Author Interview: Mark Mustian

 Mark Mustian: Author of 'Boy with Wings'

How do you write?

               I write whenever I can, but mostly in the mornings. It’s a product of when I first started trying to write a novel; my kids were small then, and the only time I could do it was early each morning, when I would rise before everyone else. I discovered that I liked doing this—that it was time to myself, time I could be creative before the remainder of the day slipped into chaos. I still do it this way today.

 

How do you approach it each day?

               The hardest thing for me to do is to get the initial words on the page. Once they’re there, I can edit them, and that’s easier and more fun, at least for me. But to get them down sometimes is a struggle.  I’ll tell myself: “Just write a paragraph. Okay, just one more.” Each time I write, I’ll go back over what I did the day before. I saw somewhere that this is one of Hemingway’s writing rules. It seems to work for me.

 

Do you know the ending when you begin?

               Generally, I do. I’ve talked to other authors who say they don’t, that they just let the characters go where they will, but I can’t do that. I think the ending of a novel is so important, and novels that don’t “stick” the ending are so underwhelming, that I spend lots of time thinking about it before I start. I’ve had endings shift a little as I’ve written several of my books, but mostly they stay in the same general way I planned them in the beginning.

 

How and when do you do research?

               I start by researching the topic, then research it more as I go. I know some authors spend years researching a topic before they begin to write, but I find that the writing process helps bring up additional questions and research avenues that I need to explore. I’ve found, too, that I have to be into what I’m researching, or I’m wasting my time and need to pick another topic.

 

How do you approach editing?

               Editing separates the wheat from the chaff among writers, in my view. I end up reading my finished novels through countless times—maybe twenty? 25? I don’t keep count. I feel like it’s so important, particularly with respect to the prose, but also with regard to consistency of tone and voice. Having a good copy editor at the end is, of course, very important, as it’s amazing what they can see that I can’t no matter how many times I’ve been through it. I want to feel like it’s done, though, before I send it to them.

 

How do you know when you’re done?

               When I can’t stand to look at it anymore.

 

Do you listen to music when you write?

               Yes, generally classical music or jazz. I find music with lyrics distracts me, and I’m there to write. The type of music can vary with what I’m working on—for The Gendarme, it was twentieth century atonal stuff—Stravinksy, Schoenberg. For Boy With Wings, more jazz—Coltrane, Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley.