Coffee Talks

With Dominic Bascombe

Hi, Dominic, thank you for taking the time to get involved with Coffee Community. It's great to hear from authors like yourself and get to know a little bit about what motivates you to write longer works of fiction.

So, to begin, tell us a little bit about yourself as an author on Wattpad. For anyone who hasn't met you before, how would you describe your fiction?

Slightly oddly I write both Sci-Fi and humour. The Sci-fi is a form of escapism in a genre that always thrilled me since I was young. My Sci-fi short stories are Forrest Gump's box of chocolates - 'you never know what you're going to get.' But one thing you will always get in my stories is an unexpected twist at the end of the tale. The humour book that I've written encapsulates many of the odd characters I've met over the years and I've wrapped them all up into one novel set in the British Intelligence services. It's both silly and intended as a satire on general incompetence in the heart of government

Writing for sustained periods is a hurdle that every writer, beginner or experienced, faces from time to time. What powers you through those longer bursts of creativity and keeps you focussed?

I'm a short story specialist so the jump to longer pieces I found really difficult. To get through the tougher times I think you really have to believe in your central characters and want to tell their story. One thing I do tend to do is write in the rough draft two or three chapters ahead of my current chapter so I can see where I'm going- it seems to speed the process along quicker.

On 'The Shadow of the Moon' I'd actually completed the final three chapters when I was halfway through the actual book. That gave me a real purpose as I could see a really exciting ending and I just had to navigate to it through the chapters I'd yet to write.

What top tips would you advise for getting a novella or a longer piece of fiction off the starting line? What kind of story developments motivate you to see it through to the end?

The 'Shadow of the Moon' was a book written from a well-received short story on Wattpad. The short story became the first chapter so was an easy lead-in. So writing a test opening chapter seems like a good starting point. I'm not a great one for over planning, I really think being excited about your story is actually much more important than having a plan put together- it's that excitement that will get you through to the end of your tale. If you want to write a longer piece but are unsure about your style or capability- write short stories as a development experience.

Short stories are the quick highs of the writing world and give the chance to explore differing writing styles and how to pull a narrative work together on a smaller scale. They also give you a chance to judge your audience's reactions to your pieces. Wrap those up together and you've got a solid basis for starting a longer piece.

The great thing about story development as a writer is you can do all sorts of things to keep your readers interested. Do unexpected things- bring in a new, larger than life character; ramp up the threat to your main character; whisk everyone off to an unexpected location. Do that to keep readers on their toes and keep their engagement.

How much do you edit on the fly? Or do you prefer to edit after you've finished the initial draft?

Just get it down on the page! That's how I write. I cannot write a linear tale to save my life nor can I spell. I have an idea and I just write like crazy while I have it- jumping backward and forward across the chapter. I then go back and rearrange the paragraphs in some order, edit harshly and sort out the spelling. It's only then I can see if I've created something that works.

I've got lots of stories that have ended up going nowhere but I've also got loads that I've retrieved from the 'no good box' and rewritten later to be so much better. So don't worry too much if your writing style doesn't always produce results. It's all about practice.

Personally, what kind of novella -- be it any style, theme, or genre -- would you like to see emerge from the Open Novella Contest?

Something unique and strange, whether a concept or writing style. I love Neil Gaimans's 'American Gods,' a brilliantly odd story and David Mitchells 'Cloud Atlas', a tale that is spread over a vast expanse of time. Angel Carter is another writer whose style I've often thought is amazing.

Out there in the Wattpad world, there are the new Angel Carters and Neil Gaimans and I'm sure the Open Novella Contest is the forum for them to show us their skill and imagination.

Lastly, because we're always curious... What was your ever first experience with the power of the written language?

Last year I was walking through some woods and there was a woodland trail with signs telling the story of 'BB,' an author who lived in the area in the 40/50's. I suddenly remembered being read one of his stories while I was at primary school. I found the book. 'The Little Grey Men' tells the story of the last gnomes in England going up a river to find their long-lost brother. It encapsulates the English countryside just after the war brilliantly with it's changing seasons and odd emptiness. Still wonderful after all these years.

It's been great hearing from you, Dominic, and thank you for sharing your valuable knowledge in storytelling.

Thank you for asking. I hope this helps some of your readers. Remember writing is a challenge, it needs work but it is so satisfying to be able to look at a finished chapter and think, 'I did that and I'm proud I did it.'

Good luck with the contest everyone! :)

Best wishes fot your future endeavours from Coffee Community.

Our goal is to bring you many more exclusive interviews with people who aren't just Wattpad Stars or Staff, but also some pretty awesome authors.
In that quest, next we will be talking to Tammy Oja , so stick around for more fun!