Tim Hardie and The InkWalker Collective

The InkWalker Collective was born when Adrian Walker (The End of the World Running Club, The Human Son, etc) and myself got talking about how music influences our writing. We decided to set out on a writer’s side quest, gathered a group of fellow authors, and collaborated on a series of themed playlists. We’ve been releasing these to the writing community one by one.

In the meantime, I’ve been chatting with our fellow collaborators to find out more about how music influences their work.

I managed to catch up with Tim Hardie a few weeks ago.

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So, Tim, what drew you to The InkWalker Collective as a project?

Writing’s a solitary profession, so I was drawn to the idea of working with a group of writers on something that was creative but also a little bit different. It was a chance to connect with some new people as well as others, like you, who I already knew through social media. I enjoy music and this was a chance to learn about the musical tastes of my fellow authors and, as it turned out, discover some new artists as well.

How did you feel about the fact that it’s being shared?

The whole point of this project is to create a resource other writers can use, because you’re putting these playlists in the public domain. Having the chance input into something that could be used to help writers was a major plus. Writing isn’t easy, so it’s important we support each other and I thought this was a great opportunity to do that.

Do you listen to music while writing?

OK, I need to be honest here. I can’t write while listening to music!

Shock! Horror! (I say, smiling)

I know but, personally, I find it overwhelming and I simply can’t concentrate. Rather than helping me get into the zone for writing a scene the music takes over, so from that point of view I’m a bit of an outlier when it comes to this project. However, as I’ve just said, I still saw a lot of positives in helping create something other writers could use.

I usually write sitting at the dining room table and, in more normal times, I’d sometimes work in a café. If I had a spare half hour while waiting for someone I would use that time to write, taking those small opportunities to increase the word count. I find having some background noise either at home or when I’m out and about helps, rather than complete silence. From that point of view I find my home office a less productive space (apart from my day job, obviously!). I’d rather write in the hub of the home or in a place where there’s some other activity going on around me.

Do you listen to songs with lyrics or are you mainly on the instrumental side?

I like instrumental tracks but I much prefer songs with lyrics. For me, the enjoyment comes as much from understanding what the song is about and how those words are melded with the music. In terms of style, my tastes are fairly eclectic, which is probably why the biggest chunk of my contributions found themselves gravitating towards the Off The Wall playlist, with bands like Squeeze rubbing shoulders with Saint Etienne, XTC and Beach House. What I thought was interesting was how many people added soundtracks to the playlists, taking these from TV, film and videogames.

Yea that would’ve been me, mostly!

I saw that and I like it! The end result is a real mix up of different styles, genres and artists.

So do you use music at all with your writing?

Yes, definitely. Whilst I don’t use music as a direct writing aid that’s not to say it doesn’t spark ideas. I think most writers can relate to the experience of having ideas wander into your head from nowhere that then find their way into the story.

As I’m not commuting to work at the moment, music is more of a late-night activity for me. I think it’s really important to know when to step away from the keyboard and relax, rather than trying to force things. Taking time out and listening to music is one of those times when you can be struck by something new. In my case it’s an activity that stimulates the subconscious and stirs up those ideas, allowing me to see things in a different way.

Your Brotherhood of the Eagle series is Viking-inspired. Have you listened to a lot of Nordic tunes?

Not really, as my influences for the story came from other books I’d read, films and TV. This question reminds of when my agent was editing the first novel in the series (Hall of Bones) to help me polish the manuscript prior to submitting this to various publishers. He did this listening to Sibelius and Grieg, so he was definitely channelling a Scandinavian vibe while he worked. I guess some of that may have left its fingerprints on the text as a result. Who knows? Maybe I’m stretching things a bit …

I don’t think you are! Music has a way of worming its way in there. I’ll have to ask John (John Jarrold, our agent) about that, I’d love to know what he listened to while editing mine!

It’s worth asking!

If you could share one track that sums up your main character, what would it be and why?

I think the closest fit would be Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin, which I added to the Blood & Terror playlist. This one definitely conjures up images of Vikings setting sail for war and fits with the warrior culture into which my central character, Rothgar Kolfinnarson, is born. I’d say the song captures the essence of Rothgar’s character and attitude at the beginning of Hall of Bones. He has an idealistic view of life and wants people to respect him as a warrior to justify his elevated status as the son of the clan chief. This means proving himself in battle is really important.

I don’t want to give too much of the story away but Rothgar undergoes a change at the mid-point of the novel, which forces him to re-evaluate who he is and what his role in society should be. As such, Immigrant Song reflects the character you meet at the start of the novel, rather than the person he is by the end.

Well it's a classic! So at what stage in the writing process did you find this track? Did it help you to write the character, or was it a retrospective perfect fit?

It’s a classic, so this one’s definitely a retrospective perfect fit.

The InkWalker Collective has quite a few themed playlists. Do you think it's missing any? And if so, what playlist would you add?

I think we have nine at the moment? They certainly cover a wide range of themes already. Perhaps a ‘Mystery’ theme would be good for those out there writing detective novels? Maybe ‘Deep Space’ or ‘New Worlds’ for the Sci-Fi fans?

Good ideas! Perhaps we’ll do a Season 2 of the I.W.C. There’s always more music!

Can you tell me anything about what you’re currently working on?

Life as an independent author definitely feels like holding down a second job at the moment. You start off thinking writing the book is ‘the thing’ and obviously it’s fundamental but there’s a whole lot more to life as an author. So, I’d say at the moment I’m spending a lot more time than I expected marketing my debut novel, Hall of Bones, in different ways. Getting noticed as a new author is a real challenge and you have to be prepared to put time and effort into that if you want people to discover your work.

I get that. I work in marketing so I have some insight. It can be a full time job!

Definitely. I’m also currently editing the next book in The Brotherhood of the Eagle series, which is called Sundered Souls. I’m aiming to have that out around June 2021, so that means more word wrangling and also working with my cover artist, which is always really fun. Again, going back to the point about marketing, it all starts with the book cover. Collaborating to produce something attractive which also shows what you’ll find inside the pages is a really rewarding creative process. We’re also working together on some artwork for my website, which is shaping up nicely.

Readers, you can find Tim’s website here, and I think you’ll agree it’s looking fab!

Thank you! It’s taken some work! I do also have a new series out to submission with publishers at the moment, which begins with a novel called A Quiet Vengeance. It’s a fantasy series set in the same world as The Brotherhood of the Eagle but the action takes place in an entirely separate continent with a new cast of characters. The inspiration for this part of the world is drawn from Africa and the Middle East, so it’s a departure from my Nordic-themed work, which made it fun to write. I guess that makes me an aspiring hybrid author, if that novel gets picked up by one of the publishers. We’ll have to see what happens!

So it’s safe to say there’s a lot going on! If you want to check out Tim’s debut novel, Hall of Bones is currently available on Amazon as an ebook and paperback:

Amazon UK https://amzn.to/38HpZFK

Amazon US https://amzn.to/3rvtjwq

And you can follow him on social media:

Twitter – @TimHardieAuthor

Facebook – Tim.Hardie.Author.Public

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Subscribe to The InkWalker Collective playlists by searching in Spotify, or following the links to the playlists themselves here.