Celebrating the release of his latest SF opus, the space opera Project Hanuman – out now through Angry Robot – author (and BFS treasurer!) Stewart Hotston walks us through the genesis of the book.
Name: Stew Hotston (he/him)
Based in: Reading
What genres/subgenres are you drawn to?
I’m a happy go lucky write whatever I like kinda guy
Is writing your full-time focus, or do you have a day job as well? What do you do?
I have much else to do, so writing is a passion I squeeze in.
The Book: From Pen to Print
What was the genesis of this book? Where did you get the idea from?
I’ve been wanting to write a space opera for a long time—to talk about just how mad actual physics says the universe is—but I couldn’t find a story to make that science interesting. Then I was revisiting the tales of the Hindu god Hanuman, as I do fairly regularly, and realised that there was something mythic in his story that would lend itself to the mythic qualities of space opera and so Project Hanuman was born.
Image of Hanuman by Ravi Varma Press, Public Domain, source
How many drafts did you go through before you felt it was ready to query? How long did that take you?
I typically write a very detailed synopsis of the first 60% of the novel (together with knowing how it’s going to end) and that is where I do my structural edits. This means that I tend to do one major draft and then edit it twice (once for fleshing out and once for cleanliness) and then it’s ready for other people to look at it. When I’m writing, I write about 1-1500 words a day every day, so Hanuman took me about 10 weeks to write and then another month or so for the edits.
Research and structuring took probably a month before I started writing properly, so allow 4 months in total probably.
Did you work with beta and/or sensitivity readers? How did you find them? How did you incorporate their feedback?
I used to work with beta readers but I’m now confident in my own voice and my agent will point out stuff too. So no, I don’t work with beta readers. I do talk to people with lived experience where I can about sensitive issues—because I always want my characters to have dignity on the page. That wasn’t necessary for this novel.
What was your querying process like? How long did it take?
It was super quick—the quickest I’ve experienced across a few books now. About a week.
Once it was in the hands of your publisher, what was the process to get it ready for release?
They read it, then edited it, then I edited based on their edits, then a final review of that from them. After that we had copy and proof edits. Experiencing being edited by other people cannot be recommended highly enough for improving your craft.
And now your book is about to be unleashed on the world! How are you feeling?
Weird. Excited. Panicked. Weird because there’s nothing really physical that happens on release day, right? Excited because I love this story and can’t wait to see what people think and to geek out with them. Panicked because I want it to find its audience!
What would you like us to know about this book?
Space opera and science fiction can feel daunting. For me though, the story is about the three main characters and it’s told from their point of view and they do not know much more than you about the world they’re in. I am always conscious of trying to make a book like this compelling and interesting. So, I want to say that even if SF isn’t normally your thing or if it feels daunting… give this a go.
Who’s the ideal reader for this one? What sort of things do they like to read about?
People who read to experience new worlds, new ideas. People who love stories that don’t centre one hero who will overcome all challenges. People who want to read about community and how we build it. Oh, and if you want to see planets made of gold and spaceships made of bone… then this is for you.
Your writing process
Are you a plotter or pantser or somewhere in between? How do you do your first draft?
I write a detailed synopsis and normally a spreadsheet which describes my characters’ nature, their agendas, their vices and virtues, and what they are good at/bad at. This allows me to do a lot of the structural work before writing the story and that has proven to save me a LOT of time in not having to edit tens of thousands of words of novel.
Then I just write from the first word to the last. I don’t worry about time or pace—and I do not edit as I go along. If there’s things I want to change then I will note it down and come back later (I’ll often write from that point on as if the change has been made already).
I have never been someone who writes specific scenes and then links them up. My brain just doesn’t work that way. I find the emotion in a scene by writing towards it—I can’t just make it work on its own.
How do you approach writing? Are you the type or writer who needs to treat it like a job? Is there a particular time of day you find best for you to write?
I treat it like a job which I happen to absolutely love. I write on my commute when I’m not ill. At the moment I have long covid so it’s all about whether I have the energy to concentrate on a specific day. If I do, then I try to do 30 minutes of writing; 30 minutes can yield 1000 words if I’m prepared, so it can still work. I have never written in the evenings!
Geek out about stationery: do you use a notebook? A specific type of pen? Or are you computer all the way?
I write on my laptop all the way… although I’m beginning to look at pens because signing hundreds of books demands something nice to use and which creates a nice look.
(Photo by Joyce Hankins on Unsplash)
Is any of that different for editing?
Nope. I always edit on the computer. I’ll use the redline function to track changes.
Where do you work? Do you have a comfy, creative space at home or are you someone who has to grab the moment wherever it comes?
At the moment I have a reclining chair in the kitchen looking at the garden and write there. (The LC means I can’t be comfortable sitting upright.)
What’s your writing soundtrack?
Depends on the scene! I roam across classical, movie and game soundtracks, hiphop, math punk and all kinds of other niche genres.
Do you have a writing ritual?
No. I just write. Boring, I know, but I find everything else just acts to distract me from the actual craft! I already spend too much time on social media as it is.
Where can we follow you / find out more about your work?
I’m on Bluesky and Instagram, and I write reviews at my own blog: www.Stewarthotston.com.
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