Inspiration?

Today I went to Hebden Bridge, looking for inspiration I once experienced (when I took my creative writing course at Arvon).

As with most things you look for, I didn't find it, but Heptonstall (above Hebden) is still a lovely place to visit, despite the horrible commuter traffic I had to endure getting there at 10am.

I know where inspiration lies, and today's visit was a minor act of procrastination that I allowed myself.

Curious Incidents!

A while ago, as instructed by a writing course no doubt, I started writing (and keeping) reviews of books that I read. Books included Googlewhack Adventure by Dave Gorman, Life of Pi by Yann Martel, White Teeth by Zadie Smith etc.

Now understanding (by reviewing) how these books 'work' will help my own writing, in some cases and so I will copy my reviews to this blog from today. But reviewing books that a) are not novels or b) I did not finish will not assist me, I feel.

So there will be no review of Dave's or Zadie's book, alas. (Zadie is no doubt a writer of the highest order but I just couldn't read on, and I got half-way through, too.)

I will include my review of Mark Haddon's book, however. And here it is...

'Review' of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime written by Mark Haddon

This is a fabulous book about an autistic boy called Christopher and his view of the world as he tries to discover who killed his neighbour's dog. It's almost a guide into 'how to write a novel' as well as 'how to research', 'how to write from child's point of view' and 'how to understate things'.

For me, it's a great insight into how to deal with a difficult person (and maybe shows all of us that we're a little more difficult to deal with than we'd like to admit to). So, in Christopher's case one follows simple rules: try to see things from their perspective, completely. E.g. if she lies then why does she lie?

I could go on and on about why I love this book but I didn't when I wrote the review and I'm not going to make it up here. Instead, here's the last few paragraphs of the book.

:-)

(That's a smiley face emoticon, and it means I'm happy, Christopher. Okay?)

And then I will get a 1st class honours degree and I will become a scientist...

And I know I can do this because I went to London on my own, and because I solved the mystery of who killed Wellington? and I found my mother and I was brave and that means I can do anything.

Arvon Creative Writing Exercises

STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS
(Limbering up exercise)

Start with the words "I remember" and don't stop writing until the tutor says so.

--

I remember not liking a certain flavour of crisps. Banana flavour! Hah, just joking. No it was Smokey Bacon. But I really liked Seabrook Salt 'n' Vinegar crisps, but they don't seem to sell Seabrook anymore, so I guess it has to be Walkers, with good ol' big ears Gary Lineker. (70% less rubbish in them than before, apparently - which is nice to know.)

I think Gary should be on TV more, actually. Why can't he read the news in the morning, tell me what the weather's going to be like at lunchtime, introduce Blue Peter and finish off with Match of the Day. Yes, Match of the Day (MOTD as we like to call it) should be on every day. Sod the professional footballers' sensibilities, they get paid enough they can play every day.

They should even make a special character for him, with big ears or distinguished grey head or inane grin, in The Simpsons. He would have to have bad teeth, natch, so verifying the US stereotype of us brits, but at least that's better than being thought of as cheese-eating surrender monkey a la the French.

--

DESCRIPTIONS

Describe the characters and events that come to mind when you see this picture. See if people can guess which photograph you're writing about.



--

It was a long, lazy-lounge kind of day. The mices would just have to wait to be ripped into pieces. It's my dreamtime. Plump the pillows and, slowly, tuck my head down, slowly, pull my tail in. Sleep.

I want to hide from the grey and predictable. I want to ride on the back of a beast. A beast that feasts on brilliant blues and shocking orange. Dog-devouring demons that I can control with my mind. Where dolphins do their dolphin thing. I'm on the back off their fins.

Now go away. I want to play some more, on my own. Don't worry,I'll let you know when you're required once more.

--

METAPHORS & SIMILIES

Write up 2 pages of fifteen nouns. Do it quickly. Then give your neighbour (to the left of you) one of the pages. Now try to makeup interesting similies and metaphors.

Example

(my list)

glasses, paper, pen, map, car, lights, road, sign, shop, blanket,tie, top, tap, grass, zoo

(neighbour's list)

bucket, ring, flower, goat*, socks, broach, hunger(?), snake,book, nose, bed, photograph, pen, purse, lamp

And what I came up with (not easy exercise)

- glasses like lamps
- The snake mapped its way across the floor

Arvon: What I Learnt

What I Learnt At Arvon

The most important thing I learnt was that writing is a craft and like any craft you get better at it by studying, by writing, by crafting.

There are no rules to writing is now my cliché about writing.This rule empowers me, though, as I now think of words simply as vehicles of expression to be shaped as I see fit.

In short: I believe I can write a novel, now, maybe even a damned good one.

Here are a few other things I learnt in particular (Should it be learnt or learned? I did not learn this!):

• Notebooks encourage attention to detail. (Paying attention has benefits in many other aspects of life, too.)
  
• It's useful for writers to answer such questions like: "what kind of a man would write about a writer writing about himself in his first novel, whilst trying to write his first novel?"
  
• Plot or character - which comes first? Or are they two sides of the same coin? (What happens if the coin has three sides?)
  
• A professional critique can save you a lot of time, so says Claire Sambrook
  
• Outlines, timelines, family trees, character profiles (what's in the bag?) - all are structures used by writers. (Gabriel Garcia Marquez even included his family tree in his novel 100 Years of Solitude.)
  
• Adjectives and adverbs. An adjective qualifies a noun and an adverb qualifies a verb. (I put this here, because I always forget.)
  
• The understanding that writers (and other artistes for that matter) get consumed with their creation. I felt that consumption during the week, where I only wanted to write and sod the classes.

But, above all, I learnt that:

• I can be a writer, a published author

So in conclusion dear reader, I didn't marry him (or her) but I haven't given up believing I can be a published writer of fiction. I've taken one step nearer...

Writing is a journey, not a destination. (A bit like life.)

Life is about doing, not reading about. (A bit like writing.)

Or, as Chris another student put it, "fiction is another way of discovering truth". However, I do feel there is a place for the odd meta character to contemplate his navel, as well as hers, along the way.

It's goodnight from me, and it's goodnight from him (Ronnie Corbett)

MY PLAN

Whilst I appreciate that planning isn't writing, it's the nature of this particular non-writing beast that not-planning guarantees my not writing (alas). So, looking at my notes (my plan in paper form as it were), I see that I actually had wanted to Have a BIG Story Idea (see below) in Feb. 2006 - and it's now nearly October.

That is disappointing. Still, I'm very pleased to announce to both you and me...

My Writing Plan: Start writing novel in January 2007

Now, the do-ers and engineers amongst you might ask: why not write today?

The thinkers and reflectors amongst you would understand.

And the procrastinators would cheer (eventually).

I know, I know. But small steps - allow me to take small steps, please.

If I'm being honest, I am slightly terrified (oops, yet another wrong word combination!) of starting to write my first novel. That's why I've put off looking at my writing plan for several months, because it would mean that, yes, I could get started!

So, here's the plan(*). I'm going to commit to it. You have my word.

1. "You could get started"
   For me this translates to start writing this (and other) blogs.
   
2. Write!
   Update my blogs, and my various diaries (online journals)
   
3. Learn how to write better
   - Read novels on subjects similar to what I want to write about
   - Read about other writers (their experience and motivations)
   - Attend writing classes and workshops
   - Talk to other writers
   - Read 'how to write a novel' - see my 'How To' Reading List
   - Read about writing via online websites, ezines etc.
   - Read magazines, newspapers etc. with a particular eye for writing ideas be it character photos, situations, character types etc.
   
4. Have a BIG STORY idea
   Develop it in terms of point of view, setting and no. of characters
   
5. Find a good place to write
   
6. Make time to write - get organised
   
7. Write, write, write! Right?
   - Do the necessary research, and prepare an outline
   - Write my 1st draft - 1000 words a day
   - Rewrite, revise and polish the manuscript
   
8. Get the book published!
   Research into and identify two or more literary agents or publishers I believe will want to publish my novel (identify individuals)
   
9. Create a personalised submission package
   
10. Send my novel to a publisher/agent and get it accepted
    
11. Go to the bookstore and pick up my book
    (Try not to look too smug. Remember, JK Rowling.)

I can't tell you how motivating it is just to publish this plan on this blog.

Writing my novel, or rather starting to write my novel feels much more likely, because of it.

Now published writers and those struggling to get their novel published will probably be amused at the emphasis I've made on some of the above activities. A lot of detail existing for straight-forward tasks, perhaps, and hardly any detail existing where it really matters.

Well, this is my world view of writing. My attempt to write my first novel. My thoughts about the process as experienced at the time.

I'm sure if it doesn't quite work like that, I will be sure to find out sooner or later.

Here's to planning, to writing plans, and to writing!

Note: the plan above is based on backward-planning some of the key activities involved in writing a novel, gleaned from the books mentioned above. I'm sure every writer has a different way. Mine might change too. But I have to start somewhere. And, yes, it beats writing (today)! :-)

Blogs

I did write a little today, on my other blog, but I spent most of this 'writing day' reading newsletters or other people's blogs.

There really is a lot of online writing going on.

And quite a lot of it is good.

I still maintain a written journal (or what I call a diary), however, and that is where my next words are destined.

Writing To Dos

Oh dear, I'm still at the stage of writing my to do list.

Here goes:

1. Read writing ezines
2. Read newspapers and magazines looking for potential writing ideas, images of characters etc.
3. Write entries in my various blogs
4. "Next" item in my plan to write a novel (e.g. book myself on a writing course)
5. Write 1000 words

All in a day's work, in theory.

But it hasn't happened today, and I will instead have to do the above tomorrow, Saturday.

Hmm.

First Day...

Today is the first day, or rather first full week-day, dedicated to writing my novel.

It's started a little late, my first day - I should be typing this at 9am, rather than 10.40am - as I'm not quite as rid of the shackles of work, as I'd like to be. (Reminder: I work at home, for myself, and make money from my websites. This is also known as affiliate marketing, and if it appeals to you then I can highly recommend - you see how the affiliate marketer has taken over me, here - I can highly recommend learning more, on this make money online page.)

But this is what I intend to do today:

1. Read my writing notes (Yes, I scribble down ideas on pieces of paper, in notebooks (more than one, unhelpfully so)
2. Read the backlog ezines/newsletters I've subscribed to related to writing
3. Read one of my magazines or newspapers (from the pile shown below) and maybe update my list of clippings
4. Remind myself what my writing targets are for the months of May and June, and write down a Friday Target sheet (or something)
5. Write 1000 words. (Hmm, probably won't do this one - don't laugh! But I will at least plan to do it next week!)
6. Update all of my diaries (journals, to you) and blogs So even though I haven't started writing yet, I do feel I have got started.

And I've already written this blog entry.

I just wish it weren't so sunny outside...

Newspapers and Magazines still to read:

Reading List

This is my current reading list (see below).

It changed, recently, when I realised that the novels I was reading were not the types of novels I wanted to write. So, out goes Mike Gayle (His n Hers, My Perfect Girlfriend, Mr Commitment) and in comes this far more literate and impressive list of novels:

• Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Márquez
• Slaughter House Five by Kurt Vonnegut
• The Time Travellers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (I haven't read this yet, but I know it will be what I call a good book.)
• The History of Love by Nicole Krauss (reading this right now)

Other novels that I've bought but may well consign to the Mike Gayle Slush Pile include:

• A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
• Inconceivable by Ben Elton
• Whatever Love Means by David Baddiel (I've met David once. Well, I didn't meet him but he used to hang out in a pokey 'night-club' in Bristol called The Tropic, at the same time I did.)

By the way, I hope you realise that to be a writer you should be a reader, an avid reader.

And this is where I am tempted to veer into 'how to write a novel' mode, but when I have not written a novel and so am therefore not an expert on writing a novel, I feel it would be, to say the least, in appropriate.

I shall include excerpts from the various 'how to' books that I think are relevant and helpful to me.

The above is the first excerpt, that everyone advocates: want to write, then read!

So why the above reading list?

I'm interested in the themes of communication, commitment, fear so you can see why Mike Gayle appealed to me. I must say, however, that whilst I enjoyed Mike's books and think he is an able writer, I also found them to be lacking depth. As was the case with Bridget Jones' Diary (Mike is meant to be the male Bridget Jones, which realy doesn't make sense!)

But more than those themes, I prefer to read books that challenge my mind or provoke me in some way, or books that are written from a clever perspective, or books that are just damn good!

Hence the new list, above.

If I'm going to write one novel I might as well model my efforts on the best rather than just the saleable! No?

I was also going to read Man and Boy by Tony Parsons, but I just couldn't face it (don't know why! Maybe it's because I love the barbed words of his ex- too much).

I tried Andrew Collins' Where Did It All Go Right?, and whilst I appreciate his attempt at revisiting his own happy 70s and 80s from a happy perspective, I found it at best smug and at worst very very put-downabble. (Add it to the list of did not finish books that include Nelson Mandela's autobiography, Zadie Smith's White Teeth, and Umberto Eco's turgid Foucault's Pendulum. Yes, I plead guilty.)

Clippings

I refiled my 'clippings', yesterday. Those scraps of information, photographs, etc. that are supposed to be the source of every writer's inspiration.

Now if that isn't a classic "do anything but write" activity, I don't know what is!

Actually, I found some of my clippings quite interesting. And I am hoping that they'll play a more active role in my growth as a writer.