tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64160709208832977362024-03-13T20:30:21.637+00:00Sue Hyams' BlogAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018944465720933242noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6416070920883297736.post-80596894997128765402014-11-23T15:45:00.001+00:002014-11-23T16:31:05.095+00:00So long and thanks for all the fish...OK, so it's not goodbye exactly. Or at all, really. I'm having a change of direction. I have a lovely big pile of paper on my shelf that is my completed draft of the middle grade novel. But that's where it'll stay. Yes, I know I've been working on it for ages and yes, I know I was really excited by it. Perhaps I will be again one day. But it got to the stage where sitting down to work on it was becoming a chore, so I made the decision to leave it.<br />
<br />
I thought perhaps that I'd finished with writing. I thought perhaps that it was time to give it all up. I've given it a good few years, I've worked hard, I've learned a huge amount, but was I all written out? It seems the answer is no. So I'm not giving up, I'm changing direction. It's goodbye to writing for children, but it's hello to writing for grown up people.<br />
<br />
I have a sparkly new idea. I have a pin board full of new pictures. I have notes. I have a new Scrivener folder. I have the beginnings of a new story. Where all this will take me, I couldn't say. Hopefully somewhere shiny, new and exciting. But I've taken the first step on what could be a long and happy road and I'm delighted!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018944465720933242noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6416070920883297736.post-26997746054765473322014-09-18T08:15:00.000+01:002014-09-18T08:15:10.073+01:00My 500 Word Challenge<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
So I did an experiment, an exercise in
avoiding procrastination. I decided that for ten days I'd write 500 words a
day. It doesn't sound much but actually it can be a bit daunting, especially if
you have to fit your writing around family and paid jobs (three jobs in my
case). I always find that I'm OK once I've got going, it starting that can be
the problem. So how was it?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Day 1. I had a long train journey and
I took nothing else to do – not a book, not a newspaper, not a Kindle. I wrote
617 words of the WIP in longhand. A good start. Encouraged by this, I jotted
some ideas for a new story. Word count: 617 plus new story notes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Day 2. I did everything I could think
of not to write. I made a playlist of Kate Bush songs that matched the set list
of the show I went to the previous night. I spent a lot of time on Facebook. In
the end, knowing I would only be letting myself down if I didn't knuckle under,
I wrote 599 words. They were quite useful words as they showed a little gap in
the backstory that I need to think about. Word count: 599 plus back story
notes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Day 3. I had to force myself to write
but I did so before I started anything else. It was easier today. Perhaps I'm
getting used to it. Word count: 595 words to finish the chapter.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Day 4. Not much time today as I was
out all day and into the evening too. So I wrote 604 words outlining the rest
of the story. I am nearly at the end. Actually looked forward to the writing
today, and the miracle is that I wrote the words before I did anything else. So
I have now proved to myself that I can get up in the morning and go straight to
my writing. Word count: 604 word outline.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Day 5. Really didn't want to write
today but having done everything else I could have possibly done – apart from
housework, obviously – I wrote 560 words of chapter 20. Doing the outline
yesterday helped. I'm beginning to see that writing first thing is the best way
for me. Too bad I didn't go down that route this morning! Word count: 560 words
of a new chapter.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Day 6. OK, so much for writing first
thing. That's what I was going to do today. I had the best intentions, really I
did. But instead I faffed about on the internet, bought a very nice shirt, and
then it was time to go to work. But I did write later on. I have to admit that
I wasn't in the mood, but I wrote 557 words of the end of the story, which was
quite useful because it gave me an insight into a problem I'm having with the
current chapter. Word count: 557 words of the end.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Day 7. Wasn't really getting the
chapter I was working on so I avoided it. I didn't want to give up on the word
experiment though so I ended up writing the rest of the end. It feels quite odd
having written the final word, especially as I've not actually finished. Word
count: 580 of the end.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Day 8. The marvel that is a lovely
book! Sadly not the one that I'm writing but the one that I'm reading. So I
wrote nothing on my long train journey but instead read and read and read. (The
Whispering Skull by Jonathan Stroud, in case anyone's interested. Second book
in the marvellous Lockwood & Co series.) BUT I got home and wrote a section
of the current chapter, so all was not lost. Could a habit be forming? Word
count: 538 words of chapter 20.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Day 9. I had a very busy day so had no
writing time. But when it came to bedtime I just couldn't NOT do it. I made
lots of excuses to myself as to why it was OK to leave it today but it just
felt wrong. So I wrote a detailed outline for a new story. Word count: 509
words of a new story.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Day 10. Last day! Word count…nil. I
know. I let myself down on the very last day. In my defence. I was out all day
– London zoo for four hours! Then an exhibition at the V&A. Too exhausted
to do anything but sit in front of the TV with fish & chips. Still, I have
to admit to being disappointed. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Day 11. An additional day in lieu of
yesterday's non-starter, and actually it turned out rather well! Finished
chapter 20, and wrote chapter 21. I am one chapter away, I think, of finishing
this first draft. Who'd have thought it? Word count: a marvellous 2,311 words!<o:p></o:p></div>
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So was my experiment a success? I
think so. It got me writing. Whether it's created a permanent habit, I don't
know. I'll probably have to stick at it for more than ten days for that to
happen. But, I have got 7,470 words more than I may not have got without the
challenge. And I've also proved to myself that I don't need to be in the mood
to write, or in the right place; I can write at any time and anywhere! That's
probably the biggest success of all.<o:p></o:p></div>
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PS on Day 12 I completed my novel. I
wrote 3,588 words. 11,058 words in twelve days. The experiment worked after
all!<span style="text-indent: 0cm;"> </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018944465720933242noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6416070920883297736.post-44606851154376207652014-08-29T14:53:00.000+01:002014-08-29T14:53:35.214+01:00Kate Bush and the Power of WordsI went to see Kate Bush on Wednesday. It was an amazing experience that touched the audience in a way I have never seen before. Philippa Francis (writing as K.M. Lockwood) wrote a wonderful piece inspired by her visit to the show the night before. You can read it <a href="http://kmlockwood.com/in-the-light-of-day/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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I have seen many bands in my time. Hundreds, literally. It was my job at one point. I've become a little jaded. These days I would much rather go to the theatre than a concert. This was different. This was Kate Bush. Who knew she'd tour again? It was beautiful, extravagant, theatrical, of course. She was gorgeous, her voice pure and perfect. All these are things that have been said before and will be said again as more people go and more people write reviews.<br />
<br />
This isn't a review. This is my response to the experience. Because the thing that struck me most was not the voice, the staging, the choice of songs - though all were wonderful. It was the emotion, such sheer depth of emotion both expressed by Kate and her band, but also by us, the audience members collectively and singularly. When she walked on stage, and she did so in a very unassuming way, I felt quite overwhelmed. When she started singing I almost burst into tears. And I wondered why. David Bowie is my ultimate hero (I went to the V&A exhibition 3 times. I first saw him when I was 16. I love him, basically). But I've never felt like crying when I listen to his music or when I've seen him perform. So what does Kate do; what does she bring that is so different? Emotion.<br />
<br />
This a woman with incredible songwriting skills. The music is fantastic, but I think the emotion she portrays is through her lyrics. The power of her words hold the emotion. Cloudbusting makes me cry. I have no idea why. Perhaps it's because she so perfectly captures the depth of feeling between the boy and his father. Perhaps it's because I 'get' their relationship, I feel their love, their pain.<br />
<br />
I hid my yo-yo <br />In the garden<br />I can't hide you <br />From the government<br />Oh, God, Daddy<br />I won't forget<br /> <br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Written by Kate Bush / Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing</span> <br />
<br />
She writes with an honesty, a purity and a beauty that touches you, and lets you empathise with the character she sings about. Judging from the audience's reaction on Wednesday, she speaks to people of all ages, from all walks of life. We were all lifted by her songs. So is this something that only happens with music? Do you need to hear the lyrics with accompaniment to be so moved? No. It happens in film. It happens with books. With film you're given the same image as the person next to you. With music you're given more of a complete picture but it's open to interpretation. With books, the words must speak for themselves.<br />
<br />
David Almond is one of the most lyrical writers I've had the pleasure to read. I wept buckets at the end of Kit's Wilderness. Without giving away the (fantastic) ending, it's all about belief, hope, trust. Some writers can capture emotion through the eyes of their characters, some in the beautiful choice of words. The words the writer chooses have the power to reach out and both deliver you to a new world and to echo feelings inside you. A writer who can do that, either through the written word or through song, will truly tap into your emotions and create a bond that is long lasting. A bond Kate Bush has managed to keep with her live audience even after a 35 year absence.<br />
<br />
Right, now to find the tissues....Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018944465720933242noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6416070920883297736.post-14388103593416026882014-08-07T16:15:00.000+01:002014-08-07T16:15:23.024+01:00Ten Things That Are NOT Writing My Novel (but they're not far off)<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">1. Reading blogs.
This is fun. It's entertaining. It's informative. I can kid myself it's writing
related when I read about other people's processes, interesting facts from past
times, author interviews. It's not getting the words on the page of my novel
but perhaps it kicks me into at least opening Scrivener. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">2. Watching TV shows
on Amazon Instant. It's a shame really that I can't count this as writing. If I
put as much effort into writing my novel as I have with watching Arrow, then
I'd not only have finished and polished it, I'd have planned a sequel too. But
does it count a little bit? Can I say that following the plot and the arc of a
TV series helps with my own plotting?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">3. Reading fiction. Reading
informs our own writing in that it inspires (hopefully) and triggers little
lightning flashes of ideas, however remote and fuzzy. If we are to write, we
must read. In the past week I have read 2 ½ novels. Is my own novel any further
forward because of this reading? Not really, but I firmly put reading fiction
in the "part of the writing process" department. Fiction fills our
heads with worlds and from those worlds new ideas grow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">4. Reading
non-fiction. Of course this is counted towards writing. It's research! Even if
I'm writing a Victorian novel (which I am, by the way), reading a book about
alchemy or Egyptian Gods is part of the writing process. We all have an ideas
book, right? Well ALL non-fiction has the potential to spark a new story idea.
Anyway, I have a magpie mind and I like collecting facts that may or may not be
of use at some point.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">5. The Theatre. Oh,
how I love it! I've been to some fine plays recently – Another Country,
Birdland, The Crucible, Richard III. And (huzzah!) after 3 ½ hours in phone and
online queues, I got tickets for Hamlet next year with that Cumberbatch boy.
Again, not writing. Although it does give me an appreciation of the beauty of
words, so perhaps it's counted. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">6. Music. Listening
to it, not playing it – I have no talent in that department. Does singing along
to the Arctic Monkeys help with my writing? It would be a huge stretch of the
imagination to say that it did. Or would it? What about the rhythm of the
lyrics? Could they help in some way with the rhythm of the words in my story?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">7. Art galleries.
There are no words here. Well, not in the exhibitions I've been to recently. So
does art inform writing or is it just bunking off? Did my visit to the Royal
Academy summer exhibition spark any story ideas or did I just stand there
feeling somewhat confused? Both actually. Some of the pieces were beautiful. I
think that any image we're drawn to can enrich us and this will be carried
through to our writing. The confusion? How were some of those pieces even chosen?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">8. Buying stationery.
This is definitely counted as writing. You buy a new notebook therefore you
write something nice in it. And neatly too. If you buy lots of notebooks then
you must use them for lots of things – one for story ideas, one for character
traits, one for plotting. In fact, buying stationery is obligatory.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">9. Hanging out with
friends. If you hang out with writer friends, especially if you meet up to
write, then this is definitely counted. How can you sit at a table, opposite
someone who is writing with a fury and not do the same?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I've found that it is possible to go on
Facebook and Twitter while writing the occasional word, but if you have to
compare word counts at the end of the session, you soon realise the error of
your ways.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">10. Cooking. How can
cooking be related to writing? It's not. But by doing something so totally
unrelated, you can free up your mind, and sometimes that tricky plot problem
will resolve itself. OK, so it's not all that convenient to write down the
perfect sentence or plot outline while up to your elbows in flour, but I didn't
say it was easy!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018944465720933242noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6416070920883297736.post-90093218779610098512014-07-12T08:29:00.001+01:002014-07-12T08:29:29.024+01:00Back from the Past<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">I've been out of the
loop for almost three months. I've ignored my novel. I've been in the slums of
Southwark, and by the cholera infested Broad Street pump. I've been in
Kensington Palace, and to the Great Exhibition. I briefly visited the textile
factories of Nottingham, and the coal mines of South Wales. I've marched with
the Temperance Society, and marveled at Champagne Charlie's antics on the stage
at Wilton's Music Hall. In short, I've been in Victorian Britain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">I've just finished an
online course on Victorian history. I love research, and the course was
excellent, but oh how much I love going back to my story. I was worried that
our mutual absence would mean that my story and I would have grown apart, but
that's not the case at all. In fact, the course has both inspired and informed
my story and it is growing into a far better, leap-off –the-page thing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">And now I know it's true. Absence really does make the heart grow
fonder!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL5rL8Esjwu-NCenMvg0lG1HGirdtc_QHRSiai2xMZWYdgXmI210GxB4Rh4YPjIOVV1PLhf7uUGzT_92jt_1POZW9RuyqK3CTpKhZc1O2T2xzceSi7K2AR5zWm0-Oh9J_8NBAy-EqQZUlP/s1600/Handler.ashx.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL5rL8Esjwu-NCenMvg0lG1HGirdtc_QHRSiai2xMZWYdgXmI210GxB4Rh4YPjIOVV1PLhf7uUGzT_92jt_1POZW9RuyqK3CTpKhZc1O2T2xzceSi7K2AR5zWm0-Oh9J_8NBAy-EqQZUlP/s1600/Handler.ashx.jpeg" height="320" width="246" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is the course: <a href="http://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/V321-26" target="_blank">University of Oxford, Investigating Victorians</a></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018944465720933242noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6416070920883297736.post-5566302817385893582014-05-05T08:11:00.001+01:002014-05-05T08:11:32.594+01:005 Truths We Must Face Up To When Writing A Novel<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">1. The story doesn't
write itself. It just doesn't. Wouldn't it be handy though? We could carry on
sending those all important tweets and making those witty Facebook posts while
the Story Fairies work away on those tedious drafts on our behalf.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">2. Social Media is
very nice but it isn't actually writing. Sorry. I mean they're words, there's
no denying it, but does it get the novel finished? No. The words just don't
count. In fact, sometimes they should be minus words. You should really deduct
them from your writing word count because they are words that could have been
in your novel had you been writing that instead.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">3. Ideas don't just
pop into your head one at a time, fully formed, ready to go. But this could be
another job for the story fairies. You could have one fairy per idea. You just
give them a hint of the story, the what if, the story spark, and away they'd
go. They could research, they could order, they could plan, they could ditch
the rubbish ideas and polish the gems. Sadly, story fairies aren't real. At
least I've never seen any. So you'll have to sort your own ideas, you'll have
to decide which ones to work on, and keep the others for later.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">4. Sometimes you pick
the wrong story. Yup. Gutting, but it does happen. You can get all keen, all
excited; this story is the one! You research, you plot, you make character
charts, you write, you write some more, you get a bit stuck…you realise it's
going nowhere. This is not a good thing but what can you do? Learn from it.
Every word written is an experience. Every word written is exercising your
writing brain. Practice makes perfect, right? So you may have had a rubbish story,
but, odds are, it's helped you to be a better writer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
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<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">5. You can write the
best story in the world but unless you put down the editing pencil and actually
send it out, no one will know. Really. Just send it out. Do it! There comes a
point when you just cannot make any more revisions. In fact, to change another
single word will set your story on the road to ruin. Leave it. Send it out. And
work on something new.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018944465720933242noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6416070920883297736.post-63929023287983723162014-04-14T08:06:00.001+01:002014-04-14T23:06:53.243+01:00Writing Process Blog Tour - Write, Pace, Edit<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">I was delighted to be
approached<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to take part in this writing
process tour by <b>Nicky Schmidt</b>; she of the always interesting blog, <b>Absolute
Vanilla</b>. My friendship with Nicky is more virtual than face to face. In fact, we've
only met once at a British Isles <a href="http://britishisles.scbwi.org/" target="_blank">SCBWI</a> conference. We do, however, share a mutual love of wolves,
chocolate, and, above all, stories. Do read <a href="http://absolutevanilla.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/the-writing-process-blog-tour-gut-bugs.html" target="_blank">Nicky's blog tour post</a>. It is, as
ever, fascinating. Thank you, Wolfy One, for passing the baton!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>What am I working on?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Oh, I love it so much!
It's a middle grade thriller set in Victorian London. It's got gangs, it's got
bodies, it's got grit and grime, it's got twins. It's set in the docks –
Rotherhithe and Wapping – and I've pounded the streets, making notes, taking
photos, trying to take myself back in time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US"><b>How does my work differ from others in its genre? </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">What a question! Is
anything ever startlingly original? Does anything really differ? If so, how
does it fit its genre? But all that aside, I'd have to say my work differs
because of its sense of place. I tend to write about London. I live in London.
I love research! I hope that what I've done in this novel is that through all
my research and street pounding, I've made the Victorian London docks seem real
to the reader, to evoke a real sense of place. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Why do I write what I
do?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">I've said in previous
blog posts, that I'm not really a 'what if' writer. I tend to get a grain of an
idea from places. In the case of my current novel, it came about through a
visit to a Victorian mortuary in Rotherhithe. I write thrillers because that's
what I love to read. And I write for children because it's such an exciting
field, full of wonder and possibilities. There's nothing better than watching a
child becoming engrossed in a story, being inside its world, and I want to write a book
that does that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>How does my writing
process work?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">In a nutshell – idea,
research, plot, write, pace, write, pace, write, pause, edit. I come up with
the idea, get all excited, then I do some research – about the place, about the
people, the history. I never write without knowing where I'm going, so I write
a loose plot. This always changes along the way, but I like to know roughly
what happens before I sit down to write. I'll write a character list, do some
character studies, and I'll outline the first few chapters in more detail. Then
I begin. The opening chapter never ends up being the actual opening chapter. I
know this as I begin. It's fine. What this original opening does is set the
scene in my head and, more importantly, starts building the voice. I find I only
get the voice by chapter three or four, and I only ever get the voice by actually sitting down and writing it. So I write, and I pace. I don't know why, but I just can't sit
still when I'm writing. I have to get up, walk around for a few minutes. Then
I'm good to go again. I do this until I have a full first draft, stopping every
now and then to plan out the next set of chapters. I don't edit along the way.
I'm of the 'quantity not quality' opinion first time round. The pause between
writing is never that long. I can't help it. I try writing something else. I
try writing nothing. But I need to go back fairly quickly. I write using
Scrivener and keep folders of bits to add, ideas, and changes. They help hugely
with the edit. Which is basically the same process as above but with 'quality not
quantity' fixed in my brain!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">So that's me. I'm
handing over to the splendidly excellent <b>Liz de Jager</b>. Her post will be really
interesting because she writes like a demon. If anyone knows how to get the
words on the page, it's Liz. Look for her post on 21<sup>st</sup> April.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.lizdejager.co.uk/">http://www.lizdejager.co.uk</a> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihVrokHZliDrPk2t7KH5uYdw7qLgQq8gmm8zftd2RWrf0VjWoDN3TON6z8Z2jfeJf0L96aRuiR8P8gvXzpQ9Ddr1Q711_1pLInAn4_Ee0JbiadANWolG_yrcCQcISD0gwK5oTdKGYISZrV/s1600/Liz-de-Jager_avatar_1393005506-256x256.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihVrokHZliDrPk2t7KH5uYdw7qLgQq8gmm8zftd2RWrf0VjWoDN3TON6z8Z2jfeJf0L96aRuiR8P8gvXzpQ9Ddr1Q711_1pLInAn4_Ee0JbiadANWolG_yrcCQcISD0gwK5oTdKGYISZrV/s1600/Liz-de-Jager_avatar_1393005506-256x256.jpeg" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">While writing her
debut novel, Liz de Jager fostered her love of YA and genre fiction by
developing the popular My Favourite Books review blog. This ran for seven years
and enabled her to gain insights into the publishing industry. She grew up in
South Africa and now lives and works in the UK with her husband Mark. Banished
(Tor Books) is Liz’s debut novel and you can also find her on twitter as
@LizUK.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US">And a late entry to the er...race. OK, to the blog tour, is <b>Mark Jones</b>. Mark always has an unusual view of the world and I'm sure his post will be both enlightening and vastly entertaining.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimKLAAm1JLKioTJYjy3fcWMkEgMPZcoT9rJog-SLjfDz5fshcHQQBXxoPXKDq6kNQKYcZNToDVwpamlXu4KEaboovYoxFwBPpkM91skKksIREt06HZkEBhXe1r9Y4H26KCfUZH8-TuE1PJ/s1600/markShrub.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimKLAAm1JLKioTJYjy3fcWMkEgMPZcoT9rJog-SLjfDz5fshcHQQBXxoPXKDq6kNQKYcZNToDVwpamlXu4KEaboovYoxFwBPpkM91skKksIREt06HZkEBhXe1r9Y4H26KCfUZH8-TuE1PJ/s1600/markShrub.png" height="320" width="290" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
<span style="text-indent: 0cm;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-indent: 0cm;">Mark is a small shrub
at the bottom of your garden. Due to an ‘accidental’ dumping of toxic waste he
became sentient and started doing the only thing a shrub with no legs could do
to stay sane, write books. You’ll often find him struggling to survive amongst
those nettles you really should pull up, one leaf wrapped around an old biro,
scribbling over a sheaf of dock leaves. Dig him up before he attaches
himself to the cat.</span><br />
<span style="text-indent: 0cm;"><a href="http://writing.thebookmonkeys.co.uk/" target="_blank">http://writing.thebookmonkeys.co.uk</a></span><br />
<br />
<!--EndFragment--></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018944465720933242noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6416070920883297736.post-69229061928860932832014-03-25T14:23:00.003+00:002014-03-25T14:23:34.045+00:00The Trauma of the TitleTitles. How hard can it be? I'll tell you how hard. Absolutely, totally impossible, that's how hard! Yet somehow a novel never seems right, never seems real as you're writing it unless you have the right title. My current novel is certainly no exception. Yet I've written novels with excellent titles. And I've had excellent titles but no novels to go with them.<br />
<br />
Some authors have the most wonderful titles, and I am green with envy.<br />
<br />
<i>The Treachery of Beautiful Things</i> <a href="http://www.rflong.com/" target="_blank">(Ruth Frances Long)</a>. How gorgeous is that? The book's good too.<br />
<br />
<i>The Feral Child</i> <a href="http://chegolden.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">(Che Golden)</a>. Great title. Great story. Hmm. Could there be a connection here?<br />
<br />
<i>My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish</i> <a href="http://www.moohara.co.uk/" target="_blank">(Mo O'Hara)</a>. I know. Perfect, eh?<br />
<br />
But then you have titles that are not so great.<br />
<br />
<i>Lord of the Rings</i>? Meh!<br />
<br />
<i>The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe</i>. Good. <i>The Voyage of the Dawn Treader</i>? Bit nothingy. (But my favourite ever book, actually.)<br />
<br />
So I battle on with my own titles. <i>Mudlarks</i> - ditched that. It didn't even have much to do with the story. <i>Becoming Patience Baker</i>. Really? What was I thinking of?! <i>Bird Wars</i>. Luckily I only stuck with that one for the briefest of moments. I've made lots of scribbled notes. Words that have something to do with the plot. <i>Disappeared</i>? Bit rubbish. Sometimes I come up with a nice title, only for someone to have got there first. And done really well with it. Ah well. The search continues.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018944465720933242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6416070920883297736.post-42515200678948747462014-03-04T18:26:00.000+00:002014-03-04T18:26:00.505+00:00Story Starters<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">I was lucky enough to
go to the launch of <a href="http://www.lizdejager.co.uk/" target="_blank">Liz de Jager's</a> fantastic new book Banished last week. The
dedication to her husband Mark says "thank you for asking <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">what if</i>". I've never been much of a
"what if-er", so this got me thinking. How do my stories start?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">My current story, a
Victorian middle grade thriller set in London's docklands, started with a visit
to an old mortuary. Sadly – or perhaps thankfully – it's no longer a mortuary,
but a very knowledgeable guide took us round, gleefully telling us where the
bodies were hung so as to drip dry, and other such didn't-really-want-to-know
details that brought the old place to life. I could really picture the
bodies all lined up ready for collection, the viewing hatch where grieving
relatives stood to identify their dearly departed, and I saw the still-there
beam where the body hooks went. Incidentally, the floor is sloping in that
room, for obvious, if grim, reasons. So I had the setting, but what sparked the
story? A throw away comment from the guide who told us that people were given a
crown on the south side of the river if they brought river bodies into the
mortuary, but half a crown on the north. I wondered what sort of person would
do this? And what about those people who found bodies on the north bank
of the Thames? Yes, they did bring them over to the south, apparently.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The last novel I
wrote – The Apothecary's Apprentice – started with Whitehall Palace and Charles
II. I love Restoration London. What must it have been like to go from distant
Charles I, to Puritan Oliver Cromwell, and then to the flamboyant Charles II?
And how could the most terrible slums be just a thirty minute walk from the
Palace itself; a fifteen minute walk from the posh Strand houses? So, again, I
had the setting. The characters? I started with Apothecarys' Hall, which, like
the mortuary, I visited during London <a href="http://www.londonopenhouse.org/" target="_blank">Open House</a> weekend. And there I found
them. The young, newly qualified apothecary and Lizzie – the only female
apothecary's apprentice in London. I loved this story. It got me an honorary
mention in Undiscovered Voices. But it wasn't to be. Good setting though.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">No what ifs yet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The novel before
that? A fantasy that I long to go back to. It's still there, all lovely and
pretty, but it was never <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">right</i>. And
how did I get the idea? Walking through the woods at <a href="http://www.holkham.co.uk/index.html" target="_blank">Holkham</a> in Norfolk.
Setting again. I imagined my character, Faith, walking out of the woods, almost
feral, almost fae, into a normal village. I set the story in 1605, and there
were plots (involving gunpowder of course), there were faeries (big Pagan
ones), and there were a lot of words that didn't quite fit. But no what ifs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I often wonder
whether I should try a what if or two. But would it work? Is it me? Can I even
think of any? Maybe, for me, the what ifs come later. After the first draft.
Maybe I can use them to refine and define my story; to create the pitch, find
the heart. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">How many other
writers out there are what if-ers and how many, like me, start with the sense
of place?</span><span style="text-indent: 0cm;"> </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018944465720933242noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6416070920883297736.post-19264296140232934082014-02-13T17:29:00.000+00:002014-02-13T17:29:42.188+00:00Getting Back on Track<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">There have been some
very inspiring blog posts recently. <a href="http://mrsbung.wordpress.com/2014/02/04/eight-ways-to-tricks-yourself-into-writing/" target="_blank">Kathy Evans</a> talks about ways to trick
yourself into writing, <a href="http://edgeauthors.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/procrastination-station-by-bryony-pearce.html" target="_blank">Bryony Pearce</a> talks about getting over procrastination,
<a href="http://julieaday.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/writing-goals-for-2014-update.html" target="_blank">Julie Day </a>updates us on her writing goals. All of this made me realise that I'd
gone off the boil.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I started 2014 quite
well really. I already had a first draft of my novel but after some excellent
and timely feedback, I knew I had a lot of work to do. So in January I wrote a
new backstory, I beefed up the story line, I plotted new character
trajectories. I wrote three chapters. Too bad about February! I seem to have
stalled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">My plan – and it was
a good one – was to have a good draft of my novel by May because (hurrah!) I'm
going on the lovely <a href="http://bookboundretreat.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Book Bound</a> retreat. It would be a miracle if I managed to
run with the plan though. So, inspired by the splendid blog posts, I am coming
up with a New Plan!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">First of all, I am
publicly stating my intentions right here! OK, so I can delete this post if it
all goes pear-shaped, but hopefully someone will have read it and will hold me
to account.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I will carve out
chunks of time for writing, which will be out of the house and therefore more
likely to be productive.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">I will have a Kathy
Evans style deadline – 25,000 words by 5<sup>th</sup> May 2014.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">I will report on my
progress in public. And I will be honest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">I know it won't be
easy. Trying to balance my time is hard enough at the moment – work, writing,
family, health stuff – but I know it can be done. After all, I don't really
need to watch Tom Hiddleston/Coliolanus trailers over and over again. And then
search Google for more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">So watch this space.
And, hopefully, watch that word count rise! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Here's Tom.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/1d30XZhnRWs?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018944465720933242noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6416070920883297736.post-54184249563441434352014-01-21T12:30:00.000+00:002014-01-21T12:30:08.583+00:00An External Eye or I'd Like to Thank...<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">I know my story
inside and out. Every writer does, don't they? Getting the 'inside' out onto
the page, however, don't always happen. Not straight away. It's so easy to read
between the lines, to see what isn't actually there because the picture of the
story in your head is so vivid. What's needed is an external eye, a critique
partner, an impartial other. All well and good, all very helpful, all very
necessary, but the timing has to be right.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">If you let someone
see your story too soon, before it's ready, they will not share your vision.
Their feedback can dilute your idea, send you down the wrong path, because your
story is still too fragile. Even if you stick to your original vision, you run
the risk of becoming downhearted and doubtful. So wait. Hang on. Don't show
anyone anything until it's clear in your head, until the inside is out. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Then go for it. In
fact, it's your duty to ask for feedback. Your story needs it! You think your
character's motivation is crystal clear? Think again. YOU know why she does
what she does, but does your reader? Are you sure? You think your description
is spot on, but have you overdone it? Is it in your voice or that of your
protagonist? (Thank you, <a href="http://www.miriamhalahmy.com/" target="_blank">Miriam Halahmy</a> for that one!) Is your plot as tight as
it could be? Have you tied up all those loose ends? Does is even make sense? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">I truly believe that
a writer can only go so far on their own. You can edit, revise, re-write to
your heart's content, but there will always be something you've missed. Find a good
Beta Reader; someone you trust, someone who reads and reads, even if they don't
write, and beg them to critique your work. You'll be amazed at the obvious
things they find, tiny things that will make a huge difference, things that you
should have noticed but didn't. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">So thank you to
everyone who has pointed out plot flaws and inconsistencies, stilted dialogue, wooden
characters. My story is, and will be, a much better thing for all your advice.
Critiquers of the World – I salute you!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018944465720933242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6416070920883297736.post-49550433797570368112014-01-02T02:58:00.001+00:002014-01-02T02:58:52.047+00:00Bring On The New!<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Well 2013 wasn't a
great year. It was, really, the year of endings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: none; tab-stops: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">Death was a frequent visitor – my mother, cousin, uncle, as well as
my sister's beautiful horse, excellent hen, her husband's aunt, and my niece's
very favourite teacher who was killed in a car crash aged just 23. My own
health wasn't too handy but, thankfully, is now much better. Overall, I have
never looked forward to a new year as much as I have this one. It's easy to be
despondent but, in the words of Nelson Mandela (another 2013 loss, not just to
me this time, but to the world), <i>part of being optimistic is keeping one’s
head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward. </i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">And this is what I intend to do. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: none; tab-stops: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: none; tab-stops: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">So this
year I will:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: none; tab-stops: 36.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: 36.0pt; text-indent: 0cm;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Remember the importance of family
and friends. I couldn't and wouldn't be without them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: 36.0pt; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: 36.0pt; text-indent: 0cm;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Keep following the sun, always
look on the bright side. I'm quite good at this, but sometimes the load is so
big that it's difficult.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: 36.0pt; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: 36.0pt; text-indent: 0cm;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Know that while all things come to an end, there are always new beginnings.</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: 36.0pt; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: 36.0pt; text-indent: 0cm;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Keep writing. Writing can be a solace, but it's also something that
takes you somewhere that's preferable to here, just for a while.</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: 36.0pt; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: 36.0pt; text-indent: 0cm;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Listen to my body. While I long since gave up dairy and sugar, you
cannot heal on a diet of wine and chips. This is a shame but it is true.</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: 36.0pt; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: 36.0pt; text-indent: 0cm;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Read. Read, read, read, read, read. My, how I love books.</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: 36.0pt; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: 36.0pt; text-indent: 0cm;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Be inspired. Reading other people's stories, both fiction and
non-fiction, lifts me up and makes me think I can do whatever I want to do.</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: 36.0pt; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: 36.0pt; text-indent: 0cm;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><i>Do </i>those things, whatever they may be. It's all very well having good
intentions, but pointless if that is the way I leave it.</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: 36.0pt; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: 36.0pt; text-indent: 0cm;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">As well as those things I feel inspired to do, I will also do NEW
things. And they will be exciting, too.</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: 36.0pt; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: 36.0pt; text-indent: 0cm;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">All this sounds far too earnest, so there must be foolishness: I will
continue to be fan-girly about Tom Hiddleston, Cillian Murphy, and the Arctic
Monkeys, among others; I will go to the theatre ALL the time; I will dance
(very important); I will cook experimental recipes (I love cooking!); I will
watch things like Marvel's Agents of Shield on TV.</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: none; tab-stops: 36.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: none; tab-stops: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">So this will be my 2014. I
intend to do all of this, and more. But most of all, I will be grateful, every
second of every day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: none; tab-stops: 36.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: none; tab-stops: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">Happy New Year!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018944465720933242noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6416070920883297736.post-60257638251359321712013-12-13T08:43:00.002+00:002013-12-13T08:43:30.910+00:00Starting Over, or ten reasons why I'm ditching everythingSo, I wrote a novel. It was OK. I thought it was quite good. And perhaps it was. But it wasn't Good Enough. I despaired, I ranted, I sulked. I threw not only the baby out with the bathwater, but all the words too. Then I picked them up. And picked myself up. And I had some lovely, kind, helpful, insightful feedback. I'm starting over. From scratch. Anew. Without looking at any of those soggy, bathwater words. And this is why I'm pleased about it.<br />
<br />
1. Not good enough can always become better.<br />
<br />
2. No words are wasted. Even those you throw away have helped to shape your world, your characters, your plot.<br />
<br />
3. If you can't let go of your story, then it's yet to be written. It's just not the right shape yet.<br />
<br />
4. Re-writing is scarier than re-drafting but it's fresh, exciting and, sometimes, the only way forward.<br />
<br />
5. The thrill of finding the right story cannot be beaten.<br />
<br />
6. I love this story. It's my story. Even if no one else ever reads it, I must write it. And I need it to be good.<br />
<br />
7. This character in my head will not let me go until she is done. She's had a tough time. She wants to tell me all about it. How can I not let her do that?<br />
<br />
8. As new ideas flood my mind, I am carried into my character's world. Who needs cinema? This is much better!<br />
<br />
9. If I don't carry on writing, people (thank you fellow <a href="http://britishisles.scbwi.org/" target="_blank">SCBWI</a>ers) will nag me.<br />
<br />
10. We all know about Ernest Hemingway's first drafts. Why should I be any different?<br />
<br />
So it's onwards and upwards, but most of all, inwards!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018944465720933242noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6416070920883297736.post-70957272235261559012013-10-27T06:27:00.001+00:002013-10-27T06:27:52.968+00:00Setting or Characters – Which Comes First?
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<span lang="EN-US">For me, story always
begins with setting. It’s rarely a person, it’s rarely a ‘what if’, it’s
usually a strong sense of place. It can be a place I’ve read about, it can be a
place I’ve imagined, but, best of all, it can be a place I’ve visited. And it’s
not usually in the present day. No, I don’t time travel, although that would be
so useful, but instead, buildings and settings hold onto their history, their
stories, and if you’re quiet and careful, you can hear them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">As a child I remember
going to the Tower of London for the first time and really being able to
imagine what life was like in the White Tower. The walls seemed to be alive
with the memories of the people who’d lived there. I went back there recently and
still got that feeling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I’m lucky to live in
London – lucky for the stories I write – in that there are so many buildings,
streets, alleys that are just as they were when they were built. And if that’s
not enough, we have fantastic museums that recreate whole worlds for you. <a href="http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/london-wall/" target="_blank">TheMuseum of London</a> has the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, as well as a whole gallery
of Victorian shops. You can see a cell from Newgate Gaol too. Their Docklands
museum has a wonderful model of the original London Bridge, as well as Sailor
Town, a reconstruction of Victorian Wapping. You’re instantly transported to
the heart of your story, and if you wait there long enough, your characters
will come to you.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">The Museum of London has a wonderful app based on <a href="http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/Resources/app/Dickens_webpage/index.html" target="_blank">Dickens' London</a> - a series of interactive graphic novels. The first episode is free and is well worth a look.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">My current novel was
inspired by a visit to a Victorian mortuary in Rotherhithe. The building is now
used by the local community so there is very little of the mortuary to be seen.
I was quite taken, though, with the steel beam in the post mortem room from
which they would hang bodies from the river to drip dry! But as I listened to
the guide telling us how the building had been used, I could re-create that
original mortuary, and its people, as I walked from room to room. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">So, my world comes
first and then, as it gets richer and richer, the characters start to come.
Sometimes they just drift by, sometimes they flood in, but if I let my setting
become real, they will definitely come and live in it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018944465720933242noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6416070920883297736.post-43383421632126447202013-10-17T18:25:00.000+01:002013-10-17T22:12:13.134+01:00Music and Writing<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span lang="EN-US">Words are words,
right? Fiction or song – both tell a story, both paint a picture. I guess
different songs resonate with different people, but we all have songs that fill
our minds with image and atmosphere. I remember listening (all those years ago)
to David Bowie’s Diamond Dogs album for the first time. I found Future Legend
quite frightening. It immediately conjured up a dystopian world of death,
destruction, and decay. Even now, it makes me think of dark alleys, fractured
neon signs, hopelessness and depravity. Bowie created a fascinating world, and
it’s one I keep meaning to tap into. It would make a great setting for a novel.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">The BBC used Nick
Cave’s utterly brilliant Red Right Hand in Peaky Blinders (I know, here I go
again!). Although it’s a modern song in a (an?) historical setting, it works.
In fact, they couldn’t have chosen anything more perfect. It chills you to the
bone, and you immediately know what sort of world you’re entering. And it’s no
fairy tale. Here’s the excellently splendid video. As an aside, I used to work
at the record label and remember Nick Cave in his druggy days, staggering about
the office. He’s turned out rather well!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/RrxePKps87k?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="text-indent: 0cm;">As I’m writing gangy
stuff, I’m also listening to the soundtrack to Rocknrolla. It’s great because
it has little spoken clips from the film. Yes, they’re modern day gangsters
but, hey, a villain is a villain, so it all helps.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Nine Inch Nails are
also good to listen to. Another band I used to work on, and the reason I
decided I’d had enough of the music industry – but that’s another story.
Whether you like their music or not (and I love them), it’s hugely atmospheric.
It’s good for writing angry scenes, although Hurt is quite poignant. In fact,
Johnny Cash released a version of it after, I believe, the death of his wife.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Ramin Djawadi’s stuff
is good for battle scenes. The splendidly clever <a href="http://www.lizdejager.co.uk/" target="_blank">Liz de Jager</a> recommended his
soundtracks to me. I know she listens to them while writing and boy does she
write a good battle!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">And smuggling. I’ve
always wanted to write a smuggling story. Fingals’s Cave is perfect, as is
Peter Grimes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">You can use music as
background to create the right atmosphere. You can use music to create images
that can turn into stories. You can use music to get you in the right frame of
mind, to stir your emotions. And if writing becomes a chore, you can put some
music on and dance. Or is that just me? Sugababes anyone?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018944465720933242noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6416070920883297736.post-28204548624393261242013-10-12T06:53:00.001+01:002013-10-12T06:53:57.847+01:00What I've Learned from Cillian Murphy
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<span lang="EN-US">Ok, not so much
Cillian Murphy himself, more his character in Peaky Blinders, Thomas Shelby.
Tommy is the leader of the gang – Birmingham, post WW1 – named because of the
razor blades sewn into their peaked caps. The gang’s name says why. Grim. And
they were a real gang. Didn’t have Cillian Murphy in though.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">But back to him.
Tommy leads the gang. He’s clever, he’s focused, he’s dangerous, he’s vicious,
he’s not a very nice guy. So you could easily cast him as your bad guy. After
all he does bad things. I mean, he just has to walk down the street and people
run into their houses and hide! BUT he’s flawed (what would now be diagnosed as
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and that is what makes him 3D, real,
believable. That’s why you see past the violence, the coldness, the terror.
That’s why you like him. You can understand him, see where the bloodiness comes
from. And, oh is he bloody! He can bash
a man over the head in a vicious, frenzied attack, yet we feel sorry for him not
horrified, because we can understand why he lost control in the first place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">All this gave me
something of an epiphany as I work on my gangy novel. The story is about rival
gangs. One is fairly benevolent, the other most definitely is not. But as I
watch Cillian Murphy ride that horse along the streets of Birmingham (whilst
wiping the drool from my face), I see how easy it is for lines to be crossed.
It only takes the tiniest thing to turn a good person bad, and vice versa. And
that’s what I need in my story. To make my characters real, to make my gangs
convincing, to give the story depth and drama, I need to exploit not just the
character’s strengths, but their weaknesses too. And that goes for the
individuals as well as the gang ethos. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">So it’s back to the
notebooks (hurrah – chance to buy new ones). I am hugely excited by this, and I
know my story is going to be so much better as a result of it. I knew watching Peaky
Blinders was going to be useful!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018944465720933242noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6416070920883297736.post-9689387998436068242013-10-03T06:48:00.001+01:002013-10-03T06:48:45.687+01:00Infidelity - the Stationery Years<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Everyone knows I’m a
<a href="http://www.moleskine.com/gb/" target="_blank">Moleskine</a> addict. I have shelves of little black pocket ruled notebooks, I have
pretty coloured Volant notebooks, I have Star Wars notebooks, I have Hobbitses,
I have…oh so many. I even, blushes deeply, have a shelf of limited edition
pocket notebooks that I will never, ever unwrap, let alone write in. In short,
I love Moleskine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxTtc8bJJUyobZtyFmnyp5AyguGRCeBfVrP3IPMPK86sX5siwO-DJElNBX6lAgxeexoCcUv5wrZ96d1sckuDF0JXyUDveERsjR-DVw9SUmHKO9uz1hyn0bDAwWRtMx2l9_W6KTjFpOLgR-/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxTtc8bJJUyobZtyFmnyp5AyguGRCeBfVrP3IPMPK86sX5siwO-DJElNBX6lAgxeexoCcUv5wrZ96d1sckuDF0JXyUDveERsjR-DVw9SUmHKO9uz1hyn0bDAwWRtMx2l9_W6KTjFpOLgR-/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="text-indent: 0cm;">But, I have been
unfaithful and it looks like I will continue this affair. I have discovered
</span><a href="http://fieldnotesbrand.com/" style="text-indent: 0cm;" target="_blank">Field Notes</a><span style="text-indent: 0cm;">! They are rather nice. They’re thin, flimsy little things to be
sure, but, oh my, they have themes and pictures of stars and even proper buff
ones that you can only write proper, serious stuff in. And, faints all over the
place, they’ve just introduced beer notebooks. Yes, BEER! With beer coasters
and everything. Now you can’t tell me that’s not useful! And I’ve now
discovered special elastic bands for your notebooks, so you can keep them all
together nicely – they come in packs of three.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxRlNXm0Jeu8ykOQvddscw56GkdmHhCl17Aq225EBb_PfXVTeasgN3Au3dgVJllPAEnTgKSAznvsPAz5CHo3MlSTgoUxllHtnRDtoGxDYDyLyijoL_WVvjyg9W5f1pJf-xrCgheJ1z2IBZ/s1600/Drinklocal_3packs_sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxRlNXm0Jeu8ykOQvddscw56GkdmHhCl17Aq225EBb_PfXVTeasgN3Au3dgVJllPAEnTgKSAznvsPAz5CHo3MlSTgoUxllHtnRDtoGxDYDyLyijoL_WVvjyg9W5f1pJf-xrCgheJ1z2IBZ/s320/Drinklocal_3packs_sm.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7HaNasRdYxcldXoQzM78X4kFmiLtcEfAgYFFbYxPh_0pEzTRDgzhbKPaP0rtoX_ng__KeGa_v_FqhsDbe7dqv2YLEmKXkw06FpRDc_0slyfSfbn2zBIY7p9kvbxLOJx1W2Nm8kU7Cbug0/s1600/fn-shop-bands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7HaNasRdYxcldXoQzM78X4kFmiLtcEfAgYFFbYxPh_0pEzTRDgzhbKPaP0rtoX_ng__KeGa_v_FqhsDbe7dqv2YLEmKXkw06FpRDc_0slyfSfbn2zBIY7p9kvbxLOJx1W2Nm8kU7Cbug0/s320/fn-shop-bands.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">So, hurrah for Moleskine and hurrah for Field Notes, but also, it’s
hurrah for <a href="http://www.katynjune.co.uk/" target="_blank">Katy & June</a>! These are more for diary stuff, and to do list
stuff than writing but boy are they useful! I’m toying with the idea of <a href="http://www.katynjune.co.uk/Monthly-Journal.html" target="_blank">this splendid diary</a> that I know will make all the difference to my project planning!
How could I not buy it?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBAaAqRMztDxApxb89y32uC_aZQjll4tSbQFm3xpp33uvsfkZxJ5RGy3r15NgirwoGMm4Y9jHOMI_8_uukDuDzSzAGKdQ7L7RCgBsQY_79Qd-JkfcrwTAacV-ivgFuP7HcD3Ks_6p2HqWN/s1600/file_174_30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBAaAqRMztDxApxb89y32uC_aZQjll4tSbQFm3xpp33uvsfkZxJ5RGy3r15NgirwoGMm4Y9jHOMI_8_uukDuDzSzAGKdQ7L7RCgBsQY_79Qd-JkfcrwTAacV-ivgFuP7HcD3Ks_6p2HqWN/s320/file_174_30.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Infidelity. Is it
such a bad thing, after all?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018944465720933242noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6416070920883297736.post-43408056231552776322013-09-30T15:34:00.002+01:002013-09-30T15:34:48.743+01:00The 30 Day Trial I've been reading <a href="http://www.build-creative-writing-ideas.com/" target="_blank">Bryan Cohen</a>'s book, Sharpening the Pencil, essays of writing, motivation, and enjoying your life. It's very good. It's got me reaching for the pencil - ok laptop - on more than one occasion. One of the pieces is a step by step plan to 30 days of success. He talks about how you can be overwhelmed by goals, such as setting out to write a novel, and that breaking it down into smaller goals is the given advice. He doesn't hold with this. It's still the same huge goal disguised as a series of smaller ones. So he decided on the 30 day trial - similar to a 30 day free software trial. Basically you set your goal - writing for a set period of time or a set number of pages per day - and you do it for 30 days straight. Then you quit. Only when the 30 days is up, you're more than likely to be so fired up that you carry on. And because there's an end date it doesn't seem so daunting. I would add that, <a href="http://nanowrimo.org/" target="_blank">NaNoWriMo</a> aside, you don't try to write the whole novel in the 30 day period. That's unlikely to go well. But the idea is good.<br />
<br />
So, I'm going for it. In October I will write for 30 minutes a day. Every day. Without fail. It may not be words of a novel; it may be a blog, short story, plotting ideas for new stories, anything writing related. Facebook doesn't count. Sadly. I'd be sorted if it was.<br />
<br />
I'm looking forward to it actually. As I'm not working on a specific novel at the moment (waiting for Lovely Agent to get back to me re Lovely Novel) so it'll be interesting to see what I end up with after 15 hours of writing. I'm hoping to come up with new ideas, sparkling stories, and lots of inspiration for future projects. We'll see!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018944465720933242noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6416070920883297736.post-68406605159113224142013-09-16T23:02:00.001+01:002013-09-16T23:02:36.611+01:00September - the month of new things!It's been a long time since I wrote a blog post. Bad. I know. But so many things have happened. Some good. Some bad. Some weird. More on all that later on when there is something concrete to say.<br />
<br />
In the meantime, it's September. The month that always means new notebooks! Who can forget those new school year exercise books? The ones you were going to write in really neatly? I've always loved September. New things, new season. September's sort of like New Year but without the pressure. I have new notebooks. Field Notes. Yup. Not Moleskines. (Although I await my new Hobbitses.) I have a new pinboard. I have - wait for it - a new story! Oh, yes. AND it's a fantasy.<br />
<br />
But back to the old one, which is actually new as well, only it's all done. So I finished my novel. Mudlarks. It's not bad. In fact I'm very pleased with it. It's gone to Lovely Agent, so now I wait. I've been sensible and have written an outline for book two. I have an outline for another story in a similar vein. But I'm not writing them. That would be foolish until I see what sort of reception I get for Mudlarks. Did I say I'd finished it?<br />
<br />
So, new stuff! I'm writing a fantasy. Who'd have thought it? It's got good stuff, it's got bad stuff, it's got weird stuff. It kind of mirrors my life! Oh, how I'm enjoying the freedom. It's such fun! Maybe I'll never finish it. Maybe I'll never show it to anyone. Maybe that's why I'm loving this so much. See, that's the thing about new stuff, new seasons, new notebooks, new Scrivener files. You can do whatever you like. You can be a new writer!<br />
<br />
I'm beginning to feel that this month really is a new year for me. To be honest, 2013 has not been ideal so far, but I'm starting to feel optimistic. I'm starting to feel the excitement of the new, the hope, the thrill, the moment when you catch your breath and feel that anything's possible.<br />
<br />
Happy New Year to one and all. May your new notebooks be filled with words - wise words, silly words, beautiful words, nonsensical words. I know mine will be!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018944465720933242noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6416070920883297736.post-71069466122955966642013-05-13T15:23:00.000+01:002013-05-13T15:23:36.994+01:00Timid Souls and the Bravery of the Writer<br />
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
I recently read an
interview with documentary maker <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Society-Timid-Souls-Brave/dp/1846685133" target="_blank">PollyMorland</a> who has written a book about being brave. She was inspired by a
group of musicians, the Society of Timid Souls who formed in 1942 with a view
to facing their fears and confronting stage fright. It got me thinking. There
is a lot here than can translate to writing. So how brave are we as writers?
There seems to be a lot of fear in the writing world, and it takes many forms.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Before you even
write a word, there is fear of the blank page. What to write, how to write it,
can you even write at all? It can become the old "who do you think you are
to even consider writing anyway" ploy. And the bravery? It's sitting down and
writing that first word. Just one word will kick start the rest, but you have
to do it. Even if it's a rubbish wrong word, you have to take a deep breath and
write it. The white page or screen is enough to strike terror into a timid
soul, but bravery will get the words out somehow.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Then there's the
mid-point. Can you finish the story? Is it going anywhere? Is it any good?
Should you take up knitting instead? Timid souls would probably have taken up
knitting somewhere half way through chapter two, but brave ones battle on until
the end, forcing the words out when they don't want to be written. </div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
It's done. You have
a story. Here the fear really kicks in. Dare you send it out? Will everyone, as
you suspect, hate it? Will they laugh in your face and ask you why you even
started? Who knows? You have to be brave and let others see it.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
They like it!
Timidity crawls back out from under its stone and grabs you by the throat. It
lets you know there are two types of fear now; fear of failure, but also fear
of success! Both can be crippling. You've gone this far, you have to clench
your fists, grit your teeth, (and other clichés) and carry on. </div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Writers can seem a
timid lot; quiet, solitary, stuck in the garret, but inside we have strong,
brave hearts and steel-rimmed determination. We have a quiet bravery. You may
have to look hard to find it but I promise you, it is there.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018944465720933242noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6416070920883297736.post-9707344028492566282013-04-29T13:42:00.000+01:002013-04-29T13:42:26.383+01:00Writing Characters That Live On And Off The Page<br />
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
I'm deep into my
novel, a tale of 19th Century street life, so I've been spending a lot of time
with my protagonist, Miss Patience Baker of Rotherhithe. She's good company,
and I enjoy our time together, but something struck me today. What does she do
when I'm not there?</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
I know a lot about
Patience. I should do. I created her. But as I write, and think, and plan, she
grows and deepens. She's becoming her own person. Sometimes this means I have
to have a plot re-think. Sometimes she gives me just what I need to make the story
sing. Sometimes she refuses to co-operate and I have to stop and listen. She's
usually right.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
I realise this makes
me sounds a touch insane, but you know what I mean, don't you? If you don't,
then you need to start listening to your characters. Let them off the leash.
Let them figure out their own story. So how do you do this?</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Spend time with
them. A lot of time. Not just writing time or planning time, either. Give them
a space in your heart as well as your head, and listen to them. Talk to them.
OK so people may cross the road as you come muttering and laughing towards them
(or is that just me?), but it's worth it. When you catch your character off
guard, she will open up and tell you all sorts of little details that you
didn't know you needed to know. Patience has never had money. She's just run
away from the workhouse. I had no idea, until she told me, that she longed for
a perfect pair of leather boots with tiny buttons.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
When you read other
people's work, think about what your character would do in that situation.
Would they find an inner strength? Would they go against everything they
believe in? Would they have courage or would they run away? </div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Think about the
parts of your story that are not on the page. You don't write about every
minute of every day, so what do they do when you're not there? Do they have
interests that you hadn't considered? Do they lie there brooding over past
injustices or do they consciously try to move on from them? Do they have fun?
How? What are the tiny things they take pleasure in?</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Character charts are
all well and good but they don't bring anyone to life. Although they are mighty
useful for consistency! I truly believe that your characters can teach you so
much if you give them the freedom to be themselves. So, go on. Give them a chance!</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018944465720933242noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6416070920883297736.post-31340238897489948742013-04-13T16:12:00.000+01:002013-04-13T16:12:05.663+01:00To Blog Or Not To Blog?<br />
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
I haven't blogged
for ages. I have had an excuse. So far 2013 hasn't gone according to plan. For
the first three months of this year, writing was the last thing on my mind. I
have now gone back to it with gusto, but I got to thinking about blogs. Should I
bother?</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Before the crises of
the year (hereinafter known as COY), I had a merry old time on Google Reader
(why did they stop it?), going down the list of blog posts from all the people
I subscribe to, and then going on to discover new blogs from their blogs. I've
had a laugh, I've learned some invaluable lessons, I've sympathised,
empathised, and downright disagreed. But blog reading was a fine sport, and so
was blog writing.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Back from the COY,
my Google Reader had hundreds upon hundreds of posts. I couldn't read them all.
I didn't know where to begin. So I marked all as read and decided to start
anew. And then I didn't. I've read a few, commented on a few, but I haven't
retained my sense of joy and of longing that I used to when I opened the reader
(hereby replaced by <a href="http://www.feedly.com/home#welcome">Feedly</a>,
which looks good but the posts are piling up). So I got to thinking. Why
do I read blog posts? Why do I write blog posts?</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Firstly, reading.
Why do I read blog posts? It depends. Sometimes I just want to have a laugh.
Sometimes I just want to be reassured that I Am Not Alone. There have been some fine 'day
in the life' posts recently from <a href="http://authorallsorts.wordpress.com/">Author
Allsorts</a>, which are well worth a read. Sometimes I want to learn, and there
are some very good blogs out there which help with research and ideas. Try Essie
Fox's <a href="http://virtualvictorian.blogspot.co.uk/">The Virtual Victorian,</a>
and Lee Jackson's <a href="http://www.victorianlondon.org/">Victorian London</a>.
Even if you don't want the research, they make for fantastic reading. When I'm
writing, any tips are always gratefully received, and there is a wealth of
knowledge out there in the world of bloggery. Recent posts by <a href="http://chaosmos-outofchaoscomesorder.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/finding-your-voice.html">Vanessa
Harbour</a> and <a href="http://absolutevanilla.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/voice-and-brand.html">Nicky
Schmidt</a> are fine examples.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
So, writing. Why do
I blog? This is more difficult to answer. As a writer, albeit unpublished, I
feel I ought to. It goes with the territory. I think blogging as a published
writer is a different kettle of fish. Then there is more purpose - selling
books, ultimately. For me, then? I guess it's a way of reaching out. The
writing community is such a friendly one. Other writers understand why I talk
to myself, why I can sit for ages looking at a blank screen, why I can block
out the entire world when I'm, as they say, in the flow. It's the water cooler
thing. It's saying something and knowing there are others out there who will
get it. It's being part of something.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
By writing this,
then, I've answered my own question. Blogging is a Good Thing. I will blog and
I will read blogs. Right then, where's Feedly?</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018944465720933242noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6416070920883297736.post-26811640927914314192012-12-22T10:12:00.000+00:002012-12-22T10:12:07.614+00:002012 - An Unimaginable Year<br />
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
So 2012 started, and
that was something I hadn't imagined would happen. Not for me anyway. Being
diagnosed with late stage cancer in September 2011 made 2012 seem like an
impossibility, yet here I am at the end of it. This is my year.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
January: My hair has
started to grow back. Just a bit, not enough to ditch the scarves, but it's a
start. My wonderful, beautiful daughter turns 16. We go to the cinema to see
Sherlock Holmes 2 - my first public outing since my diagnosis. A week later I'm in St Thomas's for my operation. All goes well, although the moment when we
discovered that the anaesthetic coverage is patch is a bad one! Still it
means I have the hand held morphine thing which is marvellous! During all this
daughter visits and applies for sixth form schools. She wants to go to the BRIT
School so very badly. It means an audition and an interview and a lot of
written stuff. </div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
February: Lovely
Agent doesn't like final draft of the 17th century story I'd been writing for
years so it's ditched. But I start writing a new 17th century story!
Hospital consultant is pleased with my progress. I have my last two sessions of
chemo. My hair falls out again. </div>
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March: CT scan is,
after some deliberation, deemed clear. I join the Royal Festival Hall and start
to socialise! I even see a play at the Young Vic - Bingo with Patrick Stuart. I
go to an exhibition - Getty Images 'Marilyn'.</div>
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April: I visit
family in Wales. First time I've seen my mother since August 2011. She cries. I
think the trip is hard for everyone apart from me. I'm fine. I feel fine.
Everyone else worries that I'll do too much too soon and get ill again. I go to
the theatre again - in London. The Ladykillers. I take back my part-time jobs
that the very lovely people kept open for me. It's rather good. I have
Something To Do. I'm still writing. Lots. I'm not sure it's any good though.</div>
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May: I go to the
theatre. Really making up for lost time here. Misterman at the National which
is absolutely stunning! I see Hay Fever too, which is great fun. Daughter
starts her GCSEs. I ditch my head scarves. My first writerly outing without the
scarves is to Miriam Halahmy's birthday brunch. I feel vulnerable and scared
but everyone is very nice.</div>
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June: Hospital check
up is fine. Next one in three months. Daughter finishes her GCSEs. They've gone
well. See the preview of Spiderman at the O2 with daughter. Fantastic. I go
back to Wales. No one cries. They're used to me now. Daughter leaves school. I
finish the new novel. Well, the first draft.</div>
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July: We visit the
BRIT school. Daughter has a confirmed place on the Theatre course. Thank you thank
you thank you! We go to Norfolk. I feel like a normal person. Looking at photos
now my hair is SO short but it felt luxurious at the time! I go to the theatre!
Midsummer Night's Dream at the Open Air Theatre and it doesn't rain! I go to
Wales. I watch TV a lot. It's the Olympics! I get obsessed with Oscar
Pistorius.</div>
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August: Daughter and
I have an excellent day at London Zoo where I gaze adoringly at the Okapis.
Should it have an 's'? GCSE results day. She passes them all! Then she goes to
Reading Festival for the day but phones at midnight to say she's staying there
overnight. Nice. You can imagine how pleased! I go to Colin Mulhern's event at Foyles for his new book, Arabesque. Haven't seen him for six years! And see the
lovely NoN from Catnip too.</div>
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September: Send new
novel to Lovely Agent. Still not sure about it. See Curious
Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime at a cinema with NT live. Amazing! Go to
Paralympics and see OSCAR! Go to the SCBWI Sara Grant revision masterclass. And
see Timon of Athens at the National. Go to Wales. Come back. Have blood test.
See consultant. Marker is rising but still in normal range.</div>
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October: See Damned
by Despair at the National. Only person in the world who likes it. Go for a
tour of Wilton's Music Hall. Wonderful place. SCBWI Miriam Halahmy stuck in the
middle masterclass. Visit a Victorian mortuary during the London Open House weekend.
A story spark is lit. Visit Rotherhithe, Wapping, and the Crossness Pumping
Station. The spark grows. Talk to Lovely Agent about 17th century story. She's
not sure either. I suggest we ditch it because the Victorian idea is So Much
Better. I go to Bob the cat's book signing. Love him! See the Judas Kiss at
Richmond Theatre. Good grief! Have blood test. Marker is now above normal
range. I have a scan. I panic.</div>
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November: The scan
is clear. The marker is still too high, but the scan is clear. I start writing
the Victorian novel. I see 55 Days at the Hampstead Theatre. Douglas Henshall
and Mark Gatiss. Perfect. My mother falls and breaks her knee. Is effectively bed
bound. Not so perfect. Especially for my sister. SCBWI conference. Brilliant,
inspiring, fun.</div>
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December: Daughter
and I have a day out - shopping, lunch, and The Magistrate at the National -
great fun and the best curtain call ever. Jo Franklin gets tickets to see
Benedict Cumberbatch (and some others) recording Radio 4's Cabin Pressure and
she takes me! Daughter is furious. I am thrilled. Take Cat #1 to the v.e.t.
His ear is cancerous and will have to be removed. So will a couple of teeth.
Operation booked for January 3rd. Mother's knee is mended. I have blood test and see
woman-who-is-not-my-consultant. Marker is still going up. She is pessimistic. I don't like her. But, for now, all is OK as the scan was clear. I see the Hobbit and love it. So much!</div>
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So that's it.
Tomorrow I'm off to Wales for Christmas. I'm back on the green tea. I feel
fine. I'm optimistic. The Victorian novel is going extremely well. 2012 has
been a mixed year but overall an excellent one. I'm still here and plan to be so for a very long time. This year has shown me how lovely people are. I'm so
very grateful for the support I've had from friends, family, SCBWIers, and Facebookers. I've been carried along on a tide of good wishes. So thank
you. </div>
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I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018944465720933242noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6416070920883297736.post-87938622819987401542012-12-09T10:38:00.000+00:002012-12-09T10:38:44.469+00:00Tobias<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
This week's post is
taken up by my excellent cat Tobias. I've had him for nine years now, having
chosen him from a picture on the <a href="http://www.foalfarm.org.uk/" target="_blank">Foal Farm</a> website. He'd been a stray for a
long time and was very scared of everything. It's only now that I can use tin
foil without him running away.</div>
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So last week he went
to the V.E.T. because he has a sore ear. He's on antibiotics, which I shove
inside a piece of cheese twice a day, but he may have to have his ear c.u.t.
o.f.f. (If anyone has a cat with white ears - watch them!)</div>
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Anyway, here he is (pre ear crisis).
Normal service resumes next week.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018944465720933242noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6416070920883297736.post-56500506210263730382012-11-28T09:53:00.004+00:002012-11-28T09:57:47.148+00:00The SCBWI Conference from the Other Side of the Fence<br />
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Last weekend I was
lucky enough to attend the <a href="http://britishscbwi.org/" target="_blank">SCBWI British Isles</a> annual conference in Winchester.
It was the first time I had not attended as a volunteer and I was expecting the
grass on the other side to be very green. I didn't have to know what was going
on everywhere! I didn't have to worry about sessions running over, people
getting lost, speakers not speaking. I could do whatever I wanted, go wherever
I wanted, and cultivate an air of blissful ignorance if I so desired. Of course
I did all of those things but I did, on occasion, feel just a tiny sense of
loss for not being part of the "team". But, above all, it made me
appreciate just how much work our fantastic volunteers do, often in the face of
adversity! So, yay for the conference team! And a HUGE thank you to them too.</div>
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So to the weekend. I met<a href="http://www.lizdejager.co.uk/" target="_blank"> Liz de Jager</a> at Waterloo at a stupidly early time but we finally regained the power of speech and were quite lively by the time we arrived at the campus. <a href="http://www.celiarees.com/" target="_blank">Celia Rees's</a> excellent keynote speech set the tone for a weekend of wonder. Her books are really compelling. She manages to transport you into her world with enviable ease. Feeling buoyed up, I excitedly sat in the auditorium for her session with Sarah
Odedina of the splendid (oh how I love them) <a href="https://www.hotkeybooks.com/" target="_blank">Hot Key Books</a>. And I was not disappointed.
For they talked of historical fiction with such love and enthusiasm, I realised
that I probably wasn't barking up the wrong tree with my new Victorian
thriller. I scribbled down their words of wisdom.</div>
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When writing
historical fiction, the writer must have a real world for their story, and
their characters must show the same emotions and drive as in contemporary
fiction - just in an historical setting. So, there should be no sense of
remoteness. The writer should re-interpret their research for the reader
without overdoing it. Description can take you away from the narrative. And
this really stood out (we all need to pin it over our desks): Every author has
the right to write the book they want to write. Thank you!</div>
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The rest of the day
was all panels (of which no room here, but they were brilliantly informative) and book sales and, of course, the awe
inspiring<a href="http://www.debiglioribooks.com/" target="_blank"> Debi Gliori's </a>keynote speech. Oh my goodness, the woman is a genius.
She talked about her illustrating life, she told us a story, she almost cried,
we almost cried (as one) and we gazed, open-mouthed at her heart-breakingly
beautiful illustrations. </div>
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Then, of course, we
had the party, which was all excellent cake and a huge crowd of amazing SCBWI
authors and illustrators, as we celebrated their publications over the past year. We talked and applauded and were proud. There was also the fabulously entertaining Lin Oliver, co-founder of <a href="http://www.scbwi.org/" target="_blank">SCBWI</a>, who hosted the party and made us all laugh. She also ran a session earlier in the day on writing humour, which everyone who attended raved about. Oh to be in two, three, four places at once! And I finally, after all these years, met the lovely <a href="http://chaosmos-outofchaoscomesorder.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Vanessa Harbour</a>!</div>
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So, Sunday. I loved
Sunday. This is the first year the conference team have given a whole day to
intensive sessions and every single person I spoke to agreed that this was a
fine thing indeed. I was lucky enough to take <a href="http://saragrant.jimdo.com/" target="_blank">Sara Grant's</a> 'Finding the Plot'
and, boy did we find it! This marvellous woman is not only a great editor and a
very fine writer, but she knows everything! AND she won the <a href="http://www.scbwi.org/Pages.aspx/Crystal-Kite-Member-Choice-Awards" target="_blank">Crystal Kite award</a>
for her excellent novel Dark Parties (buy it!), which she truly deserved. So,
back to the session. We all had our novels in various forms, from scraps of
ideas either in our heads or on the page (<a href="http://www.moleskine.com/gb/" target="_blank">Moleskine</a> in my case), through to
finished drafts. First of all we were given a sheet (Sara loves a handout!)
which I will use for every novel I will ever write. We had to write down the
heart of our story, the premise (I really struggled with this), the controlling
idea, the theme, the pitch (in my case - Oliver Twist meets The Godfather!),
and then more about the characters - basically the who, what, why, where etc
etc. I have to say that single page has absolutely unlocked the key to my
story. It was truly a lightbulb moment for me. </div>
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After lunch (there
was cake), we had another handout, this time with a graph! We mapped out our
stories and then talked about suspense, tension and the general structure of
the story. We then split into groups (I was dreading this, but it was fantastic)
and were each given 15 minutes to talk about our plots, and their problems, and
then brainstorm. I was paired with the marvellous <a href="http://addyfarmer.jimdo.com/" target="_blank">Addy Farmer</a> who gave me an
idea that has transformed the story and given my protagonist real motivation.
So thank you Addy!</div>
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As well as telling
us what to do and how to do it, Sara talked about her own journey to
publication which was truly inspiring. She really is a gem. If you get a chance
to go to any of her workshops, then do it!</div>
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Buzzing with ideas
we then drifted off for the closing remarks and then we all trooped home, heads and hearts full but happy.</div>
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And the grass?
Actually, it's pretty damned green on both sides! I can't wait for next year.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018944465720933242noreply@blogger.com10