A big thank you to my technical manager, John Knutson, who has posted the revised version of my first novel, Cyprus Blues, onto the e-book site Scribd, plus a beautiful photograph of Kyrenia Harbour, which we took when we went to Cyprus a few years ago. (You can read the report that I wrote of my first visit to the Turkish occupied Northern Cyprus after nearly 30 years if you type in the title "Drinking our way round Cyprus.")
Anyway, if you want to read the novel, you can find it scribd on Scribd.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
I am now working on my second novel – a murder mystery set in a school in Winchester – Winchester Blues. I'm having a lot of fun writing it because I'm basing a lot of my characters on people that I know/knew and situations in schools that I've experienced. It's definitely pay back time!
Showing posts with label NOVELS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NOVELS. Show all posts
Sunday, 20 September 2015
Monday, 16 June 2014
Book review: The Casual Vacancy by J.K.Rowling
I enjoyed reading The Casual Vacancy so much that I didn't want it to end. It was like a comfy pair of slippers, a favourite blanket, a hot cup of tea and a chocolate biscuit. Whenever I wanted to be distracted from the annoyances of life, I would turn to The Casual Vacancy and not be disappointed.
The novel starts with a heart attack. Councillor Barry Fairbrother collapses outside the restaurant where he has taken his wife, Mary, for supper, and, by the time the ambulance arrives, Barry is already dead. And so follows a chain reaction involving a wide cast of residents - posh - middle class - poor - old - middle-aged - young - which has them catapulting into each other's lives in a way few of them would have expected, or, in many cases, wanted.
The setting is the fictional, small, attractive town of Pagford uncomfortably close to the city of Yarvil. Uncomfortable because most of Pagford's residents consider themselves superior to the residents of Yarvil, and in particular to those who live in the large council estate The Fields which is 'perilously' close to Pagford. And it is this irritation that divides those on the Pagford Council. On the pro-Fields side was Barry Fairbrother, who had been brought up in the Fields and was a keen advocate of close links with the estate and in particular supporting the Bellchapel Addiction Clinic ; whereas the anti-Fields (and definitely anti-Bellchapel Addiction Clinic) group is headed by the odious Councillor Howard Mollison, who owns Pagford's delicatessen. With wife Shirley (bitchy and snobby), son
Miles ( weak and smug ), daughter-in-law Samantha ( bored and frustrated ) and business partner Maureen (way too close to Howard as far as Shirley is concerned), they are Pagford's unofficial 'first' family'.
The plot revolves around the fact that with Barry's death there is a vacancy on the council, hence the title. Whoever wins the seat will determine the fate of the Fields and in particular the Bellchapel Addiction Clinic. This clinic is important because one of the many families that Rowling introduces us to is the infamous Weedon clan whose home is a bare, filthy hovel. Mother, Terri, is a heroin addict currently on a methadone programme. She is desperate to keep her toddler son, Robbie with her as is her daughter, Krystal. Krystal is a teenager who at first appears to be a nasty piece of work., but gradually we see that she has a far more complex personality. In her own way, she is far more honest than many of the 'respectable' inhabitants of Pagford. It is easy to feel both disgust and sympathy when we step inside the Weedon's chaotic life. They and the Mollisons are light years away from each other and the other characters fall in between.
Initially, I wanted to describe the novel as a highly sophisticated soap opera, but it's actually far more than that. It's an utterly riveting and highly believable reflection of modern life, its problems, its absurdities, its humour, its tragedies. I felt as if I knew the characters that Rowling has created and I got great pleasure when a number of them got their well-deserved come-comeuppance.
I cannot recommend this novel highly enough. I am full of admiration for J.K.Rowling's skills as a novelist. She tells a cracking good story in a beautifully crafted way.
The novel starts with a heart attack. Councillor Barry Fairbrother collapses outside the restaurant where he has taken his wife, Mary, for supper, and, by the time the ambulance arrives, Barry is already dead. And so follows a chain reaction involving a wide cast of residents - posh - middle class - poor - old - middle-aged - young - which has them catapulting into each other's lives in a way few of them would have expected, or, in many cases, wanted.
The setting is the fictional, small, attractive town of Pagford uncomfortably close to the city of Yarvil. Uncomfortable because most of Pagford's residents consider themselves superior to the residents of Yarvil, and in particular to those who live in the large council estate The Fields which is 'perilously' close to Pagford. And it is this irritation that divides those on the Pagford Council. On the pro-Fields side was Barry Fairbrother, who had been brought up in the Fields and was a keen advocate of close links with the estate and in particular supporting the Bellchapel Addiction Clinic ; whereas the anti-Fields (and definitely anti-Bellchapel Addiction Clinic) group is headed by the odious Councillor Howard Mollison, who owns Pagford's delicatessen. With wife Shirley (bitchy and snobby), son
Miles ( weak and smug ), daughter-in-law Samantha ( bored and frustrated ) and business partner Maureen (way too close to Howard as far as Shirley is concerned), they are Pagford's unofficial 'first' family'.
The plot revolves around the fact that with Barry's death there is a vacancy on the council, hence the title. Whoever wins the seat will determine the fate of the Fields and in particular the Bellchapel Addiction Clinic. This clinic is important because one of the many families that Rowling introduces us to is the infamous Weedon clan whose home is a bare, filthy hovel. Mother, Terri, is a heroin addict currently on a methadone programme. She is desperate to keep her toddler son, Robbie with her as is her daughter, Krystal. Krystal is a teenager who at first appears to be a nasty piece of work., but gradually we see that she has a far more complex personality. In her own way, she is far more honest than many of the 'respectable' inhabitants of Pagford. It is easy to feel both disgust and sympathy when we step inside the Weedon's chaotic life. They and the Mollisons are light years away from each other and the other characters fall in between.
Initially, I wanted to describe the novel as a highly sophisticated soap opera, but it's actually far more than that. It's an utterly riveting and highly believable reflection of modern life, its problems, its absurdities, its humour, its tragedies. I felt as if I knew the characters that Rowling has created and I got great pleasure when a number of them got their well-deserved come-comeuppance.
I cannot recommend this novel highly enough. I am full of admiration for J.K.Rowling's skills as a novelist. She tells a cracking good story in a beautifully crafted way.
Monday, 21 April 2014
Audio Book Review: "Oh Dear Silvia" by Dawn French
Dawn French is one of my favourite comedians so I was expecting "Oh Dear Silvia" to be a laugh a minute. But it's far more complex than that. Yes, it's funny in parts - particularly when Silvia's sister, Jo, is involved. But it's also sad in parts, uncomfortable in parts, and disturbing in parts.
The premise is an intriguing one. Silvia has fallen off a balcony and is in a coma. As she lies in her hospital room, seemingly totally oblivious to what is happening around her, she receives a series of visitors who talk to her about what is going on in their lives and dissect and comment on their personal relationships with Silvia.
And so the process starts of uncovering layer after layer of difficult truths ... about the visitors and about Sylvia.
The cast
I liked the way that not only does Dawn French act as the narrator but different actors played out the narratives of the visitors. So, the wonderful Maggie Steed becomes sister Jo, James Fleet is Ed, ditsy Pauline McLynn is Cat, and so on. This meant that each voice is quite different and adds a variety that perhaps is less so on the written page.
Generally, the production worked, but as the story unfolded, I increasingly wanted Silvia to wake up and respond to the accusations levelled against her. Whether this happens or not is up to you to discover, if you so choose.
The premise is an intriguing one. Silvia has fallen off a balcony and is in a coma. As she lies in her hospital room, seemingly totally oblivious to what is happening around her, she receives a series of visitors who talk to her about what is going on in their lives and dissect and comment on their personal relationships with Silvia.
And so the process starts of uncovering layer after layer of difficult truths ... about the visitors and about Sylvia.
The cast
- Winnie, her nurse, is a warm, funny person. As she lovingly tends to Silvia, she tells her about the goings-on in her gospel church choir.
- Ed, her ex-husband, talks about his period of extreme despair, and how he found a way to enjoy life again.
- Cassie, her estranged daughter, is, at first, reluctant to even enter the room, but eventually does so, taking with her, Willow, Cassie's young daughter. Silvia has never seen her grand-daughter and Willow has no idea who this lifeless body is.
- Jamie, her son, sends her a letter (read out by Cassie) about Afghanistan, where he was on active service, explaining why now he has no feelings for Silvia, but then describing life as a soldier in a war zone.
- Jo, her elder sister, is a complete fruit-cake. There are obvious rivalries between them, but Jo does try to draw Silvia out of her coma using bizarre and often funny methods.
- Tia, her cleaner, tells Silvia gossipy news about celebrities from magazines and explains why, because she's not being paid, she is taking possessions from Silvia's house, roughly in value to what she's owed and selling them on ebay.
- And finally there's the poisonous Cat, her best friend and lover, who becomes more and more creepy each time she visits
I liked the way that not only does Dawn French act as the narrator but different actors played out the narratives of the visitors. So, the wonderful Maggie Steed becomes sister Jo, James Fleet is Ed, ditsy Pauline McLynn is Cat, and so on. This meant that each voice is quite different and adds a variety that perhaps is less so on the written page.
Generally, the production worked, but as the story unfolded, I increasingly wanted Silvia to wake up and respond to the accusations levelled against her. Whether this happens or not is up to you to discover, if you so choose.
Sunday, 23 March 2014
Audio book review: Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin
Knots and Crosses is the very first of the D.S. Rebus novels and I chose to listen to it as an audio book. It didn'r take long - there were just three CDs and about half of the first one was taken up with Rankin talking about the character of Rebus (including the ending of the last book - thank you very much - an unwanted spoiler) and how he, Rankin, was encouraged by his editor to drastically pare down his writing- something on the less is more principle.And certainly you do get less. Very much less.
The plot is simple: two young girls have been kidnapped and murdered and a third one is now missing. Rebus is part of a team working on the case and pretty quickly he starts to receive bizarre messages consisting of string and matchstick crosses. So, quite clearly, there is a link between Rebus and the murderer. Can Rebus work out the significance of the messages before the third girl is murdered? Not wanting to deliver a spoiler myself, I'll leave that for you to find out if you so choose.
There is also a sub-plot involving Rebus' brother, who is not as respectable as he appears. The two brothers have a strained relationship, but that's hardly surprising:- Rebus has a strained relationship with nearly everyone he knows. He has just one friend plus a sort of girlfriend, but his colleagues find him difficult and when he has sex with a woman he has only just met, he tries to throttle her in his sleep. Plus he steals bread and milk from a shop which I found weird.
In Knots and Crosses, there is less emphasis on the victims and their abductions and more on show-casing Rebus and placing him firmly within the setting of Edinburgh. This Rankin does successfully and I do admire the way in which he uses language effectively, conveying details in an almost throw-away manner. It is here that the less is more works. Where it doesn't, certainly for me, is in the lack of depth of the plot.
And then there's Rebus himself, a deeply flawed man. He's anti-social, boorish, and difficult , with no apparent endearing qualities. Many great literary detectives are flawed in one way or another: Sherlock Holmes, Jane Tennison, Inspector Morse, Detective Harry Bosch to name but a few. I'd find them fascinating dining companions. But not Rebus. I'd want to steer clear of him , and that is exactly what I'll be doing.
The plot is simple: two young girls have been kidnapped and murdered and a third one is now missing. Rebus is part of a team working on the case and pretty quickly he starts to receive bizarre messages consisting of string and matchstick crosses. So, quite clearly, there is a link between Rebus and the murderer. Can Rebus work out the significance of the messages before the third girl is murdered? Not wanting to deliver a spoiler myself, I'll leave that for you to find out if you so choose.
There is also a sub-plot involving Rebus' brother, who is not as respectable as he appears. The two brothers have a strained relationship, but that's hardly surprising:- Rebus has a strained relationship with nearly everyone he knows. He has just one friend plus a sort of girlfriend, but his colleagues find him difficult and when he has sex with a woman he has only just met, he tries to throttle her in his sleep. Plus he steals bread and milk from a shop which I found weird.
In Knots and Crosses, there is less emphasis on the victims and their abductions and more on show-casing Rebus and placing him firmly within the setting of Edinburgh. This Rankin does successfully and I do admire the way in which he uses language effectively, conveying details in an almost throw-away manner. It is here that the less is more works. Where it doesn't, certainly for me, is in the lack of depth of the plot.
And then there's Rebus himself, a deeply flawed man. He's anti-social, boorish, and difficult , with no apparent endearing qualities. Many great literary detectives are flawed in one way or another: Sherlock Holmes, Jane Tennison, Inspector Morse, Detective Harry Bosch to name but a few. I'd find them fascinating dining companions. But not Rebus. I'd want to steer clear of him , and that is exactly what I'll be doing.
Monday, 1 March 2010
Cyprus Blues - A Novel by Maggie Knutson
I intend to publish this novel as an e-book, so read it here while you can.
PART ONE: THE BLUE, BLUE SEA
PLEASE DO NOT READ CHAPTER ONE !!! IT NEEDS TO BE SERIOUSLY EDITED - AS IT STANDS IT IS WAY TOO LONG AND LONG-WINDED AND I NEED TO EDIT OUT ONE OF THE CHARACTERS - BUT THE REST OF THE NOVEL IS JUST ABOUT GOOD TO GO !
CHAPTER ONE: KATE
Do I ever regret getting on that plane? No. Never. Not even for one moment.
Because if I hadn’t, if I’d stayed in England, then I would never have discovered that life truly begins only when you start to live with intensity, with passion, and with love. And until then, you’re only existing…nothing more…as I was.
And then, when you allow yourself the freedom to be yourself, life becomes so wonderful that you can feel your heart beating with its own beautiful rhythm and you enjoy each new experience with the pleasure of a small child.
But it doesn't last. Of course it doesn't last. Nothing does.
Because just when you feel that life couldn't get any better, it starts to fray around the edges ,whoever you are, and then your heightened senses make you more likely to feel the hurt…the pain…the dismay of it all.
I can say this now, because I survived.
But it is only now, when I look back, that I can see so clearly that life is more like a game of snakes and ladders than anything else. Once you pick up the dice and make your first throw, the only way is up and off you go, shouting and whooping with joy. And when you reach the top of each ladder, you can look down, with great satisfaction, and see how far you have advanced.
And, boy, does the world look good from up there.
But then, on the next throw, you can land at the top of a slippery, slidey snake and swoop back down, often passing places that you had already reached…and it can be devastating.
And then you have several options to choose from. You can dash your dice against the wall and refuse to play…or huddle yourself into a sulk and behave like a spoilt child …or you can get up and start all over again.
Only this time you’re very wary of those snakes.
But snakes and ladders is a board game and no-one dies…not as they do in real life. And your ups and downs are often the result of other people’s choices, not your own. And until you realise and accept that, you’re going to be a very bitter person.
Am I bitter? No, I’m not bitter… because I know the difference between merely existing and living life as fully as I can and I choose the fullness despite all those bloody snakes.
~
For me, my life began in that way, when I knew I was truly alive rather than existing, when I was twenty-two years old. The date was July 21st 1973. Hard to believe it was so long ago, but it is as clear in my mind as if it were yesterday. It still is, every single day since then, because I was living it... really living it.
You can preview and buy my novel CYPRUS BLUES here on Barnes and Noble
PART ONE: THE BLUE, BLUE SEA
PLEASE DO NOT READ CHAPTER ONE !!! IT NEEDS TO BE SERIOUSLY EDITED - AS IT STANDS IT IS WAY TOO LONG AND LONG-WINDED AND I NEED TO EDIT OUT ONE OF THE CHARACTERS - BUT THE REST OF THE NOVEL IS JUST ABOUT GOOD TO GO !
CHAPTER ONE: KATE
Do I ever regret getting on that plane? No. Never. Not even for one moment.
Because if I hadn’t, if I’d stayed in England, then I would never have discovered that life truly begins only when you start to live with intensity, with passion, and with love. And until then, you’re only existing…nothing more…as I was.
And then, when you allow yourself the freedom to be yourself, life becomes so wonderful that you can feel your heart beating with its own beautiful rhythm and you enjoy each new experience with the pleasure of a small child.
But it doesn't last. Of course it doesn't last. Nothing does.
Because just when you feel that life couldn't get any better, it starts to fray around the edges ,whoever you are, and then your heightened senses make you more likely to feel the hurt…the pain…the dismay of it all.
I can say this now, because I survived.
But it is only now, when I look back, that I can see so clearly that life is more like a game of snakes and ladders than anything else. Once you pick up the dice and make your first throw, the only way is up and off you go, shouting and whooping with joy. And when you reach the top of each ladder, you can look down, with great satisfaction, and see how far you have advanced.
And, boy, does the world look good from up there.
But then, on the next throw, you can land at the top of a slippery, slidey snake and swoop back down, often passing places that you had already reached…and it can be devastating.
And then you have several options to choose from. You can dash your dice against the wall and refuse to play…or huddle yourself into a sulk and behave like a spoilt child …or you can get up and start all over again.
Only this time you’re very wary of those snakes.
But snakes and ladders is a board game and no-one dies…not as they do in real life. And your ups and downs are often the result of other people’s choices, not your own. And until you realise and accept that, you’re going to be a very bitter person.
Am I bitter? No, I’m not bitter… because I know the difference between merely existing and living life as fully as I can and I choose the fullness despite all those bloody snakes.
~
For me, my life began in that way, when I knew I was truly alive rather than existing, when I was twenty-two years old. The date was July 21st 1973. Hard to believe it was so long ago, but it is as clear in my mind as if it were yesterday. It still is, every single day since then, because I was living it... really living it.
You can preview and buy my novel CYPRUS BLUES here on Barnes and Noble
Saturday, 16 May 2009
THE PROCESS OF WRITING A NOVEL - THE MAGGIE KNUTSON WAY
There are no rules on how to prepare for writing a novel and I steer clear of books advising the sure-fire way of writing a best seller, because, sadly, there isn't a sure-fire way. In fact, there are so many how-to books and magazines about writing that you can spend all your time reading them and not actually writing a thing.
I subscribe to only two magazines: Mslexia, which I can't praise highly enough. It comes out quarterly so I can usually manage to read it all before the next issue; and Writing Magazine, which comes out monthly. I personally don't think it's as good as Mslexia but it's a good standby until I receive my next Mslexia copy.
Now that I'm not teaching (hurrah!), I have time to structure my day as I wish. I tend to write in the morning and evening, so I'm free during the afternoon to harness Archie up into the back of the car, drive to River Park Leisure Centre for a swim, have a snack lunch as I'm changing (home-made fruit smoothies are my favourite), put a fair amount of slap on, chat to every-one and any-one, take the short drive to one of my favourite pubs for a coffee and fag (usually The Black Boy which has a sun-trap of an enclosed garden) and then walk the dog along the Water Meadows. And it's whilst I'm having my coffee etc, that I read my writing magazines.
It's a great way to spend a day and I'm so thankful that I can do it. I don't think I've yet recovered from the stress and strain of teaching but I'm getting there.
For my first novel - Cyprus Blues - I did detailed character studies for my four main characters - Kate, Ellie, Tony and Jack - but didn't bother with the rest.
However, inspired by the television American dramas 'The Wire', 'Homicide' and 'The Corner', where all characters, even if they play only a minor role, are wonderfully rounded and life-like, I am now doing mini- character studies of all my minor characters, as well as the more detailed ones of the main players in Winchester Blues.
And in the process of doing this, I'm getting so many ideas for how I write the novel that I think that it's time well spent, particularly as I plan to to write more detective novels set in Winchester with many of the characters introduced in this first of the (hopefully) series.
In fact, by really thinking about all characters, how they look, their personalities, their strengths and weaknesses, their personal situations and so on, I feel that the book will more or less write itself, based on these character studies.
The temptation, of course, is to try and put too much detail in so these studies are mainly for my benefit in understanding my characters and what they will do and how they will react.
What works for me, is basing my characters on combinations of people I know, being careful not to make the character too closely like the person. It's more of a rough guide for me, really.
The general advice is not to try to totally recreate someone you know because it can limit your writing and I normally agree with this.
However, the one exception in Winchester Blues is Frances Charlton, one of the deputy-heads, and I do this unashamedly because she was a real person - my mum, Frances Charlton, who was a real deputy-head and the best there was. When thinking of creating this deputy-head character, I just couldn't get round my mum, who was better than any-one I could actually make up. Her personality and teaching style were so perfect for what I wanted that it seemed ridiculous not to use her.
I guess, in a way, it's a tribute to her and because she really was exceptional at her job, I decided to use her real name.
She's not around to object but I think she'd be pleased with her portrayal. And anyway, the delicious thing about 'rules' is that you don't always have to stick to them.
I was having difficulty with three of my characters, though:
I just couldn't picture Diane and Christine, two of the three secretaries, until I realised that I was seeing them as being very similiar. So when I envisaged them looking very different and with different personalities, ages and backgrounds, then they became real to me and I could see that they could have an ongoing story within the novel, even though it will only be a small part.
and
The second deputy-head, Tom Patterson, was also giving me problems. I just couldn't picture him in my mind although I knew what his personality and role in the novel was going to be. And then, a week ago, whilst walking Archie, I saw this guy with two kids on bikes and he looked so distinctive that I slowed down to take a better look, hopefully not looking too obvious.
He was tanned, with short hair and that authoritative way of walking that soldiers often have and immediately I could envisage Tom. He will look slightly different but I'm making him ex-army and that will make even more sense of his personality. This guy was really quite dishy in an understated way (as opposed, for example, to the obvious good looks of some-one like Brad Pitt) and that's just how I want Tom to be like.
And finally, in this brief insight into Maggie Knutson's approach to writing, I want to mention another piece of general advice given to writers, which is that there should be nothing in your novel that does not move the plot forward or is not actually relevant to the plot. However, inspired by David Simon, ( the creator of 'The Wire', 'The Corner' and 'Homicide'), I'm more inclined now to introduce small story-lines that aren't crucial the plot but crucial to character development.
Several episodes, for example, in the first season of 'Homicide' are almost exclusively building up character and nothing much happens but because of these episodes, when something important happens, you understand where they're coming from in terms of their actions and reactions. And it means that you see them firstly as individual people and then as detectives. Thus, less chance of creating stereotypes.
If I can achieve just a fraction of what David Simon achieves, then I shall be well pleased. To me, he is an absolute genius and would-be writers would do well to watch his work and absorb his meticulous methods of creating and presenting a story.
I subscribe to only two magazines: Mslexia, which I can't praise highly enough. It comes out quarterly so I can usually manage to read it all before the next issue; and Writing Magazine, which comes out monthly. I personally don't think it's as good as Mslexia but it's a good standby until I receive my next Mslexia copy.
Now that I'm not teaching (hurrah!), I have time to structure my day as I wish. I tend to write in the morning and evening, so I'm free during the afternoon to harness Archie up into the back of the car, drive to River Park Leisure Centre for a swim, have a snack lunch as I'm changing (home-made fruit smoothies are my favourite), put a fair amount of slap on, chat to every-one and any-one, take the short drive to one of my favourite pubs for a coffee and fag (usually The Black Boy which has a sun-trap of an enclosed garden) and then walk the dog along the Water Meadows. And it's whilst I'm having my coffee etc, that I read my writing magazines.
It's a great way to spend a day and I'm so thankful that I can do it. I don't think I've yet recovered from the stress and strain of teaching but I'm getting there.
For my first novel - Cyprus Blues - I did detailed character studies for my four main characters - Kate, Ellie, Tony and Jack - but didn't bother with the rest.
However, inspired by the television American dramas 'The Wire', 'Homicide' and 'The Corner', where all characters, even if they play only a minor role, are wonderfully rounded and life-like, I am now doing mini- character studies of all my minor characters, as well as the more detailed ones of the main players in Winchester Blues.
And in the process of doing this, I'm getting so many ideas for how I write the novel that I think that it's time well spent, particularly as I plan to to write more detective novels set in Winchester with many of the characters introduced in this first of the (hopefully) series.
In fact, by really thinking about all characters, how they look, their personalities, their strengths and weaknesses, their personal situations and so on, I feel that the book will more or less write itself, based on these character studies.
The temptation, of course, is to try and put too much detail in so these studies are mainly for my benefit in understanding my characters and what they will do and how they will react.
What works for me, is basing my characters on combinations of people I know, being careful not to make the character too closely like the person. It's more of a rough guide for me, really.
The general advice is not to try to totally recreate someone you know because it can limit your writing and I normally agree with this.
However, the one exception in Winchester Blues is Frances Charlton, one of the deputy-heads, and I do this unashamedly because she was a real person - my mum, Frances Charlton, who was a real deputy-head and the best there was. When thinking of creating this deputy-head character, I just couldn't get round my mum, who was better than any-one I could actually make up. Her personality and teaching style were so perfect for what I wanted that it seemed ridiculous not to use her.
I guess, in a way, it's a tribute to her and because she really was exceptional at her job, I decided to use her real name.
She's not around to object but I think she'd be pleased with her portrayal. And anyway, the delicious thing about 'rules' is that you don't always have to stick to them.
I was having difficulty with three of my characters, though:
I just couldn't picture Diane and Christine, two of the three secretaries, until I realised that I was seeing them as being very similiar. So when I envisaged them looking very different and with different personalities, ages and backgrounds, then they became real to me and I could see that they could have an ongoing story within the novel, even though it will only be a small part.
and
The second deputy-head, Tom Patterson, was also giving me problems. I just couldn't picture him in my mind although I knew what his personality and role in the novel was going to be. And then, a week ago, whilst walking Archie, I saw this guy with two kids on bikes and he looked so distinctive that I slowed down to take a better look, hopefully not looking too obvious.
He was tanned, with short hair and that authoritative way of walking that soldiers often have and immediately I could envisage Tom. He will look slightly different but I'm making him ex-army and that will make even more sense of his personality. This guy was really quite dishy in an understated way (as opposed, for example, to the obvious good looks of some-one like Brad Pitt) and that's just how I want Tom to be like.
And finally, in this brief insight into Maggie Knutson's approach to writing, I want to mention another piece of general advice given to writers, which is that there should be nothing in your novel that does not move the plot forward or is not actually relevant to the plot. However, inspired by David Simon, ( the creator of 'The Wire', 'The Corner' and 'Homicide'), I'm more inclined now to introduce small story-lines that aren't crucial the plot but crucial to character development.
Several episodes, for example, in the first season of 'Homicide' are almost exclusively building up character and nothing much happens but because of these episodes, when something important happens, you understand where they're coming from in terms of their actions and reactions. And it means that you see them firstly as individual people and then as detectives. Thus, less chance of creating stereotypes.
If I can achieve just a fraction of what David Simon achieves, then I shall be well pleased. To me, he is an absolute genius and would-be writers would do well to watch his work and absorb his meticulous methods of creating and presenting a story.
Monday, 24 March 2008
Novels I have written
CYPRUS BLUES CAN NOW BE READ IN FULL - IT'S IN THE POSTS SECTION OF MY BLOG !!!
* The Adventures of Mr Motty
This was a children's novel, loosely based on the stories that my dad would tell my brother and me, about an engine driver called Mr Motty, his steam trains, his assistant, Tommy, a flying bed and a talking pig called Gertrude.
This was in the 1950's and I think I'm right in saying that it pre-dates the later stories of engine drivers, flying beds and talking pigs! However, the fact remains that they have now been covered, so when I come to re-write the stories, I need to make them very special indeed. No pressure then!
When I feel that the time is right, I'll really get stuck in. We have a steam train that operates in the summer, nearby, at Alresford (The Watercress Line), which will be handy for research.
One of the many things that I've learnt about writing is that research is essential, even if you don't use most of it in your writing. It just gives you a sound basis, knowing that any facts or descriptions you use are authentic.
*Cyprus Blues
This is my recently completed first adult novel, which is set in Cyprus.
The story charts one year (July 1973 to July 1974) in the relationships of my four main characters:-
KATE- on holiday in July 1973 before starting her first teaching job. She's beautiful and innocent and totally unable to resist the charms of Jack, who is an expat artist, living in Cyprus.
JACK- handsome, sexy, charming and a total shit. He's fed up with his one-girl-a night existence and when he meets Kate, he sees her potential as his meal ticket and woos her into staying in Cyprus and moving in with him.
ELLIE- a young Greek Cypriot girl from London who has just taken part in an arranged marriage with Tony, a Greek Cypriot from a mountain village. Her 'dowry' had been a supermarket and flat, which has set Tony up nicely but quickly becomes a prison for her.
TONY- his only love is his country and everything else comes a poor second, even his own mother. (Ellie doesn't come anywhere in his scheme of things). He's part of the EOKA terrorist group determined to get rid of the President of Cyprus, Archbishop Makarios.
The way these four interact is against the background of growing political unrest, which culminates firstly in the Greek Cypriot coup, in which Tony is heavily involved, and then, a week later, the Turkish Invasion of Northern Cyprus.
Other characters include:-
BIG AL - Jack's hippy friend, who's an expert at rolling joints, and has rejected his aristocratic background and work as an archaeologist to enjoy the good life in Cyprus.
POPPY- his waif-like girlfriend. She's a very young runaway from home and totally dotes on Big Al.
CHRISTINA - Tony's first love and now Jack's married mistress.
COSTAS - Tony's second-in command-who would jump through flames of fire for Tony in his own bumbling way.
ERNIE - the CIA who is paying EOKA terrorists like Tony to do America's dirty work.
MICHAEL - the divorced Greek Cypriot father of two of Kate's pupils who falls in love with Kate.
MARIE - a fellow teacher with Kate, married to HUSSEIN, a Turkish Cypriot doctor.
The characters are all fictional but the coup and invasion are real events, and America's involvement is now well documented. I should know about these events: I was living in Cyprus at the time and was refugeed, so I can safely say that I know what I'm writing about.
Who lives and who dies? Will Kate and Ellie escape from their disastrous relationships? And what will happen to the tourist paradise of Cyprus? You'll have to buy the book to find out!!!
But in order to buy the book, it needs to be published and the prevailing wisdom is to find an agent first, which is what I am trying to do. So, if any agents/publishers are reading this and like the sound of the novel, then look out for my manuscript when it lands on your table! Or, better still, leave a comment with details of how I can contact you. Fingers crossed!
THE NOVEL I AM WORKING ON NOW is a murder mystery set in Winchester. Most of the action is centred around Winchester High (fictional name) and I'm not giving things away when I tell you that the head teacher is the first to cop it. The DI is a feisty detective called Alexis Khan, a female cop with balls (metaphorically).
I've spent so many years in teaching that I want to draw on that experience in this novel, plus the idea of bumping off a head teacher was just too tempting to resist, although my, daughter, also a teacher, asked if I could bump off an Ofsted inspector, too.
I had already plotted out this novel several years ago, but since I've started my research on police investigation procedures, I'm going to have to start from scratch with the plot. However, most of my characters are good to go, so to speak. I'm really excited about writing this - it'll be a lot of fun.
However, one of the things I've learnt from my research is that police procedures and forensic science are so advanced now that it would be very hard to get away with murder so I don't recommend it! Some people, though, just don't care...
UPDATE ON CYPRUS BLUES
When we returned from our Italian holiday in September, the latest reject from an agent greeted me cheerfully from the letter box. I wasn't too surprised because it was the Blake Friedmann Agency and I knew that they were very reluctant to take on more writers because Carole Blake wrote about this in her column in Mslexia. And in anticipation of this, I had already decided to re-write my introductory letter, including a better pitch about the novel.
Fuelled by plenty of fine wine, I had composed a pitch on the balcony of our hotel in Italy and John was so impressed that he said that I should write it down, but being far too lazy and, quite frankly, incapable of doing it there and then, I decided to leave it to the next day.
Sadly, the next day I couldn't remember what I'd said so John agreed to create one for me, assuring me that he was pretty good at pitches because he has to do so many for work. It was, when he eventually completed it after many reminders, brief, snappy and just right.
John, by the way, is my unofficial manager and I may get round to paying him one day if the novel gets published.
So, armed with this improved pitch and also adding far more about my intended audience, I produced what I considered to be a much better introductory letter. I chose three more agents from my trusty Writers and Artists Yearbook 2008 to send this letter, a synopsis, and the first three chapters, as is usually the given thing to do, and had even prepared everything in large envelopes.
All that was needed was to weigh the darn things (thank you Royal Mail for making it as difficult as possible to send anything through the post - don't they care about their customers?) and attach the appropriate postage. (A few months ago, the Royal Mail changed the cost of their stamps after I had sent such a package and therefore, the inevitable return of said package three weeks later did not have quite the correct amount of postage - it was something silly like six pence, and I had to pay a quid plus the six pence just to get the package. Again, thank you Royal Mail!)
ANYWAY, although convinced (and you have to be to put yourself through this gruelling endurance test and the multitude of rejections) that I had written an enormous best seller and why on earth didn't agents recognise this?, I decided to re-read the first three chapters.
Now, I've read a lot of fiction since writing Cyprus Blues, and in particular, two novels that really got me thinking about writing style. (I've reviewed them in the reading section of this blog site.)
The novel that I really liked was 'No time to say good-bye' by Linwood Barclay. And what I liked about it was the fast moving plot and skillful use of language which enhanced the story but didn't get in the way. No 'arty-farty' use of language is how I would describe it. And since I've recently discovered that it actually won the Richard and Judy Book Club award, I reckon that that is a successful way to write.
However, the novel that had me groaning with exasperation because of the over-use of flowery language (brilliant though it was) was 'A Quiet Belief In Angels'by ...It almost drowned the plot and spoilt dramatic impact.
So, with these two novels in mind - how I wanted to write a novel and how not, I reviewed my first three chapters and boy am I glad that I did so. Given the benefit of having had a break from Cyprus Blues and having re-written my introductory letter and having already started Winchester Blues, I had a much clearer idea of my target audience.
Therefore, you won't be surprised to hear that I immediately recognised that my writing style was suspect. Plot, characterization, setting are, I believe, still bloody good but I was using far too much flowery, descriptive language when it simply wasn't needed.
I had been saying for some time: 'I'm not bloody re-writing the novel' but I knew that if I had any chance of publishing it, I would have to do so. 'If a job's worth doing...' sort of thing.
So, I've re-edited the first three chapters and been brutal about what to keep in and what to delete. Cliched phrases like 'a shiver of fear ran down her spine' were the first to go. And then I deleted a lot of inner thought. Because the first part of the novel is in the first person and because I wanted my readers to have a really good understanding of the characters, I did want quite a bit of inner thought. But I had included far too much, not allowing characterisation to develop slowly and giving far too much away at the beginning of the novel as what was to come. So, that delete button was hot, hot, hot with constant use.
I'd already bought a much better thesaurus, which every writer should have, and I ALWAYS record each chapter and play it back, following the text on the screen. This really gives a good idea of what sounds good and what is awkward or out of place.
I'm so tempted to send the three revised chapters etc to my chosen agents but, ever the optimist, I would not like to have an agent phone me up and ask to see the complete novel because it's not fully revised. So, I'm playing the patience game and working steadily through each chapter. I reckon I should be finished by the end of the year, at the latest.
Winchester Blues can stay on the back burner a while and, hopefully, my sharper editing eye will pay dividends when I get back to it. I've already written the first three chapters so I feel that I have at least made a start. Anyway, I know I shouldn't be in too much of a hurry in finding an agent in this present economic climate: they probably need some space to re-adjust to a much tighter and more precarious market (i.e. even more tight and precarious than before!)
There is this little thing called Christmas which is looming up and in the past, that has taken a chunk out of my writing time, but this year we're going to be so casual about it we'll almost be falling over backwards. I'm a Christian so it's an important time of the year for me but I don't need to worship Jesus by buying and wrapping (!) a ton of presents or slaving away in a kitchen worrying that everything will be cooked on time and then eating and drinking so much that I will feel guilty for weeks afterwards and have to do double shifts at the gym. We'll be taking the dog to the beach on Xmas Day and I can't think of a nicer way to spend the day, apart from being in Morocco!
If you, too, feel harrassed and stressed at this time of the year then remember - YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO IT! Be a rebel: Say NO!
UPDATE ON WRITING - APRIL 19TH 2009
Easter has passed and I still haven't continued with Winchester Blues but for several very good reasons:-
1. Just before Xmas, I received another couple of rejections from agents (for Cyprus Blues), so I decided to re-read the first three chapters AGAIN to make sure in my mind that they were worth re-sending. And I noticed AGAIN some weaknesses and as a consequence, have re-edited the WHOLE novel AGAIN and am very pleased that I have done so.
The areas I was particularly interested in AGAIN were:-
* the opening paragraph, which I have changed
* overuse of exclamation marks of which, I realised, I had been terrifically guilty of
* length of paragraphs - mine were often far too long so I've corrected that
* flowery language - again guilty of that and I hope I've rectified that
* working on the principle of less is more, I've cut out all the surplus. Plus, I've tightened up my introductory letter AGAIN and sent it to The Writers Workshop, who give a free evaluation. I know it's a 'hook' to draw you in but I like their website , which is full of very valuable advice for writers, so I rate them highly
* I did want to cut my chapters in half because I think they're too long, particularly commercial fiction, which is my genre, but the structure of the novel is so tight and complex that it just wouldn't work. But I'll use much shorter chapters in Winchester Blues
2. Wanting to keep my hand in at short story writing, I re-edited a favourite short story of mine - The Dog in the Pram - which is futuristic/science fiction story - and sent it to two short story competitions (The Bristol Writers Competition and The Exeter Writers Competition), in the almost sure knowledge that I couldn't possibly win BOTH.
I've also written a brand new short story called The Miss in Marple, especially for The Marple Writing Competition. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the competition advertised in Mslexia because I used to live just outside Marple (a smallish village near Stockport, Manchester and The Peak District) and have very happy memories of the place. (Best place in the world, actually.)
So I took a true story that I'd heard and thought would make a great short story and set it in Marple. I so hope I win a prize so that I have a great excuse to go up there, which I've been wanting to do for ages.
3. I've been doing a lot of writing on my blog and sticking photos in (such a time consuming task but well worth it). I'm getting a small but steady stream of readers and it's wonderful knowing that I do have an audience, albeit it quite small. So, I guess I'm a communicator as well as a story teller. You see, one learns something new often without deliberately thinking about it.
BUT I'm itching to get back to Winchester Blues, particularly as I have a much clearer idea in my mind as to how I want to write it, having learnt so much about my writing over the last YEAR. Only, don't hold your breath. I tend to things at the only pace I'm capable of, which is very slowly!
And, no I'm not going to re-edit Cyprus Blues again unless an editor asks me to. But as you can see, being a writer is a lot of hard slog.
* The Adventures of Mr Motty
This was a children's novel, loosely based on the stories that my dad would tell my brother and me, about an engine driver called Mr Motty, his steam trains, his assistant, Tommy, a flying bed and a talking pig called Gertrude.
This was in the 1950's and I think I'm right in saying that it pre-dates the later stories of engine drivers, flying beds and talking pigs! However, the fact remains that they have now been covered, so when I come to re-write the stories, I need to make them very special indeed. No pressure then!
When I feel that the time is right, I'll really get stuck in. We have a steam train that operates in the summer, nearby, at Alresford (The Watercress Line), which will be handy for research.
One of the many things that I've learnt about writing is that research is essential, even if you don't use most of it in your writing. It just gives you a sound basis, knowing that any facts or descriptions you use are authentic.
*Cyprus Blues
This is my recently completed first adult novel, which is set in Cyprus.
The story charts one year (July 1973 to July 1974) in the relationships of my four main characters:-
KATE- on holiday in July 1973 before starting her first teaching job. She's beautiful and innocent and totally unable to resist the charms of Jack, who is an expat artist, living in Cyprus.
JACK- handsome, sexy, charming and a total shit. He's fed up with his one-girl-a night existence and when he meets Kate, he sees her potential as his meal ticket and woos her into staying in Cyprus and moving in with him.
ELLIE- a young Greek Cypriot girl from London who has just taken part in an arranged marriage with Tony, a Greek Cypriot from a mountain village. Her 'dowry' had been a supermarket and flat, which has set Tony up nicely but quickly becomes a prison for her.
TONY- his only love is his country and everything else comes a poor second, even his own mother. (Ellie doesn't come anywhere in his scheme of things). He's part of the EOKA terrorist group determined to get rid of the President of Cyprus, Archbishop Makarios.
The way these four interact is against the background of growing political unrest, which culminates firstly in the Greek Cypriot coup, in which Tony is heavily involved, and then, a week later, the Turkish Invasion of Northern Cyprus.
Other characters include:-
BIG AL - Jack's hippy friend, who's an expert at rolling joints, and has rejected his aristocratic background and work as an archaeologist to enjoy the good life in Cyprus.
POPPY- his waif-like girlfriend. She's a very young runaway from home and totally dotes on Big Al.
CHRISTINA - Tony's first love and now Jack's married mistress.
COSTAS - Tony's second-in command-who would jump through flames of fire for Tony in his own bumbling way.
ERNIE - the CIA who is paying EOKA terrorists like Tony to do America's dirty work.
MICHAEL - the divorced Greek Cypriot father of two of Kate's pupils who falls in love with Kate.
MARIE - a fellow teacher with Kate, married to HUSSEIN, a Turkish Cypriot doctor.
The characters are all fictional but the coup and invasion are real events, and America's involvement is now well documented. I should know about these events: I was living in Cyprus at the time and was refugeed, so I can safely say that I know what I'm writing about.
Who lives and who dies? Will Kate and Ellie escape from their disastrous relationships? And what will happen to the tourist paradise of Cyprus? You'll have to buy the book to find out!!!
But in order to buy the book, it needs to be published and the prevailing wisdom is to find an agent first, which is what I am trying to do. So, if any agents/publishers are reading this and like the sound of the novel, then look out for my manuscript when it lands on your table! Or, better still, leave a comment with details of how I can contact you. Fingers crossed!
THE NOVEL I AM WORKING ON NOW is a murder mystery set in Winchester. Most of the action is centred around Winchester High (fictional name) and I'm not giving things away when I tell you that the head teacher is the first to cop it. The DI is a feisty detective called Alexis Khan, a female cop with balls (metaphorically).
I've spent so many years in teaching that I want to draw on that experience in this novel, plus the idea of bumping off a head teacher was just too tempting to resist, although my, daughter, also a teacher, asked if I could bump off an Ofsted inspector, too.
I had already plotted out this novel several years ago, but since I've started my research on police investigation procedures, I'm going to have to start from scratch with the plot. However, most of my characters are good to go, so to speak. I'm really excited about writing this - it'll be a lot of fun.
However, one of the things I've learnt from my research is that police procedures and forensic science are so advanced now that it would be very hard to get away with murder so I don't recommend it! Some people, though, just don't care...
UPDATE ON CYPRUS BLUES
When we returned from our Italian holiday in September, the latest reject from an agent greeted me cheerfully from the letter box. I wasn't too surprised because it was the Blake Friedmann Agency and I knew that they were very reluctant to take on more writers because Carole Blake wrote about this in her column in Mslexia. And in anticipation of this, I had already decided to re-write my introductory letter, including a better pitch about the novel.
Fuelled by plenty of fine wine, I had composed a pitch on the balcony of our hotel in Italy and John was so impressed that he said that I should write it down, but being far too lazy and, quite frankly, incapable of doing it there and then, I decided to leave it to the next day.
Sadly, the next day I couldn't remember what I'd said so John agreed to create one for me, assuring me that he was pretty good at pitches because he has to do so many for work. It was, when he eventually completed it after many reminders, brief, snappy and just right.
John, by the way, is my unofficial manager and I may get round to paying him one day if the novel gets published.
So, armed with this improved pitch and also adding far more about my intended audience, I produced what I considered to be a much better introductory letter. I chose three more agents from my trusty Writers and Artists Yearbook 2008 to send this letter, a synopsis, and the first three chapters, as is usually the given thing to do, and had even prepared everything in large envelopes.
All that was needed was to weigh the darn things (thank you Royal Mail for making it as difficult as possible to send anything through the post - don't they care about their customers?) and attach the appropriate postage. (A few months ago, the Royal Mail changed the cost of their stamps after I had sent such a package and therefore, the inevitable return of said package three weeks later did not have quite the correct amount of postage - it was something silly like six pence, and I had to pay a quid plus the six pence just to get the package. Again, thank you Royal Mail!)
ANYWAY, although convinced (and you have to be to put yourself through this gruelling endurance test and the multitude of rejections) that I had written an enormous best seller and why on earth didn't agents recognise this?, I decided to re-read the first three chapters.
Now, I've read a lot of fiction since writing Cyprus Blues, and in particular, two novels that really got me thinking about writing style. (I've reviewed them in the reading section of this blog site.)
The novel that I really liked was 'No time to say good-bye' by Linwood Barclay. And what I liked about it was the fast moving plot and skillful use of language which enhanced the story but didn't get in the way. No 'arty-farty' use of language is how I would describe it. And since I've recently discovered that it actually won the Richard and Judy Book Club award, I reckon that that is a successful way to write.
However, the novel that had me groaning with exasperation because of the over-use of flowery language (brilliant though it was) was 'A Quiet Belief In Angels'by ...It almost drowned the plot and spoilt dramatic impact.
So, with these two novels in mind - how I wanted to write a novel and how not, I reviewed my first three chapters and boy am I glad that I did so. Given the benefit of having had a break from Cyprus Blues and having re-written my introductory letter and having already started Winchester Blues, I had a much clearer idea of my target audience.
Therefore, you won't be surprised to hear that I immediately recognised that my writing style was suspect. Plot, characterization, setting are, I believe, still bloody good but I was using far too much flowery, descriptive language when it simply wasn't needed.
I had been saying for some time: 'I'm not bloody re-writing the novel' but I knew that if I had any chance of publishing it, I would have to do so. 'If a job's worth doing...' sort of thing.
So, I've re-edited the first three chapters and been brutal about what to keep in and what to delete. Cliched phrases like 'a shiver of fear ran down her spine' were the first to go. And then I deleted a lot of inner thought. Because the first part of the novel is in the first person and because I wanted my readers to have a really good understanding of the characters, I did want quite a bit of inner thought. But I had included far too much, not allowing characterisation to develop slowly and giving far too much away at the beginning of the novel as what was to come. So, that delete button was hot, hot, hot with constant use.
I'd already bought a much better thesaurus, which every writer should have, and I ALWAYS record each chapter and play it back, following the text on the screen. This really gives a good idea of what sounds good and what is awkward or out of place.
I'm so tempted to send the three revised chapters etc to my chosen agents but, ever the optimist, I would not like to have an agent phone me up and ask to see the complete novel because it's not fully revised. So, I'm playing the patience game and working steadily through each chapter. I reckon I should be finished by the end of the year, at the latest.
Winchester Blues can stay on the back burner a while and, hopefully, my sharper editing eye will pay dividends when I get back to it. I've already written the first three chapters so I feel that I have at least made a start. Anyway, I know I shouldn't be in too much of a hurry in finding an agent in this present economic climate: they probably need some space to re-adjust to a much tighter and more precarious market (i.e. even more tight and precarious than before!)
There is this little thing called Christmas which is looming up and in the past, that has taken a chunk out of my writing time, but this year we're going to be so casual about it we'll almost be falling over backwards. I'm a Christian so it's an important time of the year for me but I don't need to worship Jesus by buying and wrapping (!) a ton of presents or slaving away in a kitchen worrying that everything will be cooked on time and then eating and drinking so much that I will feel guilty for weeks afterwards and have to do double shifts at the gym. We'll be taking the dog to the beach on Xmas Day and I can't think of a nicer way to spend the day, apart from being in Morocco!
If you, too, feel harrassed and stressed at this time of the year then remember - YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO IT! Be a rebel: Say NO!
UPDATE ON WRITING - APRIL 19TH 2009
Easter has passed and I still haven't continued with Winchester Blues but for several very good reasons:-
1. Just before Xmas, I received another couple of rejections from agents (for Cyprus Blues), so I decided to re-read the first three chapters AGAIN to make sure in my mind that they were worth re-sending. And I noticed AGAIN some weaknesses and as a consequence, have re-edited the WHOLE novel AGAIN and am very pleased that I have done so.
The areas I was particularly interested in AGAIN were:-
* the opening paragraph, which I have changed
* overuse of exclamation marks of which, I realised, I had been terrifically guilty of
* length of paragraphs - mine were often far too long so I've corrected that
* flowery language - again guilty of that and I hope I've rectified that
* working on the principle of less is more, I've cut out all the surplus. Plus, I've tightened up my introductory letter AGAIN and sent it to The Writers Workshop, who give a free evaluation. I know it's a 'hook' to draw you in but I like their website , which is full of very valuable advice for writers, so I rate them highly
* I did want to cut my chapters in half because I think they're too long, particularly commercial fiction, which is my genre, but the structure of the novel is so tight and complex that it just wouldn't work. But I'll use much shorter chapters in Winchester Blues
2. Wanting to keep my hand in at short story writing, I re-edited a favourite short story of mine - The Dog in the Pram - which is futuristic/science fiction story - and sent it to two short story competitions (The Bristol Writers Competition and The Exeter Writers Competition), in the almost sure knowledge that I couldn't possibly win BOTH.
I've also written a brand new short story called The Miss in Marple, especially for The Marple Writing Competition. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the competition advertised in Mslexia because I used to live just outside Marple (a smallish village near Stockport, Manchester and The Peak District) and have very happy memories of the place. (Best place in the world, actually.)
So I took a true story that I'd heard and thought would make a great short story and set it in Marple. I so hope I win a prize so that I have a great excuse to go up there, which I've been wanting to do for ages.
3. I've been doing a lot of writing on my blog and sticking photos in (such a time consuming task but well worth it). I'm getting a small but steady stream of readers and it's wonderful knowing that I do have an audience, albeit it quite small. So, I guess I'm a communicator as well as a story teller. You see, one learns something new often without deliberately thinking about it.
BUT I'm itching to get back to Winchester Blues, particularly as I have a much clearer idea in my mind as to how I want to write it, having learnt so much about my writing over the last YEAR. Only, don't hold your breath. I tend to things at the only pace I'm capable of, which is very slowly!
And, no I'm not going to re-edit Cyprus Blues again unless an editor asks me to. But as you can see, being a writer is a lot of hard slog.
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