Author spotlight with Jethro Weyman
Author Q&A with Jethro Weyman
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Jethro, is another author that I met on Twitter and I had the pleasure of reading his collection of short stories, Bang to Begin.
A roller-coaster of strange going-ons. The author successfully writes some spine chilling stories to get you thinking. I found a few parts a little disturbing (I’m a huge wimp) and yet I couldn’t bring myself to put the book down. If you’re looking for something to get you thinking and to thrill you then this book is for you!
Jethro, would you like to tell us about yourself and your writing?
Not really… Oh go on then.
I’m currently living in Birmingham, England and working as a physiotherapist, specialising in neurology. I don’t know if that makes me a certain kind of person that can be seen in my writing, but I wouldn’t be surprised. I’m from Hertfordshire originally, so often get told I have a posh accent by Brummie and Black Country folk! It’s not though… it’s just a bit Southern!
I like cycling, bouldering, very occasional yoga these days and I can sometimes be found twiddling my thumbs… and beneath those thumbs, a ps4 controller can be found.
I started writing about 2 1/2 -3 years ago because I couldn’t get an idea for a scene out of my head… This became the prologue in my first book (and has since become a darling I’ve had to kill 🙁 ). I wrote my full first novel without really knowing what I was doing. And I’m still querying it, so that’s probably still the case.
I’ve since written another novel and a hell of a lot of tweets, some of which I’ve collated into a collection called Two Halves of the Candle. I’ve written a fair few longer, but still short, short stories as well and have adapted some of these to become Bang to Begin.
I’ve also written a screenplay… again without knowing what I was doing, but I’m using this first example as a learning opportunity, and hopefully creating something marketable in the process.
What aspect of writing a book do you find the most difficult?
I think one of the most challenging parts for me, especially in novel writing, is trying to stay on topic. I am definitely a pantser, I sometimes try to fool myself into believing otherwise by writing up an outline, but I really struggle to keep to them. This means an idea will pop up out of nowhere and I’ll have to go with it, because that’s where my head’s taken me and I get too excited about it. The main problem with this is usually that I have to retrace my steps and fix all of the plot holes that I’ve inadvertently caused.
And I suppose on top of this, it’s just dividing my time between writing, my personal life and my other hobbies.
Where did the inspiration for Bang to Begin come from?
This is a really difficult question. As I mentioned before, Bang to Begin is made up of short stories and, originally, they were exactly that – standalone short stories (written for a subscription-based website called Channillo). It wasn’t until I got to the sixth (I think) chapter “The Death of Fate” that I started to think of it more as an interlinking collective. This chapter / story is what underpins the rest of the book.
I have a tendency to philosophise about things, so the idea that fate could be an entity rather than a concept appealed to me on some level. And that this concept may only be a specific person’s perception gave me another layer to work with.
The whole premise was built around this and layered further with concepts influenced, perhaps, by Black Mirror or any number of other sci-fi / fantasy / horror programmes I’ve watched and absorbed.
I love trying my hand at writing different genres and linking them together makes it all the more enjoyable.
Where’s your favourite place to write?
You know, I don’t think I’ve found my favourite place yet. I’m quite lazy when it comes to this and have a tendency to just sit on my sofa where the laptop is already plugged in and ready to go.
I do write by hand as well sometimes, and I much prefer to do this outside when it’s sunny… but I’m often tempted by my bike when the weather’s good as well. I think my perfect place would be a beach cabin or somewhere by a waterfall. So, if you could organise that for me, that would be great, thanks
How has social media influenced/ affected your writing?
I don’t think social media itself has influenced my writing, but there are definitely a lot of really helpful people out there who have pointed me in the right direction. Before Twitter, I was part of a writing forum on a website which has now become Jericho Writers. There was an amazingly helpful (and brutally honest) bunch of writers on there. We unfortunately got split up, to a certain extent, following the name change and the need to start paying for access. They taught me a lot of what I know today about writing and I still have contact with a couple of them.
I suppose, writing tweet-sized stories, and particularly the #vss365 prompt, have made me think about writing in a different way as well. Tightening every sentence and squeezing as much information into as short a space as possible… I’m not sure whether this has made my writing better or worse, but it’s definitely made it different. I think it’s made me better for the most part… but it does take a while to transition away from it again if you’ve only been writing 280 characters for a while.
How do you approach writing a new book?
I tend to have a few ideas knocking around either in my head or noted down, if I’ve not had them when in the shower or driving or some other awkward time.
Like I said before, I’m a pantser at heart, so generally: I write 3-4 chapters, have an existential crisis, plot the rest of *a* story, pretend I’m using the plot for a while, deviate entirely from it subconsciously at first and then consciously after acceptance sets in and I just pants the rest of it with occasional glances at what could have been.
I have started a sequel for my second novel though, which I’ve had to pay more attention to… so maybe this will be the one that changes me.
I very much doubt that though! 🙂
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