|
THE WRITERS' THINK TANK
The Writers’ Think Tank is where our authors mull over the challenges of creating their works, in the hope of illuminating readers and maybe helping other writers. |
|
THE WRITING PROCESS
In this month’s think tank, our seven authors have agreed to let us into their deepest secrets: how they get from nothing to the finished novel. All of them have different methods, and we hope both other authors and readers too will get some useful insights from their explanation of their particular creative process.
I've written and published only three novels - so I consider myself still a novice and can't guarantee that what I describe as a method or process today will remain unchanged tomorrow. The three books do have a few things in common, though:
- The story ideas all come from my passion for reading newspapers. They then gestate, uniquely in my mind, for a certain time. - When I feel ready and inspired, I start writing, with no planning of any kind at all. No plot, no outline, no notes, only vague ideas. - I only ever write one draft, with no revisions, no rewriting, no editing save a word or two changed here and there when I've finished. No one ever sees my manuscripts before I send them to the publishers. - At the same time, I don't necessarily write my chapters in order. In the last two cases, I've written the last chapter very early in the process. I find it helpful to fix that and write towards it. Two or three times, I've also had a whole chapter from the middle of the books come to me, and I've written it and it has taken its place when I reach that point in the story. Here's how it worked with my latest novel, 'The Zucchini Conspiracy', a geopolitical farce: A little while ago, the photograph of a Spanish peasant woman swept through the world's media - Donald Trump's doppelgänger, a perfect resemblance, holding a hoe in her potato field. 'There's a novel here', I thought. At the time, Trump was cuddling and exchanging love letters with the bloody North Korean tyrant Kim Jong-Un and it made me so sick in the stomach that I wanted to write about that too. 'The Zucchini Conspiracy' was born - the world on the edge of a nuclear conflict between a brainless idiot and a savage butcher with an unwitting Basque peasant caught in the middle of the plot. Many of the characters are based on living people - often named, and thus easy to develop: 'Ronald Rump', Macron, Merkel, Conte, Putin, Xi Jinping, Trudeau, Abe, Theresa May and so on. The others, as in all my writing, are drawn from people that I have met or observed (I've met a fair few dictators and autocrats in my life, for instance). The story came by itself and was done in 62 days, finished and dispatched. 'Zucchini' was published in November last and is making its way slowly still into the world ... |
|
I’m now working on my eighth book and, although they include many different topics and styles, so far I have always gone about writing them in much the same way.
I consider myself what the French call an ‘auteur engagé’ so before I start I need to have read or heard something that gets me upset or angry. For example, I was inspired to write ‘A Flower in The Wind’ by the realisation that Western media always rush to condemn actions in ‘enemy’ countries, perpetrating the myth that ‘it could never happen here’. My two latest novellas, One o’ Rabbie’s Bairns and The Wallace’s Weans were both the result of my indignation with the arrogant and stupid way Boris Johnson was running the UK. Once I have my message, I find a situation. This is very general and far from being a plot. For example, for The Wallace’s Weans it was no more than that Scotland will achieve independence, but with no idea how this will be done. Similarly, The Redemption of Anna Petrovna was about how an ordinary woman would survive in a society run by a ruthless political mafia. But I still have no idea what events will happen or what experiences these characters will have. With these ideas in my head, it’s time to start putting words into the computer. I need a first chapter. I imagine a character and a situation which will introduce my story, and I write. At this stage, the main characters emerge, I get a feel for the writing style and voices I will use, and ideas about how the plot may develop come to mind. I continue writing, exploring the plot and adding more. I can go on like this until I have half or even two thirds of the book, but this method can never get me to the end. At some point, I realise I can put it off no longer; I am going to have to stop and work out how the story is going to end. So I stop churning out chapters and write a plot summary. It often happens that I’ve created a character or an event early in the book, and this leads to a significant but unexpected plot point. For example, in The Redemption of Anna Petrovna, I had a lesbian couple in the first chapter. They were two minor characters, and I had no real idea why they were there. But, when writing the plot summary, I introduced a scene where this couple were subjected to some violent homophobic abuse, and this became a key element in taking the story forward. So the characters were there for a reason after all. Once I have the plot in some detail, I usually need to edit the stuff I had written before. I may have to throw away irrelevant parts, which I really don't need in the final plot. Sometimes this can be whole chapters, and sometimes I even have to drop characters that I had really enjoyed inventing and developing. I also have to add or change parts: to develop a character that is more important in the plot than I had originally intended, or to add events that foreshadow what I have now decided will happen later. One example of this is in A Flower in the Wind, which began originally with one of the main characters, Hoa, being introduced to the other, Tim, by a minor character called Pammy. But when I finally had the whole plot, it involved Pammy being a more important character who had played a big role in politically ‘radicalising’ the naïve Hoa. I therefore had to make major changes to the start of the book, building up both Pammy’s character and her controlling relationship with Hoa. Finishing off the story is now relatively easy. I know the characters well by now and I know where the story is going. The challenge here is not to rush thought it, and to devote the same care to allowing events and characters to develop as I did at the start of the process. So that’s how I get to my first draft. I tend not to change it too much after that, because I have been paying a lot of attention to word choice, phrasing, character voices, authorial voice and, very important for me, the maintenance of a witty and humorous style. I’ve also tried to be conscious of maintaining the consistency of both plot and characters. That doesn’t mean I don’t miss things. I’m not so good on typing accuracy, even after checking the manuscript carefully, but there are always more significant problems than that. I read the work several times myself. But then my editor reads it and pulls it to pieces. I always listen to what she says and make the changes we both agree are needed. And that’s it; a book ready for publication. At last. |
|
After a lifetime of journalism and a few exotic side trips into other worlds I never find myself short of material - rather I am short of time. Over the years I have picked up, and carried away, odd events and snippets of news that have suggested a deeper story. So I have a lot of stuff sloshing around in my brain, some of which surfaces from time to time and tugs at my imagination. Quite often I will get the echoes of something new through a story I am in the process of writing. So, for instance, I am presently engaged on a dystopian tale set in the near future in London; the heading for the chapter I am working on suddenly suggested a whole new story set in 1960s America which I have decided to start writing as soon as the current manuscript is completed. This then pushes back on the agenda for other stories I want to tell.
The first thing I do is write the opening paragraph. For me the journey through the story is as much intuitive as it is planned. I know where I want to end up and I have that starting point; after that it is a matter of evolution, and although I do track the plot, with its locations and characters as these emerge, I do not set out a plot framework at the beginning. My Main Character usually comes as part of the principal story concept; the rest of the cast materialise out of the demands of events; if somebody is to be murdered then a murderer materializes. the character is developed and, where necessary given a back-story. With this methodology there is a tendency for the characters to start driving events which in turn can develop the story along lines I had not previously anticipated. This can be quite useful because the characters are now shaping the story. The only problem with this is it can drive you down a blind alley. Depending upon the story, I may use real life persons, though they are usually deceased, since I tend to write historical fiction. Occasionally, I have slipped in characters modelled on members of my greater family, but these are only 'walk on' parts. In the main the characters are totally composed from my own thoughts. Of course that is not to say that my thoughts aren't shaped by those I have met - but I do not consciously look to use persons I know or have known. For me the question of when the manuscript is finished comes in two parts. Like the Mad Hatter's advice to Alice, I start at the beginning and when I come to the end I stop. I always know the end right from the outset so it is easily recognised when I finally arrive. The second part is more complex: my read-through and adjustments, the editor's notes and suggestions and the Beta readers' responses. After that it goes for publication. |
|
Where do I get my initial ideas for a story? This is trite I suppose, but from my brain. I don’t go looking for ideas in the sense that I am always thinking “what shall I write next” – I have no real idea where the idea for my first novel came from except it had something to do with me owning an iPhone. The novella was the idea of the ghost character in my first novel who demanded her story be told, of how she became a ghost in 12th Century Scotland. My current novel, in the edit at the moment, is me using my knowledge of Cornwall, to use the characters from the first book in a Dan Brownish romp through the myths and legends of Cornwall.
Short stories, I’ve got no idea really. Just some sort of brain fart sets me off on them. I find it much easier to come up with ideas, when I am intellectually engaged, when I am teaching. When I have holidays and long periods off such as the last two months during the virus crisis here in China my brain has sort of been numb. The first thing I do is prevaricate mainly. Let my unconscious brain do the work. It was the same with my academic work. I have to let my unconscious mind meditate, cogitate, and get things going before I can do anything and then it pretty much flows out of me, I don’t often find myself struggling to write as its usually all up there. My characters come from my life experience, I’ve travelled a lot in my life so I draw on that. It’s what I would tell aspiring writers to do, take Jack Kerouac’s advice and get On The Road. I draw a lot on personal experience good and bad. I only write the manuscript because I am basically lazy, or I start writing background but am half hearted at doing it. I see pictures of writers with walls full of characters and plot developments, chapters planned out like a military expedition. That’s not me. And I was the same as a student. The hardest thing I ever did at university was in my first couple of weeks. I had to write an essay plan. Impossible. (I was in my mid 30’s not a callow youth). Despite that I am now trying to write a dystopian Sci Fi where it’s forcing me to write notes, I need an appendix because in the style of A Clockwork Orange I am using a bastardised form of Chinese Slang because it’s set in the future in what was Hong Kong and China. So I have to take notes to remind myself what it all means and to give to the hapless reader who might, if I’m lucky, buy the thing. My book is usually finished when I have written ‘The End’ at the bottom. Then read it a couple of times. I use the scribophile app and run all my chapters through the system of critiquing from other writers. Then I proof again, and I look for a beta reader or two, and if and when I have the spare cash send it to an editor. Then a couple of re-reads/proofs by myself and sorting the cover out. It’s probably ready. I don’t have hard and fast deadlines. I’m not a book every three months sort of person. And I wonder at the quality of those sorts of books, the ones with the garish, scantily clad, usually male torsos on. |
|
I do not have a consistent approach to creating stories. I’d like to use two of my current projects to show the contrasts that occur.
The Last Day of June’ (1934?), now with an Editor, started with a song by Scottish Folk/Pop musician Al Stewart. The song has three verses, all set on a given day in three different settings all beautifully observed and described. I had played with the idea of using it as the basis of a story for several years before coming up with the ending. Now, I had the first three and last chapters. I then wrote the middle of the book. In the end, I also wrote another last chapter to give closure. When this book emerges, it will not be a book by Ted Bun, it is not his style. In complete contrast, for my other unnamed current project I challenged my main character with several scenarios, (finding a dead body for example) during which she developed a personal back story and a stronger sense of self. (Her husband had been killed. In the line of duty. What duty? etc.). When I felt I knew her well enough, I launched her at a problem and on to a personal journey of discovery. Melody is now established in my mind, she is on an adventure and I have no idea where she is going next, I’m sure she will tell me in due course. Meanwhile, she is having fun! When I am writing, I start with a blank page and keep typing normally from the beginning of the story. Everything happens in a single Word document. (Although sometimes, I will plot scenes, with a pencil and paper, producing diagrams that look like a drunk spider’s web of words.) Other times, I’ll see a scene coming and write it further down the page to incorporate when the narrative reaches it or I will lift sections from where I wrote them and drop them ‘in the future.’ On one occasion, for While Bees Sleep I dropped three and a half thousand words onto another .doc, expecting it to turn into a short story, rather than the ‘fine contribution to the literature of the body-positive movement’ a reviewer called it. The only other documentation that exists is a short biography of the cast of the Rags to Riches series (somewhere between 12 and 14 novellas and half a dozen short-stories) which I use to keep age and who met who, where, when and last. When I start a story, I generally have an idea of the ending. The Uncovered Policeman would solve his crime. The journey would reach the end. Then odd things happen, in a recently published book, The Uncovered Policeman: Live, Love and Laugh I was happily writing along and one of the characters asked a question, at that point I realised the reply would be followed by the words ‘The End’ there was nowhere else to go. From there the editing process is very short. I read it, aided by Grammarly which makes me look more critically at words, punctuation and sentences. Then it is beta-read and ‘red penned’ corrected and then published … and that, is a different story! From this you will gather I am a bit of a ‘pantser’, but I call it character-driven writing so it sounds more deliberate! |
|
Initial story ideas come from so many different places. Sometimes, they come from outside. A short story for a competition or anthology might be limited to a specific topic or setting. The necessity or desire to write in a particular genre will influence the plot. Other times, ideas come from within. I had wanted to write about a character living with social anxiety ever since I began my writing journey, about fifteen years ago. I knew my character, but I needed a suitable plot. When I had that, too, I had the makings of the story that became my latest novel, Cultivating a Fuji.
My main character is an amalgam of people I met, mostly online, and yes, he has a lot of me, too. He and I were brought up in the same house and he later moved to my parents’ flat, making descriptions easy. He was born on the same day as me, so it was easy to work out dates and ages. But because of these similarities, as well as similar character traits, I purposely made him different to me in other ways. His gender, family background and other experiences are different. In some ways, his life is more complicated; in other ways, mine is. Other characters popped up as needed for the plot, but I rounded them out and gave them backstories. I wanted readers to understand the reasons why the minor characters treated the main character as they did. So, the characters and the plot were worked out before I wrote the first draft, which I edited on my own. Then I took my manuscript to my writing group, where I received lots of excellent suggestions. I also worked on the novel at a writing retreat, where I was helped further. When I’d incorporated all the ideas I wanted to and read the novel several times, making changes each time, I decided it was finally ready to send to my publisher. After that, I worked with an editor to produce the final version. |
|
Ideas pop into my head all the time and from everywhere. It may have to do with something that happened, or it may be something I dreamt or imagined.
The first thing I do is rush to my computer and type whatever it is into a Word document. It doesn’t matter what I’m doing at the time— if I’m getting ready for an appointment or whatever. I don’t usually get ideas when I’m out somewhere or with someone because I prefer to be entirely in the moment then. Thank goodness for that, or thank you Eckhart Tolle. A lot of the time, my characters are based, to one degree or another, on someone I know knew or, yes, some version of myself over the years. Sometimes, too, I’ll create someone who is unlike anyone I’ve met, but it’s good to have a voice in my head that I can hear when the character is speaking. Of course, a number of characters are created for plot requirements. My character profiles are at least a page or two in length. For the main characters, include tags for that person’s dialogue, things I could picture him or her doing as they speak. I have extensive notes on the characters and cultures. As they say, you don’t use everything, but it’s good to have that knowledge as a guide. In the fantasy trilogy I’m doing now, I’ll have a map and a description of all the places. That’s a lot of fun, creating a make-believe world. All my notes are well-organized. I’m not a fan of doing outlines for the books. I prefer to draft my way along. Unfortunately, it takes me too long to arrive at the finish point. My work goes through many drafts and edits, but I’m learning as I go. I’ve learned not to be too attached to things and am more willing to let go of an idea, scene, or character that isn’t working. I’m also learning how to keep things more simple for myself because I tend to complicate everything. Hopefully, I’ll soon be able to produce books that don’t take years to finish! |
|
PREVIOUS THINK TANKS
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. |
|
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 |
|
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. |
|
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. |
|
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 |
|
LETTING THE CHARACTERS OUT OF THE BOXFor 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
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. 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. THE BEST THING I’VE EVER WRITTEN
The Think Tank Panel this month
James : Hello all, welcome and thanks again for taking part. A few weeks ago, I was surprised by a comment from one of my readers about a book I had written in 2009, telling me it was just amazing and the best thing I’ve ever done. I was quite surprised, because since then I’ve been constantly working and practising to try and get better and better. This made me think about the way we as authors view our work and the different opinions of those who read our efforts. And this is what I want to discuss. So let’s begin by looking at the author’s point of view. What do you think is your best work? Richard: My first fiction novel, A Right to Bear Arms. It was a very broad canvas that allowed me to develop a complex plot and characters. Kyrian : I like the book I am working on now best because I've grown as a writer since my last book and because I rely more and more on sheer imagination. That may always be true since we should consistently improve, right? Aside from that, this book has more interesting characters, and it's a different kind of thriller than I'd normally write. I learned so much since it was, for me, unfamiliar territory. Ted : A real tough question this time, Jim. Difficult, I am torn between The Uncovered Policeman: The Long Road and The Summer of ’71, both darker material than the light fluffy stuff I often write. So I’m attracted to the darker side. The Long Road Is my favourite story, it involved killing off a major character in a 10 story series (to date) and exploring the emotions around that. As a reader said “If you followed this book series from the beginning then strap yourself in Mr Ted takes you on a rollercoaster of emotion. An amazingly well scripted, gripping book. You won’t be disappointed” On the other hand, The Summer of 71 contains my best writing. The story sprang fully formed with stronger characters than you find in the early Uncovered Policeman stories and the setting in 1970s Britain allowed me to create a greater atmosphere of threat than the world of the Uncovered Policeman could ever generate. It got good reviews: “As a 70’s youth I can relate to the characters in this story. Brilliant and gripping tale and hopefully the beginning of a new series...please”. Rob: At the moment, I guess it’s my first book, like the first child; it’s always the favourite - Meditations on Murder. At the risk of being overly proud and not humble, I like the humour and my own inventiveness. I think the story is good, but then I would wouldn’t I? I am actually re-reading it at the moment with a critical eye. James: Those answers are not quite what I expected. Your preferences are split 50-50 between the first novel and the last one. Personally, I’m always convinced what I’m currently working on will be my best ever, because, Iike Kyrian, I hope I am improving all the time. But that could be wishful thinking. And like Ted, I am drawn towards darker themes. The times we live in, perhaps? But our own opinions are perhaps not the most important. So can I ask what your most successful novel was? Rob : I am a self-publisher we have to have different definitions about what success is. A sale is a success, a good review is a success, Success is not just about big bucks and fame (But oh how we crave for it, in secret, under the duvet, in the dark, quiet hours of the night) Kyrian : My books were all about the same in terms of success. The most encouraging reviews were for my first poetry book and first novel. Ted: The most successful thing I have published is the Uncovered Policeman the first story of what turned into a long running series. It has been selling steadily over the past 3 years, helped by nice reviews. I guess that series fatigue slowed down the uptake of book 10. Why The Summer of 71 hasn’t sold well I have no idea … It has been a notable success in terms of Kindle Pages read. I wonder about the £3.99 price point. Richard : A Right to Bear Arms continues to be outsold by a huge margin by The Girl in the Baker's Van which had a more appealing cover. Also the titles played a big part: A Right to Bear Arms was a much deeper story than the title implied. It was probably a bit too macho and put off the female audience; though curiously its greatest fans and best reviews have all come from women readers. James : It’s interesting that all of us find that our choice of our best work isn’t reflected in our sales figures. What lessons are to be taken from that conundrum? Should we follow the money and try to replicate our commercial successes? Or should we stick to our principles and continue to write what we believe in? It’s also of note that Richard points out that perhaps big sales are not a reflection on the quality of the work, but on other, promotional, factors. So one last question, what do readers tell you about their reactions to what you have written? Kyrian : The feedback inspired me because both of those books seemed to have more of an impact on adult men, which surprised me. Some people passed on them, thinking they were strictly YA, but the men who read it had the most insightful comments and seemed to truly love the work. Not that women didn't also enjoy those books, but I had more of an expectation that they would. It's good to know that many people are open to reading something they don't typically read, something that will delightfully surprise them. I also learned, on the more negative side, that I needed to do more showing than telling and be careful with transitioning. Some readers got a little confused, and even though I've been told there was nothing confusing about it, I think it's good to consider what people have to say. It was more than one person, so it can surely be a legitimate issue. Ted : The very best the "This is a brilliant story, part who done it, part romance and part documentary. If you read nothing else this year read something by Ted Bun, you will be richer for it! " The worst a One Star “When I purchased this I thought it was going to be a 'fun' book. It has a weak, easily predictable story and it turned out to be very badly written …” Both are for the same book, The Uncovered Policeman. I find all reviews are motivational even the poor ones. I like the reassurance that other people are interested enough in my stories to put finger to keyboard in response. Richard : A Right to Bear Arms got excellent reviews which always makes you feel good as a writer. Also, Turn Left at Istanbul has had all its readers laughing out loud at the humour which is a great result - if you meant the book to be funny. In this instance I did, so good news. Rob : Well I guess Meditations on Murder as it does have the most reviews - 5 to date I think and all 5 stars (one of which from our host Jim, so thank you for that) I encourage you all to please read my book and leave a review (it is unseemly to plead?) Good reviews make us want to keep writing don’t they? James : Please, on behalf of us all, can I ask any readers to listen to Rob’s plea and review what they read? From our team’s comments, you can see that all writers wait with baited breath for readers’ comments, and take all of them, even the less flattering ones, seriously. Feedback can only make us all better writers, and that’s going to result in better books for our readers. Thanks to all our members for taking part, and goodbye until next time. 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?
The Think Tank Panel this month
As well as these usual members, we received comments from various guests. Don’t hesitate to click on their book covers for more information on them 
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. How authors work – comment from the panel.
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! 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? 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. 
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. Crossing the GendersIn 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. |
The year is 1969 and I have a new job: press agency journalist. In London my boss Victor tells me I’ll be working in a regional office - he wants me to drive there. I am to deliver Victor's shiny Jaguar: his pride and joy. The office is in Calcutta. This should be fun; but Victor's P.A. Shirley will be watching me all the way. ‘So much as a scratch and you’re dead,’ she threatens.
Charlie Simpson had it all. A partner who loved him, a best friend for life, and a cushy job in the family run firm in the City of London. When he arrives home to find his partner and best friend have run off to start a new life together, Charlie's world collapses in on itself. Now he's out to kill them both.
Mick Crooke is a mild-mannered student... The owner of a Triumph Trident, yes, he is a biker.
A meeting between a young man and a young woman. Set against the undercurrent of the all-pervasive violence of Britain the early 1970s. The aggressive youth culture and post-Kray Twins criminal underworld. 
For sixteen-year-old Danielle DeCorso, the old house in Glastonbury was an eerie place to grow up. Coping with mental health challenges exacerbated by a traumatic family dynamic, Danielle watches from the window for two men in a dusty black sedan who keep circling the house and harassing her with phone calls...
When disillusioned detective Charlie Best finds himself the beneficiary of a substantial and unexpected inheritance, it’s his chance to escape from the thankless task of policing the violence and misery of Glasgow’s drug barons. He moves to a sunnier country and a brighter future. But a chance encounter in a Spanish bar and a pretty hitchhiker combine to draw him back into the murky world he had been trying to leave behind.
Don Loreto is convinced he is being haunted; bizarre phantoms are reaching out from the depths of his past and Don Loreto is scared. In the office of psychiatrist Lydia Kroll he tells of visitations by an old time carnival act: a small girl, a scarecrow and a harlequin goat. Lydia does not sign up to ghosts. As she digs into Loreto’s dark past it seems to confirm her theory of post traumatic stress disorder; but then strange and unsettling things begin to happen and Lydia is forced to rethink.
Three young women, three loves and three lives that are about to be changed forever. Caught up in a dangerous tide of extremism and racial tension, will Marianne, Sadime and Bea find what each of them craves?
A Seer Champion sworn to protect Southgate. Talwyn Sevi must protect Southgate and its keystone against the evil forces that threaten their destruction. Knowing she cannot do it alone, she seeks help from a group of reclusive Dragon Shifters. Can Talwyn gain the Dragon Lord’s trust in time to save Southgate and the dragonkin?
|
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!
A Guide To Intellectual Property will be the only text you need as you seek to understand Intellectual Property as it relates to your business.
Get answers to your questions about using General Copyright Method, copyright as it pertains to using recipes, quotes from celebrities, Bible quotes and scriptures and much more. |
There are ten full-length stories about the Uncovered Policeman, gentle romantic comedies, in which nobody gets killed, maimed or even suffers a splinter.Two other, slightly wry and offbeat, novels about a couple buy a ‘New House’ in France and retire from work.
|
Ever been seduced by a ghost? Emma McVeigh is emotionally adrift. Broken-hearted after her marriage breakup, she has escaped city life and sought solace in a quintessential English village.
Allowing herself time to regroup seems like the best course of action in her life right now. However, the picture-perfect thatched cottage she moves into hides a secret and is not the sanctuary she was hoping for. Enter her dashing next-door neighbour, Lewis... |