my novels started out as short stories that gave me a glimpse of a wider world that I then wanted to explore.
Tell us how we can find you on social media and the internet.
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/SimonKewin
Here are Phil's books - click the image for the link:
