Marcus Vance, Sci-Fi Novelist
Who are you, and what do you do?
My name is Marcus Vance. I write hard science fiction novels, mostly centered around near-future space exploration and artificial intelligence. My latest book is The Kuiper Protocol.
Walk us through your writing space and the tools you use. What kind of desk, computer, or notebook are you using right now, and what software or apps do you type into?
I work from a motorized sit-stand desk by Fully Jarvis in a spare bedroom. My primary machine is a 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro, which I plug into a 34-inch Dell curved ultrawide monitor.
Because I look at a screen all day, I am incredibly particular about my keyboard. Right now, I'm using a mechanical Keychron Q1 Pro with custom, quiet tactile switches so I don't drive my family crazy with clicky noises.
For software, I write exclusively in Scrivener. It’s the only app that lets me keep 500 pages of world-building notes, character timelines, and chapters in a single sidebar. When I'm brainstorming big plot points, I step away from the computer entirely and use an 11-inch iPad Air with an Apple Pencil in the Notability app.
Do you outline your entire story before you start typing, or do you just start writing and make it up as you go along?
I am a strict, obsessive outliner. Because my plots have a lot of moving technical pieces and science elements, I can’t just wing it. I spend about two months building a massive chapter-by-chapter blueprint before I write a single line of actual prose. By the time I start draft one, I know exactly how the book ends.
How is the "writing version" of you different from the person your friends and family see every day?
In real life, I’m pretty relaxed, extroverted, and love a good chat over a beer. The writing version of me is an absolute hermit. I put on heavy-duty noise-canceling headphones (Sony WH-1000XM5), turn off all my phone notifications, and get into a cold, hyper-focused state. My wife says I get a specific "stare" where I look right through people if I'm interrupted.
What do you do when you're completely stuck on a page and the words just aren't coming? Do you have a specific trick to reset?
I use the Pomodoro technique to break the block. I set a physical, mechanical kitchen timer on my desk for 25 minutes. I tell myself, "You don’t have to write anything good, you just have to type for 25 minutes." Usually, lowering the bar like that tricks my brain into getting past the wall. If that fails, I go outside and walk a mile without my phone.
If money and space were no object, what would your absolute dream writing environment look like?
My dream setup is a small, brutalist concrete cabin built into the side of a cliff overlooking the Pacific Northwest coast. Huge glass windows, absolute silence except for the ocean, a massive wood-burning stove, and a fiber-optic internet connection that I can switch off with a physical toggle wall switch.
