Northern Children's Book Festival 2010

A brochure popped through my door, promoting the above event. Great, I thought, I must go. Being the author of a children's tale (nope, never got further than the first in that area), the idea appealed to the child in me. I only stopped reading The Beano at 33 (Frodo's age - I'm sure he would have loved it!) so there is still a huge kid buried beneath the painfully-slowly-written-adult-mountain of a story I'm attempting to scale.
Then I skidded to a halt: what on earth would people think about an adult male attending alone a children's book festival? All my nephews and nieces are almost grown up. Sly looks, suspicious thoughts, stares??? And that's just me! I realised that I couldn't go. But still, at least I should be able to buy stuff online and find out how it went.
Anyways, authors such as Julia Donaldson (The Gruffalo), Karen McCombie (The Raspberry Rules), Justin Richards (Dr Who/The School of Night), Robert Crowther, The Two Steves (Return to the Lost World/I Hero), Chris Bradford (The Way of the Warrior/Young Samurai) and Steve Cole (Astrosaurs/Slime Squad) will all be there.
Should be fun, and though I'll not be there, I'll buy tickets in support of it all.
Now then, where's that Beano...

Who speaks?

I have friends of differing nationalities, and sexualities. Being straight and white, there are thoughts and attitudes, manners of speech and behaviour that I don't naturally comprehend. So I began a search, to seek out people I don't know about in order that I can represent them properly in my new story. (Actually, it's not a new story any more in my mind, but obviously everyone else will hopefully think it is.)
Nearly finished this research. I'm still in the middle of it. I know, if I hadn't done it, some of the things said and done in my new book couldn't have happened.
If I get published (sigh!), the list of credits (websites etc) will be a revelation and a source of amusement. I've had some amazing conversations with some amazing and striking people. Some of them have disappeared without trace. I do wish I could have met some of them, but I have long known this could have been dangerous and downright silly.
But it's been a blast, and though this research hasn't finished, it has been rewarding. I couldn't have written this book in the way I've done it without the internet. I know it can seem real at times, but great illusions are like that.
Still running with it....

Slow down!

From The Lord Of The Rings:

'Away now, Shadowfax! Run, greatheart, run as you have never run before! Now we are come to the lands where you were foaled, and every stone you know. Run now! Hope is in speed!'
Shadowfax tossed his head and cried aloud, as if a trumpet had summoned him to battle. Then he sprung forward. Fire flew from his feet; night rushed over him.
As he fell slowly into sleep, Pippin had a strange feeling: he and Gandalf were as still as stone, seated upon the statue of a running horse, while the world rolled away beneath his feet with a great noise of wind.

Majestic. It took Tolkien about 13 years to write LOTR, writing mostly at night. So why am I rushing to finish mine when I could miss writing fabulous prose such as that? I've taken my time and produced what I feel is good stuff. I have to look after this story and not rush things. It will be done when it is done, and I must judge that properly.
I guess I looked for this piece in LOTR as I had been listening to Susan Boyle's rendition of the Stones' Wild Horses. Mick Jagger said that The Beatles wrote better songs but that the Stones were better live. I am not so sure that is entirely true: to me, other people's versions of Stones' songs seem always to be better than the originals.
I've felt lost for a while. Maybe that's why I've been seeking out opinions. It is the right thing to do, of course. But not as often as I have with these flashbacks. I need to trust myself more. Hmmm. I think, also, that I just needed to be reminded that it is the treatment that is the key. The writing of it, the approach. If there is any greatness within what you've done, then this will bring it out. Allied to a good plot, you're halfway there.
Now for the other half. If I can just find it lol

Star Trek Weekend

And I'm off... Oh boy!

October skies...

I will be off work for nine days from the 16th of October. This falls in nicely with writing the beginning as a whole. Having written some good things, and fallen over a bit with others, I will be using this period to draw everything into a more recognisable passage. It looks like I've written about 8 chapters that link up well with each other.
Looking at my notes, I've surprised myself at the depth to which my early research went. And also surprised myself as to how far I still have to go with it all.
I feel I've taken too long to get this far. That's not to say I could have gone any quicker. Somehow, this story seems to need piecing together, as opposed to writing it out from one point to the next. It's been frustrating, not least that some of the scenes have been rather short on words and, therefore, size. I'm working on that. Maybe I need to be aware of my approach at any given point and to just keep reminding myself of the purpose of the current narrative in the context I'm writing it.
The flashbacks have gone well; there are still a couple more to do - but I know each can wait until a more essential moment. The flashback that is the key moment in the story has been written. It can be improved. But I don't need to do that just yet. Rather, I can use it to draw my thoughts together with regard to this story and decide whether I'm doing justice to the whole project - however many books this might entail (and I've no true idea whether it's 1 or 10, though I do have another book title which makes me think a bit harder that there may be at least 3!) Aah, trilogies! But lets not go there, for now...
I'm aware that I might fail. That I will probably fail. Statistically, the odds are not with me. But I'm writing the kind of story I know I would want to read. That one thought is what keeps me going.

Discovery

I guess I've always been struggling with the idea that planning ends discovery. That, by its nature, planning ends the spark of originality.
The longest pieces so far came out of planning. The more recent, shorter, pieces came out of thought purely while writing, but mainly structure only - or plot, if you like. These were flashbacks, apart from the new first chapter.
I don't think planning hampers the spark of originality, or creativity. Planning seems to free the mind up, thus allowing more creativity.
I'm quite proud of the flashbacks, though - they have action as well as emotion. Both methods worked well for me.
Hmmm... emotion. I need to be careful not to try and gauge the amount. Rather, I must ensure that it is there.
I've now done the flashback that I have always felt would overshadow the others and now feel that I can look at the beginning, and the future it leads into, with less fear. I'm more able to decide what may be wrong, but more important: what is right.
Ultimately, the writer writes alone. There are trusted readers, who know what they like and give valuable feedback. But the decisions as to what, how and when belong to the writer. This is a given. Lately, I think I've been looking for some kind of approval for what I've done so far. That is me being silly: judgement can only be made when full passages are made available for evaluation, and I haven't done that for a while. This is, of course, because I needed to write a compelling first chapter and equally compelling flashbacks. Now that I've got more concrete work in front of me, the job of evaluation must initially belong to me.
I shouldn't release any more of it until all links and narratives are present. I'm now looking at this.
It still nags at me that the original prologue held a lot of important information. Yet I wrote it in such a flat, unentertaining manner that it couldn't remain in its present form. What I should do with it is still an unanswered question.
Things to ponder. I'm less in limbo these days, though, which is promising.

The Last Flashback

Actually, it's the last one I'm going to do for now!
I've no idea how many flashbacks I will need, but this one, the most important one, has been done. It's not complete: it has its own sequel, which I've yet to write out in full. But I need to parcel up everything I've written out so far and take stock of where I've gone. Plus I'm tired. I need to sleep.
This particular flashback is a vital one, and is so full of movement and emotion, that I've given myself lockjaw with the nervous tension it took for me to write it. I can improve it, but I possibly need a bit more information than my thoughts allow. Is there enough emotion dwelling inside the words? Does the whole scene excite/incite emotion? Well, I'll send it off to Solvey, Noel, Rich and Rebecca and see how they feel about it. It's only three and a half pages long. It's a flashback, not a true chapter or passage of narrative within the actual story, so it is deliberately short. Not sure it can be a prologue - I think it needs to be attached to a similar event within the narrative.
Now I must return to the beginning and then look down the line. I need to see where I'm going.
Good...

Ey-up!

Becca has taken her first peek from the outside at Litopia! Could it be that she is about to write something????
Her hubby Craig had better watch out: this is the beginning of the end for normal married life!
I've told her it's safe to join, as I'm not there any more ;-)
Coming to a book-world near you...

Cough it up!

Yep, just when I have three days off and am about to write probably the most important piece of this story, I've caught a cold. I've got a splitting headache, I'm snuffling into tissues like a pig looking for truffles, and my throat is so sore and irritated I can barely breathe. Anyway, I've made a large pan of soup, filled with enough veg to feed a non-meat-eating 5,000, so at least I'm making some effort to restore myself to healthfulness. It's nice, but my throat is still sore I can barely breathe without coughing. In the end, I've resorted to pineapple with ice cream in a further effort to soothe my throat. The rest of the soup is in the fridge, waiting for tomorrow.
Jeez, and I hope I'm better tomorrow - this writing won't wait. And after I've written a couple more pieces, I will undertake a much needed review of where I am, and where I need to go.
Right now, though, I'm watching Casino Royale on tv. He's good, is Daniel Craig, which I didn't expect.

A test of nerve

Yep, I seem to be unable to write in chronological order. I'm picking out things, far and near, where I feel I can do justice to the notes I made.
So, where does that leave me?
I guess it leaves me writing this story in the best way I can. I won't write what I can't, which has to be a good thing.
I feel like I'm writing milestones - pieces which link up the tale. Recognisable staging posts, if you like. And in between, I feel I can write what I like, in the way I like, as long as it eventually comes around and adheres to the plot I've been mapping out.
Of course, I can't just write it - if there are no lyrical movements, then will there be any satisfaction at the end of it all - for me and the reader? I would expect not.
Above all, I'm conscious of the fact that I seem to have shifted from writing with a pen, to typing into my laptop. I need to look at this. I believe I will go back to the pen for the time being, then type it in afterwards. This may be temporary, as I know I have written my newer stuff, such as the new first chapter, and the rooftop flashback, purely through my laptop.
Which is the way? I'll only know when I try it. I do know what I'm going to write next, so how I feel about the method of physically writing will be crucial, as this is probably the most emotional piece of this story I will write. It's a flashback. The longest and most dramatic flashback in the story - possibly only about five of them, and their placement must be exact. They each have movement, though - I'm not just writing 'tells'. The rooftop scene shows that I'm not. I have to get this right, otherwise I think the whole story may fail. I don't have to write it at this moment, but I'm going to. After it, there will be some more pieces to do, then decisions to be made as to what should go where.
A bit of a jigsaw, but most of what I'm doing is the opening, followed by the movement into the tale itself. The stuff I've yet to explore will probably feel like a release, as I'm restricting everything so far to the beginning and to the movement 'in'.
I hope some of the things I'm doing aren't going to be redundant, and so far they don't seem to be. Like the sword fantasy I did (wot I wrote lol), I'm writing what I've always longed to read, just I can't find it anywhere; only glimpses.
Still can't write on tap. I have to wait until I know I must write it, or burst, crack up or something! It's not a strange feeling, just something I will have to deal with, live with.
It's fun! I'm not as apprehensive as when I wrote the new first chapter, that's for sure. I had to be persuaded to write that - solvey and Noel can take credit for persuading me to write something so dramatic. Something had to happen at the beginning, and so it did.
Got to match it all the way through, now.

Design freak

When I began the long and winding road of my latest story, I knew I was going to hit problems simply because I was changing styles. Being totally immersed in the sword fantasy style I'd cultivated (perhaps some may say 'copied'), little did I know how hard the transition to modern stylist would be.
However, I did know how I wanted to write, and that, at various stages, my style would have to change or jump ship for a while to suit the period or world I would find myself writing about. There are different perspectives, and cultures, present in this story. They have to be catered for, and research needs to be as thorough as humanly possible in order to reflect the attitudes and mindsets of the people who populate the tale.
Funny how I've written so many notes, yet forgotten most of them as I write first one chapter, then another piece, then another. Looking at them now, the number of times I've said "Don't forget" or "Remember" is probably a good indication of how complicated this story can be.
So I've opted for simplicity. I'm trying to keep the story tight when explanations are necessary. In periods of activity, especially intense activity, descriptions are kept to the minimum. Revisions or refinememnts must be made in context, and any literary tendencies - and I have them by the truck-load - are under strict orders not to reveal themselves until the plotting has been done and the story 'run' at that point has been completed.
In short, I have requested the ghosts of Dickens and Tolkien to please retire to the rest room until I have written the plot and conducted the narrative. Koontz and Banks are standing guard at the door, waving at me from a respectable distance so I can't consult them during this period of examination, though the presence of all four are constant reminders of how far I need to go. Respect!
And thus far, it's worked well, as I seem to be changing little of what has happened, even after critiques have unearthed problems I hadn't seen, and afterwards I'm able to polish what I've done while adding more literary or lyrical movements as I do so.
Having read Rich's latest blogpost ( http://www.wondering-mind.blogspot.com/ ) I could be forgiven for worrying that I was underselling my work. I know how well Rich can write, and so does a top agent, too. But Solvey's comment on the post actually soothed my mind a bit: my plotting was good but the wordsmithery was average. Solvey wasn't insulting my work - we are rather similar in approach, leaving little to chance via research, and appreciate the lyrical as much as anyone. He was actually polarising a moot point. (Solvey famously has the TM on the word 'moot', I must tell you!)
Fabulous! Have I finally managed to grasp the true art of storytelling? To stick to the story first, and leave the lyrical embellishments until afterwards. In this type of tale, at least. In the modern world, the modern writing world, you need a good plot. The story, the story, the story. Like the others that Solvey, Noel and Becca have seen, these were first drafts - almost wholly plot and dialogue. The narrative generally getting you from A to B to C to D. The rest to come afterwards. But it HAS to come, and will, otherwise I won't be classed as a writer.
Personalities, emotions, character traits, dialogue, history, exposition in whatever form, all have their vital roles.
But without the story, the plot, you are lost.

At this point...

... I have got a fair idea of the beginning of the beginning. I'm now piecing the chapters and related works together and gauging how it all looks from this point. So far, it seems substantial, but so far, I've still a way to go in establishing the movement of the story during the time we spend with the hero. I feel I do know what needs to be done, though, and that my notes have surprised me and I can build from here to a future point.
I've sent two pieces to Solvey, Noel the Ultimate Proofreader and Rebecca. These are, I hope, proof of my ability to write and ensnare readers into the world I'm writing about. They are, as ever, unfinished and belong to larger chapters, but I'm trying to determine reactions. They are important parts to the story, so I need to know how I'm coming across.
Now I need to do more. I'm on it...