Aspiring Author

Service interruption

2006-06-14T14:09:00.000+02:00

A quick post to apologise for the interruption in posting - this was due to the birth of my son on 10th June so, naturally, I have a few other priorities right now ;-)

Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.

Character creation #2: Protagonists

2006-06-06T10:04:00.000+02:00

Well defined leading characters can (almost) remove the need for a plot outline. Not that I'm advocating this, but it can certainly come in handy if you've managed to paint yourself into a corner as far as story development goes.

If your characters are well defined you should be able to ask yourdelf that one important question and the answer should be obvious:

"What would he/she do in this situation?"

If you have sufficient backgroud for your character(s) and they have been well developed then this should get you out of even the most tricky situation. You may even find the story taking an unexpected, but interesting, direction.

If you can't answer that question then the chances are you need to put in a little more work on your characters.

So what is required for a "well-defined" character? You could read a number of articles and get a number of different answers but I think there are some basics that should be adhered to:

- Physical description, age, marital status, occupation, residential status (with parents, renting, homeowner etc.) and anything else you would find on a standard application form should be established first.

- Brief description of childhood. This should include where they grew up, what their parents did for a living, whether they were happy, what sort of school they went to, what their hobbies were.

- A list of current friends/partners with a brief description of where they met, how often they see each other. Of course some of these may also be primary characters.

- At least three memorable incidents from their life: winning something, a serious accident, a personal trauma, that sort of thing. The more that spring to mind the better. These are the things that define peoples attitudes to current life events.

These are just the basics and you'll find that once you've started a lot more information will come to mind. Write it all down and keep track of it, even if you think it seems irrelevant and would never matter to the story. You may be surprised.

Of course none of this information should be set in stone. If you reach a point in the story that would require your character acting in a way that does not fit their background then amend the background slightly so that it does. That car accident might become a near-drowning experience while sailing.

The important thing is that by defining the character in this way you are keeping track of who they are and you will know if you're trying to force them to do something they wouldn't.

Categories: Self-help, Writing

Character creation #1: Character types

2006-06-02T14:51:00.000+02:00

There are a number of elements which go into making a good story but one of the most important has to be the characters it contains. If your characters are well contstructed and have sufficient personality then quite often you will find that they drive the story in directions you weren't expecting.

For example, your outline might dictate that the lead runs off with his sister's best friend, but by the time you get to write this scene you realise that your leading man simply wouldn't do that; it's not in his nature.

When this happens you can either rethink the plot - was that development necessary? - or introduce a good reason for your character to behave that way (for example, the sister's friend may be threatening to reveal something unpleasant about his sister to the world). Either way, once this happens, you can be sure that you have a fairly well developed character.

So what's the best way to develop characters to this level?

Well, first of all, we need to make a distinction between the types of characters. Your story may have only one character all the way through. Far more likely though is that it will be populated with dozens, if not hundreds of characters, many of which are never explicitly mentioned.

There are three basic types of characters that you need to think about:

The protagonists

These are the people that drive the story (and sometimes create unexpected turns). Without them there would be no story. As such it is important for them to be well defined and always behave within the boundaries you have created for them.

The secondary characters

These are the people in the story that have a background and a strong relation to the protagonists. Their actions can affect the main characters, and therefore the plot. It is important for these characters to be reasonably well defined and act accordingly.

The extras

These characters are everybody else: the taxi driver on the way to the funeral, the hot-dog salesman, the woman that runs the day care centre. Often they will remain nameless, may not speak and, likely as not, take up very little descriptive text. Often they are there by implication only. That being said they are important and you need to think about how they interact with the main characters.

We'll cover the character types in a bit more detail in the coming posts.

Categories: Self-help, Writing

Writing tools #1: Reference books

2006-06-01T14:35:00.000+02:00

There are a lot of "how-to" books about writing on the market - how to write a novel; how to write childrens books; how to write a manual, haikus, a blog; the list goes on.

The chances are you don't need any of these. While it's always good to soak up new ideas and be open to alternative ways of going about things you probably already have an idea of what you would like to write about and would like to get on with it.

That's great, off you go.

You should, however, be aware that there are some essential tools in an author's armoury. These include, but are not limited to:

- A good dictionary

- A good thesaurus

- A copy of "The Elements of Style"

You probably already have the first one and maybe the second but you might not have heard of the third.

Whether you have heard of it or not, if you are going to write and you don't own it I suggest you go and buy it now. It has been a staple reference book of writers for years and details varios aspects of grammar which might otherwise trip you up or on which you may be unsure.

You can pick this up for the price of a pint and once you have it MAKE USE OF IT.

I'll say that again - USE STUNK AND WHITE. If you're unsure about similar words or need to check a point of grammar then don't guess - look it up and get it right. Your audience will thank you, be they an editor, a proofreader or your Mum.

Categories: Self-help, Writing, Grammar

"I deserve" vs. "I can achieve"

2006-05-30T21:10:00.000+02:00

In this modern world if instant gratification and fifteen minutes of fame for all there has been a shift in attitudes. Ask a school child what they want to be and you'll likely get the answer "a pop star", "a model" or "a footballer". Compare that with the not-so-long-ago ambitions of a train driver or a doctor.

Why is this? Media attitudes mainly, and the culture of people being given what they want rather than earning it.

Which brings me to the topic of this post.

A lot of people feel that they deserve something they don't have. It's a form of envy and we've probably all felt it at one time or another - when the news reports come on about a convicted criminal winning the lottery or we get a glimpse inside a celebrity lifestyle.

The reality is we are far more likely to achieve our ambitions if we drop the "I deserve" attitude and start thinking "I can achieve" instead. It's a simple switch and the mere act of making it will focus your mind on the target. The technical term for this is intention-manifestation and it's not quite as new-age as it sounds.

It's the reason I'm writing this blog. Rather than thinking "I should get around to writing" or "I could write better than that" I decided "I will write a few times a week". Sure it's difficult sometimes with long working hours (and we have a child on the way which I'm sure will make it more difficult) but that decision spurs me onwards and I find the time. I've even started getting up earlier as a side effect.

Obviously that's a small example but find something you think you should be doing, or could do if only you had the time, or you think you'd be good at, or could do better than so-and so; it doesn't have to be a big thing but once you've found it just make that decision - "I will do this".

You'll soon see what a difference it makes.

Categories: Self-help

Writing motivation #4: Getting feedback

2006-05-26T10:28:00.000+02:00

This post should really be sub-titled "You are your own worst enemy". Think about it and you'll know it's true.

One of the most important processes for a writer is the accumulation of feedback. The obvious source for this is an editor but not everybody is lucky enough to have one. Even if you do I'm thinking it is very unlikely you would submit a first draft to him. First you would refine your manuscript yourself, then you would give it to a trusted friend to read.

And that is the hard part. At least for me it is and I'm going to work on the assumption I'm not the only one in this position.

Allowing somebody you don't really know to read your work is one thing. Allowing a close fried access to it is quite another. After all there are bound to be allusions to your life in there they might recognise, whether you put them in consciously or not. And what if they think it's awful?

Well first of all whoever you give it to will more than likely feel quite privileged to be reading it - whatever they think of your ability or the subject matter. After all you have selected them, out of all the people you know, to handle something very personal. They are extremely unlikely to turn around and tell you it is awful.

Secondly, if they don't like it then listen to what they tell you. After all this is part of your target audience. If they see room for improvement then take this on board. You don't have to implement any suggestions, after all it is your work, but you may well find they make a few very helpful suggestions.

Of course you should take some care in selecting who gets to read your next masterpiece. Don't give the first draft of that article on why gun ownership is a bad thing to your friend who is an active member of the NRA and goes off hunting every weekend. They may provide some useful feedback at some point down the line but a hostle viewpoint is not going to encourage you to continue with the article.

So, to sum up:

- Get the draft story / article into a decent condition; something you would be happy to read.

- Find a trusted friend, one who will not dislike the piece merely because of the subject matter, and ask them to read it. If you can hand it over to strangers you can certainly let a friend read it.

- Listen to what they tell you. Think it over for a couple of days and see if any of it makes sense to you within the boundaries of the story.

And one word of warning. If your friend tells you it's wonderful and can find no fault with it, they're lying. No story is 100% perfect. Try and get them to be a little more honest with you - it's for your own good.

And above all trust in yourself. You think it's a good piece. There's obviously something there worth pursuing.

Keep at it and happy writing.

Categories: Writing, Motivation, Self-help

Book review #2: The Bridge, Iain Banks

2006-05-23T10:22:00.000+02:00

An interesting experimental novel from Banks, telling the story of a man in a coma and his journey back to consciousness. The novel is perhaps not to everybody's taste, consisting as it does of seemingly disjointed narratives. There is also no strong plotline to hold it together.

This does not mean that the story does not work, merely that the reader will almost certainly be left with some questions when they reach the end.

The main character, who's name is never revealed, although it is hinted at with a few clues, inhabits the world of "the bridge"; a seemingly endless structure joining the kingdom with the city, both seemingly mythical places which nobody has ever visited. He is struggling to regain his identity and recover his lost memories. The story is interspersed with vivid dreams, most of which centre around a mythical barbarian with a Scottish accent and his familiar.

As the story proceeds we are given flashbacks of the characters life before the accident, presumably in an attempt to establish his motivation for wanting to return to that life. This history is reflected by events and people on the bridge.

The story may appear disjointed in places but the protagonist's Dantean journey through the subconscious makes it worthwhile and will ensure that most keep reading. With plenty of subtle allusions and political references along the way this is a fascinating read and should keep the hungriest reader busy for a couple of hours.

Categories: Books, Reviews

Writing motivation #3: The first line

2006-05-21T11:56:00.000+02:00

So now you've managed to reclaim some of that wasted time. You're sitting at the PC, the wordprocessor is open in front of you with a new document.

So what on earth do you write?

This is a major problem for a lot of people, and I'm including myself here. Staring at an empty page is not condusive to filling it up and the longer you stare at it the harder it gets. There's a killer story waiting to be told but you just can't seem to begin it. What words or sentence could do it justice?

Here's a thought: who cares?

The important thing is to get past this and waiting for that perfect opening sentence is not going to do that. Just write anything and move on then come back later and edit it. Who knows, you might find that throwaway line that got you started turns out to be perfect.

If you can't even think of a line that has anything to do with the story it doesn't matter. Type out Saturday's sports results or the lyrics to your favourite song. Sometimes the act of typing in itself is enough to get the creative juices flowing. You'll likely soon find that you've switched to original prose.

Categories: Writing, Motivation, Self-help

Writing motivation #2: Avoiding distractions

2006-05-18T11:37:00.000+02:00

So you've arranged your time so the blog isn't too distracting. Now you're spending a good portion of your time writing, right?

I doubt it.

The internet is somewhat of a blessing and a curse. On the one hand you have a vast resource of information at your fingertips. Want to get that costume detail right or find out who the king of Spain was in 1722? It's easy (Philip V, by the way, just to save you the trouble of checking).

On the other hand there are so many distractions; from the amusing-but-time-wasting (www.angryalien.com is one of my favourites for this) to the seemingly-helpful-but-still-timewasting.

Staying away from the first is really a matter of willpower. I can't do it completely so I allow myself a ten minute "playtime" every hour. This works quite well and quite often I forget that it's time to play and keep working straight through it.

The second category is the dangerous one. You think you are making connections, researching, fine tuning. In fact you're more than likely still wasting time and there are a number of ways to do this, most of which can be quite addictive.

Writer forums

There are a number of these around where it is possible to discuss ideas and issues with other people (some of them even writers). While this sounds good in principle it is far too easy to get drawn into discussions that are not relevant to anything you may be writing.

Instead of putting all that time and effort into writing responses and defending opinions put it into genuine writing instead. You'll find that all of a sudden you don't need to discuss that characterisation problem with anybody - it's resolved itself by the mere act of writing through it.

Chat rooms

How can I say this? Chat rooms are bad! They steal your time away from you and you have absolutely nothing to show for it. Most often not even a chat log.

It's extremely unlikely you'll discover anything helpful in a chat room, even one dedicated to writing as anybody in there is only there because, at that moment in time, they are not writing.

The only way around this is not to log onto them. Just bite the bullet and give them up. Delete those chat clients if that's what you're using. Go on, you'll thank me for this later.

Workshop and review groups

This one is a little more difficult. Used properly these groups can be extremely useful. I used to be a member of critters and received some very useful feedback from other members on things I had written.

The problem is (or was for me) that to join one of these groups (or at least one that is worthwhile joining) it is necessary to make a commitment to read a certain amount of other people's work every week. This can be very time consuming, especially if you are working a normal day job as well, leaving you with little time to write anything original.

I eventually had to break away from this because I was spending too much time commenting on other peoples work and not enough time writing. You may find them more helpful but just be warned.

These are the main time killers (as discovered by me). I'm sure there are more but once I'd managed to shove these activities to one side I found I was a lot more productive.

Categories: Writing, Motivation, Self-help

Novel writing software

2006-05-18T10:37:00.000+02:00

You might notice a new link on the side of the page to newnovelist.com. This is a software package which will allow you to organise your thoughts, characters, plot outlines, settings and bring them together into a cohesive whole. It will even generate structural outlines for you based on what sort of novel you are writing (obviously it is still up to you to do the actual writing).

This is a professional package used by published authors. If, like me, you've tried the various free packages around and found they don't quite do the job then give this one a go.

And now, back to our cheduled programming.

Categories: Writing, Software

Writing motivation #1: Blog maintenance

2006-05-17T10:15:00.000+02:00

As I mentioned in my statement of intention I started this blog as a motivator - a reason to write (almost) every day. Obviously that is a good thing. The more writing that gets done the more creative an author is being and the more likely they are to produce something that is worthy of publication.

Well, yes and no.

There are an enormous number of distractions on the internet and maintaining a blog is one of them. Apart from the writing there is always something else that can be added or improved: registering it on a new blog rotation site, adding advertising, restructuring the layout. None of these things will help you with your writing though. I've been guilty of getting caught up in a lot of the following traps - the first step to getting out of them is to recognise that you are in them in the first place.

This post is the first in a series intended to point out daily distractions and help you get on with the important part of the process - writing.

Blog maintenance

You started the blog to get some daily writing done. Now it's taken over your life in other ways. Before you can put that daily post on it you just need to sort out adsense, check your statcounter figures, have a look at technorati to see if anybody has linked to you and probably log on to a dozen more sites besides.

All this can be very distracting and at the end of the day puts nothing of any use to your writing career on your blog. At the same time (at least) some of it is necessary. So what's the solution?

Simple. Allow yourself a fixed amount of time a week - an hour really should be enough once the blog has been set up initially. This should be at a fixed time, say Sunday afternoon, just before dinner. In fact if you can schedule it immediately prior to another regular activity so much the better. That way you have a definite point at which you have to stop.

If you don't get everything done during that hour leave it until the next week. It's not the end of the world; how much do you really earn from adsense anyway? How many people find you through technorati, and of those how many return? The important thing is content. Without that you can have all the casual visitors in the world but if they don't come back and read you it means nothing. Building this base takes time and, above all, genuine content. Not ads, not cute little sidebar guest books or maps or clocks.

So next time you log on to your blog don't touch that "edit template" tag. Just focus on that "create post" one instead and get on with creating.

And good luck.

Categories: Writing, Motivation, Self-help

Book review #1: The shadow of the wind, Carlos Ruiz Zafón

2006-05-16T11:27:00.000+02:00

The novel takes place in post-war Barcelona between 1945 and 1966. It opens with an old bookseller taking his son, Daniel, to the "Cemetary of forgotten books", a hidden library of Borgian proportians where old and obscure books are taken. In this way they will always be kept alive. A nice thought for a book addict like myself.

The custom is that on visiting for the first time a guest must choose a book for which they will then take responsibility for the rest of their life, ensuring that it remains safe. Daniel chooses "The shadow of the wind" by Julián Carax. On reading it he becomes enamoured of the writing and begins to search for more books by the mysterious Carax. His search leads to generous offers for the book, which Daniel always turns down, and the appearance of a strange character, Laín Coubert, who seems intent on the destruction of all of Carax's works.

Slowly but surely Daniel is drawn into a story of love, betrayal and murder. At the same time it seems that his life is following a similar path as he is first betrayed by a childhood crush, then later as the sadistic Fumero enters his life, seemingly bent on the destruction of Daniel's life and that of the people he cares about.

The story is well crafted and, although it could take place anywhere, the Barcelona described by the author has a much older feel about it. I was constantly surprised at the mention of modern cars and utilites. Although there are plot twists there is no great surprise at the end when all is revealed. The reader feels as if he is conducting investigations alongside Daniel, although perhaps with the benefit of a little more knowledge, so rather than feeling frustrated that he has not reached the same conclusions one feels more inclined to urge him on in the right direction.

"The shadow of the wind" is Zafón's first novel for Adults, his previous four books being for young adults and, as far as I can tell, remaining untranslated into English. It is billed as being the first in a series of four based in Barcelona. I look forward to reading the second.

Categories: Books, Reviews

Lucid dreaming #1

2006-05-15T10:09:00.000+02:00

I have recently been reading up on lucid dreaming, that point in a dream where you realise that you are asleep and can do anything you like. Of course I was keen to try this.

As a child I recall having very vivid dreams, including the old standard of being able to fly. In my case though it was not so much flying as drifting. There were two ways I remember achieving this:

Firstly I could start off at the top of a hill - usually a steeper version of a street around the corner from our house. Then I would take larger and larger strides until I began to glide above the ground. By the time I reached the bottom of the hill I would be able to control direction by exertion of will, although it wouldn't be instantaneous and I would find myself drifting out around corners. Fortunately it was my dream and there was never any oncoming traffic.

Secondly I could find something light enough to be borne away by the wind, typically a leaf. I could then sit on this and wait for a breeze to waft me upwards along with the leaf. This method didn't offer as much control as the previous version but did bring with it that wonderful feeling of weightlessness. I wonder if that is comparable to the sensations experienced by astronauts?

In the years since I have grown up (I'm now 34) these sort of dreams have become extremely infrequent. There are times I think I have a vague memory of one but requirements of the new day usually force themselves onto my consciousness before I can lock that memory in. As soon as that happens it's too late and the threads of the dream dissipate.

So yesterday, after wading through a lot of google links and finding the ones that offered general advice rather than a "how-to" manual for only $49.95 it seems that there are several important factors involved which I will attempt to sum up:

1. Be open to the possibility. If you don't believe that you can have a lucid dream then you probably won't. The mind is an extremely flexible tool but you have to give it room to move.

2. Improve your waking memory of dreams. This almost certainly means keeping a dream journal. Something I will be starting today after last night's experience. The better able you are to remember past dreams the more likely you will be to notice whan you are dreaming.

3. Constantly question whether you are awake or asleep. If you question whether you are asleep during the day, when you are fairly certain you are, the habit will become ingrained and you are more likely to do it while you are asleep. Common consensus seems to be that it is a good idea to have some kind of trigger - every time you look at your watch, for example, or every time you see a bus, or a pram. The exact trigger isn't important and will probably depend on your normal daily activities. Pick something that is likely to recur several times a day.

Once you have your trigger all it takes is to do something that can establish whether you are awake or dreaming:

- Look in a mirror. Is it actually you looking back at yourself? Do you look like you normally do?

- Look around you. Are there any inconsistencies in the immediate area? Flying cars, that rhino in the corner for example. Anything that would not be there when you were awake.

- Read something. Look away. Read it again. Do this a couple of times. Does the text stay the same? Does it make sense? Is it just garbled characters? If so you are probably dreaming.

- Use something. Turn on a light, turn it off again. Repeat a few times. If it suddenly turns on when it should be off you are probably dreaming. Either that or you need to call an electrician.

It must have been the fact that I had been reading up on the phenomenom but last night I managed to have a lucid dream. For most of the dream I was unconscious - not in the typical sense but in that I didn't recognise that it was a dream. I had been running round town with my partner, who had started to have contractions (this was unlikely, but not impossible - we are expecting in about 4 weeks). I had been timing them but when they stopped we went to a shop. Suddenly my point of view shifted and I could see a woman trying on a pair of shoes that were too small for her. She was insisting they were the right size and as she arched her feet in them she began to levitate. Instantly I realised that I was dreaming. My point of view shifted and I was sitting in the changing room in front of a mirror. I stood up and attempted to levitate myself. I managed to raise myself an inch or so off the ground before becoming extremely excited and waking up.

On awaking my whole body was alert. I could feel every inch of my skin and this hypersensitivity itself, although very strange, was a pleasurable sensation. It felt as though I was still dreaming. Lying in bed I concentrated on recalling the dream and ran a few mental checks to ensure that I was actually awake. Unfortunatley I was but this was enough to prove to myself that it is possible to train yourself to have lucid dreams. Hopefully, in time, I will be able to remain asleep and exert a greater control over myself and my dream environment.

Categories: Dreaming

Statement of intention

2006-05-15T09:59:00.000+02:00

A new blog, a new good intention. The idea behind this blog is not to provide entertainment, although that would be a nice side effect. It is to encourage me to write on a reasonably frequent basis. The more I write, the more likely I will be to turn out something I can use in the long, uphill struggle to completing a novel.

Now I'll never be an Eco, a Pynchon or a Mann, but it would be nice to have somethign out there that people actually choose to read. By nature I am rather shy, and therefore reluctant to show my writing to friends and family lest they think it ridiculous. Unlikely I know, but I'm sure there are many people in a similar situation.

So here I will be posting snippets about my life and daily events, perhaps the odd book or film review. Whatever comes to mind really, and with the wonderful anonymity afforded by the internet (or should that be Internet, with a capital. The new god of the geeks. And no, that shouldn't be God - whilst I am open to certain aspects of spirituality I do not believe in a god and count myself as an atheist).