Mark Bilsborough is a science fiction writer based in England. You can find his work dotted around the internet in places like Electric Spec, The Colored Lens and Every Day Fiction.
How long have you been writing and what got you started?
I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember – inspired by all the great
writers I read as a kid. I first wrote for comics – sold a few stories but
it never really took off – before the long, slow process of writing prose
fiction. Work got in the way for a while but I’ve been writing short stories
for a few years now. I’ve got a couple of novels doing the rounds with
agents too.
What is the best piece of advice you have for new writers?
Just write. The more you do, the better you get. I’ve been on a few courses
and have been involved in writing groups for years – so my other advice
would be to learn your craft and network like crazy. My writing friends are
important to me.
What is your favorite type of fiction and who are your favorite authors?
I read all sorts – I think that’s important for a writer but I genuinely
have no genre preference. Because I’m involved in all sorts of
writer-things, though, I read a lot of science fiction and fantasy (I review
at www.concatenation.org) but I read plenty of literary fiction too (I’m
currently reading Samuel Beckett’s’ Murphy) and crime fiction is a guilty
pleasure. Favourite authors at the moment would be Neil Gaiman, Gareth
Powell and Margaret Atwood, but ask me tomorrow and I’m likely to come up
with another three names.
How do you measure success when it comes to your writing?
The satisfaction of crafting a tale well told should be enough – but some
sort of external validation is helpful and motivating. For me that’s selling
a story and getting positive feedback but should I every place a novel it’ll
be about sales numbers too.
Do you favor the traditional route or self-publishing?
The traditional route gives you validation – editors can be fickle and
subjective but we writers are terrible judges of our own work. Plus anyone
can self-publish – how’s a reader to know a self-published story is any
good? That’s not to say I’d never self-publish – I’ve already put out a
couple of short story collections, but they’ve mainly been full of stories
I’ve sold the traditional way first. I just think the traditional route is
an important quality control mechanism.
Are you an outliner or discovery writer? Or somewhere in between?
A plotter or a pantser? A little of both, as I suspect most writers are. My
outlines tend to be sketchy, though, and I never follow them rigidly. I’m
very aware that one of my favourite writers, Stephen King, is a notorious
pantser, so his fantastic buildups often tend to meander into unsatisfying
denouments – I can’t help but feel that’s because of his desire to let his
stories flow where they will.
Have you attended any conferences or writing retreats? What was the experience like and do you have any to recommend?
I’ve been to Odyssey and Kij Johnson’s Novel Writing Workshop at the
University of Kansas. I’m also a (semi) regular at the Milford writing
workshop in the UK and have attended various conventions in the UK and the
States. They’re informative and fun and I’d recommend them all.
How do you deal with rejections?
Shed a little tear and send the story somewhere else.
In your opinion, how important is a writing degree or MFA when it comes to achieving success in writing fiction?
I’ve got an MA in creative Writing and it was interesting but I’m not sure I
learned a great deal I didn’t know already. I made some great contacts
though and spending a year just concentrating on my writing was undoubtedly
valuable. The six week intensive Odyssey workshop was much more useful in
teaching me the craft of writing. But that’s just me – everybody (and every
course) will be different. I don’t think agents, editors and publishers (and
certainly not readers) are interested in the paperwork that comes with a
qualification, though – it’s all about the quality of the writing.
Do you participate in any online or in-person critique or writing groups?
Yes. I’m in a couple of SFF groups with published writer friends that used
to be face to face (but are sadly Zoom only at the moment). I also
co-ordinate an online novel critiquing group for the British Science Fiction
Association. They’re great for contacts, hand-holding and feedback.
What books are you reading right now?
Beckett’s Murphy and Arkady Martine’s A Desolation Called Peace
Is there anything you’d like to plug? Feel free to share a link.
Occasional posts and story links at www.markbilsborough.com and I’m on twitter @MarkBils
