Howdy guys!
Well, the fruits of one part of my labour are up and running. Iron Grip: Shards is a new, fictional blog I am running with a colleague. It’s a fantasy-esque storyline set in the wartorn plains of Atelia.
Meanwhile, my less definable writing (the good, the bad, and the ugly) is up at Cinnamon Sunrise. That’s my raw material, by the way.
Stay tuned, I have some interesting articles heading your way.
I recently read Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. It was an excellent book, carefully structured, interesting, imaginative and with a real heart. The most noticeable thing about it is the way the first half of each story is broken by the start of the next story, until the central story, after which each story is finished off in turn. The stories work independently of each other, but there are references between them, and there are strong hints that reincarnation plays a part.
Multi-narration is something that has always fascinated me. A good writer can use it to throw doubt on the other narratives, and thus encourage the reader to become questioning of what they are reading - and, indirectly, cause them to interact with the text in a much more active manner.
Each of the stories in Cloud Atlas is well written, ranging from a 19th century diary-style through to post-apocalyptic oral storytelling. There’s one third person narrative, which is a kind of thriller/detective novel. The book works because each story is entertaining, with solid characters. The abrupt interruptions work to keep us in suspense - each new story we search avidly for clues to the end of the previous story.
There is some self-referencing going on, particularly with the structure of the composition from musician Robert Frobisher. This is rewarding, without being overly annoying. Unlike many ‘postmodern multinarrative’ novels, Cloud Atlas manages to be a good read, a good story, as well as be clever and literary.
Well worth your time. Check it out!
Guys, many many apologies for disappearing off the face of the internet for a while. I’ve been insanely busy with work-related stuff. Anyway, I’m implementing a weekly posting system, so you shall be getting at least one post a week (Tuesdays).
As for the work related stuff — well, it’s creative fiction related. And it’s trying to explore the ways the internet has changed the way we consume stories and writing. It’s quite experimental — and I was wondering what your thoughts on the whole internet/media relationship were. I very much doubt traditional books are on the way out - there is nothing like sinking into the bath with a brand new tome - but at the same time, the internet is affecting the way we view everything; news, television, games, chatting, work-flows…
What do you think? Would you ever invest in an e-book reader? Do you ever read e-books? (I always have to print them out).
Photo by MJ Mac
One of the things that interests me a lot about writing is the way language use has changed and evolved over time. It is only relatively recently that most people are literate. Language has often been used to separate and dominate certain classes, races or groups of people. The ability to record information has enormous benefits. The ability to exclude people from accessing that information helps create and maintain a hierarchical system.
Consider the literary canon. In past years, the canon was made up almost exclusively of white, male authors. This helped propagate a patriarchal, colonial system. I have a Boys Own anthology that is written at the height of the British Empire. There is a casual acceptance of the ’savage native’ stereotype, an assumption that any British (especially English) person was brave, educated, Christian and intelligent, and an automatic assertion that the one was civilising the other.
Yes - the observant among you will have noticed the move to an even more minimalist layout. Along side that, I finally got around to upgrading my version of wordpress.
Enjoy - and let me know what you think!
Classic Characters is a short series of posts looking at archetypal characters in the world of fiction. Part III deals with the little respected role of the sidekick. While Heroes and Villains are somewhat larger than life, the sidekick struggles along as best they can, carrying supplies, getting kidnapped, offering admiration, and being appropriately puzzled at times when the Hero is figuring it all out. Continue Reading »
When writing for newspapers or magazines, you should not use the serial comma:
“There were balloons, roundabouts and clowns.”
However, when writing for a book, you should:
“There were balloons, roundabouts, and clowns.”
This factoid was discovered by reading Writers and Editors, and the post includes a whole bunch of useful resources for those looking to learn more about punctuation style and usage.
I have made an executive decision to aim for 25 000 words or more. This relieves some of the pressure to hit what is (for me, at this time) a nearly unattainable goal, whilst still keeping a good chunk of wordage. 25 000 is still an accomplishment, if a slightly less heady one than 50 000. If I write more, awesome, but I’m not going to beat myself up about it.
For the benefit of the rest of you, let’s take a quick look at what I did wrong.
So pretty much the usual list!
Anyway, good luck to the rest of you with more self-discipline than me. I’ll beat you next year, you curmidgeons! *shakes fist*
We all know the mantra. To break Writer’s Block we should schedule writing time. Go for a walk. Try a writing exercise. Set a deadline. Take a break. But what about real writers? As Oscar Wilde once said, “I spent all morning putting in a comma and all afternoon taking it out”. For those of us who, perhaps, have slightly more pressing deadlines (like November 30th) here are five lesser-known tips for breaking writers block. They come with a three day guarantee, or your money back! So what’s to lose?
1. Throw a Tantrum
Scream about how you cannot write, and how you were never supposed to be a writer. Tear up your manuscript (only if you have a back-up copy!), and throw it on a bonfire. If any friends attempt to tell you that you are a great writer, disagree vehemently.
This is a fantastic method for getting rid of that feeling of irrational despair. By clearing the air, you actually help yourself break through the barrier that was stopping you from writing.
Word count: 10,003
I think I must run away and get my four hours of sleep now. Meanwhile, here is an extract!