PROGRESS REPORT FOR 'HOW TO WRITE FICTION'

 WATCH THIS SPACE!

I am revamping and extending my book for beginners

(How To Write Fiction, currently available as an e-book on Amazon)

The new version will include further writing aid plus a section on self publishing and promotion. As some of you know, I've written and published fourteen books on Amazon (all as Kindle e-books, most also as paperbacks). I taught myself firstly to use a computer (as I'm not of the generation to have used one at school) and later to use a graphics programme to design my covers. It was a steep learning curve but I hope I can pass on some tips.

If you have any other 'wants' or suggestions, please contact me.

Watch this space!

  WHAT TO LEAVE OUT OF YOUR STORY

If you're new to writing, the danger is more often to write too much rather than too little. It makes no difference whether you're writing a 90,000 word novel or a 1000 word short story, unnecessary detail, information or dialogue will slow down, irritate, distract or bore the reader, so here are some points to bear in mind.

DIALOGUE: We all discuss the weather, or what we ate last night, or how our offspring is doing at school, but none of these things is relevant UNLESS IT AFFECTS THE PLOT, eg the weather hints at a coming hurricane which will then prevent our main character taking a ferry to Spain, or the prospective bridegroom ate a couple of dead mussels that night and therefore won't make the wedding, or a teenager will be arrested for burning down the school lab, which will explain why Dad goes on one drinking binge too many and Mum packs a suitcase, which therefore explains ......... It's all about consequences. So, cut out the small talk. Dialogue should seem natural, but every word should advance the story.

CHARACTER INFORMATION: Some creative writing books recommend you create a CV for each of your main characters so that  you know them inside out. This isn't my way, but lots of authors do it. But however you get to know your characters, do you need to download it all for your readers? Ration the details you pass on - you might be surprised how few you need to explain how someoe behaves, reacts, emotes.

SETTINGS: A friend of mine happened to spend a lot of time in an exotic setting. He decided to make it the setting for his first novel, and while there he amassed notebooks full of information about the place, the people, the economics, the history, etc. Sadly, he put so much of it in his novel that it became virtually unreadable. It's tempting to include all you've learned but you have to resist. From all those notebooks, try to extract the essence of a place. A few well chosen snippets slipped in here and there will usually do the trick.

I could go on and on - but then, I don't want to bore you!

 SHORT OF IDEAS? TAKE A LOOK AT THE WEEKEND NEWSPAPERS

I took the following headlines from those querky little 'fillers' that editors employ to fill the gaps on their pages.

Husband wins £25,000 for 'bereavement' after wife tricked him into believing the children he raised from birth were his, rather than the product of her affairs.

American farmer is eaten by his own pigs.

Mother ran brothel to pay for school fees.

Sex change wife murdered after husband discovered she used to be a man.

Scientists' 10-year tree experiment chopped.

Teacher shoots dead his own son in burglary.

Coma mother loses 13 years of memories.

Pub landlord's dilemma over body in the gents' toilet

French deer hunter shot by own dog.

 No extra words for this post - just a note that between now and Christmas I'll be giving 25% of my royalties to a local charity. 

 hope you'll enjoy reading or giving one or two to someone else. You'll find more information and a 'read inside' facility on Amazon for each book.

Happy Christmas!

 NEW BOOK COVERS

If you look at my Book Page, you'll see that my latest novel for middle grade kids, THE BOY WITH MY FACE  (published June 2021),  has a new cover. This will be the third. For various reasons I wasn't satisfied with the previous two (and I can't be sure I'll be satisfied with the latest one) but sometimes I just can't stop fiddling!

I've also changed both the cover and the title of another of my books. AFFAIR WITH AN ANGEL is now titled EMAILS FROM HEAVEN, and I've brought back my original drawing of Zoe, the heroine. I changed the title partly because I felt it gave the wrong impression. This is far from being the usual meet-up between male and female, and the 'Will they/won't they?' question. It actually poses a lot of theological questions - albeit in a slightly irreverent, but humorous way - and there's a mysterious twist at the end! 

AND ANOTHER BOOK (my 15th)

It's still just a pile of scribbled notes, but once again it will be about Heaven and Hell - although this time the humour will be really dark, and the sins much more weighty. Don't bother watching this space - I will be having my usual battle between hunching over my laptop to churn out chapters, and the pressing demands of the house and garden.

I'VE JUST FORMED A NEW WRITERS' GROUP!

Before Covid and lockdowns I hosted two writers' groups, each with up to ten members. Sadly, we had to disband and I've missed them so much. However, now I and my old and new friends are all double vaccinated, we have a new group which for the forseeable future is restricted to six members. Perhaps, if the time ever comes when we can raise two fingers to Covid, we can enlarge it again but meantime it's such a joy to get together and talk about our favourite subject - writing.

Our second meeting takes place next week and the main topic will be 'Settings' and how the choice of house, dwelling or habitat can trigger your creation of characters. I'm reminded of an old television programme 'Through The Keyhole' and the question 'Who lives in a house like this?'

Even in this small group, we are a mix - novelists, short story writers, children's illustrated book creators, and those still in the early stages of their writing life, and that should spark some lively discussions.

 My Doppelganger

   Many decades ago, in the days before discos, I discovered I had a Doppelganger. I was catching my breath between dances when this girl popped up beside me. ‘Hello!’ she said. ‘Haven’t seen you for ages. How’s your poor Mum?’

Well, Mum had had a slight cold but she was well past the sodden tissue stage. I didn’t recognise the girl but I’d never been good at putting names and faces together, so ‘She’s fine,’ I said.

The girl – Miriam, I found out - went on to mention various friends we had in common. I’d never heard of any of them but I spent so much time with my head buried in books that I could easily have mislaid a few acquaintances. So I went along with it and we had quite a nice chat. 

Over the next couple of months we bumped into each other several times and I got quite skilled at picking up clues and discussing our mutual ‘friends’. The last time I saw Miriam I was lying on a stretcher, having given blood and feeling quite drained, when I heard a voice from the next stretcher.

‘Hello! Fancy meeting you here!’ It was Miriam.

The chances of having an exact double are estimated at up to three trillion to one, and I never did discover the identity of my Doppelganger, our mutual friend, but more than half a century later the memory led me to write my latest novel.

‘The Boy With My Face’ is the story of Simon, a lonely 13-year-old who sees a photo in a newspaper of a runaway who looks exactly like him. It’s a gripping and emotional family mystery, full of plot twists and cliffhangers.

For readers of 12 years and upwards, it’s available from Amazon in both paperback and e-book.