ON WRITING

In part one of a two part interview, Richard answers some common questions about Erth Chronicles, the writing process and the creation of the project, from germination to ongoing development.

EC: What do you feel are the main aspects that have shaped the story so far?

RJ: Certain issues that have arisen post millennium are unavoidable. 9/11, Iraq and concerns for the environment are themes I have interwoven throughout the story, but of course it’s purely metaphorical and can be interpreted in many ways - these are themes that have influenced man for centuries.

Another aspect was my despair in seeing a number of people I grew up with turn to drugs. It was sad to see and certainly became one of the key themes running throughout The Enemy’s Son. You leave your city, come back and see that some people just decide to carry on doing what they do, then distance themselves from because you decide to follow another path. I remember being somewhat alienated by those 'so called' friends that took drugs - the sad thing was there was no longer any conversation left and that is very important to me. Newton is a reflection of today’s society; the controllers being The Hierarchy and the controlled being the Underclass; victims of social circumstance. Drugs are a problem, but it doesn't mean to say an individual taking them is a bad person; life is far more complex than just black and white - I just hope the messages are clear when reading the first book in the series.

The motivation and the story are inseparable to me. Most things I have mentioned above already, have inspired and continue to inspire other writers - after all, your creative work is often a direct result of your social background and the epoch you live in. Creatively, many things from my childhood have inspired me such as saturday morning cartoons, the classic British comic Battle and The Dark Crystal to name a few. People that have insprired me and continue to do so, include the likes of Akira Kurosawa, Clint Eastwood, Garth Ennis, Iain M. Banks, Dave McKean, and classic writers from Milton to Orwell. Music is also a huge inspiration, especially ethereal sounds such as Jeff Buckley. I discovered Sigur Rós and Mew while writing the first novel and found their sound and the imagery evoked connected perfectly with Erth. Most Scandinavian musicians out there today have, unknowingly become the unofficial soundtrack.

EC: Do you consider yourself a writer or an artist?

RJ: I ‘consider’ myself a writer, but I ‘am’ an artist and designer. I lecture in the discipline and it is very important for me to practice what I preach. Writing has always been a hobby that I have tended to lack confidence in exposing. But, the more professional feedback I have continued to receive, the more it has encouraged me to develop this craft. I still don’t feel comfortable being labelled a writer as there is always someone ready to shoot you down - and my wheels are still on the tarmac. You can’t please everyone, it’s important to remember that.

EC: There are certainly a lot of possibilities in terms of interpreting the story metaphorically. But are you consciously trying to tell the audience something by transmitting your own political and/or environmental world views through the Erth universe? Is there one ‘true’ interpretation, or do you encourage readers to interpret the story any way they want?

RJ: It’s very much a conscious thing in terms of the writing. However I hopefully layer it enough for different people to question and make their own interpretations, as this is what I have set out to achieve. I feel this gives a world more longevity. It’s like life, if we knew all the answers, there would be nothing left to find out. There are, after all many ways to interpret our existence - you just have to pay subtle reference to as many aspects as possible.

EC: Who do you see as your target audience, and what do you hope for them to gain from reading The Enemy’s Son?

RJ: My target audience was originally children, but after my consultancy read the first draft they advised to target the young adult market. I think this is wise as there are intense scenes and deeper meanings that bridge the gap for adults to pick up on. I hope anyone that eventually reads the book , will see its morals and influence them to take the right path in life.

EC: With this project, you’re also giving artists the opportunity of working with you and contribute their visualizations of Erth and it’s inhabitants. Why was this important, and aren’t you concerned that this might undermine the very essence of reading and creating your own images?

RJ: Not at all. I think any world that is created, especially fantasy and sci-fi in the written format, craves for artwork to be developed. I own this world and I have lived with it long enough in my head to know everything inside out, from the dust on the land to the back stories of each character. World building should be taken further than the descriptions in books. I think other artists so far have shown a lot of respect for Erth and have noticed my professionalism as an artist and designer. I’m sure this has helped attract other like-minded people who will continue to inspire everyone else in return, including myself. If anything, their encouragement and the thought of them spending hours developing my world motivates me even more in completing the Trilogy, at the very least.

EC: Looking at erthchronicles.com, you seem to treat your story very much like a movie production with concept art, and even a soundtrack. But what is Erth Chronicles originally intended for? If you could choose freely out of every possible media, e.g. internet, book, movie, role-playing games, what would it be?

RJ: Movie. Everyone that has read the first book so far, or part of it, refer to it as having a very ‘cinematic’ style. This is because film is my main source of inspiration. I’m an obsessive compulsive when it comes to anything to do with the arts, it’s no different with film and DVD. I am certain that all kinds of films have subconsciously found there way into Erth Chronicles, some more intentional than others. It could be anything from Mike Leigh to Akira Kurosawa.

EC: The enthusiasm amongst the artists creating concepts for your story is evident. But what do you think motivates them so much about this project?

RJ: It’s all about attitude. With attitude comes professionalism; with professionalism comes the ability to harness a skill that you have. If you show the right attitude then people will want to listen to you and hopefully read or take note of your own artwork. Of course, you have to have some talent in the first place and a good story that engages fellow artists to want to ‘do their own thing’. I think they are also motivated by the support I give, the art direction process and constructive feedback. An artist doesn’t tend to just produce something and then I place it online, we discuss it. I give them further details and supply paint overs and annotation. It pushes their artwork even further.

EC: You take great pride in your creation, and thereby also in the process of art directing the imagery submitted by the various artists on the project. What is the biggest challenge for you in that area? Do you think that your own artistic background helps you in communicating with the artists?

RJ: I think the only time I would see it as a challenge is if I was unfortunate enough to have an artist not welcome the creative and collaborative process. But I don’t think they would jump on board in the first place if that was the case. I think it is more challenging for other artists, rather than myself, as he or she is working to my vision. My artistic background and my teaching experience, helps a great deal in dealing with other artists. In fact the teaching is far more challenging!

EC: Nothing in Erth Chronicles seems to be left to chance. Do the names of the characters, creatures and locations contain hidden meaning?

RJ: Absolutely. Most of them in fact. I have spent hours, days, even months just coming up with a name; if it doesn’t sound right or I feel it isn’t helping to support that character, they’ll be ridiculed. It’s like naming a child; they are stuck with it for life. Lomax is a good example of this. Originally I wanted something Russian sounding, as I always think of eastern European countries when I think of wolves - especially the classic Peter and the Wolf. So I looked at translations, but the actual word (Loup if I remember correctly) didn’t work as a name. I thought of famous stories and myths and Romulus and Remus was the main one I remember from a child; two children born of a wolf. I kept the first two letters, but eventually came up with Lomax to fit better with Romulus - the Mindship he left behind. The flying city Newton is obviously a clear reference to Isaac Newton who discovered gravity, where as Jeradon’s story is the classic ‘fall from grace’. Outcasts are even referred to as ‘Fallen’. These examples are the more obvious references.

EC: The ‘Hero’s Journey’ is synonymous with mythical story telling – how integral do you feel this is to any story?

RJ: You’ll always find at least one person that will challenge this and ridicule many writers for using some kind of formula. I personally don’t think it is a formula, as we all follow this journey in life; we strive and search for ‘something’ that helps them grow into the person they are meant to be. We inject this ’formula’ with our own experiences as individuals. The idea behind myth is in creating familiarity, yet dressing it in visual metaphor in an attempt to create something new. Some people that read a book or watch a film just want to be entertained. But others, those that analyse amongst us, want deeper meaning; this is where symbolism and mythology help to explain many ideas on a universal level. I think a good story has something at its heart that we can all relate to.

EC: ‘Erth’ and ‘Earth’ are obviously very similar words with the same meaning to them. What was the reason for choosing the name ‘Erth’? Another link to our own world is the sentence ‘Whatever is, is right’. Part of an Alexander Pope poem, but also a motto which the Rojin honour. Are these hints, that Erth is, was or will be Earth?

RJ: I chose the name Erth for this exact reason - so people have a degree of familiarity, yet enough ambiguity to make them ask that same question. The dropping of the ‘a’ is meant to reflect that human nature may have had to start over, and lost it’s history and sense of identity. It is meant to be interpreted on whatever level the reader takes it. I guess the quote grounds it a little more. Taking myself out of the mind set of creator; perhaps it’s a future based on ‘what would have grown out of the Victorians inventing the atomic bomb?’ scenario. But I’ll never say for definite, as that would ruin the surprise.

EC: ‘Whatever is, is right’ has kind of a ‘Go with the flow’ ring to it. Are the Rojin pacifists by nature? And if so, how is that consistent with their obvious resistance towards the Newtonian threat?

RJ: The Rojin know full well that there is much more to life and death. Their act of ‘Unity’ is proof of this and makes them fearless; yet they are strong believers in protecting their family and Erth, otherwise there would be nothing left to ‘Unify’ with. This is the only reason they would ever fight, not to kill for power, but protection. Erth is their family, they are at one with The Father and Gana; the beings that maintain a ‘connection’ and the secret the Newtonians look for. ‘Whatever is, is right’, sums up their philosophy that whatever happens, good or bad, happens for a reason, that everything is connected - much like the story; nothing is left to chance. The whole quote sums up perfectly the Rojin philosophy.

EC: The book is finished but not yet published, so what would you say to people that want to get further acquainted with the story - and what are your plans regarding publication? Can we expect a long series of Erth Chronicles, or are we looking at a trilogy? With all the work and solid backbone being put into this project, it’s hard to imagine The Enemy’s Son being both the start and finish of the adventure.

RJ: It’s certainly not a one-off. Erth Chronicles is planned as a Trilogy at the very least. The ‘Chronicles’ banner (although I still feel a little cliché) is a title that I gave to the project to encompass the whole world. That way, if this ever does take off to a higher level, there are many stories, one-offs or even other Trilogies to be told. Certain characters are already crying out for their own story in my head. For now though, it is a mammoth enough task as it is, trying to juggle the submission of the first book, writing the second and third, along with freelance work and the day job. In terms of publication, this is something I am certainly looking into, along with an Agent. If I have no luck in these departments I will be self-publishing it. I have been very fortunate to be in contact with a well-known author, who has also gone down this route and is very supportive of Erth Chronicles, continuing to give me sound advice in all areas. As for those wanting to read more of the story, I'm tending to only allow artists on board to continue reading it so far. It is not my intention to release the whole novel online, novels are meant to be read in the palm of your hand.

EC: What are your long term hopes for Erth Chronicles?

RJ: That the book is published, the Trilogy is completed and the community grows into a collective of artists that I can one day employ under my empire, publish the book, produce the film, sell the toys, licence the video games rat-a-tat-tat. Hey…dreams are what keep us alive!

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Part II