All posts in Writing Habits

I met Philip Palmer quite by chance. Last year I’d bought his novel Red Claw purely on the basis of the outrageously awesome cover, and discovered it was a rollicking pulp science fiction tale. And I’m talking quality, modern pulp − adventure, excitement, really wild things, with strong characterisation and a kick-ass plot.

Needless to say, I was hooked. Then at EasterCon I had met fellow Kiwi and former Tharg the Mighty, David Bishop, and had seen him chatting to Mr Palmer himself. Later, as David and I took our seats for the premier of Matt Smith’s first Doctor Who episode in the cavernous hotel ballroom, I asked if David knew Philip. David pointed out that the guy sitting next to him on the other side, who I hadn’t seen, was the man in question! We were introduced, we watched Doctor Who, and we chatted in the bar afterwards.

That, my friends, is the beauty of conventions!

Philip’s latest book, Version 43, was out in October from Orbit and is again wrapped in a gorgeous cover. His next book is Hell Ship, due in 2011.

Ladies and gentlemen, Mr Philip Palmer!

Name

Philip Palmer. I’ve never used a pseudonym, which I regret really. I love the idea of having a secret persona. Like Iain M. Banks, who like Superman adopts a disguise so cunning no one can EVER guess his real identity.

I suspect this may change in future, if I want to write SF or fantasy that doesn’t fit the pattern of whatever a ‘Philip Palmer’ novel is.  But then again, the range of the novels I’m writing is already pretty wide − Hell Ship for instance (which comes out next July) is steeped in a fantasy tradition, even though it’s technically SF.  So maybe I won’t ever change my name; let’s see!

Location

Crystal Palace, South London − once known as the Fresh Air Suburb. We still have dinosaurs in our local park.  That’s a true fact that is! (They’re life sized replicas built in Victorian times.)

What do you write?

My writing spans quite a wide range in fact.  I’ve written several radio dramas which are quite serious, including some that are highly political.  One play for instance was about workplace safety − more exciting than it sounds! Another was about military interrogation.  I’ve also done some period dramas, with plays about Isaac Newton and Marco Polo.  For telly, I’ve written mainly crime dramas. And the movie I’m currently trying to get made is a film noir, one of my favourite genres.

As a novelist, though, I would put myself in the genre territory called ‘pulp’.  That’s not really a genre  of course; like Chinatown, it’s a state of mind.

What are your writing habits?

My writing habits are forged out of decades of being annoyingly frustrated at staring at a blank page.  So I try to avoid doing that.  If I’m blocked, I go for a walk. Or go for a run. Or go to the movies. Or do anything at all rather than stare at the blank page/screen.

Writing is largely about combining ideas imaginatively and freshly; so you have to first of all PUT IDEAS IN THE BRAIN.  So researching or doing something else, are often better strategies than simply striving to write. I sneak up on writing,  in other words.  Sometimes I give up for the day, and then think − maybe just ten minutes more!. And I do more work in that ten minutes than in the preceding X hours.

My wife is also a writer − movies, radio and television − so we both work from home and meet up at coffee time and lunch to confer and grumble.
My dog is also a key collaborator in my creative process.  ‘Just walking the dog,’ I’ll say, and then I’ll be gone for hours, dodging writer’s block.

What software or tools do you use?

I hate writing with a pen. I can barely write a postcard now.  At University I did all my essays on a typewriter, but when I came to my Finals I was unable to write a legible essay and had to do handwriting classes.

I hate Word! What is it with Word?  I used to use Word Perfect which I was comfortable with and which had a great tool for creating contents pages, indices etc, which I don’t seem able to do at all nicely on Word.  But that’s the tool I’m lumbered with for writing prose.

And another thing! New computers have a version of Word that’s incompatible with MY version. My editor sent me notes on my current novel which I couldn’t read − he had to save it in a different version.

But when I write screenplays I use Final Draft. It’s a dedicated software for screenwriters, which defaults to Courier 12 font (the only acceptable font for movies), and does all the work.  Final Draft is more than a software, it’s a philosophy. It’s beautiful, it’s simple to use, it’s elegant, and really successful screenwriters use it which makes ME feel really successful by proxy.  If there was a Final Draft for novelists, I’d use it. I dabble with Adobe PDF, but it seems expensive to buy the full version.

My office has a wall planner so I can see what my deadlines are.  However, my daughter generally fills up all the squares with the birthdays of her friends.

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Philip, thank you very much!

Philip’s website, Debatable Spaces, can be found at philippalmer.net, and he can be found on Twitter as phil2palmer.