Once I’ve finished the first draft I then give the adventure a thorough edit. I call it an edit, rather than a re-write, because it usually involves me taking words out, as opposed to re-writing whole sections or putting words in. When I’m happy with the text, it’s time to start re-structuring the book.
One of the most noticeable and unusual things about a gamebook is that you don’t read it from cover to cover; instead you turn backwards and forwards through the book to the different numbered sections and progress the story that way. The muddling up of these paragraphs is not as random as you might think.
Before I start writing a new gamebook, I print out a sheet with the all the numbers of the sections I’ll need to fill, from 1 to whatever. Once I get started, I write section 1 which leads to 2 and 3, and so on. I don’t write the book with the numbers muddled up to begin with, nor as numbered scenes with annotated bullet points.
I do this for a number of reasons. First of all it helps give me an idea of how far through the story I am. Secondly, it means that I can easily return to previous sections to double check that the writing flows from one to the next. Thirdly, I can make sure illustrations are evenly spaced throughout the book, and not all bunched together. Fourth, I can ensure all the number clue references work – the ones you turn to when an item has a particular number associated with it, or if you’ve converted a clue word into numbers.
I know that there are all sorts of pieces of gamebook-writing software available now, but the process I am describing is the one I first used twenty-three years ago, when the only computer I had available to me was an Amstrad word processor. It is a process I have honed over the years and it works for me. I also gives me a great sense of satisfaction and accomplishment to be able to print out that first draft of an adventure and start re-numbering it by hand.
To muddle up the sections, I print out a second list of numbers – from 1 to whatever – and start to colour code them, circling those numbers that are the solutions to problems in one colour and using another colour to denote which ones will have illustrations connected to them (and yes, sometimes a section can have both). I then start randomly assigning new numbers to the paragraphs on a physical print out of the story, marking the old paragraph number in yet another colour next to the new printed number. This then becomes the master for the final layout.
I say I start randomly assigning new numbers, but even this activity is no longer as random as it once was. For certain set-pieces, I try to keep the sections to be turned to relatively close together (without being so close as to give the game away with the reader not having to even turn the page) so that the physical action of reading the book is made as easy as possible for the reader. (It also helps with maintaining the old ‘five finger bookmark’.)
Once I’ve tracked down all the missing sections and unused numbers, and matched them up, I re-format the text of the book, changing turn-tos as necessary and trying not to leave any section links unchanged, which is never an easy task.
It is only then, once I’ve finished re-formatting, that I’ll send the gamebook to my editor and play-testers. Inevitably there will be a few re-writes, and some may even involve re-jigging the order of some sections (but hopefully not too many, as this can be a bit of a pain). Further down the line there may well be an illustration brief to write, flow-charts to create for editors to cross-reference whilst reading through the manuscript, and ultimately proof-reading to be done. But once I’ve sent the gamebook to be seen by another pair of eyes for the first time I feel that my job is as good as done.
If the book is illustrated, after I’m done writing the adventure I get excited about it all over again when the illustrations start to be sent through. It’s great when the artist really captures the images I wanted him to portray but it’s ever better when what he produces is better than my initial imaginings.
The Art of Alice’s Nightmare in Wonderland
It is impossible to talk of the original 1865 edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland without making reference to Sir John Tenniel’s sublime illustrations. In Tenniel’s meticulous wood-carvings we are presented with Carroll’s personal vision of Wonderland; the author was a perfectionist and a hard taskmaster, placing great demands on his illustrator.
Apparently, when Carroll later approached Tenniel about undertaking another project for him, Tenniel replied, “It is a curious fact that with ‘Looking-Glass’ the faculty of making drawings for book illustrations departed from me, and... I have done nothing in that direction since.”
Equally, the text of Alice’s Nightmare in Wonderland is only one aspect of the book; another vital element is Kev Crossley’s incredible artwork. So how did it feel to be asked to illustrate Alice’s Nightmare in Wonderland?
“It was a real honour to be asked!” says Crossley. “Since they were published 150 years ago, these classic stories have been illustrated by a long line of incredible artists, so it’s a privilege to get a chance to present my take on such iconic stories.”
But how big an influence have Carroll’s book and Tenniel’s illustrations been on his work as an artist and illustrator over the years?
“I don’t think it’s possible to be a comic or fantasy artist and not be inspired by Alice and her adventures, even if you don’t realise it. The crazy, nonsense creatures and grotesque characters sit beneath the tropes many of us work to, and I’m certainly no exception. Wonder, horror and the confused joy of reading those stories have been with me since I was a kid. It really does feel so natural to finally be drawing these tales myself!”
So how did he actually go about creating the images for the book?
“Well, obviously I did some research, but I have a lot of illustrations by favourite artists in my library, so I went straight to people like Arthur Rackham and Rodney Matthews to see again how they’d approached the subject. I didn’t look at Tenniel’s originals at all, the notable exception being his famous Cheshire Cat in the tree, which I’ve recreated in my own way. However, given the twist in the telling of the story, I felt it offered a blank slate for me to simply ‘go nuts’, which I think I did! I didn’t want to reference anything that had gone before too much, and I worked closely with the author to craft some really fun and, in places, incredibly elaborate images. That said, I hope the finished pieces will remain faithful in spirit to those fantastic early illustrations.”
As well as being a dark reimagining of the original Alice story, Alice’s Nightmare in Wonderland features elements of a more modern steampunk aesthetic, but how easy was it for the artist to incorporate these influences into his illustrations?
“It was no problem at all! The steampunk aesthetic isn’t actually too pervasive. Rather, it’s an extra flavour we use sparingly, I think. Obviously there are some images, such as the Tick Tock Men and the Grandfather Clock, where you can’t escape it, but I think the White Rabbit with his stomach-clock is more straightforward horror than steampunk. I’m not a steampunk artist in practice, so any such elements I incorporate tend to be tempered by the less fantastic, more naturalistic aspects of my art.”
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is well-known for having inspired a host of well-regarded and iconic artists to produce some very memorable, and individual, illustrations. How did it feel to be following in the footsteps of such luminaries as Sir John Tenniel, Arthur Rackham and Rodney Matthews?
“It’s a huge honour, and a little intimidating too. I think Arthur Rackham is the artist I associate more with, so I looked to his work the most. However, I didn’t want to emulate anything that had come before too closely either, so although I was inspired by these artists, what you’ll see in my finished art might not seem that familiar in comparison.
“Frankly, I’m not sure anyone could match people like Arthur Rackham. As artists, we aspire to live up to the standards set by those giants who came before, and it’s a task you can spend a lifetime trying to master. That’s a convoluted way of saying I wouldn’t presume my work is comparable to suc
h luminous past masters as Tenniel and Rackham, but I hope it will be judged on its own, humble merits.”
Obviously finding an artist whose style complements the tone of the text of a book is vital, and no mean feat. So how did the Alice’s Nightmare in Wonderland commission play to Kev’s strengths?
“This gig was right in the middle of my comfort zone. This was the footstool I put my feet on when I kick back for the evening! Seriously though, I felt immediately at home with the concept, which isn’t to say it was as easy to do as that might suggest!
“My particular love, and the thing I’m known for is the detail and ‘naturalism’ I try to craft into an image. This eats the hours though, and that is the main obstacle really; never enough hours in a day! There are a series of fillers in the book – small images you’d flick past without perhaps glancing at for more than a few moments – but some of those ‘fillers’ took hours upon hours to sketch, then ink. Imagine then, how long the Caterpillar Court would take to finish!
“It isn’t often you get the opportunity to illustrate something so perfectly suited to your way of working, so it’s been a gift really. I could happily spend a full year turning all these ink drawings into paintings, if given the chance!”
But despite the gamebook apparently being the perfect marriage of illustrator and subject matter, there must have been some images that were harder to get right than others.
“The more complex the image, the longer it takes to nail, I find. That said, the Caterpillar Court one is complex, but was pretty straightforward in execution! The Final Battle was tricky to get right, as was The Grandfather Clock. Tellingly, the Tenniel homage – the Cheshire Cat in the tree – was quite difficult, as I was trying to remain faithful to the original, an image copied numerous times, without compromising my own vision. Challenging images are often the most satisfying to work on.
“I love the Caterpillar Court, The White Rabbit, the Dodo in his bell jar, the crazy Automaton... These were the standouts for me.”
Just as a book could always do with one more edit, given the time, is there anything that Crossley would have done differently with regards to his illustrations?
“Oh the things I could do with more time! I could go in some fantastic directions! I’d love to do acrylic paintings of the Caterpillar Court and White Rabbit for a start! Perhaps some purely pencil drawn versions might be cool too, and watercolours. Basically, I’d like to do the whole lot again, but in a range of different styles and media!”
Alice’s Legacy
Why is it that Lewis Carroll’s Alice is still as popular today as when she first appeared in printed form in 1865? Is it only thanks to her continual reinvention and the reinterpretation of others? Or is there more to it than that?
Despite being 150 years old, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is like any dream we have all had at one stage or another. That essential human experience hasn’t changed, even if the means by which we share it has. Alice, like so many classics of literature, is essentially timeless.
If you have never read Carroll’s original text, or haven’t revisited it in a while, it is worth doing so. The book was responsible for establishing a host of genre tropes and its ending is one of the most poetic pieces of prose you will ever read. And thus its legacy will be secured for another generation.
Jonathan Green
London, October 2015
Kev Crossley’s Sketchbook
About the Author
Jonathan Green is a writer of speculative fiction, with more than sixty books to his name. Well known for his contributions to the Fighting Fantasy range of adventure gamebooks, he has also written fiction for such diverse properties as Doctor Who, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Warhammer, Warhammer 40,000, Sonic the Hedgehog, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Moshi Monsters, LEGO and Judge Dredd.
He is the creator of the Pax Britannia series for Abaddon Books and has written eight novels set within this steampunk universe, featuring the debonair dandy adventurer Ulysses Quicksilver. He is also the author of an increasing number of non-fiction titles, including the award-winning YOU ARE THE HERO – A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks.
He has recently taken to editing and compiling short story anthologies. Two of these, the critically-acclaimed GAME OVER and SHARKPUNK, are also published by Snowbooks.
To find out more about his current projects visit www.JonathanGreenAuthor.com and follow him on Twitter @jonathangreen.
Also Available from
Jonathan Green and Snowbooks
You Are the Hero
9781909679382
Game Over
9781909679573
Christmas Explained
9781909679375
Sharkpunk
9781909679962
Table of Contents
Welcome to Wonderland
Down the Rabbit-Hole
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