Alison McBain's writing shaped by roots, travel, and studies

Alison McBain’s novels have received more than 13 awards, including the Foreword INDIES. Her novel The New Empire was published, and her latest novella Dual was longlisted for the 3-day novel contest.

Author Alison McBain

When not writing for herself, Alison is a ghostwriter who has penned over two dozen books for clients, as well as an award-winning editor who has worked with both celebrity and New York Times-bestselling authors.

Writing shaped by roots, travel, and studies: Alison is currently pursuing a project called “Author Versus AI,” where she’s writing a book a week over the course of a year, using NO AI at all (52 books total). When not writing, Alison is associate editor for the magazine ScribesMICRO and draws all over the walls of her house with the enthusiastic help of her kids. She lives in Alberta, Canada.  Writing shaped by roots, travel, and studies.

Writing shaped by roots, travel, and studies

The New Empire by Alison McBain

OCW: What life experiences have shaped your writing style?

AM: There are so many experiences that have coloured my writing that it’s hard to say what’s been the strongest influence. I’m a mom, half-Japanese, and a dual Canadian-american citizen. I studied African history and classical literature in university, and I’ve lived in a number of different places in North America from California to New York City to Alberta.

On top of that, perhaps the biggest influence on my style is just a constant curiosity—I don’t plan to ever stop learning. Every day brings something new to expand my worldview. I think it’s important to never close yourself off from the things happening around you. I’m hoping I’ll still be learning new things when I’m ninety years old and beyond.

OCW: Which authors and/or types of books do you like to read?

AM: I write in all genres, and so I read in all genres. In addition to enjoying the variety out there, I believe a good story is a good story, no matter if it’s true or fiction, no matter if it has space ships or a candid love story. I’ve found the best way to spark my own creativity is to surround myself with the creativity of others. It’s hard to be a successful writer if you’re not reading.

Having said that, I do have a few favourites from over the years. Terry Pratchett, Octavia Butler, Nadine Gordimer, Margaret Atwood, Langston Hughes, Amy Tan… and I could go on. I have a particular fondness for cross-genre and diverse stories, as well as lyrical poetry and prose from multiple cultures and perspectives.

Crafting the writing process over time

OCW: Are you a plotter or a pantser?

AM: Both! It depends on what I’m working on. When it’s shorter work—poetry, short stories, personal essays—i tend to start out with an idea and just sit down and write it without a ton of advance planning. Generally, I’ll have the central premise in mind and might do several drafts, with the first one figuring out where the story is going and subsequent edits adding layers to the story and making it more complex and detailed.

When it comes to novels, though, I’ve learned to be more disciplined. I pantsed my first published novel, and it was a learning experience. I kept on writing myself into corners and having to go back and edit plot holes. It was a lot more work to fix all the mistakes after I finished my first draft.

Since then, I’ve learned to plan ahead. I do a chapter-by-chapter outline, character sketches, take notes—the whole nine yards. And I find that it works like a roadmap showing me where I need to go and helps me get there more easily. I don’t have long periods of time spent thinking: “what do I do now?” And while I can deviate slightly from the outline and add more during editing, it never interrupts the creative process anymore because I know where the story is eventually going to end up.

OCW: What advice/guidance would you give to writers?

AM: There’s so much guidance out there for new writers entering the field that it sometimes can feel like a constant buzz of background noise that interferes in the actual process of writing. Do this, don’t do that, listen to this, don’t listen to that. It can be exhausting and confusing.

So, the best advice I can give is: just write. Switch everything off, tune everyone else out, and just write the story you want to write. If you tell your authentic story, you’ll find someone who loves it just as much as you do.

OCW: Do you see generative AI as a benefit or a threat to writers?

AM: I will never see generative AI as a benefit to authors, but the threat is perhaps not as great as some writers fear. Especially recently, there has been a lot of backlash against AI by publishers, readers, and writers, so I’m hopeful that we will continue to celebrate human creativity for many years to come.