Tag Archives: novel

To Swear (or not to swear)?

23 May
Swear

Swear (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Reading an utterly fabulous post over at The Daily Post got me thinking about swearing and, in particular, how my characters do it.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2012/05/17/swearing/

Now I’m on the pro-swearing side, but I must admit, with my first attempt at a novel I steered well clear of swearing.  I didn’t want to upset anyone, after all.  And the story I ended up with was sickly-sweet: with an overload of sugar and not much depth.  And absolutely no swearing.

Of course, I’m not saying swearing is necessary to give characters depth, but since that first attempt at a novel I’ve ignored my inner swearing-sensor and let my characters swear whenever it seems right for them.

And, for me, that’s the key thing: when it’s right for them.

It shouldn’t be forced, or just chucked in like a cheap special effect.  Swearing should be something that shows the character, is true to their way of reacting to the situations they’re in, and the words they choose fit with their use of language.

So as a result some of my characters swear in dialogue, some never swear in dialogue but do think it.  And some don’t swear in any form.

What’s right for your characters:  to swear, or not to swear?

 

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Polishing Up: Dashes, Commas and Colons (oh my!)

19 May
photo of my laptop

photo of my laptop

I seem to be afflicted with RCS – Random Comma Syndrome.

I’ll be typing away, happily transcribing my story, when for no reason at all I’m seized with the overwhelming desire to throw in a comma!

And that’s fine, perhaps, when writing a first draft.  It’s even okay, I guess, to allow a few random blighters to remain in the second draft.  But now, on my fifth (and hopefully final) draft, I really must eliminate all the superfluous commas lurking in my manuscript.

But how?  They’ve survived this long, what makes me think I’ll spot them now?

Well, I’ve decided draft five is a ‘three read draft’.  Basically, this means I’m going to comb through the draft three times, each time hunting out a set of specific misdemeanours.

And that’s right, you’ve guessed it.  My first read through is all about Dashes, Commas and Colons.

Specifically, I’m working on:

  • Hunting down and removing all the random commas (and, of course, adding a comma or two in places that really need them)
  • Editing out the dashes wherever possible.  I have a strange love of those little horizontal lines, and as a result some paragraphs can look mighty strange!
  • Checking that when I’ve used a semi-colon I really do need one.  As with dashes, above.  I seem to have a strange fondness for the semi-colon!

I’ve been working on this read through a couple of weeks now, and have given myself the deadline of 24th May to have it finished.  Then, with draft 5.1 complete, it’ll be on to my next read through.

In draft 5.2 I’ll be focusing on  Dialogue and Thought, but more about that later …

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Structural Work: paragraphs in progress

21 Apr
Extensive scaffolding on a building in downtow...

Extensive scaffolding on a building in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I’m reading J.L. Carrell’s ‘The Shakespeare Secret’ at the moment and am totally in awe.  Every paragraph is like a mini work of art.  They flow perfectly.  Each one has a specific (and eloquent) purpose.

So with this observation in mind, I had a flick through my WIP.

Oh dear.  I could see some major reconstruction was needed for certain paragraphs.

The problem?

Well, the thing is, a paragraph isn’t just a load of random sentences clipped together so they look neat.  It should be like a miniature story in its own right.  Logically ordered.  Making a point.

So having spotted the problem, I had to fix it … I rolled my sleeves up and got on with the job.

Here’s an example:  I changed this:

Patrick hesitated in the doorway of the Biological Science office.  The usually vacant atrium was crammed full with people.  It looked so unnatural, thought Patrick. Watching the semi-drunk scientists swaying out of time to the dance music reminded him of the Sci-Fi Fan Convention disco he’d visited as a teenager.  Only worse.

To this:

God, it’s hot, Patrick thought.  There had to be over a hundred people in here, most of them drunk. It reminded him of the Sci-Fi Convention discos he’d attended in his youth: the smell of alcohol, a sticky carpet underfoot, and the sight of adults swaying out-of-time with the music.   He turned to Leo.  ‘Maybe we should just-’

I think the second version gives a better sense of how Patrick feels and what he’s seeing – first through his physical response, then through his observation linked to memory, then to his attempt to persuade his friend that they go.  Better I think.

Of course, then I had to check the other 332 pages …

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De-wooding my Dialogue

15 Apr
Aspen trees near Aspen, Colorado

Aspen trees near Aspen, Colorado (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So here’s the thing.

My plot’s sorted, the pacing seems about right, and the characters all seem fairly ‘real’.  But what about the dialogue?

Well, it’s okay … but.  I’ve recently shared a few scenes with some fellow writers and the combination of reading them out loud, and getting feedback from others, has made me realise I’ve been seeing my dialogue through rose-tinted glasses.

Because now, when I go back and re-read bits of it, I can see there is a woodish air to it. Like it’s standing up straight with its shoulders back, and trying just that little bit too much.

What it needs, I thought, is a quick shot of tequila, or to be told a dirty joke.  Anything to loosen it up a bit!

So in the fourth draft I’ve dusted off my wood-o-metre (used so easily when critiquing the work of others!) and applied it to my own.  And I think it’s working.  There are some of the changes I’ve made:

“It was totally impractical.”

Has become … “It’d never work out.”

“Maybe.  But, given your situation, there’s no time for caution.  If you’re going to go for it, it has to be now.” [I’m desperate to add ‘old chap’ on the end of that one!].

Has been shortened to … “Maybe, but you’re out of time.  Just go for it.”

And (my personal favorite) “It doesn’t feel right.”

Is now … “It’s shit.”

So, what have I learnt?

Well, firstly, real people don’t talk like they’re on a public service broadcast from the fifties (at least not in the setting of my novel).  And, secondly, always read your dialogue out loud, preferably in front of people.  It makes you more conscious of what works and what doesn’t – and is great practice for (hopefully, fingers crossed) those author reading you’ll do in the future.

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Editing: are we nearly there yet?

5 Apr

How many drafts make a novel?  One, three, six or more?

Siverstone at the start-finish line

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I’m on “that tricky fourth draft”.  That’s the one you start (feeling a tad unmotivated) after you thought you’d cracked it, then had another look and realised it wasn’t ready yet.

So what’s this edit about then?  Well mainly two things:

1. De-wooding the dialogue

2. Refining the paragraph structure

It’s important stuff, highly necessary, and not particularly fun.

So I chucked every mental roadblock I could at it.  Instead of using my writing time productively, I’d be checking Facebook, or thinking I was too tired, or frittering my time away on Twitter, or thinking about a new exciting story, and did I mention Facebook? [repeat to fade].

And then, just over a week ago, I realised I’d spent two months revising 100 pages.  Only 100 pages?  Rubbish!  I was only a third through when I should have done well over half.

So I gave myself a stern talking to, turned off the internet when I was editing, and got on with it!

And so far, so good.  I’m three-quarters through and aiming for a sprint finish over the Easter weekend.

So wish me luck … finish line here I come :-)

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Time to Plot

4 Feb

So I’ve got this idea for a story …

… isn’t that how it always starts?

I used to be a ‘pantser’.  You know, one of those writers who writes by the seat of their pants; minimal plotting, exploring as they go. But with my current WIP I knew I couldn’t do that.  The story was just too big, too complex, for me to start writing and find out what happened.

So I became a ‘planner’.  For my WIP I wrote a one line synopsis, a one page synopsis and a synopsis from each of the three main characters’ point of view.  From there I planned the scenes, chapter by chapter, until I had a pretty firm idea of who did what when and with whom.  Then and only then did I actually start to write the thing.

But now, with my WIP at completed third draft stage and sent off to my mentor for critique,  I’m feeling rather bored.  I’m actually missing all my early morning writing sessions.

And I’ve got this fizz of an idea.  A wispy, floaty essence of a story that flits across my mind’s eye when I’m not expecting it.  Plus two main characters – one male, one female – who are becoming noisier and clearer by the day.  And there’s a third character, still cloaked by shadows, who I can’t see properly yet.

So I find myself back at the beginning.  Ready to plot out a new novel with a new set of characters and a new set of dilemmas.

I’m going to make a start today.  One line synopsis here I come …

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American Horror Story: a lesson

22 Jan
House used in "American Horror Story"

Image by Loren Javier via Flickr

The other night I watched the first part of the American Horror Story Halloween special.  The episode stars Zachary Quinto as one of the ‘Murder House’s’ previous owners.

In the opening scene Quinto’s character “Chad” is arguing with his partner “Patrick” (played by Teddy Sears).  It’s brilliantly scripted and artfully acted.  And watching it got me to ponder how we, as novelists, can convey the depth of emotion.

I’m the kind of writer who ‘watches’ the scene unfolding in their mind’s eye as they write.  In my mind, my characters are masters of subtle gestures and slight overemphasis on words.  But getting that across on paper often seems clumsy – after all, too much deep breathing, eye rolling and sighing makes my character seem farcical.  It takes several edits before I’ve got the prose cleaned up enough to convey the imagery I’m after – the twitch of an eyebrow, the trembling of a lower lip, the downward glance.  And even then, I’m not entirely satisfied.

I guess that’s why I love to convey my PoV character’s inner thoughts along with the dialogue – especially if what they’re thinking isn’t what they’re saying or doing.  My characters can be screaming inside, but calmly pouring a cup of tea on the outside.  And, unless using voice over (as used to brilliant effect in the fantastic TV show DEXTER) it’s the added bonus novel-writing has over screenplay.

But, whatever media I’m writing for, watching great actors at work in TV series and film is a wonderfully rich learning experience and inspiration.

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Rabbit versus Snail: who edits quickest?

12 Sep
Snail race

Image by nojhan via Flickr

Oh, THAT’S Where I Left My Track!.

It’s so easy to be distracted.  And, even with the best of intentions, sometimes life just takes over.  Or ‘the day job’ does.

In their fabulous blogpost S.C.Green blogs about how easy it is to delay productivity and get pulled off track.  At the end he asks the question “Have you ever got derailed and struggled your way back?”  It got me to thinking about my writing process …

I’m one of those people who plans upfront, then once I’ve got the chapter outline sorted, writes the first draft at full pace.  My current WIP first draft took three months start to finish.

And then comes the editing.  The second draft seemed to go slow – editing out all the unnecessary waffle and clichés I’d put in as I sped through the first draft.  But, if the second draft was snail-like in speed compared to the rabbit-like first draft, the third draft is an elderly snail who gets out of breath after less than a minute!

So, there’s no doubt about it, for me editing is a long haul task.  And the thing about long haul is it’s super easy to get distracted – Twitter, Facebook, a new novel by one of my favourite authors, the garden, whatever! The payoff takes such a long time with editing it gets me yearning for something more immediate.

But, as S.C.Green says, no matter how many excuses I can come up with, the editing isn’t going to do itself.  Meaning – however slow an editing snail I am, I have to keep focusing on my track or I’ll never reach my destination.

I guess that’s the thing with writing – you’ll never be a novelist unless you actually finish the damn thing!

Happy writing :-)

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Musical Muse: tunes to get the words flowing

14 Aug
Counting Crows

Image via Wikipedia

Do you write in silence or with music playing?

If you do play music as you write, what bands/tunes inspire your characters and story?

Personally, I find this depends on a few things:

1. Is it a first draft or am I editing?  For a first draft I need quiet.  When I’m editing it’s okay for the music to shake the foundations of the house.

2. Which character POV am I writing in?  If it’s my hero, then I’ll go for music from bands like Counting Crows, Kings of Leon, and Adele.  If it’s my heroine, I pick Florence & The Machine, Marina & The Diamonds, and Cyndi Lauper. And if I’m writing my villain then it’s got to be Muse, The Doors or The Darkness.

3.  What time of day is it?  If it’s early, I’m alert and often work best with quiet.  In the evenings I need the beat of the music to help my stamina!

So what about you – do you use music to energize your inner muse?

 

PS. I’ve got an idea for a new story and a new main character, a woman.  One particular tune is really key to developing her character; it’s U2′s Hold Me, Thrill Me. Kiss Me, Kill Me.  Can you guess what type of character she might be?!

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Story. Redefined: 2

3 Jul
A copy of Auguste Rodin's "The Thinker&qu...

Image via Wikipedia

So I’ve finished my second draft!

I’ve cut out 7,000 words, I’ve rewritten the bits that didn’t make sense, I’ve refined the bits that lacked pace and steadied the bits that rushed forward incoherently.  In short, I’ve got a solid second draft.

And that’s what it is – a second draft, not the finished article.  Because although I’m pretty pleased with what I’ve achieved so far, I just know there’s a way to go before it’s ready to be paraded around in the paddock for the viewing pleasure of agents and publishers.

So what have I learnt during this second draft phase?

Be subtle:

Don’t have actors gasping, whispering and twirling about all the time.  It’s like actors overacting – it hams up the scene where you don’t want it to, gets in the way of the story and the characters, and distracts the reader.

Be ruthless:

It’s a tough call, but scrapping those needless sentences and words that don’t really add anything is essential to refining the draft.  Cutting out the waffle has helped me step up the pace.

Get on with It:

Don’t avoid the editing, it won’t do itself!  I started off hating the editing process, and ended up, well, not loving it, but certainly appreciating its benefits.  The key for me was ‘little and often’ – doing a bit everyday, even if it was only a page.  Often I found I’d do much more than I intended.

Paper first:

It might not be the most ecologically friendly method (offset by using recycled paper and recycling my paper notes) but printing out a chapter at a time and editing it with a red pen really helped my process.  It all looks so pretty on the screen that I found it harder to be ruthless in my editing, also I found that handwriting amendments (and crossing them out until I found the right words) made the process flow more.

Set yourself a target and share it with your writing buddies:

I set myself a target date to finish the second draft.  It was the 5th June.  I did overrun by a couple of weeks, but that didn’t matter.  What mattered was that the target stayed in my mind (I’m very goal driven!) and was pinned up on my desk, in my diary and I’d committed to the goal by sharing it with my writing buddies.  There’s nothing like a bit of peer support to motivate you to keep going.

So, what next?  Well, a couple of days breather, a few new blog posts (it must feel awfully neglected!) and then on with the third draft.  In the meantime I’m getting feedback on my second draft to help shape my plan of action for the next round of revisions.

And you know what?  Editing is definitely growing on me – I’m actually looking forward to the third draft!

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