Read the panel's discussions on imagination, new releases, characters, work-styles, themes, research , writing abut the other sex
INTO THE NEW DECADE
As we move into the twenty-twenties, we thought we should approach our regular contributors to catch up on where they are in their careers, and where they intend to go over the next ten-years. So here is their vision of what readers may expect for the new decade.
Richard Savin
Just before Christmas I snuck in a 28k word novella. Girls and Boys Come Out to Play is a ghost story set in the Norfolk fens at Christmas time. Children in the village are disappearing, lost in the surrounding marshlands. When James Astley tries to investigate the mystery, the village of Breydon closes ranks in a pact of silence. I have also just finished a short story which has been submitted to Darkstroke Publishing for their consideration as part of an anthology of London based stories. The short story is not really my format and this is my first foray into the medium; it remains to be seen if I have mastered it. Titled, ‘A Tale From the Ball’s Pond Road’, it is set in central London, in 1955; it revolves around a pub brawl and its consequences. The Man Outside is my WIP. In 1980, my then publisher, Canongate, asked me to attempt a novel based on some of the people I had described in my non-fiction book of my experiences in the Iranian revolution. I spent six months in San Francisco, staying with a friend and wrote a first draft of The Man Outside, a dystopian look at Britain under a regime of controlled movement and tight surveillance. At LA airport, as I travelled back to the UK, my luggage was stolen: the original manuscript was inside. It was handwritten and there were no copies. Over the years I had been unable to get to grips with it; this is now an attempt at a rewrite – though with a much-updated concept of what life in Britain and the world might look like in thirty years from now. It should be ready for its launch around April this year. Where do I see my writing going over the coming decade? Anybody’s guess that one. I have three more books planned for 2020; but at 80 who knows how much longer my writing career may stretch. I am not short of stories to tell but I am now short of the time in which to tell them all. I have one, potentially large, project for 2021: The Transylvanian Steam and Traction Company. It is based on some experiences in my early life and later as a journalist. I had written what is probably about half of it, some years ago, but it was shelved for legal reasons. However, the effluxion of time has made it possible to re-consider it once more. Aside from the books I was recently asked to write a five page film treatment for A Right to Bear Arms, which is currently the subject of some negotiations in Hollywood for a mini-series. However, I do not see myself as a writer of screenplays. I have written in one form or another most of my life and I can’t see me stopping until I drop off the end of the conveyor. |
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Rob Burton
Currently in editing mode with an editor is my new novel The Twelfth Rune. It's a Dan Brownish romp through the myths and legends of Cornwall (write what you know they say - the topic of my PhD was Cornish Identity) in it my MC, Charlie Simpson, who was introduced in my first book Meditations on Murder (5 stars on Amazon BTW) is once again tasked with saving the world, but to do so he has to solve the riddles and outmanoeuvre Modred (That's the Cornish spelling btw) who needs to get his hands on the Holy Relics. (One of the myths I use is that Jesus visited the UK with his uncle Joseph and after Jesus was crucified it is said Joseph returned again visiting Glastonbury with some ‘relics’). Obviously, it’s a break neck race against time before Armageddon arrives. Can he do it? I have a new project. It’s provisionally called “Janger” which is a development of a short story I wrote called Screen (available on my website for FREE) which was about an AI becoming sentient. It's dystopian Sci Fi I guess. I chose it because I enjoyed writing the short story and it's sort of a bit more challenging as there are more characters, and I have to think in more novel-futuristic ways, and I am also playing around with language. As its set in the future in what was once Hong Kong/China (I live in China - write what you know again) I am sort of adapting Chinese/Mandarin words into the slang my characters use. (I know my other books are full of Glaswegian/Scottish and as above Cornish lingo - what can I say, I like lingo - It didn’t do A Clockwork Orange any harm (one of my favourite books) or Lord of the Rings and that sort of stuff) I don’t really know where my writing will be going the next ten years - I don’t plan that far ahead. I'm thinking that Charlie needs one more book to make it a trilogy and that will be that - but I need an idea first (that's the hard part.) Some more short stories, I’d like to get those published I have a few as you will see on my website if you want some free reading - www.rob-burton.co.uk |
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Timothy Balding
My third book, 'The Zucchini Conspiracy: A Novel of Alternative Facts', came out last month. It's a geopolitical farce starring US President Ronald Rump and Great Leader Hakim Akim of Bangistan on the brink of a nuclear conflict. Now, after three literary comedies, I'm going straight. I'm now well into the writing of 'The Socrates Project', a novel about the rise of populism, the violence of current political debate, and the necessity of giving new life to the philosophy of reason. I think my comedies all have a very serious core, but I thought that I should take a turn and deal less obliquely with the themes that are important to me. 'Socrates' will be resolutely optimistic, perhaps utopian. There's not a lot of that about these days, I feel. I think that my writing over the next few years will go in circles, returning incessantly to the same themes as my first books. There are only a limited number of strong ideas and convictions that we can have in our lives, but there are certainly an infinite number of ways that we can express and illustrate them in literature. I'd like to experiment with a few - notably theatre, for example. |
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Ted Bun
The latest publication was a collection of short stories, written specially as a Christmas present for my readers. The stories are based on the premise that when the Uncovered Policeman was forced into early retirement by injury, the Security Services took him on as a “Consultant Special Investigator”. Now with him being fully retired we have published “The Uncovered Policeman; Secret Casebooks” I am currently working on three books, 2 projects. Project 1, a touch of the Beatles song Paperback Writer, It’s based on song by a man named Al, it’s taken years to write … and it will be published under a different, maybe my real, name. So far I have read sections to the Olonzac writers group, here in France, and have been met with “Well that is very different!” Project 2, take a series of events in the middle-aged life of the Uncovered Policeman, write a story. Moving house, a second marriage and lots of other “Archers” type stuff. Then write about the same period (including the same events) from the view point of his children and their crowd … The Next Generation. Over the next decade, I think I am heading into the darkness … I have noticed that the themes in my stories are getting darker. Possibly there will still be the Ted Bun fluffy stories but I think there may be darker themed and harder edged stories emerging that may not be from Ted Bun. I don’t want to risk doing the opposite of Richard (Savin). Richard has written several stunningly good wartime romances. His equally good, light horror story the Harlequin Goat failed to connect with his audience. I started with light hearted romances, set in a sunny happy world. I don’t want to risk alienating those readers, starting with Project 1 which is set in a darker period in real history. |
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James Gault
My latest book, a satirical post-Brexit novella called ‘One O’ Rabbie’s Bairns, came out just before Christmas. My aim was to write a very funny but also pretty critical view of the political world of Westminster, and from reactions so far it appears I have manged that reasonably well. To write this novella, I interrupted work on a follow-up to my thriller, Best Intelligence, and I intend to go back to it. But the UK election results got me really fired up, so I have started a prequel to ‘One o’ Rabbies bairns’ instead. It features the battle of wits between a wise and capable Scottish leader and an arrogant and unscrupulous political advisor to a stupid, bumbling UK Prime Minister. Hostilities unfold as Scotland struggles to rid itself of the English yoke. I couldn’t resist this; I’m not a nationalist, but if you want to keep a union of nations together, one of them cannot just dictate to the others. Once I finish this new satire and get the latest bit of indignation out of my system, I promise myself I will complete the story of sardonic Glasgow cop Charlie Best’s mysterious uncle and Charlie’s ongoing relations with the British secret service and his own Mata Hari. But political developments will continue to upset and inspire me. I realise more and more that we cannot continue to use up the world’s resources and leave nothing for our grandchildren, so there will be a story set in a utopian world where everyone does live their lives responsibly with respect for the environment. Of course, it will be tinged with irony and scepticism, because that’s the way I think and write and I can’t help it. After that, who knows what will get me going on again |
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LETTING THE CHARACTERS OUT OF THE BOX
For a bit of fun, we have decided to give the authors a rest and instead asked them to send one of their characters to take their place As result we have a new and unusual list of participants, who are going to discuss their views of the authors who created them. The writers have sent us a motley collection: three women, a man and the ghost of a goat. Now they’ve been given their freedom, how outrageous will they be?
THE PARTICIPANTS THIS TIME
Charlie Best (replaces author James Gault)
Charlie is an ex-cop. He abandoned his career as a Detective Inspector fighting drug gangs in the worst parts of Glasgow and went to live in the South of France. The incompetence and corruption of his bosses and colleagues just became too much for him. Charlie is an idealist; wrong is wrong and he just can’t put up with hypocrites pretending it’s right. ‘Ah’m nae saint ma’sel,’ he often says, ‘ but I dae ma best. Sure, ye can stretch morality, but it disnae dae to go too far.” 
Janet Chapman (replaces author Timothy Balding)
Wealthy London banker Ronald Chapman is found dead - a suicide, apparently, though the police are still on the case. Janet, his beautiful widow and sole heir to their fortune, awaits the release of his body for burial, while doing her best to feign grief. There are practical problems too: where does she find Ronald's best friend, who is expected to speak at the funeral? The chief obstacle is that he doesn't exist. Perhaps the Extra! agency, specialists in professional impostors, can help |
The Harlequin Goat (standing in for author Richard Savin)
Nearly seventy years ago the Harlequin Goat was a well-respected member of a travelling act that took to the road and performed all over the State of Michigan. He shared his act with a small girl and a scarecrow. Things were fine until one winter afternoon: an evil criminal killed the scarecrow and the act had to disband. Now seventy years later the scarecrow wants his revenge – and the goat is gonna help him get it 
Danielle de Corso (representing Kyrian Lyndon)
Danielle is the heroine of Kyrian’s novel ‘Shattering Truths. Danielle isn’t mopey or filled with teenage angst. Danielle and her cousin were abducted, drugged, and raped. But her cousin doesn’t remember, and her best friend won’t believe her. Now, her predators have returned, stalking her, harassing her at every turn. |
Fran Tilson (taking Ted Bun’s place)
Hi, I’m Fran, Francene if you want to be formal, Tilson. Ted Bun wrote about me and my husband Jerry in the New House stories. These are a set of three books covering our first year in France. Set right after we fled the English Health Service. I had been an NHS employee all my career since signing up as a nursing student in … let’s just say pre-Project 2000 days. I ended my career, like many of my contemporaries, as a highly paid service manager. One of the few advantages of being so far away from the patients is getting to read policy papers. The biggie arrived as a document from NHS Managers. There was a plan to change the way pension contributions were going to be treated for tax. It suggested that, as a result, the entire pension scheme was going to be changed, again, and, again, not for the better. As we were just over the early retirement threshold, Jerry and I took our pensions early and headed for the South of France.
Hi, I’m Fran, Francene if you want to be formal, Tilson. Ted Bun wrote about me and my husband Jerry in the New House stories. These are a set of three books covering our first year in France. Set right after we fled the English Health Service. I had been an NHS employee all my career since signing up as a nursing student in … let’s just say pre-Project 2000 days. I ended my career, like many of my contemporaries, as a highly paid service manager. One of the few advantages of being so far away from the patients is getting to read policy papers. The biggie arrived as a document from NHS Managers. There was a plan to change the way pension contributions were going to be treated for tax. It suggested that, as a result, the entire pension scheme was going to be changed, again, and, again, not for the better. As we were just over the early retirement threshold, Jerry and I took our pensions early and headed for the South of France.
1 Do you think your creator did a good job writing about you?
Fran Tilson: I told him what to write. Obviously, not word for word or I’d have put my name in the author’s box and collected the royalties. I’d say that generally he did a good job of telling my part of the story. The bits he wrote for Jerry, he allowed us alternate chapters, had the failing of getting very nerdish; a bit like my lovely husband. I mean, apart from Jerry and Ted, who else could go on for several hundred words about a pantry. It’s just a big built-in cupboard for goodness sake!
Charlie Best: Tae tell the truth, I felt awfy let doon. I thought I’d won a watch when he gave me an inheritance and a castle in France. But after that it a’ went pear–shaped, and in the end I was lucky to get oot in one piece.
The Harlequin Goat: I’ve worked with more professional people but I guess he did his best. There were those times when I had to sort the guy out a bit; you know, like whenever he lost the plot – he did that a lot, I’m tellin’ ya. I’m quality material, I’m not yer average pantomime goat, no sir, the front end’s attached to the back end and all the legs are mine. I couldn’t leave things to chance and Google spellcheck.
Janet Chapman: I was the first woman Balding wrote about with any real characterisation or conviction, apparently, and I know that he tortured himself with doubt about whether he could actually pull it off and get inside my pretty female head. But he did a fair enough job. He certainly captured my delightful wit and insouciance and something also of my absolute determination to be happy despite my trials. It was just very tiresome to hear him shouting ‘Madame Bovary, c’est moi!’ every five minutes while he was writing about me.
Danielle DeCorso: Yeah, she knows me well, but people wanted more “Valentin.” I wanted more Valentin, too, but the man did one of those graceful bows right out of the book and my life. I did campaign for him to get his own book. (I wanted an excuse to see him again.)
2. Was your creator always fair to the other characters in your story?
Charlie Best: He managed to kill off a guid few of them, but then maist o’ them deserved it.
The Harlequin Goat: Fair!? Are we being serious here or what. He bumped everyone around a lot and we didn’t get enough coffee and donuts when we were off the page. He gave poor old Lydia Kroll a really bad time. He had me chasing her all over Adrian County then got her arrested by the Sheriff; and that deputy who did the arrestin’; he didn’t have to be such a mean bad ass; I mean, come on, he could’a given the poor woman a break. The others? They pretty well got what they had comin’ anyway. The hauntin’ was cool though. I liked that bit of the job.
Fran Tilson: Scrupulously, if he hadn’t been so fair, or was wimpish about the threat of being sued, several of the other people would not have got off so lightly. Names? No, but you wonder about Estate Agents and Americans who ‘want to be authors’. On the other hand, most of the people we encounter are pretty good people, which must have made it easier.
Danielle DeCorso: There is at least one character who won’t think so. That was a twist even she didn’t see coming. A couple of the others may have been surprised by their unfortunate demise—one in particular—a demise they would not have expected to be so grisly. But on some level, they had to know the piper would arrive for that check, right? Seems fair to me.
Janet Chapman: He was perhaps too fair! I would have liked a little more venom and cruelty in his portrayal of a number of my most unspeakable fellow players. For the others, a critic called James Gault suggested, in the nicest possible way, that they were essentially caricatures. But I don’t agree, except to the extent that, like Balding, I think that people - probably all of us! - are indeed caricatures and that they are thus terribly real! We are simply surrounded by such lovely people, my dear.
3 Did your creator have anything worthwhile to say when he told your story?
Danielle DeCorso: This story focuses on the aftermath of rape and trauma, all the confusion, and subsequent mistakes. Your perception is clouded. Your judgment is impaired. You’ve lost the illusion of feeling safe in the world. You become obsessed with things. It’s clear that the healing process is quite complicated and not the same for everyone.
Charlie Best: Well of course he did. He exposed violence and corruption in the Glasgow polis. But was it worth a’ the hassle I had tae put up wi’? I’m no’ too sure.
Janet Chapman: Inasmuch as ‘The Impostors’ is essentially my story, yes, of course! How best to express the moral? Perhaps in my own wise words from the novel, which I know the author shares: “To be is to lie!” We are all liars and impostors!
Fran Tilson: Let’s see, I agree with him about life in France is very different to life in the UK. The world moves at a different pace here too. His observations about dress codes being very different were valid too. I mean, the only Frenchman I’ve seen wearing a suit was on a beach and he was wearing his one button suit.
Harlequin Goat: Are you serious! Get outa here will ya! This guy had nothin ta say – it was all me, I’m tellin ya, you’re gettin it straight from the goat’s mouth. Anyways, he’s too much of a klutz to have much worthwhile to say. In my opinion the only thing valuable to come out of this was the moral of the story. ‘Don’t see a shrink in Manhattan cos you’ll only wind up broke or dead – maybiz both.
4 If it was up to you, would you appear in another novel by your author?
Danielle DeCorso: Yes, but she cut me right out of the next one—Valentin’s story. I wanted more for him, yes, but not at my expense. I’m now told I will be in the third book—briefly and close to the end. If the author survives long enough to get to the fourth book, I’ll be front and center again. So will Valentin and a new protagonist. So, let’s hope.
Fran Tilson: We signed up for a three-book deal, OK I needed an Epilogue to get it all in but I think that is it for me and Jerry. Unlike that Bea! I mean getting herself in at least twelve books, too much intrusion if you ask me.
Charlie Best: It’s a bit risky being in one o’ his books, maist o’ his characters don’t make it tae the end. It’s like signing up for the First World War; and ye don’t volunteer, ye get conscripted. If I had the choice, I’d rather be in one o’ the stories from that nice Mr Bun.
The Harlequin Goat: Would I work with the guy again? Hmm, nah – well maybiz, but next time I want more New York and less Hicksville locations… and the chow needs to improve, less of the hay bundles – I’m a quality act, I need burgers and Budweiser, you know, the occasional glass of champagne. I heard in another book he gave a plumb job to a bear – a bear for Chrissakes – the bear got to sit in the window of a restaurant, in a comfortable chair, and they fed him cocktails and champagne. I need more work like that, not wandering around some dumb ass location in nowheres-ville USA, spookin’ out people in crappie falling down houses. I’d have to think kinda careful before I accepted another one of his shows. I need an agent, I’m tellin’ ya – this guy is shifty.
Janet Chapman: Only if it was to be joyful. But I’m convinced that Balding would never bring me back to make me suffer. He’s one of a minority of authors in our times who appears to really believe in the possibility of great happiness and I am one of those difficult characters who will never settle for less. We are made for each other.
A final word on all these contributors. My dear author friends, let your characters out to speak for themselves at your peril. You certainly can’t expect much loyalty.
Fran Tilson: I told him what to write. Obviously, not word for word or I’d have put my name in the author’s box and collected the royalties. I’d say that generally he did a good job of telling my part of the story. The bits he wrote for Jerry, he allowed us alternate chapters, had the failing of getting very nerdish; a bit like my lovely husband. I mean, apart from Jerry and Ted, who else could go on for several hundred words about a pantry. It’s just a big built-in cupboard for goodness sake!
Charlie Best: Tae tell the truth, I felt awfy let doon. I thought I’d won a watch when he gave me an inheritance and a castle in France. But after that it a’ went pear–shaped, and in the end I was lucky to get oot in one piece.
The Harlequin Goat: I’ve worked with more professional people but I guess he did his best. There were those times when I had to sort the guy out a bit; you know, like whenever he lost the plot – he did that a lot, I’m tellin’ ya. I’m quality material, I’m not yer average pantomime goat, no sir, the front end’s attached to the back end and all the legs are mine. I couldn’t leave things to chance and Google spellcheck.
Janet Chapman: I was the first woman Balding wrote about with any real characterisation or conviction, apparently, and I know that he tortured himself with doubt about whether he could actually pull it off and get inside my pretty female head. But he did a fair enough job. He certainly captured my delightful wit and insouciance and something also of my absolute determination to be happy despite my trials. It was just very tiresome to hear him shouting ‘Madame Bovary, c’est moi!’ every five minutes while he was writing about me.
Danielle DeCorso: Yeah, she knows me well, but people wanted more “Valentin.” I wanted more Valentin, too, but the man did one of those graceful bows right out of the book and my life. I did campaign for him to get his own book. (I wanted an excuse to see him again.)
2. Was your creator always fair to the other characters in your story?
Charlie Best: He managed to kill off a guid few of them, but then maist o’ them deserved it.
The Harlequin Goat: Fair!? Are we being serious here or what. He bumped everyone around a lot and we didn’t get enough coffee and donuts when we were off the page. He gave poor old Lydia Kroll a really bad time. He had me chasing her all over Adrian County then got her arrested by the Sheriff; and that deputy who did the arrestin’; he didn’t have to be such a mean bad ass; I mean, come on, he could’a given the poor woman a break. The others? They pretty well got what they had comin’ anyway. The hauntin’ was cool though. I liked that bit of the job.
Fran Tilson: Scrupulously, if he hadn’t been so fair, or was wimpish about the threat of being sued, several of the other people would not have got off so lightly. Names? No, but you wonder about Estate Agents and Americans who ‘want to be authors’. On the other hand, most of the people we encounter are pretty good people, which must have made it easier.
Danielle DeCorso: There is at least one character who won’t think so. That was a twist even she didn’t see coming. A couple of the others may have been surprised by their unfortunate demise—one in particular—a demise they would not have expected to be so grisly. But on some level, they had to know the piper would arrive for that check, right? Seems fair to me.
Janet Chapman: He was perhaps too fair! I would have liked a little more venom and cruelty in his portrayal of a number of my most unspeakable fellow players. For the others, a critic called James Gault suggested, in the nicest possible way, that they were essentially caricatures. But I don’t agree, except to the extent that, like Balding, I think that people - probably all of us! - are indeed caricatures and that they are thus terribly real! We are simply surrounded by such lovely people, my dear.
3 Did your creator have anything worthwhile to say when he told your story?
Danielle DeCorso: This story focuses on the aftermath of rape and trauma, all the confusion, and subsequent mistakes. Your perception is clouded. Your judgment is impaired. You’ve lost the illusion of feeling safe in the world. You become obsessed with things. It’s clear that the healing process is quite complicated and not the same for everyone.
Charlie Best: Well of course he did. He exposed violence and corruption in the Glasgow polis. But was it worth a’ the hassle I had tae put up wi’? I’m no’ too sure.
Janet Chapman: Inasmuch as ‘The Impostors’ is essentially my story, yes, of course! How best to express the moral? Perhaps in my own wise words from the novel, which I know the author shares: “To be is to lie!” We are all liars and impostors!
Fran Tilson: Let’s see, I agree with him about life in France is very different to life in the UK. The world moves at a different pace here too. His observations about dress codes being very different were valid too. I mean, the only Frenchman I’ve seen wearing a suit was on a beach and he was wearing his one button suit.
Harlequin Goat: Are you serious! Get outa here will ya! This guy had nothin ta say – it was all me, I’m tellin ya, you’re gettin it straight from the goat’s mouth. Anyways, he’s too much of a klutz to have much worthwhile to say. In my opinion the only thing valuable to come out of this was the moral of the story. ‘Don’t see a shrink in Manhattan cos you’ll only wind up broke or dead – maybiz both.
4 If it was up to you, would you appear in another novel by your author?
Danielle DeCorso: Yes, but she cut me right out of the next one—Valentin’s story. I wanted more for him, yes, but not at my expense. I’m now told I will be in the third book—briefly and close to the end. If the author survives long enough to get to the fourth book, I’ll be front and center again. So will Valentin and a new protagonist. So, let’s hope.
Fran Tilson: We signed up for a three-book deal, OK I needed an Epilogue to get it all in but I think that is it for me and Jerry. Unlike that Bea! I mean getting herself in at least twelve books, too much intrusion if you ask me.
Charlie Best: It’s a bit risky being in one o’ his books, maist o’ his characters don’t make it tae the end. It’s like signing up for the First World War; and ye don’t volunteer, ye get conscripted. If I had the choice, I’d rather be in one o’ the stories from that nice Mr Bun.
The Harlequin Goat: Would I work with the guy again? Hmm, nah – well maybiz, but next time I want more New York and less Hicksville locations… and the chow needs to improve, less of the hay bundles – I’m a quality act, I need burgers and Budweiser, you know, the occasional glass of champagne. I heard in another book he gave a plumb job to a bear – a bear for Chrissakes – the bear got to sit in the window of a restaurant, in a comfortable chair, and they fed him cocktails and champagne. I need more work like that, not wandering around some dumb ass location in nowheres-ville USA, spookin’ out people in crappie falling down houses. I’d have to think kinda careful before I accepted another one of his shows. I need an agent, I’m tellin’ ya – this guy is shifty.
Janet Chapman: Only if it was to be joyful. But I’m convinced that Balding would never bring me back to make me suffer. He’s one of a minority of authors in our times who appears to really believe in the possibility of great happiness and I am one of those difficult characters who will never settle for less. We are made for each other.
A final word on all these contributors. My dear author friends, let your characters out to speak for themselves at your peril. You certainly can’t expect much loyalty.
WHAT KIND OF WRITER ARE YOU?
Ted Bun sent this diagram, which is a fun analysis of how different authors write. Do you think this table has any real value or is it just a bit of fun? Do you fit any one of the categories? Do you always write in the same way? Is there a ‘best’ way to write or should we all just follow our own instincts. Is there anything in this table that should be avoided at all costs?
Most people thought this grid was more of a fun thing than something useful, but for me it has the merit of identifying the many and varied approaches that can be employed if you have the ambition to write a book. It is also a source of comfort to writers, when we see others having the same agonies that we go through. A lot of people liked it, and were motivated to respond to it, so I will begin by summarising the responses.
Only three of the replies were unable to locate their method of working on the grid, although there were several who felt they fitted into more than one category, partly one thing and partly another.
In general, the closer an author is to the bottom and left of the grid, the more organised their approach to the task. Only one author owned up to being a ‘pantser’ and she was of the chaotic variety. How does she manage to get anything finished? There was another who describes himself as an ‘experimental’ writer, which suggest a pretty chaotic approach, but this may be an unfair assessment.
The rest of the responders were divided 50-50 between ‘plansters’ and ‘plotters’, which suggest that most of us have at least some idea of where we are going when we start new work. However, if you are a ‘planster’, while you are less sure of your resolution, you are more likely to be stringently organised as you progress through the project- ‘plansters’ tend to be ‘lawful’ while plotters are more likely to be ‘neutral’. Very few authors admitted to being ‘chaotic’, and, of those who did, most were probably indulging in a little unjustified self-criticism.
Only three of the replies were unable to locate their method of working on the grid, although there were several who felt they fitted into more than one category, partly one thing and partly another.
In general, the closer an author is to the bottom and left of the grid, the more organised their approach to the task. Only one author owned up to being a ‘pantser’ and she was of the chaotic variety. How does she manage to get anything finished? There was another who describes himself as an ‘experimental’ writer, which suggest a pretty chaotic approach, but this may be an unfair assessment.
The rest of the responders were divided 50-50 between ‘plansters’ and ‘plotters’, which suggest that most of us have at least some idea of where we are going when we start new work. However, if you are a ‘planster’, while you are less sure of your resolution, you are more likely to be stringently organised as you progress through the project- ‘plansters’ tend to be ‘lawful’ while plotters are more likely to be ‘neutral’. Very few authors admitted to being ‘chaotic’, and, of those who did, most were probably indulging in a little unjustified self-criticism.
How authors work – comment from the panel.
Richard Savin:
For me the best way to write is simply get up in the morning and just do it. Creative writing is very subjective so what's out of court for me is probably essential for others. In the end it's getting TO the end that matters. |
Ted Bun :
I have chunks of story all over the place ... I even lifted 3000 words out of one book to turn into a stand-alone short story, in the end, it turned out to be a novel. |
Kyrian Lyndon:
I am a lawful plotter which is insane because it takes me forever to sort through all the notes, and I have to edit fiercely every step of the way. It's good in the sense that, no matter what actually makes it to the final MS, I know my characters and have a clear vision for my story. I just wish I could do it all a million times faster... |
Hope Laust:
One of my favourite arcs in my novel, is based on thinking "o.m.g. how hilarious would it be if these two people got together?", but usually I have everything structured and every chapter has a little resume long before I write it |
|
Gabrielle Reagin:
I think writing is truly an art form so everyone has their own style and preferences. Just like art I think there’s no wrong way to create your work. |
Shannon Stults:
I'm somewhere between a lawful and a neutral plotter. Closer to the first, I think. I have to have everything planned out first. |
So what kind of writer should you be?
Most writers felt the table was fun but not helpful. Like them, I agree that it is where you end up, not how you get there, that matters. Oddly enough, in a previous life I was a computer software designer and project manager, so you would think I am a prime candidate for ‘lawful plotter’, because my old jobs required detailed planning and control. But while this is important in the technical world, I found as a writer that being so controlled stifled creativity. I am chaotic and a ‘pantser’.
But I am unrepentant. Whatever works for you, just do it. And above all, don’t be ashamed of your way of working. If this study is of any value at all, it will be to free all writers from their fear of the occasional lapse into chaos.
Write, and enjoy!
Most writers felt the table was fun but not helpful. Like them, I agree that it is where you end up, not how you get there, that matters. Oddly enough, in a previous life I was a computer software designer and project manager, so you would think I am a prime candidate for ‘lawful plotter’, because my old jobs required detailed planning and control. But while this is important in the technical world, I found as a writer that being so controlled stifled creativity. I am chaotic and a ‘pantser’.
But I am unrepentant. Whatever works for you, just do it. And above all, don’t be ashamed of your way of working. If this study is of any value at all, it will be to free all writers from their fear of the occasional lapse into chaos.
Write, and enjoy!
Entertainment or Morality Tales?
This is now the third session of the Writers’ Think Tank, and this time we’re talking about the ‘engaged artist’. Is the goal of novel writing restricted to providing a lot of fun for the writers and the readers, or should it have a deeper purpose? Should authors be obliged to make their readers face up to the problems of the world? Do we write to amuse or to educate? On the panel this month we have some old hands and one new expert. So let’s meet the panel.
And my name is James Gault. I have written four novels and also some English language textbooks
James: Thanks to all of you for taking part and a big welcome to Rob. Let let me begin with a confession: I’m a bit of a boring, pedantic old sod. All my writing is inspired by some crazy romantic notion that I can right wrongs, point out to everyone the error of their ways, and somehow save the world from itself. So the topic for today is: Am I normal, or am I a weird aberration?
Do you guys also write to educate or inform readers about important issues? Or do you write to give them pleasure?
Do you guys also write to educate or inform readers about important issues? Or do you write to give them pleasure?
Rob: Give a pleasurable read I hope. I try to write with my tongue in my cheek with some humour.
Ted: Pleasure and if I accidently reveal some “truth” or the “meaning of life” then all and good. My feeling is there is enough horror, boredom and opinion masquerading as fact out there.
In my past, I had to read scientific papers and Government White Papers trying to uncover the hidden turds and gems buried in the detail. I fail to see why anybody would read a dull litany of worthy and inciteful thoughts looking for the hidden truth when they could flick through twitter and find the same summed up in bites of 250 characters. With the (alleged) attention span of gnats why would anyone turn over the page unless they find it entertaining?
James: Not much support for the morality tale concept so far, so maybe I really am a bit of an oddball. Ladies?
Kyrian: I write fiction, first and foremost, to entertain and delight, but, because I believe a good book also educates in some way, I always hope people will come away from the book having learned something. I write non-fiction for the purpose of sharing experiences and knowledge that will help others, and with that I hope to be entertaining or, at least, interesting.
James: Well, that seems about 70% pleasure and 30% serious stuff. Sally, do you write to educate or to entertain your readers?
Sally: To give them pleasure – I would not be so bold [or arrogant] as to think I could educate my readers on important issues. I hope though that they are informed on subjects that enter into the book that some people might not be aware of. My feedback tells me for instance that some of the topics I introduced or alluded to in my most recent book were at least informative. Here is where research has to be really meticulous as I would hate to mislead!
James: In general then, it seem that, unlike me, all of you think that, in fiction, providing enjoyment is the top priority and raising issues is at best secondary, if it’s there at all. But would you agree that even a book written for entertainment should have some kind of moral?
Ted: No, but then there is no reason why they shouldn’t have. A novel may be anything from a piece of escapist flimflam (like most of mine) through to a thinly veiled allegory for the situation in Palestine. The author presents their words to the reader, but it is the reader’s choice to make the purchase and read the words.
Sally: Not necessarily. Again, the same goes as for my previous answer – a writer shouldn’t be so arrogant as to think they are there to guide their readers’ morality. However, lots of good novels have had a moral – it depends how it is presented.
Kyrian: It depends on what it’s about, but I would say, not necessarily.
James: And Rob, do you think novels should have a moral?
Rob: No for me they shouldn't. And in the main that's what spoils American movies, sitcoms and dramas. Morals. Always gotta end on a moral.
James: Looks like I’m out on a limb again. I guess you’re all telling me to lighten up. I mean, I do aim to write amusing and engrossing stuff, but it always has to have some kind of moral lesson. Maybe I should be writing for Hollywood or American TV, Rob?
But if you do write about social issues, are you entitled to be biased?
Kyrian: Yes, of course, especially in non-fiction, and with fiction, some things are very personal, but, for the most part, I think it’s important to get inside the heads of your main characters, the good and the not so good ones, and understand things from their perspective, In that regard, you put bias aside.
Ted: Unlike journalists there is no duty of balance placed on fiction authors. In fact a lack of balance can be a good thing as well as bad. Robert A. Heinlein’s book Starship Troopers, written in a few weeks in reaction to the U.S. suspending nuclear tests, has caused controversy and debate almost page by page since publication in 1959.
I always write positively about naturism and the rule of (good) law because these are both of interest to me.
Sally: Of course! They have their own opinions, sometimes strong ones and are entitled to present the story from their own viewpoint – just don’t expect everyone to agree. Also don’t expect everyone to want to read a book that has obvious bias.
Rob: Writers can write from any particular angle they like, as far as I'm concerned. Whether I'll read it is a different matter. Writers keep on writing. Readers keep on reading, critics keep on carping, words just keep on coming. Get yer rocks off, get yer rocks off honey...
James: We seem to agree that even authors are entitled to their own opinions about issues and to express them. But what issues creep into your work?
Ted: Liberté, égalité, fraternité … maybe that is why I live in France. The need to respect other people’s freedom to be different, within the law and other peoples freedoms. Every lifestyle has an equal value and should be respected unless it infringes another person’s freedom. Enforced female genital mutilation is wrong, it infringes on another person’s well being, happiness and right to free expression. Whereas a woman choosing cosmetic vaginal surgery is totally acceptable. Circumcision of young boys is no different.
Rob: In one lifetime I was a Marxist sociologist so I wrote about the inequalities in society: the inequities of the Capitalist system and how the Revolution was on the horizon just as Marx predicts. The West is bankrupt morally and financially, so it's still on the cards.
Now I write fantasy in my novels. And in my short stories I have been investigating the social condition. Such as Prepping, Dumpster Diving, and so on.
In my dotage I have also become more reflective of my own experiences in this world. Writing vinaigrettes of my travels. And a full blown memoir of my time in China.
James: Kyrian and Sally, what social issues creep into your work?
Kyrian: Bigotry, mental health especially anxiety, trauma, abuse
Sally: I don’t like political extremism – of any kind, and have been known to incorporate that into my writing…
James: Ah-ha! I think that under your ‘let’s have fun’ personas you guys are just as fired up about issues as I am. So my last question is: How do you infiltrate these issues you care about into your books?
Kyrian: I try to handle them in the most honest way possible, and the truth can be quite harsh, so I’m not sure that such honesty’s a good thing.
Ted: My hero/heroine is always on the side of what I consider right and opposes bigotry and discrimination. “Simples!”
Rob: I guess I'm still a Marxist at heart. Let's meet on the barricades to discuss this further. Viva La Revolution!
James: You know what? Perhaps I’m not all that out of line with you guys after all. It seems to me that you write fun with a serious side, and I do serious stuff with a fun side. Either way, our readers get rewarded with a good time and a few low-key life-lessons at the same time. Thanks to all of you for taking part.
Ted: Pleasure and if I accidently reveal some “truth” or the “meaning of life” then all and good. My feeling is there is enough horror, boredom and opinion masquerading as fact out there.
In my past, I had to read scientific papers and Government White Papers trying to uncover the hidden turds and gems buried in the detail. I fail to see why anybody would read a dull litany of worthy and inciteful thoughts looking for the hidden truth when they could flick through twitter and find the same summed up in bites of 250 characters. With the (alleged) attention span of gnats why would anyone turn over the page unless they find it entertaining?
James: Not much support for the morality tale concept so far, so maybe I really am a bit of an oddball. Ladies?
Kyrian: I write fiction, first and foremost, to entertain and delight, but, because I believe a good book also educates in some way, I always hope people will come away from the book having learned something. I write non-fiction for the purpose of sharing experiences and knowledge that will help others, and with that I hope to be entertaining or, at least, interesting.
James: Well, that seems about 70% pleasure and 30% serious stuff. Sally, do you write to educate or to entertain your readers?
Sally: To give them pleasure – I would not be so bold [or arrogant] as to think I could educate my readers on important issues. I hope though that they are informed on subjects that enter into the book that some people might not be aware of. My feedback tells me for instance that some of the topics I introduced or alluded to in my most recent book were at least informative. Here is where research has to be really meticulous as I would hate to mislead!
James: In general then, it seem that, unlike me, all of you think that, in fiction, providing enjoyment is the top priority and raising issues is at best secondary, if it’s there at all. But would you agree that even a book written for entertainment should have some kind of moral?
Ted: No, but then there is no reason why they shouldn’t have. A novel may be anything from a piece of escapist flimflam (like most of mine) through to a thinly veiled allegory for the situation in Palestine. The author presents their words to the reader, but it is the reader’s choice to make the purchase and read the words.
Sally: Not necessarily. Again, the same goes as for my previous answer – a writer shouldn’t be so arrogant as to think they are there to guide their readers’ morality. However, lots of good novels have had a moral – it depends how it is presented.
Kyrian: It depends on what it’s about, but I would say, not necessarily.
James: And Rob, do you think novels should have a moral?
Rob: No for me they shouldn't. And in the main that's what spoils American movies, sitcoms and dramas. Morals. Always gotta end on a moral.
James: Looks like I’m out on a limb again. I guess you’re all telling me to lighten up. I mean, I do aim to write amusing and engrossing stuff, but it always has to have some kind of moral lesson. Maybe I should be writing for Hollywood or American TV, Rob?
But if you do write about social issues, are you entitled to be biased?
Kyrian: Yes, of course, especially in non-fiction, and with fiction, some things are very personal, but, for the most part, I think it’s important to get inside the heads of your main characters, the good and the not so good ones, and understand things from their perspective, In that regard, you put bias aside.
Ted: Unlike journalists there is no duty of balance placed on fiction authors. In fact a lack of balance can be a good thing as well as bad. Robert A. Heinlein’s book Starship Troopers, written in a few weeks in reaction to the U.S. suspending nuclear tests, has caused controversy and debate almost page by page since publication in 1959.
I always write positively about naturism and the rule of (good) law because these are both of interest to me.
Sally: Of course! They have their own opinions, sometimes strong ones and are entitled to present the story from their own viewpoint – just don’t expect everyone to agree. Also don’t expect everyone to want to read a book that has obvious bias.
Rob: Writers can write from any particular angle they like, as far as I'm concerned. Whether I'll read it is a different matter. Writers keep on writing. Readers keep on reading, critics keep on carping, words just keep on coming. Get yer rocks off, get yer rocks off honey...
James: We seem to agree that even authors are entitled to their own opinions about issues and to express them. But what issues creep into your work?
Ted: Liberté, égalité, fraternité … maybe that is why I live in France. The need to respect other people’s freedom to be different, within the law and other peoples freedoms. Every lifestyle has an equal value and should be respected unless it infringes another person’s freedom. Enforced female genital mutilation is wrong, it infringes on another person’s well being, happiness and right to free expression. Whereas a woman choosing cosmetic vaginal surgery is totally acceptable. Circumcision of young boys is no different.
Rob: In one lifetime I was a Marxist sociologist so I wrote about the inequalities in society: the inequities of the Capitalist system and how the Revolution was on the horizon just as Marx predicts. The West is bankrupt morally and financially, so it's still on the cards.
Now I write fantasy in my novels. And in my short stories I have been investigating the social condition. Such as Prepping, Dumpster Diving, and so on.
In my dotage I have also become more reflective of my own experiences in this world. Writing vinaigrettes of my travels. And a full blown memoir of my time in China.
James: Kyrian and Sally, what social issues creep into your work?
Kyrian: Bigotry, mental health especially anxiety, trauma, abuse
Sally: I don’t like political extremism – of any kind, and have been known to incorporate that into my writing…
James: Ah-ha! I think that under your ‘let’s have fun’ personas you guys are just as fired up about issues as I am. So my last question is: How do you infiltrate these issues you care about into your books?
Kyrian: I try to handle them in the most honest way possible, and the truth can be quite harsh, so I’m not sure that such honesty’s a good thing.
Ted: My hero/heroine is always on the side of what I consider right and opposes bigotry and discrimination. “Simples!”
Rob: I guess I'm still a Marxist at heart. Let's meet on the barricades to discuss this further. Viva La Revolution!
James: You know what? Perhaps I’m not all that out of line with you guys after all. It seems to me that you write fun with a serious side, and I do serious stuff with a fun side. Either way, our readers get rewarded with a good time and a few low-key life-lessons at the same time. Thanks to all of you for taking part.
Crossing the Genders
In this second session of the Writers’ Think Tank, our team of authors is considering the problems a writer faces when they are developing a character of the opposite sex. On the panel this month we have some members from last time and one new member. So let me introduce them.
Sherry Leclerc joins us for the first time this month. Sherry is a Canadian fantasy and science fiction fan and the author of the Seers series of novels. As a Literature graduate and teacher we always welcome her comments and contributions. She is a regular contributor to the Voice of Literature.
Kyrian Lyndon is a poet and novelist from New York and is the author of two poetry books and the novel Deadly Veils Book One: Shattering Truths.
Sally Dixon is a much-travelled language teacher turned author of two published novels.
Ted Bun describes himself as a retired jack of all trades now living in France, who always has been a story-teller. He is a prolific writer of naturist and other fiction.
Richard Savin is an ex-press agency journalist; throughout the seventies he worked in the Middle East and Asia covering politics, then gave it all up to become a chef restaurateur in London. His first book, non-fiction, was commissioned and published by Canongate. Since then he has written three novels.
And my name is James Gault. I have written four novels and also some English language textbooks.
James: Thanks to all you guys for taking part and it’s nice to see we have a perfect gender balance of three guys and three girls. I have often been told, mostly by women, that men don’t understand women well enough to write about them. Is there really that much difference between the sexes?
Sally: Definitely – they think and respond to situations differently.
Sherry: Well, I do believe there are essential differences in personality between men and women. The actual differences in our brains and physiologies can mean that we react to things differently. For example, when it comes to stress and depression, women can get sad and lethargic and men can become angry and volatile, as explained to me by a psychologist in the past.
Also, despite all the talk of feminism and gender equality these days—which is a good thing, of course—the fact remains that there is still societal pressure for men and women to conform to certain gender norms. For men, it’s still not seen as “manly” to show emotion or to cry. They still often feel obligated to be the protector and the “bread winner” in the family. Even when the woman in the relationship has a good career, men often feel this way. Why? Because they grow up learning that it’s their responsibility.
For women, we still grow up to believe we are mostly responsible for the household and for children. Career women often struggle with finding balance in their lives or feel like they need to be superwomen—they think they have to be able to do it all, even when they have a partner who is able and willing to take on some of those responsibilities. Career women are often also considered to be more emotional and more likely to crack under pressure than men in the same positions, though this is not really the case.
Obviously, we’ve taken great strides in doing away with many of those old beliefs and expectations, but there is no denying they are still there to a large degree. These societal pressures and expectations can shape personalities and how a person responds in any given situation.
James: It seems like Sherry is saying that there are a lot of differences but that society tends to over emphasise them. Does anyone else agree with that?
Richard: Sherry has a point. It is always a little dangerous to generalise and whatever you say on this will raise storm clouds somewhere. Yes, for me, there are discernible differences in the way men and women re-act to given situations. Women will often hesitate and think where men simply strike out – possibly a primordial instinct based on the ancient gender roles of homemaking and hunting; which in turn were imposed by the demands of survival in a hostile environment. However, that is a blanket observation and is increasingly challenged by the world we now inhabit: the mould has been broken and the lines are increasingly blurred – hundreds of years of social conditioning have been stripped away. So, in developing my characters I try to shape their differences to the period they inhabit.
Ted: I think that there are no significant differences. I grew up in a ‘gender neutral’ family, strong mother, lots of sisters with no roles ascribed, then spent most of my working in female-dominated environments, Of course, we have to consider social conditioning, things like clothing choices, drinking pints and being on diets. Gender is a spectrum from the Disney Princess to Rambo.
Kyrian: I kind of agree and disagree with Ted at the same time. In terms of perception and how they would describe things, definitely, but, of course, we also have to take into consideration, every individual's uniqueness.
James: I would say we all agree there are some differences between the genders, but how does this affect us as writers? For example, do you avoid having main characters of the opposite sex?
Richard: I never shy away from writing about women; they form one essential half the world’s population and if the story demands a female protagonist then that is what I write. After all, in real life it is not always the men who lead the charge into folly – or heroic fame.
Sherry: I do have main characters of a different sex from me in my books. To leave out the opposite gender would not be realistic. I admit that writing female protagonists is easier for me and, because of that, I do have more female protagonists. But I’d rather base who the protagonist is on the story itself and what would work best for the story.
Kyrian: I do too. In the book I am currently writing, the point of view is shared by three different characters. Only one of them is a female.
Ted: As a male writer of what headlines as Romantic Comedy I need a gender balance, although there are slightly more female characters because of a female gay romance.
Sally: Yes, I too have main characters of a different sex in my books also of different nationalities and I try to make distinct differences in how they are seen to think and react.
James: Well, all of us, including me, have protagonists of both genders, and we all think that there are differences between men and women, so I am wondering if writing from the opposite gender perspective gives you any problems as a writer. I have heard it said, for example, that men cannot build credible female leads.
Ted: A rather sexist question! As I said earlier, gender is a spectrum and nobody is fixed to an exact point on that spectrum either.
Sally: And I disagree too, there have been many famous authors who have written as women or vice versa. For example Douglas Kennedy usually writes in the first person with a woman as his principal character.
James: Yes, that’s true. For me, Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles and Flaubert’s Madame Bovary spring to mind. Fine for the greats, but maybe we ordinary mortals can’t manage it so well?
Sherry: I disagree. Anyone who is empathetic, open to looking at things from a different viewpoint, and who tries to understand other’s experiences can write the opposite gender. Luckily, these are traits that most authors have.
Kyrian: I think it depends on the writer. Like anything else we tackle, it requires a good amount of research and exploration. I also have a male beta reader who would not hesitate to tell me if guys wouldn't talk that way to each other, etc. A brutally honest beta reader can help to make sure you're getting it right. The other thing is, I try to picture and hear everything with someone in mind or remember conversations with men, etc. The obvious thing is not to assume you can just get it right off the bat.
Richard: I think it is a more difficult task to cross over gender lines but most of us are a mix; we have a little of x or y in our makeup and that should help. Classical literature demonstrates that both men and women writers can create convincing characters of either sex. The art surely lies in observation and inquiry.
James: Well, you all seem quite comfortable creating characters of either sex. Any tips on how you do it? Let’s start with Sherry.
Sherry: The best piece of advice I can give male authors for when they are creating female characters is to try and view things from your character’s perspective. The female experience is usually very different from the male’s. Everything you write in your female characters’ voices needs to be viewed from their perspective, which will of course be colored by their lived experiences.
If a male author has trouble relating to their female characters, they can pick up fiction and non-fiction books written by female authors and try to listen to their voices, or the voices of their female characters. You can learn a lot that way. It’s how I deal with writing male characters.
Kyrian: Apart from having a good beta reader, I think it's important to know what sort of woman you're writing about. Know everything about her. You don't tell everything you know, of course, but know her so well that you know what she'd do or say in any situation. All my characters have in-depth profiles. But it also depends on what type of book you're writing. I write literary fiction, so well-developed characters are important. If it's a genre-centered book, where the plot moves the story, you can get away with less character development, but know enough about the character to give her that uniqueness.
Sally: Put yourself into the shoes of someone you know who is either male or female
Ted: Don’t obsess about the gender of your characters. They are people first and last. Very few are at the extremes of the gender spectrum and all about football, beer, cars and having sex. The same thing applies if you are writing about men too!
Richard: Keep away from stereotypes – I see a lot of book covers with men of steel, rippling with muscles and in dominating poses. Ladies, there is no superman; he doesn’t exist – live with it.
James: Thanks to all of you for this good advice, but I have one more question. In my view, the task of portraying a character of the opposite sex is even more difficult when writing in the first person. How do all of you feel about that?
Ted: I do it. I am writing the third book in a series (New House … ) where the chapters alternate POV between the husband and wife. I also have another book which is in multiple female first person voices (While Bees Sleep)
Sally: I do it too. I am currently writing a novel that is narrated in the first person by several characters in turn, three of whom are male and one female
Kyrian: And, it’s exactly what I'm doing now as well. Every character in my current WIP speaks in first person. I do notice when I write the female character's chapters, it's easier, but I love a challenge, so I end up having to take more time with the male POV chapters, re-read them more, have my male beta reader give feedback, and rewrite if necessary. They are certainly the most edited chapters of the book.
James: Well, we have at least three brave transgender authors here. Sherry and Richard, is a first person novel something you could cope with?
Richard: With great difficulty, though it would be fascinating to try
Sherry: I think that writing a first-person novel where the character was male would be a challenge for me, but certainly not impossible.
I’ve always been a ‘tomboy,’ as they say, though I don’t really like that term. It basically means that as a child, I liked to play with dinky cars, get covered in mud, play sports, and so on. As an adult, I will always pick an action movie over a rom-com and I love martial arts. These are things that those societal expectations say boys should like, not, girls, even though there is really no reason why it should be that way. My own husband, who is generally very forward-thinking, has even joked that I have more testosterone than him because of the things I like.
This makes it easier for me to relate to men in some ways, but I would never presume that I think the way men do, simply because I am not a man. When writing male characters, I like to read fiction and non-fiction written by men, observe male behavior in differing circumstances and, when necessary, to ask my husband and/or male friends how to deal with certain things. When writing male characters, I try to think about what kinds of expectations would have been on them growing up to make them the men they are in my books. I try to think about the pressures they are under to act a certain way. I ask myself, is their behavior reflective of their internal voice, or do they behave a certain way because of what others will think.
There are many things to consider when writing a character of the opposite gender, but it is worthwhile to try. Taking the time to read things in the male voice and to try and understand how men think can help me write better characters, yes, but it can also help me to better understand the men and boys in my life.
James: Well, there you have it. I think we all agree that crossing the genders is a worthwhile, interesting and challenging task. But it can be done. I am reminded of something written about Lewis Grassic Gibbon: ...when the book Sunset Song was first published, one female critic thought the author was a woman because ‘no man could have made such a leap into essential femininity.’
I hope any authors reading this find the advice helpful. As for those who love reading books, I hope we’ve given you a little insight into the trials and tribulations of the creative process. If you would like to see the result of these creative struggles, you’ll find the novels of all of our panellists on amazon.com. Happy reading until next time.
Sherry Leclerc joins us for the first time this month. Sherry is a Canadian fantasy and science fiction fan and the author of the Seers series of novels. As a Literature graduate and teacher we always welcome her comments and contributions. She is a regular contributor to the Voice of Literature.
Kyrian Lyndon is a poet and novelist from New York and is the author of two poetry books and the novel Deadly Veils Book One: Shattering Truths.
Sally Dixon is a much-travelled language teacher turned author of two published novels.
Ted Bun describes himself as a retired jack of all trades now living in France, who always has been a story-teller. He is a prolific writer of naturist and other fiction.
Richard Savin is an ex-press agency journalist; throughout the seventies he worked in the Middle East and Asia covering politics, then gave it all up to become a chef restaurateur in London. His first book, non-fiction, was commissioned and published by Canongate. Since then he has written three novels.
And my name is James Gault. I have written four novels and also some English language textbooks.
James: Thanks to all you guys for taking part and it’s nice to see we have a perfect gender balance of three guys and three girls. I have often been told, mostly by women, that men don’t understand women well enough to write about them. Is there really that much difference between the sexes?
Sally: Definitely – they think and respond to situations differently.
Sherry: Well, I do believe there are essential differences in personality between men and women. The actual differences in our brains and physiologies can mean that we react to things differently. For example, when it comes to stress and depression, women can get sad and lethargic and men can become angry and volatile, as explained to me by a psychologist in the past.
Also, despite all the talk of feminism and gender equality these days—which is a good thing, of course—the fact remains that there is still societal pressure for men and women to conform to certain gender norms. For men, it’s still not seen as “manly” to show emotion or to cry. They still often feel obligated to be the protector and the “bread winner” in the family. Even when the woman in the relationship has a good career, men often feel this way. Why? Because they grow up learning that it’s their responsibility.
For women, we still grow up to believe we are mostly responsible for the household and for children. Career women often struggle with finding balance in their lives or feel like they need to be superwomen—they think they have to be able to do it all, even when they have a partner who is able and willing to take on some of those responsibilities. Career women are often also considered to be more emotional and more likely to crack under pressure than men in the same positions, though this is not really the case.
Obviously, we’ve taken great strides in doing away with many of those old beliefs and expectations, but there is no denying they are still there to a large degree. These societal pressures and expectations can shape personalities and how a person responds in any given situation.
James: It seems like Sherry is saying that there are a lot of differences but that society tends to over emphasise them. Does anyone else agree with that?
Richard: Sherry has a point. It is always a little dangerous to generalise and whatever you say on this will raise storm clouds somewhere. Yes, for me, there are discernible differences in the way men and women re-act to given situations. Women will often hesitate and think where men simply strike out – possibly a primordial instinct based on the ancient gender roles of homemaking and hunting; which in turn were imposed by the demands of survival in a hostile environment. However, that is a blanket observation and is increasingly challenged by the world we now inhabit: the mould has been broken and the lines are increasingly blurred – hundreds of years of social conditioning have been stripped away. So, in developing my characters I try to shape their differences to the period they inhabit.
Ted: I think that there are no significant differences. I grew up in a ‘gender neutral’ family, strong mother, lots of sisters with no roles ascribed, then spent most of my working in female-dominated environments, Of course, we have to consider social conditioning, things like clothing choices, drinking pints and being on diets. Gender is a spectrum from the Disney Princess to Rambo.
Kyrian: I kind of agree and disagree with Ted at the same time. In terms of perception and how they would describe things, definitely, but, of course, we also have to take into consideration, every individual's uniqueness.
James: I would say we all agree there are some differences between the genders, but how does this affect us as writers? For example, do you avoid having main characters of the opposite sex?
Richard: I never shy away from writing about women; they form one essential half the world’s population and if the story demands a female protagonist then that is what I write. After all, in real life it is not always the men who lead the charge into folly – or heroic fame.
Sherry: I do have main characters of a different sex from me in my books. To leave out the opposite gender would not be realistic. I admit that writing female protagonists is easier for me and, because of that, I do have more female protagonists. But I’d rather base who the protagonist is on the story itself and what would work best for the story.
Kyrian: I do too. In the book I am currently writing, the point of view is shared by three different characters. Only one of them is a female.
Ted: As a male writer of what headlines as Romantic Comedy I need a gender balance, although there are slightly more female characters because of a female gay romance.
Sally: Yes, I too have main characters of a different sex in my books also of different nationalities and I try to make distinct differences in how they are seen to think and react.
James: Well, all of us, including me, have protagonists of both genders, and we all think that there are differences between men and women, so I am wondering if writing from the opposite gender perspective gives you any problems as a writer. I have heard it said, for example, that men cannot build credible female leads.
Ted: A rather sexist question! As I said earlier, gender is a spectrum and nobody is fixed to an exact point on that spectrum either.
Sally: And I disagree too, there have been many famous authors who have written as women or vice versa. For example Douglas Kennedy usually writes in the first person with a woman as his principal character.
James: Yes, that’s true. For me, Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles and Flaubert’s Madame Bovary spring to mind. Fine for the greats, but maybe we ordinary mortals can’t manage it so well?
Sherry: I disagree. Anyone who is empathetic, open to looking at things from a different viewpoint, and who tries to understand other’s experiences can write the opposite gender. Luckily, these are traits that most authors have.
Kyrian: I think it depends on the writer. Like anything else we tackle, it requires a good amount of research and exploration. I also have a male beta reader who would not hesitate to tell me if guys wouldn't talk that way to each other, etc. A brutally honest beta reader can help to make sure you're getting it right. The other thing is, I try to picture and hear everything with someone in mind or remember conversations with men, etc. The obvious thing is not to assume you can just get it right off the bat.
Richard: I think it is a more difficult task to cross over gender lines but most of us are a mix; we have a little of x or y in our makeup and that should help. Classical literature demonstrates that both men and women writers can create convincing characters of either sex. The art surely lies in observation and inquiry.
James: Well, you all seem quite comfortable creating characters of either sex. Any tips on how you do it? Let’s start with Sherry.
Sherry: The best piece of advice I can give male authors for when they are creating female characters is to try and view things from your character’s perspective. The female experience is usually very different from the male’s. Everything you write in your female characters’ voices needs to be viewed from their perspective, which will of course be colored by their lived experiences.
If a male author has trouble relating to their female characters, they can pick up fiction and non-fiction books written by female authors and try to listen to their voices, or the voices of their female characters. You can learn a lot that way. It’s how I deal with writing male characters.
Kyrian: Apart from having a good beta reader, I think it's important to know what sort of woman you're writing about. Know everything about her. You don't tell everything you know, of course, but know her so well that you know what she'd do or say in any situation. All my characters have in-depth profiles. But it also depends on what type of book you're writing. I write literary fiction, so well-developed characters are important. If it's a genre-centered book, where the plot moves the story, you can get away with less character development, but know enough about the character to give her that uniqueness.
Sally: Put yourself into the shoes of someone you know who is either male or female
Ted: Don’t obsess about the gender of your characters. They are people first and last. Very few are at the extremes of the gender spectrum and all about football, beer, cars and having sex. The same thing applies if you are writing about men too!
Richard: Keep away from stereotypes – I see a lot of book covers with men of steel, rippling with muscles and in dominating poses. Ladies, there is no superman; he doesn’t exist – live with it.
James: Thanks to all of you for this good advice, but I have one more question. In my view, the task of portraying a character of the opposite sex is even more difficult when writing in the first person. How do all of you feel about that?
Ted: I do it. I am writing the third book in a series (New House … ) where the chapters alternate POV between the husband and wife. I also have another book which is in multiple female first person voices (While Bees Sleep)
Sally: I do it too. I am currently writing a novel that is narrated in the first person by several characters in turn, three of whom are male and one female
Kyrian: And, it’s exactly what I'm doing now as well. Every character in my current WIP speaks in first person. I do notice when I write the female character's chapters, it's easier, but I love a challenge, so I end up having to take more time with the male POV chapters, re-read them more, have my male beta reader give feedback, and rewrite if necessary. They are certainly the most edited chapters of the book.
James: Well, we have at least three brave transgender authors here. Sherry and Richard, is a first person novel something you could cope with?
Richard: With great difficulty, though it would be fascinating to try
Sherry: I think that writing a first-person novel where the character was male would be a challenge for me, but certainly not impossible.
I’ve always been a ‘tomboy,’ as they say, though I don’t really like that term. It basically means that as a child, I liked to play with dinky cars, get covered in mud, play sports, and so on. As an adult, I will always pick an action movie over a rom-com and I love martial arts. These are things that those societal expectations say boys should like, not, girls, even though there is really no reason why it should be that way. My own husband, who is generally very forward-thinking, has even joked that I have more testosterone than him because of the things I like.
This makes it easier for me to relate to men in some ways, but I would never presume that I think the way men do, simply because I am not a man. When writing male characters, I like to read fiction and non-fiction written by men, observe male behavior in differing circumstances and, when necessary, to ask my husband and/or male friends how to deal with certain things. When writing male characters, I try to think about what kinds of expectations would have been on them growing up to make them the men they are in my books. I try to think about the pressures they are under to act a certain way. I ask myself, is their behavior reflective of their internal voice, or do they behave a certain way because of what others will think.
There are many things to consider when writing a character of the opposite gender, but it is worthwhile to try. Taking the time to read things in the male voice and to try and understand how men think can help me write better characters, yes, but it can also help me to better understand the men and boys in my life.
James: Well, there you have it. I think we all agree that crossing the genders is a worthwhile, interesting and challenging task. But it can be done. I am reminded of something written about Lewis Grassic Gibbon: ...when the book Sunset Song was first published, one female critic thought the author was a woman because ‘no man could have made such a leap into essential femininity.’
I hope any authors reading this find the advice helpful. As for those who love reading books, I hope we’ve given you a little insight into the trials and tribulations of the creative process. If you would like to see the result of these creative struggles, you’ll find the novels of all of our panellists on amazon.com. Happy reading until next time.
Where does inspiration come from?
Welcome to this session of the Writers’ Think Tank. The topic for this month is inspiration. How do you overcome the dreaded writers’ block?
But before we begin, let me introduced our experts.
Kyrian Lyndon is a poet and novelist from New York and is the author of two poetry books and the novel Deadly Veils Book One: Shattering Truths.
Elizabeth M Hurst has always been a voracious reader since her preschool years and has recently left the world of automotive engineering to concentrate full-time on writing romantic and historical novels and on her freelance editing business. She is the author of the ‘Lost Souls’ series.
Sally Dixon is a much-travelled language teacher turned author of two published novels.
Cherise Castle-Blugh writes self-help books for entrepreneurs and is the founder and CEO of The Timely Entrepreneur TM, which offers advice to all independent business people.
Ted Bun describes himself as a retired jack of all trades now living in France, who always has been a story-teller. He is a prolific writer of naturist and other fiction.
Richard Savin is an ex-press agency journalist; throughout the seventies he worked in the Middle East and Asia covering politics, then gave it all up to become a chef restaurateur in London. His first book, non-fiction, was commissioned and published by Canongate. Since then he has written three novels.
Finally, my name is James Gault and I have written four novels and also some English language textbooks.
James: Welcome, panel. The question for today is this: When we are in front of a blank piece of paper, or more likely nowadays an empty computer screen, how do we ever manage to fill it up? In other words, how do we find a plot and how do we fill it with characters? Let’s start with plots. Kyrian, where do your stories come from?
Kyrian: There is inspiration everywhere. Whatever I write stems from something I'd witnessed, and my imagination takes over from there. Being inspired, for me, is the easy part. The hard part is putting it all together for maximum effect.
Elizabeth: The contemporary timeline for my tales takes place in the fictional English village of Fossbury, which is based on the real-life village of Ettington, outside historic Stratford-upon-Avon. It is an area steeped in history, especially all the Shakespearean associations, so it becomes very difficult, therefore, to choose an appropriate historical narrative to match with the modern romantic plot, purely because there are so many. However, after reading lots of books on folklore in the library, there is usually one snippet of an idea that stands out and nags away in my head. Then I know that's the one I have to write about.
James: I find these two quite different responses interesting. Kyrian seems to have a very wide-ranging approach to finding ideas, while Elizabeth does a lot of research, with a much more focussed approach. What about the others? Are you a brainstormer or a researcher when you’re looking for a plot?
Ted: My plots come from snippets of conversation within an existing story of my own: Where did X’s brother go … he got mentioned once, what is his story? I also use snippets from conversation in real life, so I always carry a notebook and pencil. And the really important one ... Never hearing the ends of radio-plays and stories while I worked as a Medical Sales Rep, in and out of the car, so I had to fill them in for myself.
Sally: As I write contemporary fiction, I get a lot of my ideas from news stories, either current or fairly recent events. For instance, three stories from this week's news will be incorporated into my WIP. I also research old news stories [and change the names of those involved of course] and incorporate these where needed in a particular storyline.
Cherise: The ideas for my books come from the issues that entrepreneurs are experiencing as they journey toward their success.
Richard: I guess I’ve been carrying around a lot of unwritten stories in my head over the years and I’ve now found the time to get them set down. I tend to write about WW2 because I lived through that war and have strong childhood memories of it. There again my latest novel is a psycho-thriller set in America in 2011 and that was inspired by a spooky photo I came across last year.
James: Richard already seems to have all the plots he could ever use. Lucky man! It seems that like Kyrian, Ted and Sally cast their nets widely in the search for stories, while Cherise and Elizabeth are much more focussed, maybe because they have a very clear idea of the kind of books they want to write. But wherever you find the plots, they all need people to bring them alive, so where do you get your characters from?
Ted: I like to think that mine are pure imagination, the female characters must be! The male characters probably have lots of me in them. I try hard not to drop people I know, alone and naked into the middle of my weird world!
James: I wonder if all of you are so kind to your friends as Ted.
Richard: My characters are driven by the story and its needs. I only start out with one or two; the rest just come along and barge in, shouting and demanding to be heard. Inevitably there are shades of those I know or have known in some of the characters but I try to keep them veiled.
James: I suppose in a sense all characters are there to serve the plot, unless it’s the other way round.
Sally: Sometimes my characters are taken from real life, sometimes based on family members or friends. But some are from pure imagination.
James: Here’s something that has always intrigued me; if you base a character on people you know, do they ever recognise themselves? Elizabeth, do you put people you know in your books?
Elizabeth: No. Each of my strong female characters have become people in their own right, really, although I think it's fair to say that they started life as an extension of different aspects of my own personality. I believe it's rather common, for writers of a series especially, that their characters blossom into much more than they perceived possible at the start of the exercise. I also spend a lot of time watching other people - sometimes it can be something as innocent as the way they flick their hair that will find its way into the story somehow. You just never know how the process is going to develop, sometimes...
Kyrian: Each of my characters can be based on one person or more than one person. I've known these people at some point in time. But, again, they provide a foundation, and my imagination will take over over, possibly embellishing to varying degrees. There are a few that were perfect to write about without changing them a bit. I'm at a point now where I also create characters from scratch, inventing their back-stories and everything else. Such fun stuff!
James: So there we are, everyone has their own way of ‘getting’ their characters. They can be based on one real person, who might well be the author. They can be an amalgamation of several people, or even entirely a work of imagination. But, as Kyrian and Elizabeth pointed out, inspiration is only the spark that’s sets the writer off. It has to be followed by a lot of work to turn the skeleton of a plot and the outline of its characters into a novel, or even a short story or a novella.
A big thanks to all our contributors for their ideas. If you want to know more about the authors who took part, see their books opposite and below, and click on their book covers to find out more. Until next time!
But before we begin, let me introduced our experts.
Kyrian Lyndon is a poet and novelist from New York and is the author of two poetry books and the novel Deadly Veils Book One: Shattering Truths.
Elizabeth M Hurst has always been a voracious reader since her preschool years and has recently left the world of automotive engineering to concentrate full-time on writing romantic and historical novels and on her freelance editing business. She is the author of the ‘Lost Souls’ series.
Sally Dixon is a much-travelled language teacher turned author of two published novels.
Cherise Castle-Blugh writes self-help books for entrepreneurs and is the founder and CEO of The Timely Entrepreneur TM, which offers advice to all independent business people.
Ted Bun describes himself as a retired jack of all trades now living in France, who always has been a story-teller. He is a prolific writer of naturist and other fiction.
Richard Savin is an ex-press agency journalist; throughout the seventies he worked in the Middle East and Asia covering politics, then gave it all up to become a chef restaurateur in London. His first book, non-fiction, was commissioned and published by Canongate. Since then he has written three novels.
Finally, my name is James Gault and I have written four novels and also some English language textbooks.
James: Welcome, panel. The question for today is this: When we are in front of a blank piece of paper, or more likely nowadays an empty computer screen, how do we ever manage to fill it up? In other words, how do we find a plot and how do we fill it with characters? Let’s start with plots. Kyrian, where do your stories come from?
Kyrian: There is inspiration everywhere. Whatever I write stems from something I'd witnessed, and my imagination takes over from there. Being inspired, for me, is the easy part. The hard part is putting it all together for maximum effect.
Elizabeth: The contemporary timeline for my tales takes place in the fictional English village of Fossbury, which is based on the real-life village of Ettington, outside historic Stratford-upon-Avon. It is an area steeped in history, especially all the Shakespearean associations, so it becomes very difficult, therefore, to choose an appropriate historical narrative to match with the modern romantic plot, purely because there are so many. However, after reading lots of books on folklore in the library, there is usually one snippet of an idea that stands out and nags away in my head. Then I know that's the one I have to write about.
James: I find these two quite different responses interesting. Kyrian seems to have a very wide-ranging approach to finding ideas, while Elizabeth does a lot of research, with a much more focussed approach. What about the others? Are you a brainstormer or a researcher when you’re looking for a plot?
Ted: My plots come from snippets of conversation within an existing story of my own: Where did X’s brother go … he got mentioned once, what is his story? I also use snippets from conversation in real life, so I always carry a notebook and pencil. And the really important one ... Never hearing the ends of radio-plays and stories while I worked as a Medical Sales Rep, in and out of the car, so I had to fill them in for myself.
Sally: As I write contemporary fiction, I get a lot of my ideas from news stories, either current or fairly recent events. For instance, three stories from this week's news will be incorporated into my WIP. I also research old news stories [and change the names of those involved of course] and incorporate these where needed in a particular storyline.
Cherise: The ideas for my books come from the issues that entrepreneurs are experiencing as they journey toward their success.
Richard: I guess I’ve been carrying around a lot of unwritten stories in my head over the years and I’ve now found the time to get them set down. I tend to write about WW2 because I lived through that war and have strong childhood memories of it. There again my latest novel is a psycho-thriller set in America in 2011 and that was inspired by a spooky photo I came across last year.
James: Richard already seems to have all the plots he could ever use. Lucky man! It seems that like Kyrian, Ted and Sally cast their nets widely in the search for stories, while Cherise and Elizabeth are much more focussed, maybe because they have a very clear idea of the kind of books they want to write. But wherever you find the plots, they all need people to bring them alive, so where do you get your characters from?
Ted: I like to think that mine are pure imagination, the female characters must be! The male characters probably have lots of me in them. I try hard not to drop people I know, alone and naked into the middle of my weird world!
James: I wonder if all of you are so kind to your friends as Ted.
Richard: My characters are driven by the story and its needs. I only start out with one or two; the rest just come along and barge in, shouting and demanding to be heard. Inevitably there are shades of those I know or have known in some of the characters but I try to keep them veiled.
James: I suppose in a sense all characters are there to serve the plot, unless it’s the other way round.
Sally: Sometimes my characters are taken from real life, sometimes based on family members or friends. But some are from pure imagination.
James: Here’s something that has always intrigued me; if you base a character on people you know, do they ever recognise themselves? Elizabeth, do you put people you know in your books?
Elizabeth: No. Each of my strong female characters have become people in their own right, really, although I think it's fair to say that they started life as an extension of different aspects of my own personality. I believe it's rather common, for writers of a series especially, that their characters blossom into much more than they perceived possible at the start of the exercise. I also spend a lot of time watching other people - sometimes it can be something as innocent as the way they flick their hair that will find its way into the story somehow. You just never know how the process is going to develop, sometimes...
Kyrian: Each of my characters can be based on one person or more than one person. I've known these people at some point in time. But, again, they provide a foundation, and my imagination will take over over, possibly embellishing to varying degrees. There are a few that were perfect to write about without changing them a bit. I'm at a point now where I also create characters from scratch, inventing their back-stories and everything else. Such fun stuff!
James: So there we are, everyone has their own way of ‘getting’ their characters. They can be based on one real person, who might well be the author. They can be an amalgamation of several people, or even entirely a work of imagination. But, as Kyrian and Elizabeth pointed out, inspiration is only the spark that’s sets the writer off. It has to be followed by a lot of work to turn the skeleton of a plot and the outline of its characters into a novel, or even a short story or a novella.
A big thanks to all our contributors for their ideas. If you want to know more about the authors who took part, see their books opposite and below, and click on their book covers to find out more. Until next time!
Researching for a novel
This time, we take up the topic of research, and we asked three writers of historical novels for their views. Novelists all base their writing on their imagination and personal experience, but often this is not enough; they have to dig deeper in search of inspiration and accuracy. Our authors’ insights will be useful both to other writers and to those readers who, inspired by what they have read, want to find out more.
The importance of Research
Cathie: Research is very important in my genre. I write historical fiction, and I try to give my readers as authentic an experience as I can. Historical fiction varies greatly in terms of description, and while some readers are perfectly happy with just a hint of the historical setting (be that clothing, the layout of castles, character traits typical of the era, etc.), others prefer a deeper immersion into the past. I strive to provide the latter, but without wanting it to sound like a history lesson. Reading historical novels should be an adventure.
Richard: It’s absolutely essential for me too. I need to check that personal recollections actually accord with the historical record. I write a lot about the Second World War and although I can remember quite a lot about it and it was often the subject of talk in the family, nevertheless things can become blurred or just the victim of good old-fashioned folklore and myth.
Linda: It’s important, because making an error (historical, technical etc.) can lose you the reader who won’t believe much of anything you say afterward. That said, I think it ranks pretty evenly with the importance of personal experience and imagination. But then you can impale yourself on other fatal swords…like bad grammar, a plot that doesn’t move along, or unlikeable or flat characters.
How much time do you spend on Research?
Cathie: Ha! You got me there! I easily spend 30%-40% of my time on research, and it's very easy to get carried away. History is fascinating! Often, one thing you look up leads to the discovery of another that might just fit in with the plot. So you head off to explore that further too. For example, when I was reading up about an important attack on Charlemagne and his army in the Pyrenees by the ancestors of the Basques, which he lost, and during which many Frankish nobles died, I came across a reference to an attack by Saracens on the shores of the Orbiel river in the Cabardès hills north of Carcassonne. Little is known about that attack, and the Saracens were repelled, but I chose to include a hint of that into my story, as the location is important. I love discovering lesser-known events, as they are so handy to include in your plot.
Linda: Maybe 10-15%…but I’m guessing, because the research done for The Bicycle Messenger was mostly done at the very beginning of the process and that was over ten years ago. There were elements in my research that inspired turns in the plot, or even development of characters that I wouldn’t have thought of had I not done the research
Richard: For me, it depends upon the genre and the subject matter of the individual book. I tend to do a little broad research right at the beginning, then check facts and look for further material as I develop the story. With the novel A Right to Bear Arms I probably spent more time researching than writing. This is driven by the need to fully understand an historical personality before you start putting words in his or her mouth. At the other end of the scale a pure fiction like The Haunting of the Harlequin Goat required not much more than investigating the location of the action.
What sources of information do you use?
Richard: These days it's the internet. It has largely replaced the old reference library for original sources. Fact checking is faster (though I always check several origins for facts posted online because there are fake facts posted sometimes). The most valuable for me are old newsreel clips. You see how the people looked, their mannerisms, how they dressed and you hear their voices, the inflections and the emphases; and you see the environment they worked in, the onlookers, the aides that surround them etc. - this tells you a lot about the character; for this U Tube is great. I am also a great user of maps for location research and I find Google Earth indispensable. In many cases you can get right down on the ground and walk through a town or city. This not only gives you a feel for the location but it allows you to look at, and date, buildings from their architectural style. So if I am writing about the 1930s in a particular district of say, Chicago, I can pick out public and other buildings that were clearly contemporary and include them in my narrative.
Linda: When I began my research I found books on WWII history both at the library and, because it became apparent this was a very long-term project, for sale on the internet (thank goodness for Amazon). There is also a lot of information available directly from the internet but I wasn’t skilled at finding those sources back when I was doing the research. Later I spoke with veterans of the war and their relatives who had heard the stories from the veterans. I do accept hearsay! It was actually hearsay which inspired me to write The Bicycle Messenger - a tale told to a friend of mine by an old man in a café of his childhood task of running messages across the German lines rolled into the handlebars of his bicycle.
Cathie: I have many history books. I rarely buy novels in paperback or hardback nowadays, but I can't walk past non-fiction history books. My library is increasing steadily, and now it contains not only books in English or German, but also in French as I explore local and regional historical events. I can't help buying history books, even if the character or theme isn't even in the time-frame I currently write about. But you never know when it might come in handy. It's an addiction!
Over the years, I've also loved visiting castles and ruins. Getting a sense of place is very important to me, as I'm keen to convey that to my readers. I want them to ’be there’, to see the hustle and bustle of a medieval market; and to feel the tension during an attack.
Do you have to have a particular passion for the period you write about?
Linda: For me it was incredibly important to be passionate about my topic, as much of the research I did was a morass of dry facts and useless (to me) information. The nuggets of useful stuff were few and far between…but they were there to be “panned out” and worth the time and effort involved…mostly.
Richard: Ha, that's a tricky question. For me, I have to be passionate about the story to start with. If that is there then the fun of the research naturally follows. However, as a journalist I was often required to research subjects which I found terribly dry but still did it. That was what I was paid to do. As a novelist it is more a labour of love. In the end, though, it is about the excitement and fun of discovery and the acquisition of new knowledge on a subject that interests you. The more interested you are in the subject of your research the easier the work will be. By way of example, two of my interests are food and transport. My books are littered with cars, trains, boats, food and recipes (even super heroes have to eat.), so when it comes to those elements of research I can get really excited. So in answer to the question: it is important to have a passion for the subject - but it is also important to have a passion for research itself; the passion of discovery.
When researching near history there is nothing quite so valuable as talking to someone who was actually there at the time. In researching The Girl in the Baker's Van I was lucky enough to have two neighbours in our village, who were there during the occupation. Their testimony was invaluable in dispelling some of the fog around what the occupation was actually like and how the co-existence actually worked on the ground. One was in Dunkirk and the other down south in Fabrezan and what came out were distinct regional differences both in the behaviour of the occupiers and the occupied.
Finally there is the excitement of finding something you were not looking for that adds a new dimension or direction to your story.
Cathie: Oh, it's very important. I'm a hobby historian, and I'm still considering gaining a history degree one day. I've loved history since I was a child, and for most of my life, I've lived in cities with castles, or in an area where you find many old ruins. I love exploring old stones, touching them, imagining what life was like inside the thick walls. I also took part in medieval re-enactment over 15 years ago, where I learnt archery. We stayed overnight at several castles across Wales. I was in heaven.
Cathie: Research is very important in my genre. I write historical fiction, and I try to give my readers as authentic an experience as I can. Historical fiction varies greatly in terms of description, and while some readers are perfectly happy with just a hint of the historical setting (be that clothing, the layout of castles, character traits typical of the era, etc.), others prefer a deeper immersion into the past. I strive to provide the latter, but without wanting it to sound like a history lesson. Reading historical novels should be an adventure.
Richard: It’s absolutely essential for me too. I need to check that personal recollections actually accord with the historical record. I write a lot about the Second World War and although I can remember quite a lot about it and it was often the subject of talk in the family, nevertheless things can become blurred or just the victim of good old-fashioned folklore and myth.
Linda: It’s important, because making an error (historical, technical etc.) can lose you the reader who won’t believe much of anything you say afterward. That said, I think it ranks pretty evenly with the importance of personal experience and imagination. But then you can impale yourself on other fatal swords…like bad grammar, a plot that doesn’t move along, or unlikeable or flat characters.
How much time do you spend on Research?
Cathie: Ha! You got me there! I easily spend 30%-40% of my time on research, and it's very easy to get carried away. History is fascinating! Often, one thing you look up leads to the discovery of another that might just fit in with the plot. So you head off to explore that further too. For example, when I was reading up about an important attack on Charlemagne and his army in the Pyrenees by the ancestors of the Basques, which he lost, and during which many Frankish nobles died, I came across a reference to an attack by Saracens on the shores of the Orbiel river in the Cabardès hills north of Carcassonne. Little is known about that attack, and the Saracens were repelled, but I chose to include a hint of that into my story, as the location is important. I love discovering lesser-known events, as they are so handy to include in your plot.
Linda: Maybe 10-15%…but I’m guessing, because the research done for The Bicycle Messenger was mostly done at the very beginning of the process and that was over ten years ago. There were elements in my research that inspired turns in the plot, or even development of characters that I wouldn’t have thought of had I not done the research
Richard: For me, it depends upon the genre and the subject matter of the individual book. I tend to do a little broad research right at the beginning, then check facts and look for further material as I develop the story. With the novel A Right to Bear Arms I probably spent more time researching than writing. This is driven by the need to fully understand an historical personality before you start putting words in his or her mouth. At the other end of the scale a pure fiction like The Haunting of the Harlequin Goat required not much more than investigating the location of the action.
What sources of information do you use?
Richard: These days it's the internet. It has largely replaced the old reference library for original sources. Fact checking is faster (though I always check several origins for facts posted online because there are fake facts posted sometimes). The most valuable for me are old newsreel clips. You see how the people looked, their mannerisms, how they dressed and you hear their voices, the inflections and the emphases; and you see the environment they worked in, the onlookers, the aides that surround them etc. - this tells you a lot about the character; for this U Tube is great. I am also a great user of maps for location research and I find Google Earth indispensable. In many cases you can get right down on the ground and walk through a town or city. This not only gives you a feel for the location but it allows you to look at, and date, buildings from their architectural style. So if I am writing about the 1930s in a particular district of say, Chicago, I can pick out public and other buildings that were clearly contemporary and include them in my narrative.
Linda: When I began my research I found books on WWII history both at the library and, because it became apparent this was a very long-term project, for sale on the internet (thank goodness for Amazon). There is also a lot of information available directly from the internet but I wasn’t skilled at finding those sources back when I was doing the research. Later I spoke with veterans of the war and their relatives who had heard the stories from the veterans. I do accept hearsay! It was actually hearsay which inspired me to write The Bicycle Messenger - a tale told to a friend of mine by an old man in a café of his childhood task of running messages across the German lines rolled into the handlebars of his bicycle.
Cathie: I have many history books. I rarely buy novels in paperback or hardback nowadays, but I can't walk past non-fiction history books. My library is increasing steadily, and now it contains not only books in English or German, but also in French as I explore local and regional historical events. I can't help buying history books, even if the character or theme isn't even in the time-frame I currently write about. But you never know when it might come in handy. It's an addiction!
Over the years, I've also loved visiting castles and ruins. Getting a sense of place is very important to me, as I'm keen to convey that to my readers. I want them to ’be there’, to see the hustle and bustle of a medieval market; and to feel the tension during an attack.
Do you have to have a particular passion for the period you write about?
Linda: For me it was incredibly important to be passionate about my topic, as much of the research I did was a morass of dry facts and useless (to me) information. The nuggets of useful stuff were few and far between…but they were there to be “panned out” and worth the time and effort involved…mostly.
Richard: Ha, that's a tricky question. For me, I have to be passionate about the story to start with. If that is there then the fun of the research naturally follows. However, as a journalist I was often required to research subjects which I found terribly dry but still did it. That was what I was paid to do. As a novelist it is more a labour of love. In the end, though, it is about the excitement and fun of discovery and the acquisition of new knowledge on a subject that interests you. The more interested you are in the subject of your research the easier the work will be. By way of example, two of my interests are food and transport. My books are littered with cars, trains, boats, food and recipes (even super heroes have to eat.), so when it comes to those elements of research I can get really excited. So in answer to the question: it is important to have a passion for the subject - but it is also important to have a passion for research itself; the passion of discovery.
When researching near history there is nothing quite so valuable as talking to someone who was actually there at the time. In researching The Girl in the Baker's Van I was lucky enough to have two neighbours in our village, who were there during the occupation. Their testimony was invaluable in dispelling some of the fog around what the occupation was actually like and how the co-existence actually worked on the ground. One was in Dunkirk and the other down south in Fabrezan and what came out were distinct regional differences both in the behaviour of the occupiers and the occupied.
Finally there is the excitement of finding something you were not looking for that adds a new dimension or direction to your story.
Cathie: Oh, it's very important. I'm a hobby historian, and I'm still considering gaining a history degree one day. I've loved history since I was a child, and for most of my life, I've lived in cities with castles, or in an area where you find many old ruins. I love exploring old stones, touching them, imagining what life was like inside the thick walls. I also took part in medieval re-enactment over 15 years ago, where I learnt archery. We stayed overnight at several castles across Wales. I was in heaven.
If you out there enjoyed our discussion and our thoughts, why not have a read at one of our books. You will find some of them on this page, or in the VOXLIT bookshop pages.
If you out there enjoyed our discussion and our thoughts, why not have a read at one of our books. You will find some of them on this page, or in the VOXLIT bookshop pages.