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A Conversation With Dennis Scheel

What book do you think everyone should read?

The entire Chrestomanci series by Dianna Wynne Jones or The Giver.

How long have you been writing?

I always wrote a little, putting most of my time toward novels. I’ve been writing my books since 2017, but before that, I specialized in poetry.

Do the characters all come to you at the same time or do some of them come to you as you write?

The characters came to me at different times, but most of them were already in place before I started writing No Way Back. Naturally, they evolved as I wrote the series, and some of them ended up deviating from my original plan for them.

What do you think about the current publishing market?

It has gotten trickier over the years, and some elements have improved, while others have worsened.

Do you read yourself and if so what is your favorite genre?

Yes, same genre as this book: science fiction and fantasy.

Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why?

Random music works best to get the creative juices flowing.

Do you write one book at a time or do you have several going at a time?

Only one at a time but I do get ideas for others during the writing process.

Pen or type writer or computer?

Unfortunately, despite recovering from paralysis, my handwriting has never been up to snuff since I was paralyzed on my dominant hand, so I type on a computer, otherwise it would take me a decade to write one book!

What made you want to become an author and do you feel it was the right decision?

I attempted to write my books a few times, and besides the (bad) writing as a thirteen-year-old, I never succeeded. In 2015, I had an incident that left me paralyzed on right side from toe to cheek, and mute for a few days afterwards. I was in the hospital for a month, followed by an additional three months in recovery, after which, I had rehab to continue my recovery. After 9 months, I had recovered 90%, so I attempted to write again, having had a brush with my own mortality. My incident had made me realize that if my brain clot had been worse, my stories would have perished with me, seeing as my girlfriend at the time didn’t care enough to remember them. I tried to write them in English that time, and 108,000 words later, I succeeded.

Advice they would give new authors?

Read over your own material and get an editor to review it.

Describe your writing style.

I write in close third person. I like to be able to focus on a character’s thoughts and motivations to show how they impact a character’s actions and drive the story forward.

What makes a good story?

There can be many things, depending on the genre. Good characters, suspense, and great events are a great start.

What is your writing process? For instance do you do an outline first? Do you do the chapters first?

I usually only outline the basics. Anything beyond that shows up as the story develops and I get additional ideas.

What are common traps for aspiring writers?

Thinking they are as good as their friends say they are and not getting opinions from outside readers, e.g. beta readers, editors, etc. Without honest feedback and criticism, they don’t realize where they should improve, so honest feedback may blindside them.

What is your writing Kryptonite?

Plot holes and forgetting which events I’ve established earlier in the story.

Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?

What matters most is telling the story I intended to tell.

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

You can’t do everything yourself; you need other eyes on it, too.

How long on average does it take you to write a book?

It varies… I’ve taken a few months to write a book, but this idea took 25 years to get on paper.

Do you believe in writer’s block?

I don’t just believe in it; I’ve had it. In my case, I knew what to write, but just couldn’t figure out how to tackle a scene or chapter.

Writing about myself… oh, the horror!