Recently I was invited to participate in a blog
tour, answering the same
four questions about writing approaches that
other writer bloggers have been contemplating. So, here are my observations.
Have a look at some of the other participants’ blogs and compare notes. The
responses are fascinatingly different.
What
am I working on?
Currently, I’m working on redrafting my first
novel which has lain in a drawer for two years. No bad thing, you might say
and, in many ways, I agree. The main problem with the lying about in a drawer
approach, however, is that the longer the slumbering opus lies there, the more
difficult it becomes to waken it. It took a very encouraging ‘Winter Words’
writing workshop to finally prompt me to open the drawer.
Alongside the editing, I’m working on a new
short story ready to enter the next round of competitions. This is my way of
keeping up the momentum: list the entry dates for one or two competitions in
the forthcoming months, then get writing. A recent entry in the annual Fish
Publishing memoir competition was short-listed. Not a winner but maybe next time
. . .
How
does my work differ from others of its genre?
Apart from an academic textbook, ‘Textual
Analysis’, published by Oxford University Press, my only other published
writing is a series of children’s stories ‘The Colonel’s Collection’ - www.thecolonelscollection.com - based around a handsome cock pheasant called The Colonel. These are
essentially animal fables with a gentle lesson to be learnt from each. I like
to think they are different from other animal stories by virtue of their strong
characterization and humorous illustrations created by Louise Gow. They are
designed to appeal to adults as well as children. It’s my belief that parents
are much more likely to read stories to their children if they (the adults)
equally enjoy them. I can remember chortling over Raymond Briggs’s stories
while reading them to my children. There was a delightful adult sub-text
running through the narrative and that kept both reader and audience
entertained.
Why do
I write what I do?
I started out writing children’s stories because
all the ingredients were there on my doorstep: a rural landscape, a castle and
a wonderful array of wild creatures, each with its own distinctive personality.
As the series progressed, so did my enjoyment of watching the interaction
between these creatures and inventing new situations in which to develop this
interplay of characters.
My adult novel aims to be the type of book I
enjoy reading: character-driven and concerned with exploring the psychological
and emotional reactions of a few individuals in a testing situation. I’m not a
fan of the broad-sweeping saga: too many characters and not enough time to
explore each one. I am interested in people and what makes them tick, especially
when put under some kind of pressure. So, that’s what I want to write about.
How
does my writing process work?
A bit of an odd question as it assumes my
writing process does work! Sometimes, I start with a given when I’m writing a
short story for a competition and a subject is prescribed. I quite like this
approach as it disciplines my focus and dictates length. More often, I get an
idea for a short story or a novel from something I observe and note, or
experience and remember for days after. The novel I’m editing at the moment
began life that way: I had been to hospital for a check-up and, coming out at
the main entrance, I was confronted by a young man holding his head in his
hands, obviously deeply distressed. For some reason, I felt drawn to him and
the memory of his face and hunched shoulders stayed with me for days until I
felt I had to write his story which started off as a short story but soon
developed a life of its own and expanded into a novel.
I plot out the main stages of the story on a
white board and fill in detail where I can see it at this stage. I usually know
how it will end, although that can change as the writing develops. I’m a slow
writer so it takes some time to complete a project. Then it’s edit, edit, edit
. . .
I try to write every day but that’s not always
possible. Today, for example, I’ve had to work on arrangements for this year’s
BOOKMARK book festival - www.bookmarkblair.com - of which I’m the Chair. The
nearer I get to the main festival weekend
(10th - 12th October), the less time available for
writing. I’m planning on rescheduling my day so that I can write in the early
morning during the light, summer months. We’ll see how long that lasts!
Blog
Tourers Before and After
I was invited to take part by:
Ann Swinfen www.annswinfen.com
She was invited to take part by:
Catriona Troth catrionatroth.blogspot.co.uk
These writers will be following me and posting their answers to the four questions on Monday 14th April. There should have been three but one was a no show! They are:
Joan Lennon grew up in Ontario, Canada, and came
to Scotland in 1978. Now she lives in Newport-on-Tay,
Fife. Joan writes fiction for children - historical series, big fat
fantasies, novels for less robust readers, and silly stories about dragons,
ferrets and poo - and poetry and fiction for adults. She also runs creative
writing workshops for all ages, and is just beginning a six-month post as
Writer-in-Residence for Blairgowrie, Rattray and the Glens.
MIRREN JONES is the pseudonym for the creative
writing partnership of Marion Duffy from Scotland and Elaine Atkins from
Wales. Marion and Elaine have been writing together for 17 years: books,
journal papers, articles, academic courses, workshops, short stories and
poetry. And they're still good friends! Their debut novel was Eight
of Cups. Marion currently works as a medical practice manager, and Elaine
was formerly a senior NHS manager – their experiences bringing realism to their
novel- in-progress, Never Do Harm
