Author Inspiration

Interview with Robin Craig the Author

The interview below explores where I get my plot ideas from, my writing process and more. Enjoy it – I did (thanks ThoughtWare Books) for chatting with me:-)

Interviewer: Robin, your repertoire includes a wide variety of stories, ranging from science fiction and alternative history to other genres. I find it incredibly intriguing to learn about an author’s creative process. Can you share with us where you draw inspiration for your plots and stories? Additionally, could you provide us with some examples of how the plots for some of your books came to be?

Robin Craig: Where do the plots come from? It varies. Some, like Frankensteel, start from thinking about the issues which end up dramatized in the story. Hannibal’s Witch started from my wife relating a story about a party of Bitcoin millionaires along with ideas about how new, free countries might be a kind of resurrection of the trading culture of the ancient Phoenicians, especially compared to the militaristic Romans. The Time Surgeons started when I was giving a talk on a cruise ship in which I said I’d never written a novel about time travel because I couldn’t think of any way to make time travel plausible… then I thought of one!

Interviewer: Can you tell us about your background as a writer and how you started out in your writing journey?

Robin Craig I started out writing short stories. Short stories have the advantage of revolving around a single, relatively simple core idea or theme. Basically, like a single droplet of thought dressed in an engaging story. But they can’t explore complex plots, themes, or personalities. Novels require a more complex plot idea, but have a lot more scope for everything from the themes they explore to the character conflicts and development they can support.

Interviewer: Your novella, Frankensteel, explores the theme of the rights of a thinking machine. How did you come up with the idea for this plot and the character of Detective Miriam Hunter?

Robin Craig: When I had the idea for Frankensteel, with the theme of the rights of a thinking machine, I realised that this was the first plot I’d thought of which had enough ‘legs’ to support a longer story, and so my first novella was born, and with it the character of Detective Miriam Hunter, who is set to pursue the robot. It also combined my interest in science fiction, relevant near-future science whose roots exist today, and the philosophical and moral issues around machine consciousness. These also set the ground for the conflict between the protagonists and the personal issues Miriam must wrestle with.

Interviewer: Some authors meticulously plan out their entire story in advance, while others prefer a more spontaneous approach. Can you tell us about your writing process and how you develop your stories?

Robin Craig: I come from the other school, and my writing is far more spontaneous. Often, I start with a plot-theme (the central conflict or situation of the story), think up a suitable main protagonist, and just start writing: that is how Frankensteel began. Along the way, other characters appear as required by the direction of the story. Some of these then prove interesting enough to develop into major characters in their own right. In other cases, I might start with an interesting opening scene and only a general idea of the plot, which develops as I write. That is how The Geneh War and Hannibal’s Witch were born.

Interviewer: That’s really interesting how diverse sources of inspiration can lead to such unique stories. Among your works, including The Hunter Series, do you have a favorite plot or story that holds a special place in your heart?

Robin Craig: In general, the last book I wrote is my favourite, because ‘living the characters’ has been most recent. But taking a longer view, my favourite is probably The Time Surgeons, because of the multiple interweaving plots and plausible (well, as plausible as it can get!) theory of time travel. Then again, as the core character in my first novella and the series it spawned, Miriam Hunter has to take a special place in my heart. Which circles back to my first answer, since my latest book is Leonardo’s Child, fourth in The Hunter Series!