Thursday, 31 October 2013
SOPHIE KING PRIZE
Are you a short story writer? There’s still time to enter the Sophie King short story prize.Visit my website www.sophieking.info and also check out the following post from Books With Bunny. http://bookswithbunny.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/the-sophie-king-prize.html
Friday, 25 October 2013
Am I the only one?
Am I the only one who was shocked to read that apparently, one third of us doesn't recognise our neighbours?
Then again, maybe that's not such a bad thing...
I have to say that over the years, I've had some brilliant neighbours. My very favourites were called Maud and Arthur Hammond. Within a few months of us moving into their road in Harrow Weald, they invited me and my sister to call them uncle and aunt. Their only grandchild was in the States, which was a very long way off in those days, so they saw us as substitute grandchildren. We spent many a happy Saturday morning making fudge in their kitchen or listening to Uncle Arthur's wonderful stories about life in the navy many years earlier.
When Aunt Maud had to go into a home, we would push her round the grounds in her wheelchair. All these years later, I still desperately miss them. Yet at the same time, I feel we 'were put' next door to each other, if that doesn't sound too weird! They needed on-the-spot grandchildren and we needed grandparents...
Then there was the lovely couple who lived next door when my first husband and I were newly weds. We were both out at work all day and they had taken early retirement. One day, they asked if we'd mind if they tackled our jungle. We were delighted (I'm the kiss of death where plants are concerned).
But it wasn't until I turned freelance and had more time, that I realised - to my embarrassment - that our neglected garden must have been a real eyesore to our neighbours. How nice of them, therefore, to pretend we were doing them a favour by allowing them to pick up a trowel. It could, so easily, have led to an unneighbourly dispute...
But my prize for Most Helpful Neighbour Ever, has to go to the people next door, when I found myself starting again as a single mum. I took on a new job (as writer in residence of a high security prison) and had to leave the house at 7am. This was a real problem as my then-15 year old, was on a different time clock and, despite duvet tussles, was unable to get him up for school, before leaving. Then a kindly couple in my road , whose own children had just flown the nest, offered to step in...
Now my life is more settled, I hope to spread the favour by helping those around me. Although my newish husband and I have only been in our new town for a short time, we already know most of the people in our street - partly because we threw a huge party last Christmas and invited everyone. It's a great way to meet your neighbours. In fact, I've already found myself offering to granny-sit!
What experience have you had with your neighbours? Good or bad? Please write and tell me and you could win a prize. Email me at janeyfraser [at] gmail.com
Then again, maybe that's not such a bad thing...
I have to say that over the years, I've had some brilliant neighbours. My very favourites were called Maud and Arthur Hammond. Within a few months of us moving into their road in Harrow Weald, they invited me and my sister to call them uncle and aunt. Their only grandchild was in the States, which was a very long way off in those days, so they saw us as substitute grandchildren. We spent many a happy Saturday morning making fudge in their kitchen or listening to Uncle Arthur's wonderful stories about life in the navy many years earlier.
When Aunt Maud had to go into a home, we would push her round the grounds in her wheelchair. All these years later, I still desperately miss them. Yet at the same time, I feel we 'were put' next door to each other, if that doesn't sound too weird! They needed on-the-spot grandchildren and we needed grandparents...
Then there was the lovely couple who lived next door when my first husband and I were newly weds. We were both out at work all day and they had taken early retirement. One day, they asked if we'd mind if they tackled our jungle. We were delighted (I'm the kiss of death where plants are concerned).
But it wasn't until I turned freelance and had more time, that I realised - to my embarrassment - that our neglected garden must have been a real eyesore to our neighbours. How nice of them, therefore, to pretend we were doing them a favour by allowing them to pick up a trowel. It could, so easily, have led to an unneighbourly dispute...
But my prize for Most Helpful Neighbour Ever, has to go to the people next door, when I found myself starting again as a single mum. I took on a new job (as writer in residence of a high security prison) and had to leave the house at 7am. This was a real problem as my then-15 year old, was on a different time clock and, despite duvet tussles, was unable to get him up for school, before leaving. Then a kindly couple in my road , whose own children had just flown the nest, offered to step in...
Now my life is more settled, I hope to spread the favour by helping those around me. Although my newish husband and I have only been in our new town for a short time, we already know most of the people in our street - partly because we threw a huge party last Christmas and invited everyone. It's a great way to meet your neighbours. In fact, I've already found myself offering to granny-sit!
What experience have you had with your neighbours? Good or bad? Please write and tell me and you could win a prize. Email me at janeyfraser [at] gmail.com
Wednesday, 9 October 2013
Writing tips - How to Revise - Part 2 of 2
Here's part 2 of my revision tips - steps 6 to 10.
STEP SIX
If you’ve got a twist in your novel – and you need at least one big one and maybe a clutch of smaller ones too – the revision stage is when you need to go back and sow a few clues. Then when the reader is surprised by the twist towards the end and goes back to see how that could happen, he or she will find some clues that weren’t obvious at the time.
For example, in my Sophie King novel The Wedding Party , one of the characters gets a job looking after a garden which used to belong to her, many years earlier. The garden is described in detail and there is a passing reference to a pond. Later the pond assumes a much larger role… So, too, does the new owner of the garden.
It’s usually easier to drop the clues in AFTER you’ve written the twist. You can have quite a lot of fun, doing this!
STEP SEVEN
Make sure that each chapter has a cliffhanger (tricky situation) at the end which makes the reader want to read on. Also check that there is a mixture of action and description and narrative. If it’s all action, your reader will be exhausted. But if it’s just description and narrative which tells a story rather than getting the reader inside the character’s head, that can be boring.
You might also find, while reading your story through, that the story isn’t as interesting as you thought. If so, do something about it rather than telling yourself it will be all right! Try increasing the stakes for your character by giving him/her another problem to deal with.
STEP EIGHT: MULTI-VIEWPOINT
If you have more than one character telling the story, it can help to look at each character’s strand. For instance, The Wedding Party is from the point of view of the groom’s ex-wife, his daughter, the vicar and the wedding planner. As part of my revision process, I looked at the ex-wife chapters first and then the daughter’s and so on. It helped me to fill in any gaps. See it as teasing out different colours from a skein of silk.
STEP NINE
Go through each chapter and make sure you can smell it. What perfume does the heroine wear? If it’s spring, do you describe the dank, moist air? Can the reader see enough colour? This isn’t just the shade of a dress or a tie. It’s the pink and mauve sunset or a yellow car or a bright pink shop facade.
Remember texture too. Does one of your characters wear a coat that feels silky to the touch? And what kind of noises does she hear? Is it the hum of the radio through the wall of the adjoining terrace or the cry of a baby in a supermarket. A baby that reminds your character of another baby, long ago...
It’s hard to put in all the senses while you’re writing a story. You’re probably too busy working on the plot. But you can do so, during the revision process.
STEP TEN
Check your manuscript is presented nicely. It should be in a readable font and point size such as Times Roman in 12 point. Lines should be double spaced and each page must be numbered. There should be at least two paragraphs per page and a separate one, every time someone speaks. Remember speech marks too. Many publishes are happy with single inverted commas but it can be wise to do double ones so you can then use single in reported speech eg “I was shocked,” whispered June. “He actually told me to ‘Beat it’. Those were his very words. Can you imagine it?”
Here, the single quotes indicate that June was referring to something that someone else told her.
Put your name and contact details and the title on the first page. It also goes without saying that this needs to be typed. Similarly, don’t correct any typos in ink or pencil. In today’s computer age, a clean copy is expected.
STEP SIX
If you’ve got a twist in your novel – and you need at least one big one and maybe a clutch of smaller ones too – the revision stage is when you need to go back and sow a few clues. Then when the reader is surprised by the twist towards the end and goes back to see how that could happen, he or she will find some clues that weren’t obvious at the time.
For example, in my Sophie King novel The Wedding Party , one of the characters gets a job looking after a garden which used to belong to her, many years earlier. The garden is described in detail and there is a passing reference to a pond. Later the pond assumes a much larger role… So, too, does the new owner of the garden.
It’s usually easier to drop the clues in AFTER you’ve written the twist. You can have quite a lot of fun, doing this!
STEP SEVEN
Make sure that each chapter has a cliffhanger (tricky situation) at the end which makes the reader want to read on. Also check that there is a mixture of action and description and narrative. If it’s all action, your reader will be exhausted. But if it’s just description and narrative which tells a story rather than getting the reader inside the character’s head, that can be boring.
You might also find, while reading your story through, that the story isn’t as interesting as you thought. If so, do something about it rather than telling yourself it will be all right! Try increasing the stakes for your character by giving him/her another problem to deal with.
STEP EIGHT: MULTI-VIEWPOINT
If you have more than one character telling the story, it can help to look at each character’s strand. For instance, The Wedding Party is from the point of view of the groom’s ex-wife, his daughter, the vicar and the wedding planner. As part of my revision process, I looked at the ex-wife chapters first and then the daughter’s and so on. It helped me to fill in any gaps. See it as teasing out different colours from a skein of silk.
STEP NINE
Go through each chapter and make sure you can smell it. What perfume does the heroine wear? If it’s spring, do you describe the dank, moist air? Can the reader see enough colour? This isn’t just the shade of a dress or a tie. It’s the pink and mauve sunset or a yellow car or a bright pink shop facade.
Remember texture too. Does one of your characters wear a coat that feels silky to the touch? And what kind of noises does she hear? Is it the hum of the radio through the wall of the adjoining terrace or the cry of a baby in a supermarket. A baby that reminds your character of another baby, long ago...
It’s hard to put in all the senses while you’re writing a story. You’re probably too busy working on the plot. But you can do so, during the revision process.
STEP TEN
Check your manuscript is presented nicely. It should be in a readable font and point size such as Times Roman in 12 point. Lines should be double spaced and each page must be numbered. There should be at least two paragraphs per page and a separate one, every time someone speaks. Remember speech marks too. Many publishes are happy with single inverted commas but it can be wise to do double ones so you can then use single in reported speech eg “I was shocked,” whispered June. “He actually told me to ‘Beat it’. Those were his very words. Can you imagine it?”
Here, the single quotes indicate that June was referring to something that someone else told her.
Put your name and contact details and the title on the first page. It also goes without saying that this needs to be typed. Similarly, don’t correct any typos in ink or pencil. In today’s computer age, a clean copy is expected.
Wednesday, 2 October 2013
Writing tips - How to revise - part 1 of 2
Just back from Matera in southern Italy, where I was speaking at the Women’s Fiction Festival about how to revise your manuscript! Matera is an amazing place. It looks almost Biblical with cobbled stone pathways set on different levels and cave houses set in cliffs. Not surprisingly, it was used as the set for
The
Passion of The Christ
, starring Mel Gibson.
The history of the region is fascinating. Until the 1960s, it was normal for an entire family to live in one cave with the donkey in the corner. There was just one bed so the children would take turns. Then a journalist wrote a piece about poor living conditions and the government was shamed into re-housing the locals and upgrading their original homes. Many of these have now been turned into chic, cave hotels like the one we stayed in: Corte San Pietro in the Sassi region.
This was really amazing with a huge bed, a bath you could almost swim in and plenty of space with subdued lighting. Nothing was too much trouble for our owners (they even went out and bought bananas specially for me) and I can thoroughly recommend it.
There are plenty of walks, although make sure you wear shoes that don’t slip on the cobbled stones, and some fascinating museums, including an original cave home, as well as several churches cut into the rock.
The Women’s Fiction Festival is also a brilliant way for writers (both published and unpublished) to meet agents and publishers. The organiser, Elizabeth Jennings (an American writer who has lived in Italy for many years after marrying an Italian), does a brilliant job in ‘marrying up’ people from all walks of writing.
One of my recent books, The Secret of the Pearl Necklace , written under my historical fiction name Jane Corry, was on the best-seller list in Italy for several months. It’s a family saga set over three generations and is currently being published in Germany under the title Perlentochter (soon to be published in English too). I was asked to speak at the conference about how I revise my manuscripts.
I have to admit that in the early days, I didn’t revise my novels properly which is possibly why it took me a while to get my first book deal back in 2005. Now, I do at least five revisions to (hopefully) make sure that the plot flows, the characters sing, there’s the right mixture of action and narrative and that a character doesn’t enter a room twice!
Here is part 1 of my 2-part revision tips, which might help if you are an aspiring writer. Meanwhile, do check out Matera for next year’s conference. It’s a great place to visit and you will also meet some fascinating people.
Finally, if you are an Italian speaker and would like to review my new Jane Corry novel La Donna Con Anello di Rubini , published by Newton Compton, please get in touch. Meanwhile, look out for my latest Janey Fraser novel Happy Families, and my latest Sophie King ebook release, Second Time Lucky .
MY TEN STEP REVISION PLAN
DON’T RUSH!
Some years ago, when I finished writing my very first novel, I was so excited about finishing it that I did something dreadful! I read through it again on the screen, very quickly, printed it out and then sent it off to a publisher.
Needless to say, it wasn’t accepted. There were two reasons for this. The first is that, even in those days, it was better to get an agent first before a publisher (nowadays it is crucial although we’ll be covering that next month). The second is that I didn’t spend enough time revising it.
So how do you go about the revision process? Below are some golden rules which will make sure that your story is the best that you can possibly make it.
STEP ONE
Revise as you write. When you’ve finished writing your first chapter, print it out if you are doing it on a computer and read through it out loud. Take out unnecessary words or words which you have repeated. If you pause naturally for more than a second or two, you need a full stop in the sentence. If you only pause for a brief second, it’s a comma.
Make a note of the characters you have mentioned; their names; and their vital statistics such as where they live and who they are married to etc. This is important because you can refer to these notes when you are revising future chapters to make sure you haven’t changed their details by mistake.
STEP TWO
Before starting the next chapter, read through what you wrote the previous day. You’ll have a fresh eye to spot discrepancies and mistakes. It will also get you into the zone so you can start writing the next section more easily.
STEP THREE
When you have finished your novel or story, read through the whole thing from beginning to end. Do this from a printed out version and not from the screen in front of you. This is crucial – trust me – because there are some mistakes which seem more obvious in a paper version.
Ideally, read each chapter to yourself in your head and make corrections. After that, read it out loud and see if you need to make further changes. Reading out loud is a brilliant way of checking that dialogue sounds right and has a believable rhythm. You should also be able to sense if the plot is dragging or a character’s internal thoughts (or dialogue) is going on for too long.
Some writers read their work out loud to someone else. This can work providing you don’t think your confidence is going to be knocked. It can be very helpful to read to someone who is good at continuity and will spot a character who comes into a room twice...
I’m a recent convert to reading work out aloud. It points out. In fact, I don’t know how I did it before.
STEP FOUR
While you are reading your story from beginning to end, make a note of the timeline. Check that it all fits together. For instance, if you tell the reader in Chapter Four that it is May and then later in the book, describe something happening four months later when it is August, your reader might lose faith in you.
Timelines can apply to actions too. I read a book recently when the heroine entered a room twice in succession on the same page…
STEP FIVE
Take a careful look at the dialogue. Read it out loud and see if it seems stilted. If so, take out words like ‘Oh’ at the beginning of a sentence. For example, consider the following sentence:
‘Oh well,’ thought Jane. ‘I’ll just try again.’
Now consider this:
‘Blast,’ thought Jane. ‘I’ll just try again.’
It’s more immediate, isn’t it?
Or how about:
Jane shrugged. ‘I’ll just try again.’
I can see her now. Can you?
Revision is often a matter of playing around with words to get a tighter and more imaginative picture. Another tip is to take out the first word or so at the beginning of dialogue.
‘Is it any good?’ asked Giles.
‘Any good?’ asked Giles.
The last example is more natural, somehow.
Come back to the blog next week for steps 6 to 10!
The history of the region is fascinating. Until the 1960s, it was normal for an entire family to live in one cave with the donkey in the corner. There was just one bed so the children would take turns. Then a journalist wrote a piece about poor living conditions and the government was shamed into re-housing the locals and upgrading their original homes. Many of these have now been turned into chic, cave hotels like the one we stayed in: Corte San Pietro in the Sassi region.
This was really amazing with a huge bed, a bath you could almost swim in and plenty of space with subdued lighting. Nothing was too much trouble for our owners (they even went out and bought bananas specially for me) and I can thoroughly recommend it.
There are plenty of walks, although make sure you wear shoes that don’t slip on the cobbled stones, and some fascinating museums, including an original cave home, as well as several churches cut into the rock.
The Women’s Fiction Festival is also a brilliant way for writers (both published and unpublished) to meet agents and publishers. The organiser, Elizabeth Jennings (an American writer who has lived in Italy for many years after marrying an Italian), does a brilliant job in ‘marrying up’ people from all walks of writing.
One of my recent books, The Secret of the Pearl Necklace , written under my historical fiction name Jane Corry, was on the best-seller list in Italy for several months. It’s a family saga set over three generations and is currently being published in Germany under the title Perlentochter (soon to be published in English too). I was asked to speak at the conference about how I revise my manuscripts.
I have to admit that in the early days, I didn’t revise my novels properly which is possibly why it took me a while to get my first book deal back in 2005. Now, I do at least five revisions to (hopefully) make sure that the plot flows, the characters sing, there’s the right mixture of action and narrative and that a character doesn’t enter a room twice!
Here is part 1 of my 2-part revision tips, which might help if you are an aspiring writer. Meanwhile, do check out Matera for next year’s conference. It’s a great place to visit and you will also meet some fascinating people.
Finally, if you are an Italian speaker and would like to review my new Jane Corry novel La Donna Con Anello di Rubini , published by Newton Compton, please get in touch. Meanwhile, look out for my latest Janey Fraser novel Happy Families, and my latest Sophie King ebook release, Second Time Lucky .
MY TEN STEP REVISION PLAN
DON’T RUSH!
Some years ago, when I finished writing my very first novel, I was so excited about finishing it that I did something dreadful! I read through it again on the screen, very quickly, printed it out and then sent it off to a publisher.
Needless to say, it wasn’t accepted. There were two reasons for this. The first is that, even in those days, it was better to get an agent first before a publisher (nowadays it is crucial although we’ll be covering that next month). The second is that I didn’t spend enough time revising it.
So how do you go about the revision process? Below are some golden rules which will make sure that your story is the best that you can possibly make it.
STEP ONE
Revise as you write. When you’ve finished writing your first chapter, print it out if you are doing it on a computer and read through it out loud. Take out unnecessary words or words which you have repeated. If you pause naturally for more than a second or two, you need a full stop in the sentence. If you only pause for a brief second, it’s a comma.
Make a note of the characters you have mentioned; their names; and their vital statistics such as where they live and who they are married to etc. This is important because you can refer to these notes when you are revising future chapters to make sure you haven’t changed their details by mistake.
STEP TWO
Before starting the next chapter, read through what you wrote the previous day. You’ll have a fresh eye to spot discrepancies and mistakes. It will also get you into the zone so you can start writing the next section more easily.
STEP THREE
When you have finished your novel or story, read through the whole thing from beginning to end. Do this from a printed out version and not from the screen in front of you. This is crucial – trust me – because there are some mistakes which seem more obvious in a paper version.
Ideally, read each chapter to yourself in your head and make corrections. After that, read it out loud and see if you need to make further changes. Reading out loud is a brilliant way of checking that dialogue sounds right and has a believable rhythm. You should also be able to sense if the plot is dragging or a character’s internal thoughts (or dialogue) is going on for too long.
Some writers read their work out loud to someone else. This can work providing you don’t think your confidence is going to be knocked. It can be very helpful to read to someone who is good at continuity and will spot a character who comes into a room twice...
I’m a recent convert to reading work out aloud. It points out. In fact, I don’t know how I did it before.
STEP FOUR
While you are reading your story from beginning to end, make a note of the timeline. Check that it all fits together. For instance, if you tell the reader in Chapter Four that it is May and then later in the book, describe something happening four months later when it is August, your reader might lose faith in you.
Timelines can apply to actions too. I read a book recently when the heroine entered a room twice in succession on the same page…
STEP FIVE
Take a careful look at the dialogue. Read it out loud and see if it seems stilted. If so, take out words like ‘Oh’ at the beginning of a sentence. For example, consider the following sentence:
‘Oh well,’ thought Jane. ‘I’ll just try again.’
Now consider this:
‘Blast,’ thought Jane. ‘I’ll just try again.’
It’s more immediate, isn’t it?
Or how about:
Jane shrugged. ‘I’ll just try again.’
I can see her now. Can you?
Revision is often a matter of playing around with words to get a tighter and more imaginative picture. Another tip is to take out the first word or so at the beginning of dialogue.
‘Is it any good?’ asked Giles.
‘Any good?’ asked Giles.
The last example is more natural, somehow.
Come back to the blog next week for steps 6 to 10!
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