John Baker’s Blog

What phases are involved in the creation of a text?
For me there is usually the bright flash of the cool idea, that item that seizes your imagination and won’t let go. Sometimes it’s an image. Sometimes it’s a cool scene. Sometimes its a series of things I want to riff about. But they are [...]

What phases are involved in the creation of a text?
A journalist just asked me the usual question: Where do I get my inspiration? Do I get it from the people I see in the street? Do I get it from the buildings in my neighbourhood? (She was a journalist on a local paper, wanting [...]

What phases are involved in the creation of a text?
There’s an inception phase. This is where the sparks of inspiration happen. I can be struck by an element of a person, say the way they speak, or a place, or just an atmosphere that I want to recreate. Usually several of these elements combine [...]

What phases are involved in the creation of a text?
When creating what I hope will be a new book, or a fictional outtake for my blog, or a new character to straddle both worlds — novel or blog star — there are stages involved. I’ll focus on writing books here, as the process for outtakes [...]