We Come In Peace - Behind The Scenes
We Come In Peace was the first story I started many years ago (it started life on a floppy disc). I wrote a few drafts before writing a number of other stories while learning as much as I could about writing (worthy of its own future blog post). I had originally intended to seek the traditional publishing route but in the meantime self-publishing grew and the independence it brings was just too tantalising.
I learned as much about the self-publishing industry as I did about writing (both are equally important), and my debut novel was out there for people to read and hopefully enjoy.
Here are some of the things that went into writing it:
It’s pretty flexible and varied - I grab my laptop and write on the sofa, in the office, coffee shop, bedroom, car or outside. I often grab a notepad and make notes when inspiration hits and try to label them with an act or a scene to make organising them easier later. Drinking coffee (always espresso based) or tea (inspiration tea by Today Was Fun is a favourite but I’m not sure if it’s still available???) is preferred but not essential. I don’t write to a word count, I only tend to stop when I have to.
I can write at any time of day but tend to find my best inspiration at night (not always great for inducing sleep though). I have more ideas than time to write so I never have a problem with what story to tell next. I’m a generalist so I found it all too easy to hop from story to story at first, and I think this helped to improve my writing ability, but I’ve found the discipline to stick to a project until completion (though as an indie author I’m not sure a project is ever completed when you count post-publication).
My work isn’t restricted to a genre, but there are common themes, including: love, identity, existence, purpose, kindness, consciousness and reality, and then often have some genre element to them. It sounds very broad but the stories I enjoy most are about what it’s like to be human and that’s what I try to write.
Google and Bing are my most frequently used, especially when it comes to general research, locations and such. Credible YouTube video’s were essential, particularly about quantum physics. But here’s the main two sources I used:
BEING AND NOTHINGNESS - Jean-Paul Sartre
At just under 1000 pages I haven’t read the whole book (yet), but I read and re-read selected chapters, particularly those about consciousness. In fiction, Sartre is one of my favourite authors (his short story collection The Wall is possibly my favourite novel and La Nausea is another favourite). The text is very dense and takes a lot of concentration but is packed with ideas and philosophy about reality, perception, existentialism and transcendence.
Sartre was a philosopher, novelist, playwright, screenwriter, political activist and literary critic, and I think this helps to give him a perspective different to more traditional scientists and philosphers’s, as well as a storytelling quality to the text.
APPROACHES TO CONSCIOUSNESS: THE MARRIAGE OF SCIENCE AND MYSTICISM - Brian L Lancaster
I was fortunate enough for Les Lancaster to be my lecturer at uni and he was so inspiring (I made my notes for a future novel in his class) and interesting to listen to. His book was a great source for consciousness and existence. It views mysticism through a more traditional scientific approach and blends the two approaches.
I listen to John Frusciante’s The Empyrean for everything I write, but particularly for We Come In Peace. As well as being a phenomenal album in it’s own right, it delves into consciousness and existence like no other music I’ve heard. It’s so personal; a man struggling with his own day to day existence whilst looking to something bigger and more profound. Every track is incredible but my favourites are: Unreachable, Central and One More of Me.
Other songs and albums that provided plenty inspiration and mood as I wrote are:
Best Song Ever and Stay - Gabrielle Aplin
To Record Only Water For 10 Days and Shadows Collide With People - John Frusciante
Keep The Streets Empty For Me - Fever Ray
Fade Into You - Mazzy Star
Mad World - Aiden Grimshaw version
Coffee and TV - Blur
Anything and everything REM
More behind the scenes for We Come In Peace to follow, but in the meantime if you want to know more, please ask me any questions on Instagram, twitter, Goodreads or email me.
When you have lost almost everything, how far would you go to protect the one person you have left?
Ryan Ellis’ successes at the government-corporate US Tech are behind him, his marriage is flailing and grief has left him struggling to get through the day.
After being plagued by nightmares of losing the one person left that he loves, Ryan is sent top secret files from an anonymous source that might explain the strange events that have happened to him, and he will do whatever it takes to find the truth.
Mark is the author of We Come In Peace and Doomsday.
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