Mark W White

SF & Fantasy author. Former software engineer and development manager. Cricket enthusiast. He/him.

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Mark_W_White_at_mas.to@mostr.pub

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Last Notes

2024-01-04 08:36:07

#WritersCoffeeClub Jan 4: What aspects of your current or former profession do you bring into your writing? 1/2
I was a software engineer/development manager. I've belatedly realised that I use a similar semi-agile approach when starting out with a novel to long development projects. The same mindset at least.
Compared to some of the projects I ran, writing a book is quick.
The significantly different company cultures I've seen often inspire anecdotes or situations to annoy my characters.

2023-11-24 14:29:39

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@npub10d5…vvxa That sounds just like me! I’ll be visiting my son tomorrow, so Sunday will be fiddling around the edges, slowly getting back into things.
Not so hard at the moment as spending a couple of weeks on short stories for a change while waiting for feedback on my WIP and letting the ideas for the next book form slowly.

2023-11-24 14:10:20

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@npub10d5…vvxa Sometimes, the words flow earlier, and I let them if the mood strikes.
1,000 words today before 2 p.m. isn’t bad for me. Extra impetus as I've had sore eyes this week, so wanted to get the words down while I was still focusing!

2023-11-24 14:00:57

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@npub10d5…vvxa The trouble with being that specific is that it becomes self-fulfilling after a while. Oh, it's 2 p.m. I'd better start writing!
Mornings are for housework, odd jobs, and editing!

2023-10-29 14:28:57

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@npub10n9…tjug I’m planning the second draft of my WIP, mainly focusing on line editing, fixing character arcs, checking consistency, and improving descriptions.
So naturally, I've started by writing an entirely new scene.

2023-10-25 13:47:45

#WritersCoffeeClub 25. Oxford comma, no Oxford comma, or I don't live in Oxford?
I once attended a week-long software course in Oxford. There was plenty of alcohol flowing in the evenings, so yes, I’m familiar with the Oxford coma.
What's that? Oh, yes, I use the comma too, more often than not.

2023-10-23 12:39:46

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@npub10n9…tjug Definitely. I always ask myself what's new about any novel before I start. I like to challenge myself in some way, however small. It’s the best way to learn!
A couple of times, it’s focused more on what I'll learn about myself rather than my writing, which is always more daunting!

2023-10-23 12:39:46

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2023-10-18 10:52:46

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@npub16uc…k62q That was something I was conscious of, and I tried to be aware of it, but expect I got it wrong in places. I wouldn't do anything that overt these days.

2023-10-18 10:41:53

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@npub16uc…k62q Yeah, it was uncomfortable. Made me recognise a few of my own prejudices and privileges along the way – which was good.
Not my most successful novel in retrospect, a bit too on the nose, but all part of me trying to make sense of what was going on in the real world.
You know it's not going to be a light novel when “The Anatomy of Fascism” by Robert O Paxton was the main reference book!

2023-10-18 07:33:49

#WordWeavers 18. Do you write characters with different beliefs than yourself?
Yes, especially, but not exclusively, antagonists. I once wrote a couple of chapters from the POV of an overt fascist which was uncomfortable, as was the research.
[Yes, he was the antagonist! He coldly used the tools of fascism to incite a rebellion without believing the things he said – at first. He didn’t care about the damage it caused, the ends were everything. Then he came to believe his own propaganda.]

2023-10-17 07:22:05

#WritersCoffeeClub 17. What's the biggest inspiration for your writing?
Inspiration comes from everywhere, from small moments from my past to fears about the future and everything in between and beyond. There's no one thing that stands out.
The sheer pleasure of slotting disparate thoughts into a story is what motivates me. The act of fitting characters, settings and ideas together and seeing the narrative emerge inspires me to write – especially when it gels during execution.

2023-10-16 13:55:53

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@npub10d5…vvxa You broke the thread 😀
I became quickly aware while planning that it was like Hyperion (which was loosely based on Canterbury Tales, I think), although I never set out to mimic the structure. It evolved naturally from the setting I created and the story I wanted to tell.
I nearly didn’t do it once I realised, but decided, what the heck. Why not? It sounded fun!

2023-10-16 13:30:14

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@npub10d5…vvxa Sounds a good way of doing it – it's integral to the character's arc.
For the first half of this novel, the flashbacks form the main narrative arc. It's set in a reconciliation session after a long war, with each character telling effectively standalone personal stories. There's a linking arc of a (sort of) murder mystery in between, but the real purpose is to uncover the world, the characters, and the issues to be resolved.
The backstories need to be good in their own right…

2023-10-16 13:11:45

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@npub10d5…vvxa Generally agree with this. Only one of my nine novels had flashbacks, and that was trying to paper over the cracks of a story that didn’t quite work (in retrospect).
And yet, in my WIP, 50K of the first 70k words are flashbacks. Sigh. I’m hoping it works for the reader as well as it does in my mind. I'll find out when I throw it at my son in a month or so.

2023-10-14 12:41:39

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@npub10d5…vvxa Mine are both nearly nine years old. Hopefully he’ll be fine once we get it under control. Unlike my bank balance with the vets bills!
Life revolves around his insulin jabs and blood tests, but used to it now. Wouldn’t have it any other way. When they need you, they need you!

2023-10-14 12:13:54

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@npub10d5…vvxa So sorry to hear about Misha. Must have been so hard.
I know how much mine keep me going. One’s a worry. He’s diabetic and has a benign tumour that’s making it harder to get the diabetes under control. Should be fine but you can’t help worry.

2023-10-13 13:41:00

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@npub10d5…vvxa Yeah, definitely. I’m lucky.
Off to see him tomorrow for our weekly few hours of chatting and playing video games.

2023-10-13 13:36:22

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@npub10d5…vvxa I'd never ignore you 😀
I only hope I help him as much as he helps me. I’ve always tried to encourage his writing. Used to get a short chapter to read every evening when I got home from work. These days, I learn more from him.
It was his writing that inspired me to give it a go back in 2016 after thinking about it for about 25 years! Life always got in the way.

2023-10-13 13:26:06

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@npub10d5…vvxa Probably true. I’m never sure of the terminology of these things, I just know how good a job he does! It's always a better story after his input.
I've been critiquing his stories since he was about 10!

2023-10-13 12:45:17

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@npub10d5…vvxa Sounds like it! I'm a slower starter, and hate leaving behind an incoherent mess, so it helps me relax and get my mind back in the story by editing the previous day’s work.
That brief break lets me think through what's about to happen. Then the words flow better. I hope…

2023-10-13 12:28:14

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@npub10d5…vvxa Hopefully, the afternoon will bring a productive writing session. Spent the morning knocking yesterday's stream into something coherent. A brief meditation session* to get my mind into creative mode, and I'm ready to go.
*some people also call this “a nap” 😀

2023-10-13 12:18:52

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@npub10d5…vvxa Hope you have a great day then!

2023-10-08 12:18:19

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@npub10n9…tjug I've got in the habit of starting the day with Wordle, Quordle and Octordle in bed on my iPad with a cup of coffee.
Helps get my brain in gear for the day ahead. The cats don’t even get fed until that's done 😀

2023-10-07 12:11:23

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@npub10d5…vvxa … and don’t forget the housework you’ve been ignoring!

2023-10-07 11:54:13

Frustrating day.
Was due to visit my son, but got a last minute replacement appointment through for flu jab after it had been cancelled due to supply issues.
Rearranged things, and sat down to write today.
Power cut. Looks like out for at least 4 hours.
What’s the betting my flu jab will be cancelled due to power cut? Sigh…
Should have stuck to original plans!
#AmWriting (not)

2023-10-05 12:32:34

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@npub10d5…vvxa Yes! There's a lot of self-therapy in my books!
Trying to get out of the habit of having my protagonists start after a marriage break-up. My last one had two at the same time (in different realities!).

2023-10-05 12:21:16

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@npub10d5…vvxa Sounds like it!
Determined not to relive old battles and look to the future. That's a WIP too 😀

2023-10-05 12:11:54

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@npub10d5…vvxa I deleted some remarks in mine too 😀

2023-10-02 15:01:16

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@npub10d5…vvxa Didn't see the ritual closely (it's dark inside, and kept my distance out of respect). It was slightly updated as they had drums from a sound system but left flowers scattered on the floor, which from a bit of research, matched what to expect.
https://media.mas.to/masto-public/media_attachments/files/111/166/021/476/707/154/original/e6d6c677029a19e6.jpeg

2023-10-02 14:43:30

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@npub10d5…vvxa I love it here. Got a white horse carved in the hill just outside town too.
Set one of my novels in the local countryside and around the neolithic stuff here, a small-scale family story that just happened to be SF (and was therapy to write!)
First time I went into the long barrow, a couple were holding a personal neo-pagan ritual. Something humbling about knowing the place had been used for worship for over 5,000 years.

2023-10-02 14:19:33

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@npub10d5…vvxa Sorry to hear you've been through it too. Glad you've got through it too.
Knee's pretty good now. Ironically, I twisted it trying to get out of bed without disturbing the cats lying atop me!
Looks lovely where you are. I live in a small rural town now. Need a short drive for the nicest walks, but only 15 minutes from lots of neolithic stuff like Avebury. My favourite place is up a hill to a 5,000-year-old long barrow you can climb over and go inside.
https://media.mas.to/masto-public/media_attachments/files/111/165/857/480/425/222/original/2314a313aa1b3590.jpeg

2023-10-02 13:53:12

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@npub10d5…vvxa I think when it's a relationship that isn’t working, adapting to life alone is much easier – like the proverbial weight being lifted. Much happier after. Anyway, I got custody of the cats!
Used to walk at least an hour every day after giving up work. Definitely a great help.
Got out of the habit when I twisted my knee a couple of years ago. Must start again, my waistline needs the exercise! In a nice area of the country now, so no excuse.

2023-10-02 13:28:20

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@npub10d5…vvxa Definitely the best thing I've done for many a year! Feel so much better for it.
Had the luxury of taking a few months off between jobs back in 2016, which was when I wrote my first novel. Realised I no longer enjoyed my career once back, but wanted to write instead.
Led to a bout of depression, a marriage break-up, and the admission it was time to do something different. Made it a present to myself when I resigned on my birthday!
Never too old to change for the better.

2023-09-07 07:01:01

#WordWeavers Day 7. Why did your villain become a villain?
I was presented with a plan to end a war that had plagued four systems for a century. Yes, I had to kill to do it, but I saved orders of magnitude more lives in exchange – and brought peace. Why does that make me a villain?
It's not my fault it would leave me in total control. It was a sacrifice worth making.

2023-07-07 12:59:05

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@npub1psd…9sr7 I think it stems back to it being difficult to put a traditional flame trench there due to the high water table and surrounding non-SpaceX land. The volume of water from a traditional water deluge with that would be hard to keep on-site.
This should use less water. I think they started work on this solution after Shotwell took over running Starbase from Musk (realising he’d been stupid?) Not ready in time for first launch but expected less damage.

2023-07-07 12:42:43

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@npub1psd…9sr7 It's certainly an interesting approach, an upside-down shower head to ward off the world's strongest blowtorch.
If it works, and can last multiple launches, kudos to the engineers. It needed an innovative approach. If it doesn’t, well at least there'll be a crater to collect the molten steel.

2023-07-03 10:41:37

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@npub10n9…tjug I'm the same! My imagination isn’t hugely visual, so it helps me connect with them. I do that for some settings too.
It's the one thing I've started using AI image generation for, crafting something close enough to what I was thinking.
They go in my Scrivener outline for each character, but I also create a single image with each of my main characters laid out. I keep it open on my second monitor, so the characters can glare down and keep me in line!

2023-06-18 13:52:52

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@npub10n9…tjug Never abandoned one yet, but I was struggling with my current WIP. Less about the first chapter itself, but how I couldn't justify where the story was going given the characters I'd introduced.
Ended up sending it to my author son for feedback. His astute criticism – and the time away – gave me the ammunition I needed to expand and rework it. Now I can see in unusual detail (for me) how the first half fits coherently together.

2023-06-12 13:55:49

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@npub10n9…tjug The one time I set out to write a trilogy, I ended up changing the arc significantly while writing to make the first book work better in its own right.
My other trilogy was more bizarre as not only did I not decide until after finishing the first book, but I realised that I'd just written the middle volume! (The first two parts were effectively standalone, with the third acting as the sequel to both)

2023-06-11 12:19:46

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@npub10n9…tjug My characters seem to end up having important scenes in corridors, usually beige. Sometimes I worry about what that says about me!

2023-06-09 16:04:30

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@npub1nxt…055a I've had exactly the same temptation but have resisted so far. I must admit I get few sales through Draft2Digital. I might have to bite the bullet sometime
However, I have gotten in the habit of publishing on KDP Select for 3 months first, then on Draft2Digital once that period is up. Hard to be sure whether the extra sales are due to it being new or it being in KDP Select.