The Void Within: The Cluster Saga Book One By Carlos Tkacz

4/12/2019

Independent author, Carlos Tkacz, introduces us to his debut sci-fi novel, The Void Within:
The 25th century. Humanity has discovered a new form of energy, the Source, derived from the very basis of life itself. Using this power to travel instantaneously through space, humans have spread through their corner of the galaxy and coalesced into two groups: the Coalition and the Inner Cluster. They are held in an uneasy economic and cultural relationship by their reliance on each other, the Coalition with the technology of the Source and the Inner Cluster with the materials to make it a usable form of energy. When rumors of conquest, political undergrounds, and alien contact threaten this balance of powers, it falls to three individuals to find the truth of the conspiracies swirling through their governments and to stave off a disastrous war. What they find in the process will change the course of humanity forever.

What an elegant meal, Carlos serves up in this story. This galaxy-spanning saga delivers a very satisfying six-course meal. There is military action, multiple planets of diverse kind, a touch of romance between enemies, and a hard look at the nature of mankind.
I have always promised no spoilers, and this will be no exception; but it will be quite difficult to keep that promise. I don’t think I have ever picked inner dialogue as my favorite aspect of a book. This time, yes. I loved the action and the scene-setting was marvelous, not too much, just the right amount. I enjoyed the dialogue also, the characters stayed true to form.
The ending was fabulous! It caught me by surprise. It has been several decades since reading Asimov’s Foundation trilogy, I was reminded of that epic story while reading this tale.
I award The Void Within 4.9 stars!

You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/-the-void-within
https://www.goodreads.com/book/-the-void-within
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Void-Within-Cluster-Saga-Book-ebook

You can follow the author:
https://twitter.com/IWriteSciFi
https://www.facebook.com/carlosrtkacz
https://www.instagram.com/boulderbushido
https://carloswritesscifi.blogspot.com

Tags: space opera, military science fiction, metaphysical science fiction, FTL, faster than light, transhumanism

Copyright © 2019 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction

61 Comments

Carlos Tkacz link

4/13/2019 08:33:59 am

I'm glad you enjoyed the book, and thank you for the kind words! I am especially pleased that you enjoyed the inner dialogue; that is something i enjoy in books but that seems to be going a bit out of fashion.

Mark

4/13/2019 11:43:22 am

A lot of books have inner dialogue, but not many are considering issues of death and destruction on a planet-wide scale. I particularly enjoyed having the four points of view.
First question.
Tell us a little bit about yourself beyond the Amazon bio, if you don't mind.

Carlos Tkacz link

4/13/2019 02:03:12 pm

I don't mind at all! I was born and raised in California, living first in LA and then in Bakersfield, where I went to college. I earned in a Master's in English, and now I teach composition at a community college in Bishop, CA. My path wasn't that straightforward though. I dropped out of college after 3 years and spent 4 years travelling and exploring, trying to better understand myself and my place in the world. This is when I began climbing, a practice that guided me around the world, back into college, and is now a major part of my life still. Before I returned to college, I worked as a climbing guide, and I mostly worked with kids, taking them outside.

I started writing as a kid, and I wrote through my early 20s. This didn't produce anything of note. To be honest, it was pretty terrible and an overall negative experience. I fell back in live with writing in school, writing literary analysis, so when I graduated and settled into the adjunct life I decided to finally complete my life long goal of completing a novel. And here I am!

Mark

4/13/2019 03:53:04 pm

Rock climbing has been a big part of your life. You have some great pictures of climbs on your Instagram. You must have climbed some famous places. Have you climbed Smith Rocks in Oregon? I am not a climber, I have heard that it's one of the best climbs in Oregon, or maybe the best that is closer to Portland.
Have you ever thought about competing in American Ninja Warrior? Rock climbers seem to do quite well.
I am so glad you wrote Void. The title didn't seem to relate to the book very well until I got to the end. Well done on many levels.
New questions.
What inspired you to write this book?
Why did you choose this genre, or do you feel the genre chose you?

Carlos Tzack link

4/13/2019 06:41:28 pm

I have never had a chance to climb at Smith Rock, but it is a famous place. I have had the chance to climb all over the US, from here in California to Colorado to Texas, as well as internationally. I have been to Australia, Argentina, Canada, South Africa, and Thailand to climb. In fact, this summer will be my fourth summer in a row going to South Africa and there is where I wrote my novel last year!

Climbers do tend to excel in Ninja Warrior, but, for me, getting outside is an integral part of what I love about climbing. It's a good excuse to spend time in nature!

I first came up with the idea for the book when I was 25 or so, around 8 years ago. That was when I wrote the first sketch of an outline. This was pretty soon after I read "Dune," probably my favorite sci-fi series of all time. It definitely influenced my inclusion of philosophy and religion as major elements of the narrative. As a teacher, I have become more politically conscious; I find that college students, being the age they are, have many questions about social issues, and so I do my best to keep up on them so I can help them find their own way through an often bewildering world. This is likely why the novel deals with themes like politics and war and economics. Aside from all that, I have always been the kind that wanted to create, not just consume, art. I used to draw comics and make short films. I have tried my hand at pretty much any form of entertainment I personally enjoy.

I have always had a soft spot for science fiction, and I think this is because I tend to, intuitively, think about possibilities and potentialities. Growing up in a pretty chaotic feeling world, I have always wondered if there could possibly be other ways of doing things. At the same time, I have seen the proliferation of the internet, smart phones, video games, etc. and have seen the effects they have had on society. For me, the best way to explore these things was by reading sci-fi, so, when I decided to write a book, it was only natural that I would choose this genre. I am interested the possible.

Mark

4/13/2019 06:48:07 pm

You have travelled a lot! How exciting. You wrote your novel in South Africa, very cool. I am assuming you are referring to the first draft. We will talk more about that later.
"Dune" is an amazing story. I read all of what Frank wrote and a volume or two by his son.
I bet many of those students are grateful to you for your help. This rapidly changing world is very chaotic.
New questions.
Who designed the cover of your book?
What do the elements on the cover represent?

Carlos Tkacz link

4/13/2019 10:51:23 pm

I have been lucky to travel quite a bit. Both of my parents of from South America, Argentina and Brazil, so I was able to visit there pretty young. They both instilled a love of travel in me pretty much from the beginning.

I love "Dune." I read at least one or two of the books from Herbert every year. "Heretics of Dune" is my favorite, aside from the first book. Miles Teg was the inspiration for Raasch in my novel.

I designed the cover myself using art I bought online. I have a background in visual art; my minor in college was Studio Art. Originally, I wanted something more classically scifi. You know the type: big bold fonts and a painting of an epic battle. However, that seemed difficult to replicate, and my hope in writing this novel was to be a little more Star Trek in my ethics. That is to say, I wanted to write a book that was more about cooperation and thought than about violence. I chose the image that became the cover for a few reasons. The first is obvious; the three ships rising upwards represent the three main characters of the novel. Also, I think the image invokes the idea of the individual at sea in the massive universe we live in, something I wanted to explore in my book. Overall, I am pretty happy with it!

Mark

4/14/2019 11:09:39 am

I think your cover succeeds quite well.
The title was a mystery for me until I got to the end. I kept thinking it referred to one of the main characters, which wasn't working very well. The connection surprised me in a delightful way. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, so I won't say more.
New questions.
Was it hard to come up with the title? What was the process?
Were the character names difficult to develop? How did you choose them?

Carlos Tkacz link

4/14/2019 12:30:14 pm

For the title, I wanted something sufficiently dramatic and vague so as to be interesting but not very informative. This might come from my experience as a student if literature, where titles can often lay the melodrama on pretty thick. I am thinking of titles like In the Skin of a Lion, Out Stealing Horses, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and Infinite Jest. I also wanted something philosophical on nature, and perhaps some of the more important questions in philosophy, certainly in Eastern traditions, have to do with the substance of the self. Finally, I wanted something that could be toyed with subsequent novels in the trilogy. Right now, the working title of the sequel is a The Void Beyond.

As for the names of the characters, I originally had more “normal” names. However, sometime between the first outline and when I started writing, I read the article Ancillary Justice series. In those books, the author uses these wonderful names full of odd combinations of consonants and vowels that really added to the overall texture of the books. I decided I wanted to do the same and play around with the names in my novels. I also wanted the names to reflect the more multi-cultural elements and themes the novel tries to explore. Finally, some of the names are just tributes to friends, fictional characters, or historical figures. Khalihl is a version of Khalil Gibran, the Lebonese poet, and Roshi Moyo is taken from the author of The Five Rings, a classic samurai text. My best friend shows up in there too. Even the names of the ships are often references to other literary or scifi works I have been influenced by. For me, coming up with names was really fun!

Mark

4/14/2019 01:52:36 pm

You did well with the title. Some of those ideas went through my mind as I read.
I like what you did with the names. I recognized the reference to Gibran. Roshi, I caught as Japanese in style. I also enjoyed the ship names for the reasons you wrote them. Very good on your part.
New questions.
Have you entered any writing contests?
Have you won awards of any kind for your writing?

Carlos Tkacz link

4/14/2019 03:19:42 pm

You know, I have not entered any contests. When I wrote the book, I did not having ambitions beyond just sharing it with friends and family. The decisions to self-publish and seek a wider audience came much later, after I had completed the first draft. As such, I have not won any awards. When the semester is over and I have some more free time, however, I may start looking for some to enter. I am flattered you think the book is good enough for that! I did once when "Best Graduate Level Paper" for the Humanities when I was in grad school.

Mark

4/14/2019 04:50:20 pm

Contests and short stories are a good way to hone your craft. Because they usually have a number of restrictions in the rules.
I do think your book is that good. It would be fun for you to find out.
That award was a harbinger of your future skill and talent. That must not have been easy to get.
New questions.
Did you go through the query process or did you go straight to self-publishing, and why?
How do you think your book compares to a book published by a major publisher?

Carlos Tkacz link

4/14/2019 05:13:50 pm

I did consider a more traditional publisher, but in the end I pretty much decided to just self-publish right away. There are a few reasons for this. The first is that I find the idea of doing things on my own appealing. Maybe it has to do with climbing, a very individualistic pursuit, or maybe I listened to too much Wu-Tang Clan and was influenced by their DIY ethic, selling records on the streets. You see this kind of approach in other artistic disciplines, especially artisanal ones, where outlets like YouTube and Etsy have put the modes of production and, especially, marketing back into the hands of the artists themselves. This goes back to my training in literature; for hundreds of years, the gates of publishing were lorded over by a rather elite few. This meant that narratives falling outside the mainstream were less likely to be disseminated to wider audiences. This began to fall apart in the last few decades with the rise of post-colonial literature and with the internet. While this anyone-has-a-platform way has some serious drawbacks that society is still learning to deal with, I think it is overall a net positive, and I wanted to be a part of that process in my own, small way. Also, I wrote this book in a way that goes a bit against the grain of what is currently popular in scifi right now. When I was reading to prepare myself to write the novel, I noticed that science fiction had gone the way of movies: a lot of sex and violence. I consider myself a pacifist of sorts (hence my love of Star Trek, especially TNG), and I wanted to offer a different kind of story. Where many stories are fast paced, I wanted mine to be slower and build. While many stories center around action and violence, I wanted mine to revolve around the intellect and thoughts of my characters. While many stories emphasize a kind of rugged individualism, I wanted mine to privilege cooperation. And while the anti-hero is popular, I wanted my characters to be admirable. As such, I did not think a traditional publisher would find my style very marketable.
As for how my book compares, I honestly don't know. My book isn't perfect; there are things I am hoping to improve upon as a writer in the next one. In all honesty, I think it shows promise but is not yet "great" in the literary sense. So, compared to a book like "Dune," it certainly falls short. That said, I have read some published work that is definitely not good, and mine might be better than those. It is difficult to judge your own work. I tend to be highly critical of myself.

Mark

4/14/2019 06:10:20 pm

That was well said. I agree with you on so many of those points. Enemies agreeing to cooperate for the greater good is a neglected theme. Simply because your book goes against the grain I think it might help start a resurgence of those themes.
New questions.
There are many unethical practices in publishing, which one is the most unbearable in your mind?
Does writing have a spiritual or healing component for you, does it energize you or make you feel tired?

Carlos Tkacz link

4/14/2019 11:03:36 pm

As I was doing research about publishing options, I realized that there is an entire industry that has grown around indie writers. One thing I saw that really bothers me is that there sees to be people out there who are intent on making money off the dreams of aspiring writers without actually offering any useful service. You see this in inflated prices and exaggerated claims from some companies. For me, the commodification of art is already fraught with issues, and adding to that the hopes and dreams of individuals, all for the sake of profit, is pretty low. That said, I have seen that there are also many people out that that offer real services for reasonable prices!

For me, writing is a bit of work, but it is work I truly enjoy and gain a lot of satisfaction from. I find writing to take a lot of mental energy, but, at the same time, I derive a certain strength and energy from it, especially from a completed project. When I was young, writing definitely helped me to process many negative or simply confusing experiences I had. I tend to describe it as an exploratory process in which I learn more about myself, my own thoughts, the world, and my place in it. This was especially true in school, where writing was a way that I could come to terms with books that stirred feelings and thoughts in me I did not understand. With scifi, writing helps me to better understand the changing world around me by allowing me to chase the logic of projected potentialities I see in politics, economics, and society.

Mark

4/15/2019 11:15:20 am

There are a lot of bad apples in the barrel. No doubt about that. Besides taking all an author's money they frequently tie up the intellectual property rights forever. There are lots of different ways for an author to make money from their book. Movies, plays, audio books, foreign sales. There are a lot of countries who are hungry for English books and audio books.
Many authors report feelings of satisfaction after a good writing session.
New questions.
Why is it important for writers to tap into the emotions of the characters?
Have you ever used yourself or other acquaintances as a character for a starting point in a story? Would they recognize you or themselves in the story?

Carlos Tkacz link

4/15/2019 04:39:28 pm

For other writing I have done, my friends and family most definitely show up as elements in characters. And my own experiences generally make the basis for the stories I write. In this novel, both make appearances, but they are much less pronounced. I would say that the characters are more derived from other fictional characters than from real people in my life or myself.

I do think it is important for writers to tap into human emotions when dealing with their characters. Literature, generally, is a part of the humanities (at least, at its best), and this means it should, in some way, document the human experience. To not address emotion, or to not address it accurately and honestly, would be to miss a major part of that experience. I do think, however, that we often oversimplify emotion when it comes to characters, especially in television. Just last night, my girlfriend and I were watching a show, and I was thinking about how raw and open the characters were with their emotions, moving from one extreme feeling to the next. I tend to think that real people are not like this. We try much more, in my experience, to hide our emotions or to keep them at bay. Often, writers offer characters that are driven by their emotions. I think a more accurate way to look at the relationship between humans and their feelings is to say that we are in tension with our emotions. They often are drivers of action, but we are more often confused as to their sources and as to what to do about them.

Mark

4/15/2019 05:30:13 pm

I think you have hit upon something there. So many of us don't face our emotions completely or honestly. We play peekaboo, we hide, and we fear what may lie below the surface. Emotions have so many layers at times they can be very confusing and offer such rich opportunities for the author.
New questions.
Which is more fun to write, the protagonists or the antagonist?
What is one thing you hate about your protagonists and one thing you love about the antagonist?

Carlos Tkacz link

4/15/2019 07:21:29 pm

I tend to enjoy writing the protagonists more than antagonists. Personally, I have trouble identifying with "evil" characters, and so I do not take much pleasure in writing about them. That said, the sequel to this novel, which I am currently working on, has a pretty bad antagonist, and it has been interesting to try and understand his motivations in order to be able to better write his character. We all do have parts of our natures that tend towards the less than desirable. Anyone that is prone to introspection has likely noticed this within themselves. It is just that I prefer to focus on the "better angels" of our nature in my writing.

This is a good question. In literature, I tend to dislike protagonists that lack depth, that seem to be just vehicles for moral messages. The reason I dislike this is likely two-fold. First of all, I am guilty of this in my writing. Second, I find the narrative of the hero struggling to do the right thing, but still doing the right thing despite their doubts and fears, to be much more compelling. This is what I tried to achieve. I dislike the same thing in antagonists. Evil for evil's sake is very rare. Even the most evil people in history believed they were doing the right thing and operated under some sort of sense righteousness and conviction. This is much more interesting to me.

Mark

4/15/2019 08:51:31 pm

That makes a lot of sense that you want to focus on the good side we all have. We are all a mixture of many things.
Every bad guy is the hero in his or her story. I don't recall where I heard that, but it makes a lot of sense to me. You crafted your antagonist quite well. His actions were very comprehensible.
New questions.
What is your writing routine when you sit down to write?
Now that your book is published, is there anything about it you would like to change?

Carlos Tkacz link

4/15/2019 10:22:44 pm

My routine is pretty simple. I like to get up early, so I wake up around 6 am. I make some coffee or tea (yerba mate is my go to, since my dad is from Argentina) and set up my computer. Then I just write, using the outline I prepared during that phase of my process. My goal is always at least 1000 words, and it usually takes me about an hour. Sometimes I manage more. And then I go on with the rest of my day!

There definitely are things I would change. I think the main thing I would change is that I would probably try to flesh the world and the characters out more. For the characters, I would offer more backstory and personal history. For the world, I would get more in-depth with their political and economic systems. Alternative ways of organizing societies is something I always love in scifi. That said, I am the kind that likes to move forward rather than agonize over a single project, so I am hoping to improve on those in the sequel.

Mark

4/16/2019 12:39:47 pm

Our routines are fairly similar. I get up around 6 also. Coffee for me. I cold-brew my coffee at home so I drink it black. Anywhere else I add amendments to cut the bitterness.
A thousand words a day is a good goal.
Many authors struggle with the balance of info and action, I am not surprised you are dealing with that also. The good news is you have a series to develop your characters and everything else further.
New questions.
How do you think your book relates to the world we live in today?
What is the one thing you hope readers will remember from your book?

Carlos Tkacz link

4/16/2019 02:13:53 pm

One of my goals with the book was to tie it to the world we live in as much as possible. I don't want to give anything away, but I mostly tried to do this in two ways: through the introducrions to each chapter and thematically. The introductions each come from a fictional non-fiction text that informs the reader of the history tying the time of the novel to our time now. These "texts" are generally based in philosophy or history and academic in nature. They were a ton of fun to wrote and a device I blatantly took from "Dune." Thematically, I wanted to deal with issues we see in society, such as fear as a political tool and the tension between individual rights and the public good. I also tried to put these into relief with individual morality and spirituality and the constant tension the individual finds itself in with a state. The next novel will continue this process, dealing especially with how we treat refugees and with the use of violence as a tool of statecraft.

My main hope with the book is that my audience will come away with something interesting to think about. For me, if they find something to chew on and something that makes them look at their world a little differently, then I will be happy! Other than that, I just hope they enjoy it!

Mark

4/16/2019 06:17:50 pm

I loved the chapter introductions! You really nailed it!
Those are important themes in any age. They are always present or possible wherever people gather.
I think a lot of people are going to enjoy your book.
New questions.
What software do you use to write and publish your books, and why do you use those?
How do you keep track of all the characters and events in your books?
Are you a plotter, a pantster, or a hybrid?

Carlos Tkacz link

4/16/2019 07:08:20 pm

I use Word to write in and to format the paper version of my book. The reason is simple enough: it's just what I am used to. Word is what I have used most of my life, and while I know there are other programs out there specific to writers, I don't see any reason to change and learn a new program. As for formatting the e-book, I used Kindle Create, a free program offered by Amazon. It isn't perfect, but it doesn't cost me anything.

I can answer the second two questions together. While I am a bit of a hybrid, I do write a pretty detailed, chapter-by-chapter outline that I work on to make sure everything lines up well before I begin writing. This is how I keep the characters and their plots organized. These outlines usually are about a paragraph long for each chapter, and they detail the main plot points of the chapter. For the specific details in the chapter, things like scene and character descriptions, dialogue, and other details, I make them up as I write. This hybrid approach works well for me. On the one hand, when I sit down to write, I know exactly what I need to accomplish. On the other hand, I still get to enjoy the creative process of writing itself by through these spontaneous elements.

Mark

4/16/2019 07:28:44 pm

A lot of writers use Word, I do too. It is very common and widespread. Free is a very good price!
You certainly seem to be a hybrid writer. Obviously, it works well for you. Have you ever had the experience of the story swerving in a different direction than planned, as if a character was driving it? I hear some writers talk about that and sometimes it's good and sometimes it is not.
New questions.
How long does it take you to write the first draft of that outline? Does it undergo many revisions?
Do you have defined space for writing at home, or are you a coffee-shop writer?
Do you listen to music or have the TV on when writing, or do you need quiet?

Carlos Tkacz link

4/16/2019 09:41:03 pm

I have definitely had characters get away from me. Even in this novel, a few things happened that I didn't anticipate but that seemed more true the to characters than exactly what I had planned. Again, I don't want to give anything away. For my part, I try to be open to changes like that, as they come, but I also try to keep the original vision in mind and to achieve a synthesis.

The outline usually takes me a few months and a few drafts. I do a lot of thinking during this period, both actively trying to solve issues and taking time away from the project to let my subconscious work on it. I try not to rush this part of my process, as it seems to me to be pretty important to my overall success in completing the project.

I write at home - I have never been able to work at a coffee shop - and I work without music or television. In college, I would watch movies while I worked on papers. It had to e a movie I had seen enough times and knew well enough to not be distracted by it. I watched the extended Lord of the Rings a fair number of times. But with creative writing, I prefer silence. I like to allow myself to be totally engrossed in my story so as to better describe the scenes and action.

Mark

4/16/2019 10:02:33 pm

That makes a lot of sense to me. I have heard that from so many authors. The characters almost come alive, I imagine that the sub-conscious might have something to do with that.
I like your outline process. I know there are many ways to build the outline. Do you do it all on the computer or do you get analog at some point with post-its or note cards?
New questions.
Action, dialogue, or narration; which is easiest to write?
Of the five senses which is the easiest to write and which is the hardest?
Have you ever participated in theater in some way?

Carlos Tkacz link

4/17/2019 10:03:49 am

I do my outlines all on the computer. Since I tend to write mostly on our summer travels, I try to minimize what I have to pack as much as I can. Most our luggage space goes to climbing gear.

I find narration the easiest to write, these days. When I was younger, it was definitely action, but, in writing this novel, I was surprised at how much information I could get into the story by narrating the characters' thoughts and mental states. I think that, when I was younger, I struggled to fully understand my characters. My writing was very selfish and focused on me. As I have gotten older, my understanding of other people, mostly through experience and maybe through teaching, seems to have improved, and this,in turn, has improved my writing and story-telling.

I think smell is the hardest to write, and the most overlooked. The idea of describing a smell seems near impossible to me; I am not sure I ever touch on that sense in this book. That is why the novel "Perfume" is so wonderful and amazing. An entire book based on olfactory sensation! What an interesting thought, and well-realized too. I definitely recommend that book. Also, I broke my nose a few times when I was young and played soccer, so my sense of smell is pretty bad. That might have something to do with my choice.

I was involved in theater a little, mostly through the church I grew up in. Acting was never something I was attracted too, personally, but I was willing to try and participated in a few plays. I did do a bit of film making in my early 20s, mostly shorts, and I even sold one to a small production house somewhere. Nothing I am really proud of, but I did enjoy the process of writing screenplays, planning shoots, working with actors (my friends), and editing. I learned a lot about digital media through these experiences.

Mark

4/17/2019 10:26:34 am

I think almost every author finds narration the easiest to write. The flip side is avoiding the dreaded information dump. It seems many authors struggle with this balance, to much and the reader may get bored, too little and there are too many unanswered questions. Either can result in the book being closed.
My sniffer doesn't work very well also. I can relate. The "Perfume" book sounds fascinating. I might have to get that.
New questions.
Has your theater and film experience made you a better author and in what way?
Is music a big part of your life? A lot of people listen to music. Some authors use music as motivator or to stimulate their muse. Others use music to help them understand their characters or scenes. Some authors sprinkle song titles and a few lyrics throughout the book or include a discography in the back of the book.
Have you ever thought of adding music to your books, like what the characters listen to or they went to a concert as a plot point?

Carlos Tkacz link

4/17/2019 01:18:22 pm

I think my experience in film made me a visual kind of writer, especially when I was younger. I also did photography for while, as a hobby, and I like to draw. This has made me sensitive to composition, and I think about this when I am describing a scene. I try and write my descriptions so as to match a well composed image, focusing on what details I think make a scene striking and interesting and ordering them in a way that will offer the reader a more complete and nuanced picture of what is happening. I don;t know if this makes me better or if I am successful at this, but my experiences in visual arts definitely has effected my writing. One thing I took away from theater is the idea of having a back story for each character, even if it is not relevant to the plot. Using this method has helped to understand my characters motivations and, therefore, their actions.

To be honest, music does not play a large role in my life. My parents are both from South America; they mostly listen to worship music, something I longer relate to very much. I didn't relate to it much when I was a kid either. The energy that many young people, in middle and high school, put into music, I put into books. Even these days, I only listen to music based on function. When I am grading papers, I listen to classical music. It seems to keep my mind at an emotionally even plane so I can grade objectively. Working out, I listen to metal because the aggressive music motivates my to push myself. I also have a soft spot for punk music; it definitely influenced my openness to alternative ideas on politics and economics.

As of yet, I have not used music as a distinct element in my story telling, but this question is getting my gears turning. Imagining music in the future could be really fun and interesting...

Mark

4/17/2019 02:10:11 pm

That is interesting to hear. I have long suspected that the visual arts could aid an author. You have just provided substantial proof of that. Photography and filmmaking both show a story without words.
Music may be something that will be useful for you. Future music is a fascinating thought. Music seems to change a lot over time, but I don't know enought to determine if there are patterns in the change that could predict the future.
New questions.
How do you know when a book is finished?
How long does the research process take before you start to write a book or do you do the research as you write the book?

Carlos Tkacz link

4/17/2019 07:16:11 pm

That is an interesting question. Since I do a lot of outline prior to writing, I begin with a definitive place to end. When I reach that point, it's over! The subsequent drafts, however, can stretch on for quite a long time depending on how much work I feel it needs. This is an intuitive process for me. I try to take my time and not rush; I feel like trying to do too much too quickly is an easy way to get so wrapped up in editing and revising that it becomes too difficult to objectively see when the end is coming. It is definitely possible to overdo this part of the process and make your story worse. Basically, I do my best, often taking a month or so between drafts, to know when enough is enough and that the work is done. There is no formula for me on this point.

The amount of research I do depends on the project. For this book, much of what is included, especially about religion and philosophy, is the product of years of personal study and thinking, so there was not much research. As such, I researched specifics as I went along. For the next book, however, I am planning to do some reading on more esoteric ideas in the religions deal with before I begin fully drafting. I'd say that, on average, it takes me a few months of thinking and research, once I have the general plot down, to feel like I am ready to start putting the narrative together.

Mark

4/17/2019 08:08:57 pm

I am glad you liked that question. I like your process, If I were writing I think mine would be similar to yours.
I think taking some time between drafts is a very good idea. What do you do if you hit a difficult plot point?
Are you working on book two or book three right now?
With your outline in hand, were some chapters of VW easier to write than others?

Carlos Tkacz link

4/17/2019 09:01:15 pm

If I hit a difficult plot point, I tend to try and step away for a while and try to think of a solution that does not mess up the rest of the book. Luckily, this has not yet been an issue, one of the virtues of planning well ahead.

I am currently working on Book Two, which will be called "The Void Beyond." I wrote about 130 pages of the first draft over winter break and am hoping to have the draft done in the fall sometime. It should be quite a bit longer, and I am excited to get back to work on it over the summer. I imagine I will release it next year sometime.

There were definitely some chapters that came easier than others, though it seemed less to do with the material and more to do with me. Getting my words out was definitely more difficult early on in the book. But as I progressed further, the flow of writing seemed to come much easier. I did, however, experience some difficulty when I would switch characters; I wrote each character's story arc individually and then interspersed the chapters in the final draft. So when I finished one arc and went to another character, there was a bit of an adjustment period in which I had to re-frame my mind to think from another perspective.

Mark

4/17/2019 10:04:47 pm

There are many ways to deal with a tough spot. I have heard some authors will read the section aloud or have the computer do it for them. Sometimes engaging the extra sense of hearing helps.
Book two is in progress. Are you getting any ideas that might be better suited for book three?
I can understand how that could be hard to switch from one character to another.
New questions.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of VW?
How many drafts do you go through to have a ready-to-publish manuscript?

Carlos Tkacz link

4/18/2019 11:32:35 am

As I work on and think about Book Two, Book Three is definitely beginning to take a more distinct shape in my mind. I always had a vague idea of where it will go, but that idea is taking form and becoming concrete. Also, I have had a few conversations and listened to a few podcasts on politics and philosophy that I think have influenced the direction I want to go and the themes I want to explore.

The first draft of VW took me around 70 days, just about the entire time I was in South Africa last summer. It may have been a few more or a few less; I didn't really keep track, but the novel is around 70k words and so that tracks with my 1000 words a day goal.

Since I had such a detailed outline, the first draft was pretty close to the finished version, from a plot and story-telling perspective. I definitely had a few changes to make and shuffled the chapter order around a little. Then there were sections I added to or change the wording of to better emphasize certain ideas. Then I wrote all the introductions. Next came checking grammar and syntax, and, lastly, I worked on formatting. All in all, I'd say I went through 7 drafts or so over the course of a year.

Mark

4/18/2019 01:40:57 pm

That is nice that the third book is taking shape, it will be quite organic to the first two.
Were you in South Africa just for writing? I bet you did some rock climbing also.
Seven drafts sound pretty good to me.
New questions.
Going back in time, did you do any kind of creative writing, even back in grade school?
How early was it that you realized how powerful words can be?

Carlos Tkacz link

4/18/2019 04:27:17 pm

Oh I went to South Africa primarily to climb,but we only climb every other day and not too early in the morning, so there is plenty of tie to write.

I wrote my first short story in the 6th grade, some horror story that got passed around the students of my jr. high. In high school, I really began to write and made the decision to make it more of a part of my life. This was also around the time that I began to appreciate, more and more, “serious fiction,” and, so, in my 20s, I started to try and write more serious stuff. It was terrible. And I don’t just mean the stories I wrote – my stories were bad – but I mean the experience of writing itself. It was agonizing. Soul-sucking. I managed a few short stories during this period, even a screenplay, but nothing worth a damn and nothing really, truly complete. Eventually, it was too hard, and I just stopped. I didn't really get back into it until I went back to school and had to write literary analysis and then my thesis. I really enjoyed this kind of writing, especially the process and discipline required, and this has translated back to writing fiction now.

In the fourth grade, my mom gave my "Lord of the Flies" to read. I was pretty bored with what they were giving me in school, so my mom started to supplement my reading with more challenging stuff. While I was too young, I think, to fully grasp the import of the book, I did sense that there was something beyond just a good story in the text. I felt that the book represented more than just plot, and I became very interested in trying to better understand it. For me, this is what started my love of literature and led me to study it in college.

Mark

4/18/2019 05:18:28 pm

What a wonderful and relaxing vacation.
It's very easy for me to imagine the teenager wanting to write something significant and not even realizing the lack of knowledge and tools were so important to good writing. Everyone writes a POS in the first draft. The fun is in creating a basket of jewels out of the nothing.
LOF is pretty heady stuff for a fourth grader, no doubt. I think I read it in the eighth grade and was chilled by it and the bullying. I was the object of lots of bullying.
New questions.
Do you have alpha-readers and/or beta-readers to help you smooth out a lot of wrinkles before publishing? If you don’t, why?
If you do, how did you find them?

Carlos Tkacz link

4/18/2019 05:43:58 pm

Yeah, LOF fascinated me, and, in many ways, literature still fascinates me the same way that book originally did. I was struck by the ambiguity; there was a straight forward plot, but I just knew I was missing something. Later in life, I would equate the ambiguity of literature to the ambiguity of life, of being this weird mix of physical and mental being. I still tend to think of literature that way.

I gave my first draft out to friends and family, basically asking as many people I knew that I could rope into reading it. I had maybe 5 readers at this point. Then I reached out on Instagram and Reddit for later readers and had quite a good response, maybe 15 readers or so. The feedback from these readers proved very useful to me, both in terms of fixing issues and in terms of raising my confidence enough to go through with self-publishing. I am not very confident in writing, and the fact that my friends and even some strangers seemed to enjoy the book helped me a lot.

Mark

4/18/2019 07:05:17 pm

Life is full of ambiguity, no doubt about that.
You followed a good path there. Were the friends and family able to provide honest feedback? That doesn't always happen. How many of those beta readers will you use again for book two?
I think every creative person struggles with issues of confidence. I do. We all have what I call the inner liar. That bum constantly denigrates my work and my worth. I am working on ignoring that particular voice, it ain't easy.
New questions.
At what stage in your writing process do you bring in the alpha and beta readers?
What kind of questions do you ask them to get the feedback you want?

Carlos Tkacz link

4/19/2019 12:13:59 am

The honest feedback thing was tough, but I was really adamant in asking for it. So I think my friends and family did their best. I had trouble believing them, however, until I got some impartial reviews from strangers that were also fairly positive.

I bring the readers after I myself have gone through the first draft, so second draft. I don't like to have anyone look at my writing until I have read the completed thing.

You know, I didn't have a series of questions for them for this novel, though I will for the next. This time, I just wanted to know if they enjoyed it and their general thoughts. I think the reason I didn't get too specific was because this was my first novel; I was just happy to have completed it and wasn't think too hard about perfection at that point. Now that first book threshold has been crossed though, i will be look for more detail from them I think.

Mark

4/19/2019 11:11:05 am

That kind of unbiased confirmation is priceless! You learned how well you could depend on your friends and family.
The second draft sounds like a good place to do that.
New questions.
The learning curve for an author never ends, there is always some way of improving.
What kind of questions do you think you will ask your beta readers?
Will you send the readers the questions at the same time as the draft?
Will you seek out new readers or work with the same ones as before?

Carlos Tkacz link

4/19/2019 05:20:58 pm

I think I will ask my beta readers about my characters; it seems to me that character development is my major weakness, and that is something I want to improve upon. As such, I will want to know if the characters felt realistic, were relatable, and if they had an arc of development of their own throughout the story. I think I will also ask my readers what they thought of the dramatic tension and build up. I feel confident that I can write in a way that is easy and maybe even enjoyable to read, but I want to improve on how my stories lead the reader and create emotional responses. I think I will ask the readers the questions after they read a draft. I would rather them approach my books with an open mind. Finally, I think I will do a bit of both. It is nice having readers you know and can work with, especially in a trilogy, but I will also seek out new people. Always good to expand the audience!

Mark

4/19/2019 06:59:28 pm

I think you have a good plan starting to take shape. Perhaps ask for favorite and least favorite parts also. Maybe, for a few of the readers, give them the questions beforehand and the others after. As a test of what might work the best.
New questions.
Do you have other writers you connect with, as in a critique group or support group?
What is the most important thing you learned from publishing your latest book?

Carlos Tkacz link

4/19/2019 09:03:40 pm

Ah, those are good suggestions. I will definitely keep them in mind!

I don't, no, though I have met a few writers recently that live where I do and we have talked about getting together for a writer's group. I first, I looked online, but I found it difficult to really get involved. I think I just need the face-to-face interaction for a group to be effective for me. After all, I always disliked online classes in college.

I think the most important lesson I learned in writing this book was becoming comfortable with putting my work out there. That was and is very difficult for me, but I feel better now having done it once, and I imagine it will get at least a little easier still. So far, nothing terrible has happened!

Mark

4/19/2019 09:07:58 pm

In many ways, face to face interactions are the best. A lot of mistaken assumptions are avoided because there are so many more contextual clues available.
Putting the work, yourself actually, is a risky feeling no doubt. I feel the same everytime I send a manuscript back to an author or an estimate.
New questions.
What are three things, that you wish you knew before you wrote your first book?
Do you write notes by hand or on the computer?

Carlos Tkacz link

4/20/2019 10:13:14 am

Can I change the focus of the first question a bit? It immediately made me think of my younger self, the one that struggled to write but wanted to so badly. I think I have 3 things I wish early-20s Carlos knew:
1. Don't worry so much! I cared so much about being perfect and about people liking my work and finding it insightful that I was paralyzed and never completed anything.
2. Work ethic matters more than inspiration! It doesn't matter how good your ideas are if you can't sit down and get out the whole work.
3. Stories, while important maybe even fundamental to human life, are still just stories, and story telling should come before all other concerns in writing. I used to use stories as vehicles for moral and ethical discussion I wanted to have, but this is not a good way to approach writing for me. Rather, focus on telling a good story and the rest will find its way in.

I write on the computer. I used to write only by hand, but, by the time I finished college, I was much more accustomed to typing on the computer. This has translated to my creative writing now. I do still prefer to edit on paper, however.

Mark

4/20/2019 11:15:36 am

That was a good change! I think that could apply to a lot of beginning writers. Good advice!
Tell the story, I like that.
New questions.
What is the most valuable piece of advice you have ever received from another writer?
Do you think a strong ego is an asset or liability for a writer and why?

Carlos Tkacz link

4/20/2019 11:35:38 am

There are 2 pieces of advice I have learned from reading about other writers' processes that have been super useful. The first comes from a book on writing; unfortunately, I cannot remember the name or the author. In it, she points out that the first draft isn't supposed to be good. Rather, it's just supposed to be out of your head. The revision process is what makes it good.
The second comes from an introduction Stephen King wrote in one of his novels. In it, he says that he never looks back at what he is writing until he has completed the first draft.
I think both of these bits of wisdom can be, and have been for me, incredibly useful, especially in terms of actually getting a draft done. Letting go of the "quality" of the first draft and refusing to get caught up in the endless cycle of self-criticism while still in the process of writing are good ways to keep your momentum moving forward.

I think a strong ego is both an asset and a liability. Do a degree, you have to believe in your abilities and in what you are writing to get through the process, not to mention when reviews start coming in. But an ego can also keep you from seeing where you can improve. There has to be a balance, a strong ego that can take some punishment but that is honest enough for true self-reflection and, when necessary, that is capable of change. I'd say this applies to life in general, not just writing.

Mark

4/20/2019 11:48:04 am

You nailed that! I tell authors that the first draft exists for only one reason, to be a POS that can be edited into a basket of jewels! You said it better than I did, but then, you are a writer.
The balance of the ego is important. I remember watching the auditions for American Idol, years ago. There were some people who should never have considered going on the show. They believed their overly-supportive family and tone deaf friends when they were told what a great singer they were. It was ludicrous at times and then they got angry at the judges, experts in their field. Is that show still on?
The ego balance is important for all of life, not just writing.
New questions.
Can you describe your ideal reader? Who is the core audience you are seeking to find?
Do you have anything you consider to be your writing lucky charm?

Carlos Tkacz link

4/21/2019 09:25:22 am

I think my ideal reader is the scifi fan who wants and appreciates new ways of telling stories. One thing I want to do in writing is to try and avoid falling into too many narrative archetypes; I don't want to be retelling the hero's journey over and over. There isn't anything wrong with the hero's journey or with any of the common arcs we all know and love, but I would like to try something semi-new if I can. I think of Star Trek: The Next Generation. In that show, they often take the common cliches, even the successful and popular ones, and turn them on their heads. TNG favors cooperation over individualism, science over violence, reason over emotion, and the list goes on. So I guess I write for the reader that has read enough to want something a little more like that, a little different from what we are usually offered.

I think the closest thing I have to a lucky writing charm is caffeine. Writing would b damn near impossible without tea and coffee.

Mark

4/21/2019 11:02:31 am

That is a good point about Star Trek. I think you are on the right track. I do enjoy reading a different tack on major themes.
Caffeine is a good choice! My good friend also.
New questions.
What is your writing Kryptonite and how has it affected you?
Do you struggle with writer's block and how do you overcome it?

Carlos Tkacz link

4/21/2019 08:49:19 pm

Hmmm... my writing Kryptonite has to be self-doubt. I constantly wonder if I am any good, and I even imagine that my friends, family, and strangers are lying when they say they like my stuff. It used to affect me to the point where I didn't share what I wrote, but these days I try to not listen to that inner voice.

I used to struggle with writer's block, but I don't anymore. I think my extended planning phase has made all the difference. Now, when I sit down to write, I almost always have a distinct idea in mind and plan to move forward, so the writing is less about thinking and coming up with ideas and more about communicating an idea already formed in my mind.

Mark

4/21/2019 09:19:56 pm

Everyone struggles with that inner critic; the liar, as I call it. It exists solely to induce despair and cause us to abandon creative efforts, in the extreme. That is not to say that we don't have a positive critic that helps us to improve our work and writing. Two different things and personas, if you will.
No writers block! That is great. So many writers struggle with that. Congratulations.
New questions.
Are there any writing styles or genres that you disliked at first but soon came to like?
Do you see an advantage of writing under a pseudonym, why or why not?

Carlos Tkacz link

4/22/2019 09:13:32 am

At first, I wasn't a fan of Modernist of postmodern literature. The first time I read Hemingway, "The Old Man and the Sea," I was in high school and thought it was so incredibly boring. A few years later, when I was in my 20s, I re-read it and realized that the book was something special, nearly perfect in its execution. This was a distinct lesson for me; sometimes my tastes or opinions, my first impressions, can be incorrect at first and develop over time. The same thing happened when I attempted to read writers like David Foster Wallace and Pynchon. I've learned that sometimes you have to have a certain level of experience or contextual understanding to fully grasp a work. And I think that is ok. Not all writing can be made for easy consumption, especially writing that is meant to grapple with life itself.

I can understand why some would choose to write under a pseudonym. As writers, we still have families and communities to live in, and sometimes there are things we want to say or write about that may not be acceptable in those groups. Sometimes, the wise thing to do is to avoid needlessly hurting those close to us; this is especially true of family.

Mark

4/22/2019 07:24:43 pm

You are correct. Our tastes change because we change. We are not static creatures. Our environment and our reactions to our environment are always in flux. So, what you are saying makes a great deal of sense.
Those are good reasons to use a pen name. I have also met writers that simply want to keep as much of their loife private as possible. The stories still burn to get out, and the pseudonym provides an acceptable release.
Last questions.
Without providing any spoilers, can you tell us a little bit about the next two books? Will the setting be the same and will any of the major characters return?

Carlos Tkacz link

4/22/2019 08:13:29 pm

The next two books will deal with the aftermath of the events of Book One. This will involve many of the same characters returning as well as some new ones becoming important. It would be hard to say much without giving away the first book too much, but readers can expect the same focus on culture, ethics, and technology but with some more action to accompany the thoughtful lives of the main characters and a wild ending. It will be epic!

Mark

4/22/2019 08:22:59 pm

I appreciate the bird's eye view! I don't like spoilers. I prefer to enoy a book as the author intended. I am really looking forward to reading "The Void Beyond".
Thank you, Carlos, for sharing your writing and publishing journey with us. I have really enjoyed our chat. You have been a great guest.
I have new promotion that starts tomorrow. So, I will say, I hope we talk again down the road.

Carlos Tkacz link

4/23/2019 11:50:53 am

Thank you so much for the interesting and insightful conversation! It has been such a pleasure : )

The Void Within: The Cluster Saga Book One By Carlos Tkacz

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