G J Ogden

'It may not seem so, considering I already have 45+ books in the bag, but I only began my publishing journey in late 2018'

G J Ogden is a sci-fi author who loves to write action-adventure space sci-fi stories with real heart, humor, and drama. He has published over 45 sci-fi books with a combined 13,500+ 5-star ratings, including several Amazon Best-Sellers, and is the winner of the Kindle Storyteller Award 2023.

Visit G J Ogdens site

Click here to check out Forsaken Commander, the winner of the Kindle Storyteller Award 2023!

Click here to check out Master General, Book 6 in The Aternien Wars Series! Out June 24

The Interview

What initially sparked your interest in writing, and how did you discover your passion for storytelling?

From as early as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to tell stories. Star Trek played a big part in this, as I mentioned elsewhere, but I fell in love with alien worlds and epic fantasy settings even before learning about the Starship Enterprise.

I was a kid during the early days of computer gaming (BBC Micro, ZX Spectrum and up) and RPG games really helped to drive my interest in storytelling, along with the wonderful “Fighting Fantasy” novels.

I was also a role-playing nerd and gamemaster (Paranoia and Role Master mainly), which is the perfect outlet for someone who loves to tell stories.

I tried to write my first novel in my early 20s, but I didn’t have the patience or discipline back then. I did eventually finish that book (and series) more than 15 years later. It’s called The Planetsider Trilogy, and it’s still popular today, having held No.1 slots in Dystopian and Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction on Amazon US, UK, Canada, and Australia. Age and experience have their benefits, I suppose!!

Can you describe your typical writing routine? Do you have any specific rituals or habits that help you get into the creative zone?

I’m extremely organized when it comes to planning and writing. I create detailed notes about the characters and the world they inhabit, and I always have a series arc in mind before I start. That means I have 5-6 books worth of story in my head before I begin.

When it comes to writing, I create a detailed outline first, using a three-act structure. And I mean detailed! I go chapter by chapter and the outline itself usually ends up being 15-20,000 words. I keep trying to trim this down, but never succeed.

The benefit of having a detailed outline is that I can write a chapter a day, every day, when I’m in writing mode. I sometimes take a day off writing (if something else is pressing – marketing work etc.) but generally, I don’t. That means I have a 1st draft done in four weeks. And because of the outline process, it’s usually pretty clean, because I’ve made sure to include all the important elements from the three-act structure.

It can be quite intense, especially at the start of a five or six book series, knowing how much work is ahead, but the routine is important for me.

How do you engage with your readership? Do you actively seek feedback, and if so, how does it influence your future writing?

I have a bunch of social channels but I’m terrible at posting content and updates. I’m just not a very ‘social media’ sort of person, in general. I have a newsletter, which I’ve curated over many years, and the membership of that is ~7,000 strong. That’s my main method of communicating with readers.

I do encourage feedback and I get a lot of comments, particularly on the adverts I run to promote my books. I engage with everything, even the snarky comments! However, I think it’s important to take these comments with a pinch of salt, and the same goes for reviews. I read the bad reviews and the good (thankfully, most are good!), in case there’s anything I can learn (common mistakes or peeves, for example), but ultimately, it’s my story and my decision. I write what I would want to read.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers who are just starting their journey or facing challenges in their creative pursuits?

It may not seem so, considering I already have 45+ books in the bag, but I only began my publishing journey in late 2018, so I’m still relatively new. I remember finishing my first novel and putting it out there to very little success. I read a bunch of “how to publish” books and marketed it in the best way I knew how back then, but the launch went off with a whimper rather than a bang (or even a fizzle).

I remember being really discouraged by that. All that work and effort and… nothing. I asked myself, what’s the point of carrying on? As a new writer watching their first book vanish into the quagmire that is Amazon, you’ll probably ask yourself the same thing.

My advice is to stick at it. Chalk it up to experience and keep writing and learning. Both are really important. Learn your craft, learn what sells and why (tropes, genres, covers), and learn how to market your books. A lot of authors don’t want to mess with that side of the business, and if that’s you, then go the traditional route instead and find a publisher. Indie publishing means being a writer and a marketer. It sucks, but to succeed you have to advertise, or be a social media genius. Since I’m not the latter, I have to do the former!

Over time, you’ll build a following. There’s an oft-quoted saying that “nothing sells your last book better than your next book” and I think that’s true. Keep writing good stories, make sure people know about them, and you’ll steadily climb the mountain.

Character Development: What unique challenges do you face when developing characters in a futuristic or otherworldly setting, and how do you ensure that they remain relatable to readers?

For me, good sci-fi is a good story first and foremost. I like to think you could take all of my books and put them in another setting and the stories and characters would still work.

Forsaken Commander, for example, would work in the age of sail, or modern times. It would only require adjustments to who the antagonists are and where they are. For example, they wouldn’t be post-human in the age of sail, but could be another minority group, and the setting could be remote islands instead of planets. The elements of story and character I think would remain the same, because they’re universal.

I create documents that include important elements like a character’s wants and needs, their conflicts (internal and external), how they change as a result of the story, what impact they have on people and the world, and so on. I flesh all this out in advance so I know who they are and how they would react in given situations.

I use a tool called Scrapple to create massive scrap books of character or worldbuilding notes, which then becomes my master reference. After a while, you get to know the characters and settings well enough that it becomes second nature, but just as I like to outline my books in detail, I find that the initial work of piecing the characters together is invaluable.

Inspirations and Influences: What specific works, authors, or real-world events have influenced your approach to writing science fiction, and how do you incorporate these influences into your own unique voice?

I would say that I’ve been most heavily influenced by Star Trek, in particular The Next Generation. I’ve watched pretty much everything from Farscape to Buck Rogers, but TNG sticks with me. I love the camaraderie of the crew, the moral quandaries they face, the impossible odds they always manage to conquer, and the dignity with which they conduct themselves. I think my stories and characters owe a lot to TNG, even if they’re generally darker, grittier and harder-hitting.

In literature, I read a lot of classic sci-fi, and while elements of these 50s, 60s, and 70s novels have aged badly (especially in how they treat women), the stories and characters have stood the test of time.

I love Alfred Bester, for example, and The Stars My Destination and The Demolished Man are books I can re-read over and over again. In terms of modern influences, I think John Scalzi is great. He has great style and humour.

As I write this, I’m currently reading the Silo series by Hugh Howey, after falling in love with the Apple TV show and… wow, wow, wow! What a set of books. Absolutely fantastic stuff. And Hugh Howey is an indie author too, which makes the series all the better in my eyes!

Storytelling Formats: Science fiction can be presented in various formats, from novels to short stories to episodic series. How does the chosen format influence your storytelling, and what advantages or challenges do you find in each?

I like structure and having a plan, so my writing is heavily influenced by the sort of episodic sci-fi shows I grew up watching, such as Star Trek, Babylon 5 and their ilk. I use a three-act structure and think of each book as a ‘season’ in a wider story arc. Each book / season tells its own story, but builds toward an over-arching conclusion.

This allows me to put the foundations in place for long-term storytelling, while ensuring that each book stands alone, and contains all the juicy story beats, tropes and hooks that readers expect and love. Moral Ambiguity: Science fiction often explores moral and ethical ambiguity.

How do you navigate the grey areas of morality in your stories, and do you believe it's important for science fiction to challenge conventional moral perspectives?

Navigating thorny moral and ethical considerations is a common element in all of my books, some more than others. The Omega Taskforce series and its follow up, Descendants of War, cover these aspects perhaps more than in my other series. It’s serious ‘needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few’ stuff.

I love the idea that achieving the best outcome sometimes requires making a truly terrible choice. And I love dark, conflicted characters, who struggle with their own humanity, but are at their core good people. Commander Dalton Reeves from Descendants of War is perhaps my darkest character in this regard. His moral compass points in the right direction, but his dark side and explosive temper can lead him to take extreme measures. You might not agree with what he does, but deep down, you’ll probably cheer him for doing it!

Do the ends justify the means? I let the reader decide!

Technology's Impact on Humanity: How do you explore the transformative effects of technology on humanity, both positive and negative, and what cautionary tales or optimistic visions do you present?

The Aternien Wars series was actually inspired by Elon Musk’s Neurolink chip, and questions of where human augmentation might eventually lead us. We’re just at the beginning of this ‘post-human’ age now, which is scary and exciting.

In this series, post-human experimentation leads to the creation of the god-like leader of the Aterniens, Marcus Aternus, who styles his empire on the myths of ancient Egypt.

I wanted to explore how an advanced, post-human branch of humanity might co-exist with the old-fashioned flesh-and-blood kind. It turns out not so well.

Prejudice and fear of change and technology are central themes throughout the series. In the books the Aterniens are considered perversions of nature and a threat to human purity. It’s because of this that they’re persecuted and exiled, eventually leading to two bloody wars.

The prejudice the Aterniens face is mirrored in the way the central character, Carter Rose, is regarded. As a post-human soldier created to combat the Aternien threat, he’s ironically treated with the same fear and intolerance as the enemy. He’s forsaken by the very people he fights to protect. Real history shows us that soldiers are often treated poorly by the governments who use them, and sometimes even by society, as was the case with those who fought in the Vietnam war, for example.

It’s not a very optimistic vision of the future, but as in all of my books, there are strong themes of hope and redemption, camaraderie and of the value of remaining principled even in the face of extreme adversity and intolerance.

For me, there’s nothing more cathartic that someone overcoming seemingly unconquerable odds to win the day!

Visit G. J. Ogdens site

Click here to check out Forsaken Commander, the winner of the Kindle Storyteller Award 2023!

Click here to check out Master General, Book 6 in The Aternien Wars Series! Out June 24!