Episode 42: William Shaw, Author of Crime Fiction and Adventure Thrillers
Sep 4, 2024
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William Shaw, an author celebrated for his crime fiction and adventure thrillers, dives into his unique character-naming process influenced by social media. He discusses aphantasia and its surprising impact on creativity and storytelling. Shaw also reflects on the decline of adventure novels while advocating for their revival as essential escapism. Unpacking the modern portrayal of heroism, he highlights multilingualism in adventure tales. Throughout, he shares insights on using Scrivener to enhance writing organization and reader engagement.
William Shaw emphasizes the importance of character naming in fiction, explaining how it affects reader connection and identification.
Shaw discusses his experience with aphantasia, revealing how it offers him unique advantages in writing descriptive narratives.
Deep dives
The Journey of DS Alexandra Cupidie
William Shaw discusses his journey in creating the character DS Alexandra Cupidie, who was originally a secondary character in another novel. Shaw chose her name somewhat randomly from a Facebook friend request, which he later regretted due to the pronunciation challenges it posed for readers. This experience highlights the often-overlooked details that authors must consider when developing characters, including the ease of identification for readers. Shaw notes that while names are personal decisions, they can significantly affect a reader's connection to a character.
Understanding Aphantasia and Its Impact on Writing
Shaw shares his experience with aphantasia, which is the inability to visualize mental imagery. He recounts discovering that not everyone faces this challenge and reflects on the surprising advantages it brings to his writing. For him, descriptions come from a deep understanding of the world rather than mental images, allowing him to write uniquely engaging narrative passages. This neurological perspective serves as a reminder of the diverse ways writers perceive and translate their thoughts onto the page.
The Evolution of Crime and Adventure Fiction
Shaw articulates his passion for the adventure novel, which he feels has fallen out of favor in contemporary literature despite its continued popularity in other media, like film and television. He believes there is a conspiracy against the genre, as publishers often hesitate to place adventure stories on shelves, fearing market risks. Shaw is optimistic about the resurgence of adventure narratives, as evidenced by the adaptation interest surrounding his own novels. His recent work, 'The Conspirators,' reconnects readers with colorful storytelling and classic heroism through less traditional means.
The Role of Scrivener in the Writing Process
Shaw highlights his experience using Scrivener as an essential tool throughout his writing career, stating that it simplifies the complicated rearrangement and organization of his narratives. He appreciates the flexibility it provides, allowing writers to work on chapters as discrete pieces that can be easily edited or moved around. Despite occasionally feeling overwhelmed by the program's extensive features, Shaw finds its basic functionalities immensely helpful, particularly for managing chapter lengths. This organizational capacity aids writers in maintaining pace and constructing compelling narratives, especially in crime fiction.