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C.E. McGill

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Born

in The United Kingdom

Website

https://cemcgill.com/

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C_E_McGill

Genre

Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction

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January 2017

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C. E. McGill is a writer of fantasy, sci-fi, historical fiction, and — ideally — all three at once. McGill's short fiction has appeared in Fantasy Magazine and Strange Constellations, and they are a two-time finalist for the Dell Magazines Award for Undergraduate Excellence in Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing. Born in Scotland and raised in North Carolina, they now live back in Scotland with their family, two cats, and a growing number of fake succulents (the real ones keep dying). ...more

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I just finished Our Hideous Progeny, I adored it! Do you think you'll write a sequel? P.S. I also loved your informative and amusing bio on your website!

C.E. McGill Awww, thanks very much! 😊 I'll never say never, but in all likelihood, I don't see myself writing a sequel to OHP - I had a wonderful time with Mary e…moreAwww, thanks very much! 😊 I'll never say never, but in all likelihood, I don't see myself writing a sequel to OHP - I had a wonderful time with Mary exploring the tumultuous world of 19th century science and dissecting my favourite (and least favourite!) themes of Frankenstein, but for the moment, I feel as though I've said all I set out to say with that particular story. Unless I think of an especially cracking idea, I think I'll leave Mary to her happy ending. I'm definitely not done with the 19th century in general, however, or with stories about queer expression and self-discovery, or elements of fantasy and scifi intertwined with real history and science... so I hope you can look forward to all of those in my future works :) (less)

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In the author's note of Our Hideous Progeny, you share that you originally felt the idea for the story was "ridiculous" and "the stupidest idea I'd ever had." My question is this: How do you push past the doubts about your ideas and write them anyway? And how do you manage to carry the spark of an idea into a finished, flowing plot, from beginning to end?

C.E. McGill Ha, great question! Even though it may feel a little bit like cheating, I find that one surefire way to push past my own doubts about a project and fi…moreHa, great question! Even though it may feel a little bit like cheating, I find that one surefire way to push past my own doubts about a project and find motivation to write is to talk about my ideas with others. As you point out, when I first came up with the idea for OHP, I thought it was ridiculous - but when I jokingly mentioned the idea at Thanksgiving dinner, my family loved it and demanded to see it played out. Given that little boost of self-confidence, I ended up considering the idea more seriously and realizing that there was actually far more depth and possibility in this "Frankenstein with dinosaurs" concept than I'd initially given it credit for. I find that having a trusted friend or family member or classmate or critique group to brainstorm with (and to demand to see that first chapter written out!) helps me realize, through their reaction to it, what actually drew me to the idea in the first place and why it's worth pursuing. In other words: if you haven't got any self-confidence at home yet, store bought is fine.

As to carrying that spark through to a finished plot, that's a process that I've still yet to master, and I doubt I ever will! Gene Wolfe apparently once said to Neil Gaiman, "You never learn how to write a novel. You just learn how to write the novel you're on." At the beginning, every one of my novels is simply a collection of Vibes and pivotal scenes stuck in my head, which I then spend several months trying to wrangle into some sort of structure. As much as I love things like the Hero's Journey or the 3-act structure or the MICE quotient in theory, I tend to write in a much more character-based fashion - make a character who Needs Something (whether that be money, love, respect, revenge, or a swift kick in the pants) and then set them loose upon the world and see what they do. In the end, of course, the most important thing is getting that messy, imperfect first draft on paper - because then, with each cycle of editing, you can start bringing it closer and closer to what you always imagined that first spark of a story to be.

Hope that helps - and best of luck! :)(less)

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C.E. McGill’s books

Average rating: 3.96 · 5,468 ratings · 1,046 reviews · 2 distinct works • Similar authors

	Our Hideous Progeny 3.96 avg rating — 5,464 ratings — published 2023 — 15 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Fantasy Magazine, Issue 63, January 2021 by Arley Sorg (Editor), Christie Yant (Goodreads Author) (Editor), C.E. McGill (Goodreads Author) 2.50 avg rating — 4 ratings — published 2020	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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C.E. is Currently Reading

C.E. McGill is currently reading

Vienna 1814: How the Conquerors of Napoleon Made War, Peace, and Love at the Congress of Vienna

by David King

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Jun 10, 2024 12:12AM

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Les Misérables

by Victor Hugo

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Jun 05, 2023 01:28AM

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The French Mind: 400 Years of Romance, Revolution and Renewal

by Peter Watson

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Sep 21, 2022 09:39AM

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C.E. McGill finished reading The Tale of the Body Thief (The Vampire Chronicles, #4) by Anne Rice	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 20, 2024 03:53PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Tale of the Body Thief by Anne Rice. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Tale of the Body Thief by Anne Rice
C.E. McGill finished reading Jingo (Discworld, #21; City Watch, #4) by Terry Pratchett	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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C.E. McGill has read Men at Arms (Discworld, #15; City Watch, #2) by Terry Pratchett	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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C.E. McGill is currently reading Jingo (Discworld, #21; City Watch, #4) by Terry Pratchett	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 17, 2024 01:06AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Jingo by Terry Pratchett. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Jingo by Terry Pratchett
C.E. McGill finished reading Feet of Clay (Discworld, #19; City Watch, #3) by Terry Pratchett	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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C.E. McGill finished reading Moving Pictures (Discworld, #10; Industrial Revolution, #1) by Terry Pratchett	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 06, 2024 04:32PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Moving Pictures by Terry Pratchett. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Moving Pictures by Terry Pratchett
C.E. McGill wants to read A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 05, 2024 11:02AM · like
C.E. McGill has read ダンジョン飯 14 [Dungeon Meshi 14] (Delicious in Dungeon, #14) by Ryoko Kui	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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C.E. McGill has read ダンジョン飯 13 [Dungeon Meshi 13] (Delicious in Dungeon, #13) by Ryoko Kui	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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C.E. McGill has read ダンジョン飯 12 [Dungeon Meshi 12] (Delicious in Dungeon, #12) by Ryoko Kui	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Quotes by C.E. McGill (?)

“There is something romantic about feeding a predator from the palm of your hand, I think- a creature which might bite you if it chooses, but chooses not to. But how does one turn such awful beauty to lead and ink on a page?”
― C.E. McGill, Our Hideous Progeny

tags: beauty

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“Perhaps I am meant to drown after all. But if I do, then at least it will have been by my own hand.”
― C.E. McGill, Our Hideous Progeny

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“I suppose that is why it often makes me sad to read about history, or even natural history, as you do; I cannot help but think of everyone whose tale cannot fit in one book, those poor creatures who remain lost or forgotten. Do you think that one day, some Mary of the future will sketch our bones and wonder what we might have been in life?”
― C.E. McGill, Our Hideous Progeny

tags: history

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