The Complex Narrative in a Debut Novel, with David Gaughran

Like most authors heavily invested in the success of their ebooks, I drop by David Gaughran’s blog at least once per week.  If you’ve even considered publishing independently, you know why.  Gaughran’s ebook Let’s Get Digital is probably one of the first books you digitally “picked up” on the subject of epublishing and these here new-fangled Kindles and Nooks and the like.

Recently, Gaughran indulged my request for an interview about his upcoming novel.  Read on for our conversation on big dreams, cross-over audiences, crowd-sourcing, and how not to put your readers to sleep.  

(Yes, the first question is rather long, but please indulge me.  It’s worth it.)

RT: The idea to approach you for a post started when I read this passage from one of your blog posts:

My upcoming novel - A Storm Hits Valparaíso - has experienced one delay after another. I’m still working on the final pass which should have been done in August. In fact, I started the book in 2006.

I’m not too stressed about the delay. It’s getting there, and is going to be far stronger book because of the methodical way I’ve approached the rewrite.

I know now that I was far too inexperienced to attempt such a complex narrative, and really threw myself in the deep-end with some concrete shoes, but I’m getting there and it will be worth it in the end.

The next novel after that will be a different kettle of fish. Already outlined, it will be much shorter, less research, less interweaving narratives. Once I get this monkey off my back, I’m going to fly through that in a few months and quicken up my whole process.

Still RT: This is exactly the way I felt about This Brilliant Darkness before it was launched.  WHY did I start such a complex narrative for my first book?  Why did I think I could handle it?  I’ve been throwing Ira Glass’ comment around at new writers when they express self-doubt:

“What nobody tells people who are beginners — and I really wish someone had told this to me … is that all of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, and it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not.

But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase. They quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know it’s normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story.

It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”

So, in light of all that, my question for you as Valparaiso nears completion is, have you fought your way through?  I know you’ve seen the light about your following books and less interweaving of characters—I’ve done the same, with my current WIP only having *two* heads in which to hop.  But do you truly feel Valparaiso’s end product fits your original vision of the novel?

DG: It has been a battle from start to finish. I bit off way more than I could chew. There are seven main characters and six distinct narratives, and they only begin to interweave about a third of the way through the book. Writing this book felt like spinning plates – just when I thought I had one aspect under control, something else would go off-kilter. I actually walked away from it in 2007. I didn’t write a word – of anything – for almost a year. But it eventually pulled me back in. There were several other points when I thought I would never get it over the finish line. And that was just the first draft. It has been rewritten several times since. I’ve lived with this story for five and-a-half years now. Thankfully, I’ve written other stuff in the meantime – to stop myself going completely crazy.

The next two won’t have so many narratives or characters, but it’s not something I’ve sworn off completely. I’m attracted to these kinds of stories; I imagine I will tackle one again in the future. But I also like to try different things, so the next few projects will probably be a little different both in form and content.

I think the final novel will reflect my original vision reasonably closely. I wanted to tell the story of this war – Argentina’s fight for independence from the Spanish Empire. There were so many colorful characters from history that demanded inclusion. On the other hand, I also wanted to tell the story of the people that are usually left out of the historical accounts – the ordinary people, the ones that actually do the killing and dying for the decorated generals.

RT: Speaking of original visions, do you recall that original moment when you conceived of this story?  Tell us about it.

DG: I was working with a small NGO in Northern Peru, teaching English to young kids for a few months. I was in the middle of writing a completely different novel – my first attempt – and it was awful, although I didn’t quite know it at the time.

I heard a story from the independence wars which changed everything. The two liberators of South America - San Martín and Bolívar - met for the first and only time in a port-town just over the border from me called Guayaquil. At this meeting, the two generals were supposed to hash out an agreement to pool their resources and finish the Spanish off, who were holed up in Cuzco and what is now Bolivia. However, San Martín abruptly resigned, handed over control of his armies, and allowed Bolívar to immortalize himself with the final victory. San Martín died in exile and his reasons for walking away have been hotly debated since. The truth is nobody knows what happened in that room between him and Bolívar, as there were no witnesses, neither of them spoke about it afterwards, and no historical record was made.

I read all that in the back of a guidebook, but assumed they weren’t telling the full story. After all, this was arguably the most momentous moment in South American history; someone must have figured it out. I was intrigued, so I began searching for answers. I wanted to find out why this guy, at the peak of his career, threw it all away. I guess this book, in some ways, is my answer to that question. It wasn’t planned – I was researching for fun, collecting evidence, trying to solve the mystery for myself. In fact, when I thought it might make a good historical novel, I tried to give the idea to another writer. I sat her down in a café for a few hours, and laid out the whole book. She insisted that I write it, an idea which I thought was ridiculous at the time. But I’m glad she did.

RT: Were there any particular works that you wanted Valpo to stack up against?  Do you feel you’ve achieved that?  (It’s okay to be completely honest.  I only wanted to outsell The Stand and Harry Potter, combined, with my first book.  No sweat, really.)

DG: Yes. And no! I could live for ten thousand years and I would never be able to write like Louis de Bernières or Gabriel García Márquez, but if someone who enjoys their work likes this book, I will die happy. My prose isn’t as consistently purple as theirs can be, and I think there is more dialogue (and action in general) in the way I write, but I love their stuff, and I suppose in one way you are always trying to write the books you like to read. I actually had to stop reading them when I was writing this as I would freeze up completely. So no, it doesn’t stack up to them; it couldn’t. People will still be reading them in a hundred years or more when my name will be long forgotten. But I hope I can provide a diverting read for some of their fans.

RT: The background you share about A Storm Hits Valparaiso is truly intriguing.   I can see why you fell in love with the potential there for creating an epic novel.   Since 2009, when you and the men in smoke-filled rooms put your website together at davidgaughran.com, you’ve gone from seeking an agent or publisher to successfully crowd-funding your novel.  Let’s Get Digital is certainly a must-read for any author interested in participating in the sales of his/her own books in the digital age, whether self-publishing or not.  Now, let’s get real—how much conversion do you expect from the audience you’ve built for Let’s Get Digital to cross the proverbial Atlantic to purchase A Storm Hits Valparaiso?  What are your expectations?

DG: This is something I’ve thought about a lot. My first two releases were in different genres, Let’s Get Digital was non-fiction, and this one, the fourth, is new ground again. There is no way of telling if any of that audience will follow me to South America and into historical fiction. I’ve been posting some excerpts on my blog, and talking about various aspects of writing it, and the history around the conflict. I’ve had some nice comments from people who are looking forward to it. But there is really no way of telling how it is going to do. I have a pretty good system for releasing a book now, and I have a couple of promo tricks planned to get it a little extra attention on launch, but, aside from that, it’s anyone’s guess. It’s a crap shoot really – like it always is, I suppose.

I have already covered my publishing costs through advance orders through a crowdfunding site – more or less – so I don’t have to worry about recouping costs. However, I have a lot more invested in this than money. A huge part of my life went into this book. A huge part of me went into this book.

RT: Tell us more about SouthAmericana.com.  From the looks of it, it went live this fall.  Are you promoting it?  What are your expectations of the site?

DG: My main blog talks about self-publishing and the industry in general. Nothing, I find, puts readers to sleep quicker. The people who read my blog are other self-publishers. While some of them may enjoy historical fiction, most probably won’t. And spending all your time talking to other writers (and the same group of writers) is never going to build an audience for your fiction.

I don’t think you can sit around, waiting for readers to find you. It doesn’t work like that unless you are exceptionally lucky. I thought about the kind of reader who might enjoy my book, and South Americana is a place where I talk about the kind of things I think they might enjoy reading. I came across all sorts of stories the second time I went to South America, little nuggets, curiosities I picked up while traveling around researching this book. South Americana is going to be a home for all of that. My next few books will be set there, so it makes sense to devote some time to a place like this. It’s something I really enjoy doing. In fact, I may turn that blog into a book too at some point down the road – narrative non-fiction vignettes. In the meantime, as I build the site, I hope it will also attract readers who could be interested in my fiction. It’s still very early days and I haven’t been able to devote any real time to it yet. I’m scrambling to get this book out in time for Christmas Day – when people across America will be unwrapping their very first Kindles and will need something to read. Once it’s out, I will be spending a lot more time at South Americana.

RT: You’ve got a haiku section on your blog, replete with multiple operational warnings (as most poetry should be).  Do you also write poetry seriously?  What are your opinions about poetry?  Internet poets?  Irish internet poets?  ;)

DG: I’m the biggest philistine when it comes to poetry. I read it in school; I didn’t enjoy most of it, but I remember liking The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. The last collection I read was by Leonard Cohen. I really enjoyed that, but didn’t continue on. Fiction always has a lot more pulling power. Recently though, I’ve been reading snippets from the Spoon River Anthology online – we don’t do that in school in Ireland – and that was great. I need to get a copy.

The haikus are just for fun. I don’t write poetry seriously – I think I’d be terrible.

RT: You are so busy doing SO much writing—on IndieReader, on your own blog, in the comments sections of multiple other blogs, as well as writing guest posts—but long-term, what are your plans?  You’ve mentioned everything from a short story collection to a New Orleans historical to a dystopian scifi read in store for the next six months.  Is that doable?  And how long do you plan on blogging about indie publishing?  How much social media presence is “enough”? 

DG: I’m not a very organized person. I just jump from task to task and do whatever I feel like doing at that moment. If I have a master-plan, my brain hasn’t let me in on the secret.

I’m also a binge writer. I’ll write like crazy for a period, then nothing for a while. I wish I was a little more disciplined and just pounded out a certain amount of words a day. That would make planning a little easier.

Although, I’ve a pretty clear idea what my next four novels are going be. It’s not a series, they are all unconnected standalones. Three are historicals set in Latin America, and one is a little more contemporary – set in the Middle East. I’ll probably write the dystopian novella next though, that’s been bugging me for a while. Then again, I’ve already started the next historical. It’s outlined, partly researched, and the first few chapters are written. I’ve already got the voice down, which usually takes a little while, so that’s a good start. I’ll probably work on both at the same time until one of them takes over. That’s what usually happens. I’ll also work on shorts now and then – I love writing those and have plenty at various stages of completion. As I said, I’m not too organized.

I have this fantasy that when I get this book out, my writing speed is going to improve overnight, and I will release all sorts of stuff over the next six months. That may be wishful thinking, but I’ll give it a shot.

As for blogging, I’ll do it as long as it’s fun. It doesn’t feel like work; it’s something I enjoy doing. But if that ever changes, I’ll reevaluate.

 “Presence” in social media is neither a necessary nor sufficient condition for success, and what’s effective is not quantifiable anyway. It’s about connections, not the number of followers or tweets or posts. Twitter and the rest are powerful tools. But if you are just using them to talk at people, you won’t get very far. Blasting “buy my book” messages has zero positive effect (and plenty negative).

RT: Thanks for being my guest, Dave!  It was truly a pleasure reading your thoughtful responses.  

The above is a mock-up only.  The final cover will differ from this, but I know you like images, Dear Reader, so here you go.

Hey, reader.  If you enjoyed this conversation, I recommend you subscribe to Gaughran’s blog.  I’ll be preparing a guest post for him in the coming couple of days, on…you guessed it, Writing the Complex Narrative in a Debut Novel.  I want to carry on with the conversation, how about you?

To sample the first four chapters of A Storm Hits Valparaiso, go here.  A further excerpt from Chapter 14 is here.

I was able to sneak in under the deadline for Gaughran’s FundIt project, so I’ll look forward to diving into Valpo before Christmas!  Normally I do not seek out historical fiction, but I’m curious about this one.  It sounds dynamite, to me.