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CreativeWriting

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AselectionofotherHowToBooks AchievingPersonalWellBeing AwakeningtheWriterWithin BuildingSelfEsteem BuyingaPersonalComputer Copyright&LawforWriters CreatingaTwistintheTale FreelanceTeaching&Tutoring GettingintoFilms&Television HowtoDoYourOwnAdvertising HowtoDoYourOwnPR HowtoGetintoRadio HowtoStartWordProcessing HowtoStudy&Learn HowtoWorkfromHome HowtoWriteaNewsletter HowtoWriteaPressRelease ImprovingYourWrittenEnglish MakingMoneyfromWriting ManagingYourFirstComputer ManagingYourPersonalFinances ManagingYourTime MasteringBusinessEnglish MaximisingYourMemory PublishingaBook ResearchMethods ResearchingforWriters StartingtoWrite WritingShortStories&Articles WritingYourDissertation ThrivingonStress UnlockingYourPotential UsingtheInternet WritingaCVthatWorks WritingaNonFictionBook WritingaPantomime WritingaReport WritingaTextbook WritingaboutTravel WritinganAssignment WritinganEssay Writing&PublishingPoetry Writing&SellingaNovel WritingBusinessLetters WritingEroticFiction WritingFeatures&Interviews WritingforPublication WritingforRadio WritingforTelevision WritingHistoricalFiction WritingHumour WritingReviews WritingRomanticFiction WritingScienceFiction,Fantasy&Horror

Othertitlesinpreparation TheHowToseriesnowcontainsnearly250titlesinthefollowingcategories: Business&Management ComputerBasics GeneralReference Jobs&Careers Living&WorkingAbroad PersonalFinance SelfDevelopment SmallBusiness StudentHandbooks SuccessfulWriting

Pleasesendforafreecopyofthelatestcatalogueforfulldetails(seebackcoverforaddress).

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CreativeWriting
Howtodevelopsuccessfulwritingskillsforfictionandnonfictionpublication
AdleRamet 2ndedition

HowToBooks

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Bythesameauthorinthisseries CreatingaTwistintheTale WritingShortStoriesandArticles

CartoonsbySimonRamet BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary. Copyright1999AdleRamet. PublishedbyHowToBooksLtd,3NewtecPlace, MagdalenRoad,OxfordOX41RE,UnitedKingdom. Tel:(01865)793806.Fax:(01865)248780. email:info@howtobooks.co.uk www:howtobooks.co.uk Firstpublished1997 Secondedition1999 Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisworkmaybereproducedorstoredinaninformationretrievalsystem(otherthanforpurposesofreview)withouttheexpress permissionofthePublisherinwriting. Note:Thematerialcontainedinthisbookissetoutingoodfaithforgeneralguidanceandnoliabilitycanheacceptedforlossorexpenseincurredasaresultofrelying inparticularcircumstancesonstatementsmadeinthebook.Thelawsandregulationsarecomplexandliabletochange,andreadersshouldcheckthecurrentposition withtherelevantauthoritiesbeforemakingpersonalarrangements. ProducedforHowToBooksbyDeerParkProductions. TypesetbyPDQTypesetting,StokeonTrent,Staffs. PrintedandboundbyTheCromwellPress,Trowbridge,Wiltshire.

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Contents
Listofillustrations Preface Acknowledgements 1 Gettingstarted Makingtimetowrite Wheredoyougetyourideas? Writingaurallyandvisually Drawingonyourownexperiences Lookingbackintoyourpast Read,read,read Checklist Assignment 2 Writingnonfiction Writingaboutwhatyouknow Lettingoffsteam Changingworkintoleisure Relatingyourlifestory Tellingtravellers'tales Findingfunnymoments Followingwhereyourideasleadyou Casestudies Checklist Assignment 3 Creatingfictionalcharacters Basingcharactersonrealpeople Visualisingbackgrounds Involvingyourselfinyourcharacters'lives Changingthecharacter Relatingtoyourcharacter Howwouldyoureactiftheyapproachedyou? Creatingconflict 8 9 10 11

11 13 14 14 15 16 18 18 19

19 19 20 23 26 28 29 29 30 30 31

31 34 35 39 40 41 43

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Casestudies Checklist Assignment 4 Settingandatmosphere Gettingafeelofplaceandtime Visitinglocations Imaginingwhatitwouldbeliketobethere Wearingdifferentclothesandcostumes Casestudies Checklist Assignment 5 Showingnottelling Reactingandinteractingwithpeopleandsurroundings Feelingtheheat Shiveringagainstthecold Revealingemotions Expressingfeelings Movingyourcharactersaroundtheroom Speedingandslowingthepacewithvocabulary Flashingbackandforthintime Casestudies Checklist Assignment 6 Writingrealisticdialogue Developingagoodear Actingoutasituation Losingyourtemper Fallinginlove Creatingrealisticaccentsanddialects Swearingandslang Casestudies Checklist Assignment 7 Findingtruelove Writingaromance Findingflawsattractive Overcominginsurmountableobstacles Drivingfastcarsandwearingfancyclothes Enjoyingsexandfood Heighteningallthesenses Bringingtheheroandheroinetogether Historicalsettings

44 44 45 46

46 48 53 54 56 56 57 58

58 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 68 69 69 70

70 71 75 75 76 77 78 79 79 80

80 81 81 84 84 85 85 86

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Checklist Assignment 8 Haunting,thrillingandkilling Introducinganoteofsuspense Confrontingthefearswithin Contrastingnormalitywithterror Writingamurdermystery Choosingamurderweapon Plottingandplanning Twistingthetale Lookingtothefuture Casestudies Checklist Assignment 9 Writingforchildren Thinkingbacktoyourchildhood Lookingatlifethroughachild'seyes Playingaroundwithideas Writingforeducationalmarkets Anthropomorphisinganimals Writingaboutchildren Writingpicturebooks Casestudies Checklist Assignment 10 Sendingyourworktoapublisher Seeingyourworkinprint Playwritingforyourlocaldramagroup Enteringcompetitions Vanitypublishing Selfpublishing Writingasynopsis Presentingyourmanuscript Approachinganeditor Copyrightingandsyndication Keepingrecords Findingsupportfromotherwriters Glossary Answerstoassignments Usefuladdresses Furtherreading Index

87 87 88

88 89 90 91 92 94 95 98 100 101 101 102

102 103 105 106 108 109 110 111 111 111 113

113 114 114 115 116 117 120 123 124 125 127 129 131 132 133 135

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ListofIllustrations
1 Analysissheet 2 Frameworkforarticle 3.Suggestedformatforpottedhistory 4 Firstbackgroundforyoung,smartanchorwomanforregionalnews programme 5 Secondbackgroundforyoung,smartanchorwomanforregionalnews programme 6 Mapoffictionallocation 7 Planofobstaclestoromance 8 Outlineforcrimenovel 9 Twistclueformat 10 Sampleoutlinefornonfictionbook 11 Samplechaseupletter 12 Samplecoveringletter 13 Samplefrontsheet 14 Suggestedheadingsforexpenditurerecord 15 Suggestedheadingsforincomerecord 32 36 17

22

38

50

82

96

97

118

119

122

122

126

126

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Preface
WhatisCreativeWriting? Thepopularperceptionoftheterm'creativewriter'canbemisleading.Tosome,itconjuresupalofty,artyimage.Toothers,itimpliesamateurstatus.Acreative writeris,wefeel,somehowdifferentfromthosepublishedprofessionalswhosewordswesoavidlyreadinnewspapers,magazinesandbooks. Infact,creativewriterscomeinallshapes,sizes,agesandfromallwalksoflifeandtheirwritingcoversadiverserangeofinterests. So,whatiscreativewriting?ChambersDictionarydefinescreativeas'Havingpowertocreate,thatcreates,showing,pertainingto,imagination,originality'and writingas'Theactofonewhowrites,thatwhichiswritten,literaryproductionorcomposition'.Therefore,theterm'creativewriting'maybedefinedas: Havingthepowertocreateanimaginative,originalliteraryproductionorcomposition andcanbeappliedtoaverybroadspectrumofwritinggenres. Inthisbookwewillbelookingat: waysofdrawingonpersonalexperienceinordertowritenonfictionarticlesonawidevarietyoftopicsinanumberofdifferentstyles fictionwritingandtheworldofgenrefictionscience,romance,horrorandcrime writingforchildrenwhichrequiresspecialisedskillsthat,oncemastered,bringenormoussatisfactiontoboththewriterandthereader. Finally,therewillbeadviceandguidanceonhowtoturnyourwritingintoamarketablecommodityfor,eventhoughmanypeople

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setouttowritepurelyfortheirownpleasure,thereislittledoubtthatnothingcancomparetothethrillofhavingworkacceptedforpublicationandreadingitfroma printedpage. Author'sNote IwouldliketothankauthorsPatriciaBurns,MartinaCole,JonathanGash,MichaelGreen,SusanMoody,MargaretNashandRuthRendell,agents CaroleBlakeofBlakeFriedmann,PetersFraser&DunlopandeditorsRichardBellofWritersNewsandMaoliosaKellyofHeinemannEducational Publishersfortheirinvaluablecontributionstothisbook. Acknowledgements TheArtofCoarseSailing,MichaelGreen,ArrowBooks. CinnamonAlley,PatriciaBums,CenturyArrow. HushaBye,SusanMoody,Hodder&Stoughton. TheJudasPair,JonathanGash,Collins/VikingPenguin. SomeLieandSomeDie,RuthRendell,ArrowBooks. TheLadykiller,MartinaCole,HodderHeadline. ADLERAMET

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1 GettingStarted
MakingTimetoWrite Oneofthefirstrulestorememberisthatwriterswrite.Youshouldwritesomethingeveryday,evenifallyoudowiththefinishedpieceistearitupandthrowitaway. Writingsomething,anything,everydaywillenableyoutobuildupthedisciplineandcommitmentrequiredtoensurethatyoucanproduceacompletemanuscriptin whatevergenreyouchoose. Givingyourselfpermissiontowrite Duetoacommonmisconceptionthatunlessyouareapublishednovelist,youcannotbeconsidereda'real'writer,noviceauthorsoftenfinditdifficulttoconvince eithertheirnearestanddearestor,indeed,themselvesthattheirdesiretowriteshouldbetakenseriously. However,eventhemostfamousauthorshadtostartsomewhere,sodon'tbeputoffbyoutsidepressures.Beassuredthatyourwritingismoreimportantthan: mowingthelawn washingthedishes cleaning,dusting,gardening oranyothersimilaractivitythatwillkeepyoufromyourpenandpaper. Lockingthedoor OnesuccessfulMills&Boonauthorstatesthat,onceshehadmadeuphermindtobecomeanovelist,sheturnedoneroomofherhouseintoastudy,lockedthedoor andforbadeanyonetoenterwhilstshewasworking. Youmaynotfeelyouhavetogoquitethisfarbutitisimportanttosetasidebothaspaceinyourhomewhereyoucanworkandaregulartimetowrite.

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Makingtime Lackoftimeis,perhaps,themostcommonlyusedexcusefornotputtingpentopaper.Thiscanbejustifiedwithanumberofperfectlycredibleexplanations: Youhaveademandingfulltimejob. Youhavealargefamily. Youhavetogetthoseseedlingsplanted. Youhavetoomanyothercommitments. You'retootired. Perhapsalltheseexcusescanberolledintoonesimpleexplanation: Youdon'tthinkyou'regoodenough. Buildingconfidence Lackofconfidenceisamajorstumblingblockforthewouldbewriter.Thereisnoeasywayroundthisbutifyoureallywanttowrite,theonlyoptionistogetonand doit.Takingthefollowingstepscanhelp: Setasideacornerinyourhomesolelyforyourwriting. Keepanotebookinwhichtojotdownideas. Selectasuitabletimetowriteeachdayandsticktoit. Giveyourselfatimelimitforwriting,say,anhouradaytobeginwith. Writesomethingeverydayandevenifyouthinkit'sterrible,retainituntilthenextday. Beginbyrereadingwhatyouwroteyesterdayattheveryleastitwillencourageyoutorewrite.Atbest,itwillbemuchbetterthanyouthoughtandspuryouonto writemore. Buyagooddictionaryandthesaurus. Ifpossible,useatypewriterorbetterstill,awordprocessororpersonalcomputer.Themoreprofessionalyourwritinglooks,themoreprofessionalyouwillfeel.

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WhereDoYouGetYourIdeas? Havingmadethedecisiontowrite,thenextstepisfindingsomethingtowriteabout. Watchingtheworldgoby Watchhowpeoplebehaveineverydaysituations,jottingdownideasinyournotebookastheyoccurtoyou. Thenexttimeyougotothesupermarket,forexample,observethebehaviouroftheothercustomers.Takeafewsecondstochattothecheckoutgirlortheassistant whopacksyourshopping.Listennotonlytothewordstheysaybuttohowtheysaythem. Ifyoucommutetowork,useyourjourneytimetostudyyourfellowtravellers.Trytoimaginewhatsortofhomestheycomefromandhowtheymightleadtheirlives. Whateversituationyoufindyourselfinduringyourdailylife,observethepeoplearoundyou. Notonlyshouldyouwatchbutyoumustalsolisten.Writersareterribleeavesdroppersandwillshamelesslylisteninonthemostprivateconversations.Youcanpick upsomewonderfulsnippetsthatwilleffortlesslyturnthemselvesintoideasforallsortsofthings,frombriefletterstoyourfavouritemagazine,factualarticlesexplaining theapparentlyinexplicable,tolengthyworksoffiction. Keepinganeyeonthemedia Perhapstherichestsourcesofideasarenewspapers,televisionandradio.Keepyoureyesandearsopenfortheunusualstoriesandquirkyprogrammestuckedaway betweenthemajoritems.Allkindsofthingscancaptureyourimagination. Notsolongago,aBBCRadio4programmeaboutthepotentiallydulltopicofmakingawillinspiredmetowriteashortstoryforBellamagazine's'MiniMystery' page.Theprogrammehighlightedthelegalpitfallsfacingpeoplewhowishtomakeunusualwillsandtheideacapturedmyimagination. Havinggleanedthenecessarytechnicallegalinformation,Isoonhadtheprotagonist,beneficiaryandtermsofthewillclearlyformedinmymind.Fromthere,itwasa shortsteptowritingthestory,sendingitofftomyeditorandseeingitinprint. Sourcesofideas Ideasareallaroundyou,ifonlyyoucantrainyourselftofindthem.Listedbelowarejustafewpossiblesources:

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airports beaches buses,coaches,planesandtrains cafsandrestaurants clubs doctors'/dentists'surgeries hairdressers schoolplaygrounds shops stations. Thelistisendlessbutasageneralrule,ideasaretobefoundanywhereanumberofpeoplegatherinoneplace. WritingAurallyandVisually Havingdevelopedyourwatchingandlisteningskills,itcanneverthelessbequitedifficulttosetthemdownonpaper.Moreoftenthannot,aphrasethatsounded wonderfulinyourheadlooksdullandlifelesswhenithitsthepage. Laterinthebook,wewillbelookingatwaysofbringingyourwritingtolifeandobtainingthatvitalingredient,readeridentification.Youwilllearnhowtostimulatethe reader'ssensessothattheyidentifywiththepeoplebeingportrayed,seeandhearthesightsandsoundsyouareattemptingtoconvey. Longdescriptivepassages,nomatterhowbeautifullywritten,canbeverydullwithoutdialogue,actionorinteractiontoliventhemup.Peopleenjoyreadingabout people,soeventhemostfactualnonfictionarticlecanbeenrichedbytheinclusionofabriefinterviewwithanacknowledgedexpertoracommentfromsomeone involvedinthefeaturedtopic. Forfiction,too,thereisnobetterwaytoconveysetting,atmosphere,sights,soundsandscentsthanthroughthereactionsofyourcharacters. Whatevergenreyouchoose,besureyouknowthetruemeaningofeachwordyouuse,consultingyourdictionaryandthesauruswheneveryouareunsureaboutthe spellingorcontextofawordorphrase. DrawingonYourOwnExperiences Oneofthefirstrulesawouldbewriterlearnsisto'writeaboutwhat

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youknow'.If,however,thisruleistakentooliterally,fewwriterswouldevergaintherequisiteknowledgetowriteanhistoricalromance,murdermysteryorscience fictionnovel. FarmorepracticalistheadvicefrombestsellingauthorMartinaColeto'Writeaboutwhatyouknowandifyoudon'tknowfindout'. Youdon'tneedtohavelivedinapreviouscentury,beamurdererortravelinspacetowritegenrefiction.Thoroughresearchintothebackgroundagainstwhichyour storyissetshouldprovideyouwiththefactualinformationyourequire. Expertknowledgeisinvaluable,ofcourse.Yearsspentinindustryorinthelegal,nursingorteachingprofessionseeingactiveserviceinthearmedforcesbringingup afamilyonalowfixedincomeworkinglongshiftsonafactoryassemblylinerunningandperhapslosingyourownbusinessanyoneoftheseandsimilarexperiences offersawealthofinformationonwhichyoucandraw,butfactualaccuracyisonlyoneaspectofwriting.Youalsohavetofindawaytobreathelifeintothecharacters featuredinyourarticlesandstoriesandthiscomesfromyourexperienceofpersonalrelationships,bothgoodandbad. Fromourearliestmemoriesofchildhoodthroughourschooldaystoadultfriendships,romanticattachments,experiencesatworkandinourdomesticlives,everything thatwentintoformingourcharacterhasaparttoplayinourwriting. LookingBackintoYourPast Thereislittledoubtthatanyonewithachequeredpastwillhaveplentytowriteaboutbutmanyofusfeelwehavedoneverylittleinourlivesworthcommittingto paper. Oncloserinspection,however,thisisveryrarelythecase.Takeyourselfrightbacktoyourearliestmemories.Howdidyoufeelwhen: youweretoldoffforbeingnaughty? youwerepickedonbyotherchildren? youmissedoutonatreat? yourparentsargued? yougotdetentionatschool? youhadtohavetreatmentinhospital? afamilytraumamadeyourealisethatnothingathomewouldbethesameagain?

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Thesearejustafewexperiencesmanychildrenshare,buttrygoingupanotchinageandseeifyoucanrecallhowyoufeltwhen: youlefthome startedyourfirstdayatwork travelledabroadonyourown gotyourfirstchequebook boughtyourowncar. Seekingreaderidentification Bynow,youmaybewonderinghowsuchveryordinary,everydayexperiencescanpossiblyberelevanttocreativewriting.Surelywritingisallaboutescapism, originalideas,unusualsituations,notaboutopeninga'YoungSaver'bankaccount? Ofcourse,you'reright.Originalityisavitalingredientinanypieceofwriting,factorfiction,butthensoisrealism.Withoutrealism,youcannothavereader identificationanditisthiselementthatbringsyourworkvividlytolife. Observingeverydaylife MichaelGreen,professionaljournalistandauthorofmanyhumorousnonfictionbooks,offersthefollowingexcellentadvicetowouldbewriters:
'Observeeverydaylifewithawriter'seye.Thereliesyourmaterial.Carryanotebookandjotdownanyideasthatcomeorincidentsyoucansee.'

Read,Read,Read Whateveryourwritinginterestmaybe,fictionornonfiction,literarynovelsorspecialistarticles,youshouldreadanythingandeverythinginyourchosengenre. Readingwithawriter'seye Thisbookisdesignedtohelpyouunderstandhowtoreadwithawriter'seye,takingthetimetoanalysehowanauthormanagestograbyourattentionandholditso thatyoukeeponreadingthroughtotheend. Yournotebookwillbecomeavaluablesourceofreference.Failuretowriteideasdowncanresultinyoulosingthemaltogether.Committingthemtopaperhelps committhemtomemoryandstimulatenewwritingprojects.

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Thefollowingquestionsaredesignedtoprovideaninsightintothetechniquesemployedbypublishedauthors ofbothfactandfictiontocatchandholdtheirreaders'attention. Yes __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ No __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

1 2 3 4

Wasthefirstsentenceshorterthantheothersintheopeningparagraph? Wasthefirstparagraphshorterthanthesecond? Didthefirstparagraphtellyouwhatthearticle/storywasabout? Whatwasitaboutthearticle/storythatmadeyoureadon? (a)Youwantedtoknowhowtoperformaspecifictask (b)Youfoundthetopicfascinating (c)Youdiscoveredsomethingyoudidn'tknowbefore (d)Youhadtoknowwhathappenednext (e)Youwantedtofindouthowitallended Wasthemiddleinformative/entertaining? Wasitsetoutinalogicalorder? Dideachsection/sceneleadyouontoreadthenext? Didyoufeelcompelledtokeepreading? Ifcharacterswereincluded,couldyourelatetothem? Didtheendbringthewholethingtoalogicalconclusion? Wastheendingsatisfactory? Wereallthequestionsanswered/looseendstiedup? Didtheauthordeliverwhattheypromised? Didyouenjoyreadingit? Wouldyoureadmorebythisauthor?

5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Answerstotheabovequestionsshouldmostlybe'Yes'.

Fig.1. Analysissheet.

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UsethequestionnaireinFigureItoanalysepublishedexamplesofyourparticularwritinginterest.Whetheryouintendtowritenonfictionarticles,shortstoriesor novels,youwilldiscoverthatthesamebasicprinciplesapply. Asyourcriticalfacultiesdevelop,youmayfindyourreadingenjoymentisspoiltbythewaytechnicalpointsyouwerepreviouslyunawareofsuddenlybecomeglaringly obvious.Gradually,however,asyournewfoundunderstandinghelpsyoutoappreciatetheskillsbeingemployed,thesheerpleasureofreadingsomethingthatisboth beautifullywrittenandwellconstructedwillreturnandincrease. Bythetimethisstageisreached,yourownwritingwillbeshowingamarkedimprovement. Checklist 1.Haveyousetasideacornerofyourhomewhereyoucanwrite? 2.Haveyouestablishedasettimeofdayjustforwriting? 3.Doyoukeepanotebookofideas? 4.Doyouwritesomethingeveryday? 5.Doyoureadextensively? 6.Haveyoudecidedwhatyouwanttowriteabout? Assignment Takeyournotebookandjotdown10ideasforarticlesorstories.Bythetimeyouhavefinishedreadingthisbook,youshouldhavedevelopedatleastoneofthose ideasintoaworkableoutline.

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2 WritingNonFiction
WritingAboutWhatYouKnow Aswesawinthepreviouschapter,oneofthefirstpiecesofadviceanywouldbewriterlearnsistowriteaboutwhatyouknow. Thiscanbeinterpretedasanythingfromfactualarticlesaboutahobby,profession,orskilltowritingyourlifestory.Youcanbesurethateveryonehasexperiencein oneareaoranotherthatwillbeofinteresttosomeoneelse. LettingOffSteam Fortheavidnewspaperandmagazinereader,thetemptationtowritealearnedpiececomplainingaboutthestateofthenationortherisingpriceofapackoffrozen peascanbeoverwhelming. Itistemptingtotryandemulatecontroversialcommentcolumnsinthehopethatadiscerningeditorwillbekeentogiveprideofplacetoourwordsofwisdom.Sadly, thisisrarelythecase. Commentcolumnsareusuallywrittenbystaffwriters,wellknownjournalistsorpoliticalanalysts.Thesearetheprofessionalsconsideredbythemediatobequalified tocommenton'life,theuniverseandeverything'. However,astheinfamous'DisgustedofTunbridgeWells'discovered,thereisanoutletforthemanorwomaninthestreettovoicetheiropinionandthatisthroughthe readers'letterspage.

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Sendingletterstoeditors Theletterspageinanypublicationisanexcellentwayoflettingoffsteaminprint.Itcanalsobeawayofearningsmallamountsofcashorgiftsforyourwriting. Ifyouliketheideaofmakingyourvoiceheard,youstandabetterchanceofhavingaletterpublishedifyoufollowafewsimplerules: Writeclearlyandneatlyor,ifpossible,typeyourletter. Addressittothecorrectperson. Keepitbriefandtothepoint. Makeitastopicalaspossible. Writeaboutsomethingrelevanttothepublication'sreadership. Abriefwordofpraiseforthepublicationalwayshelps. Invitecommentsoradvicefromotherreaders. Neversendthesamelettertomorethanonemagazineatthesametime.Thesepagesoperateontheassumptionthatalllettersarefromregularreadersoftheir publication. ChangingWorkintoLeisure Thereareliterallyhundredsofmagazinetitleslistedintradedirectories,alargeproportionofwhichpotentiallyofferopportunitiesfornonfictionwriters. Knowingyoursubject Justafewofthecategoriesintowhichthesemagazinesfallarelistedbelow: animalsandpets artsandentertainment businessandfinance computers generalinterest hobbies home motoring music sports

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tradeandprofessional transport women'sinterests. Evenmoreopportunitiesforwouldbecolumnistscanbefoundinlocalinterestpublications,parishmagazines,localnewspapers,clubmagazinesetc. Becominga'stringer' Ifyouregularlywritetotheletterspageofanewspaperorcountymagazineaboutitemsofimportancetotheresidentsinyourarea,youmaybecontactedandasked ifyouwillbecomea'stringer'.Thisinvolveskeepinganeyeoutforsnippetsofnewsandviewsonlocalissuesandphoningthemintotheeditor. Manyregularcolumnistsinspecialistmagazinesbegintheirwritingcareersinthiswaybeforegraduatingtotheirownregularcolumn. Expertswhocanexpressthemselvesclearlyandbereliedupontoproducemanuscriptsondemandarefewandfarbetween.Specialistmagazinesandsmalllocal newspaperscanofferawonderfulopportunitytopursueyourwritinginterestbysharinginformationwithotherreaders. Constructinganarticle Writingaboutsomethingyouenjoycanbeareallabouroflove.Ifyouhavetheabilitytoimpartyourenthusiasmandexpertisetoalikemindedreader,yourpleasure willbeincreasedimmeasurablybyseeingyourwordsonthepagesofyourfavouritemagazine. Constructingareadablearticleis,however,notaseasyasitlooks.Firstyoumuststudyyourchosenmagazineandfamiliariseyourselfwiththelengthandstyleoftheir articles.Youropeningsentenceshouldgiveaclearindicationofwhatthearticleisaboutandonceyoubeginwriting,keeptothepointanddon'tgetsidetracked. If,forexample,youarearecognisedconnoisseurofrealalesandyouwanttoexplainhowtoassessaprizewinningpint,youmightopenthearticlewithsomething alongthefollowinglines:
Withthegrowthinpopularityofrealale,brewersarebecominghighlycompetitive.Brewingaprizewinningpinttakesskillanddedicationbutbyfollowingafewbasicguidelines, youcanfindyourselfuptherewiththefrontrunners.

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Anyonereadingthearticlewouldbeinnodoubtastoitscontentandhavingcaughttheirattention,younowholditbytakingthemstepbystepthroughthepromised guidelines. Yourclosingparagraphshouldbringthearticleneatlybacktothebeginning,finishingwithsomethinglike:

Followthesefewprinciplesandbeforelong,youralewilltakeitsplaceonthelistofhomeproduced,awardwinningrealales.

Youcouldaddtothisalistofcompetitionsandnationaleventsopentorealalebrewersanddrinkersbutverylittlemorewouldbeneededotherthansomecaptioned photographstoillustratethepiece. AsimpleframeworkofanarticleissetoutinFigure2.Themainconstituentsare: agood,attentiongrabbingintroduction amiddle,arrangedinalogicalorder,whichkeepstothesubjectanddeliverstheinformationpromisedintheintroduction anendingwhichroundsthearticleoff,bringingitlogicallybacktothebeginning. INTRODUCTION (Beginning) CONTENT(Middle) Introducethesubject,gostraighttothepoint,e.g.: 'Withthegrowthinpopularityofrealale....' Keeptothepointofthearticle,dealingwitheach relevantiteminalogicalorder,e.g.: Howtoassessthequality,i.e.'Pointstolookfor...' Tipsforbrewingyourownprizewinningales. Listofqualitybrews. Wheretofindgoodales. Roundoffarticlebybringingitbacktothebeginning,e.g. 'Followthebasicprinciplesandbeforelong,youralewill takeitsplaceonthelistofhomeproducedaward winningrealales.'

END

Fig.2. Frameworkforarticle

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Ideally,youropeningsentenceshouldbeshorterthanalltherestandshouldgrabthereader'sattentionbyimmediatelytellingthemwhatthearticleisabout.Themore technicalthemagazine,themorefactualyourarticleshouldbe. Illustrationsintheformofcolourslides,photographsordiagramsarealwaysuseful.Theseshouldbesensiblycaptioned,sothatitisclearwhatsectionofthetextthey relateto,somethinglike:

Ajudgesamplesmylatestbrew.

Expandingyouridea Fromonearticleideacanspringseveralmore.Perhapsyoucouldfollowupthefirstarticlewithaninterviewwithabrewerandthisinturnmightleadtoavisittoa beerfestivalandyetanotherarticleaboutthat.Beforelong,youcouldfindyourselfbecomingaregularcontributortoawholerangeofmagazines. RelatingYourLifeStory Onepopularnonfictiontopiccreativewritersliketoembarkuponistheirautobiography. Almosteveryonehasataletotell,manyofwhicharefascinating,evenvergingontheunbelievable.Thosewhohavelivedthroughsomeprettyamazingexperiences understandablywanttowritethemdown,bothfortheirownpersonalsatisfactionandtoprovideawrittenrecordforfuturegenerations. Examiningyourmotivation Beforeyoubegintowriteyourlifestory,however,itisworthexaminingexactlywhatyourmotivesare,soaskyourselfthefollowingquestions: 1.DoIhaveafascinatingtaletotell? 2.Ismystoryunique? 3.DoIneedtoconfrontmypastinordertomoveoninmylife? 4.DoIwishtoleavemyfamilyarecordofmylife? 5.DoIwanttogivehopetoothers? 6.DoIwanttohavemyautobiographypublished?

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Beingfamous Iftheanswertoquestion6is'yes'thenextquestionhastobe'AmIfamous?'Unfortunately,ifyou'renot,thenthechancesofhavingyourbookacceptedbya publisherareveryslimindeed. Thefactisthatthemajorityofautobiographicalbooksbeingpublishedatthemomentfeaturecelebritiescurrentlyinthenews,betheysupermodelsintheirearly twenties,sportingpersonalities,leadingpoliticiansorfamousnamesfromtheworldoffilmandtelevision. Comparedtoyours,theirlivesmayhavebeenextremelydullbeforetheywerepropelledintothepubliceyebutit'sthehereandnowthatmattersandintoday's throwawaymedia,fameiseverything. Informingthepublic Manysuccessfulautobiographiesdomorethantelltheauthor'slifestory.Theyalsoprovideadocumentaryrecordofhistoricalincidentsandprocedureswhichmay havebeenhiddenfromthepubliceye. Anautobiographywhichperformsanyoneofthefollowingfunctionsmightwellbeofinteresttoanappropriatepublisher. Describesapracticewhichhasbeenconcealedfromthepublic,e.g.sendingorphanagechildrentoAustralia. Detailstheauthor'srecoveryfromapotentiallylifethreateningillnessorcondition. Isanaccountoftheauthor'sexperiencesasahostage,eitherpoliticalorduringacrime. Tellsthestoryofakidnaporhijackvictim. Givesinformationaboutaturningpointintheauthor'slifetowhichotherscanrelate,e.g.nursingadisabledchild. Detailsthesequenceofeventswhichledtotheauthorsettingupaninternationalcharitableorganisation. Providingafamilyrecord Formanycreativewriters,thesolemotivationforwritingtheirautobiographyistoprovideafamilyrecordforfuturegenerations. Awrittenrecordwillbeenhancedbytheinclusionofcaptionedfamilyphotographsandthankstothegrowthofdesktoppublish

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ing,onpaymentofarelativelysmallamount,youcanhaveyourfamilyhistoryprofessionallyprintedandbound.Thiswillensurethatalltheinformationiskepttogether andispresentedinanattractive,userfriendlyway. Shoparoundinthewritingpresstoobtainseveralquotesfromreputablesourcesbutdon'tbetemptedtostrayintotherealmsofvanitypublishing.These organisations,purportingtoofferapublishingservicetoauthors,canchargeseveralhundredoreventhousandsofpoundsforavolumewhichwouldcostareputable printerafractionofthepricetoproduce. Wewillbelookingatvanitypublishinglaterinthebookbutifyouareinanydoubtabouttheauthenticityofapublisher,rememberthewriter'sgoldenrule: YOUNEVERPAYPUBLISHERSTHEYPAYYOU

Foradetailedlistingofreputablebookandmagazinepublishers,seeTheWritersandArtistsYearbook(publishedbyA&CBlack). Fictionalisingthetruth Researchingandwritingyourautobiographycanprovetherapeuticinmorewaysthanone. Formany,itisawayofexorcisingtraumaticevents,confrontingtheirfeelingsandworkingtheirwaythroughbitterexperiences.Itcanalsoprovideawealthofmaterial forafictionalnovel. Whilstapublisherisunlikelytoconsiderthetruestoryofasocalled'ordinary'person,fictionalisingyourextraordinarylifeoffersamoreviableroutetoseeingyour workinprint. Changingthenames Ifyoudodecidetoturnyourautobiographyintoaworkoffiction,thenamesofyourcharactersandtheirlocationsshouldbefictionaltoo. Youmayalsoneedtoalterthefactsinordertomakethewholethingmorebelievable.Eventhoughasequenceofeventsactuallyhappeneditcanappeartobe extremelyunlikely.Ifthisistrueofyourlifestorybearinmindthat,whilsttruthisoftenstrangerthanfiction,forthepurposesofpublication,fictionhastomakesense.

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TellingTravellers'Tales Formanyofus,travelwritinginvolveskeepingadiaryandphotographalbumasapleasurablereminderofourholidaystoenjoyduringlongwintereveningsathome. Writingarticlesaboutyourtravelswithaviewtopublicationneedsaverydifferentapproach. Passingoninformation Themajorityoftravelfeaturesarewrittenbyprofessionalstaffwritersorcompiledbytraveleditors. Somemagazinesincludesmallsnippetsofinformationaboutspecialistbreaks.Theseareusuallyconfinedtodetailsoffamilyfundays,singlesoreconomybreaksand thesesectionsofferthebestpublishingopportunityfornewwriters. Wishingyouweren'there Oneofthebiggestproblemsfacingthewouldbetravelwriterisunderstandingtherequirementsofthetravelindustryandthetouristpolicyofthecountrytheywill,by theirarticle,bepromoting. Agoodtravelarticleshouldnotbeablowbyblowaccountofyourparticularholidaynoryourreactionstothepeopleyoumetandtheplacesyouvisited.Norisitan opportunityforyoutorelateyourtaleofwoeabouttheappallingjourneyyousufferedinordertoreachahalfbuilthotel,milesfromthenearestbeach. Takingafreetrip Magazinesusetravelarticlestoinformtheirreadersaboutholidayswhichwillbestsuitthem,sosomeofthepointsthatshouldbeincludedare: wheretostay whetherthelocationissuitableforfamilies thesafetyofthebeaches facilitiesavailable whetheritisnoisyorquiet whatsortofnightlifeitoffers whatthefoodislike,costandavailability placestovisitandtheiraccessibilityinrelationtotheresort

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howtogetthereachoiceofmethodsisuseful thecostoftravelandaccommodationagain,aselectionshouldbegiven. Whilstprofessionaltravelwritersreceive'free'tripsfromtouristboardsandtravelcompanies,theseareinreturnforguaranteedcoverageinwellknownpublications, sothewritermustbeabletofulfilthefollowingcriteria: Theymustbepreparedtofollowasetitinerary. Publicationforarticlesmustbeguaranteedinatleastonereputablemagazine. Anyarticlesmustincludethefeaturesspecifiedbythesponsoringcompany. Articlesmustbepublishedtocoincidewithspecificpublicitydrives. Withoutsomekindofatrackrecordasafreelancearticlewriter,itisunlikelythatyouwouldbeinvitedbyanytravelcompanytotakeafreetrip. Travellinglight Travelbooksareaverydifferentkettleoffish.Theyrangefromguidebooksproducedbytouristboardstoexcitingtalesofdaringdo. Theintrepidtravellerwhocrossesdeserts,scalesmountainsandshootsrapidsequippedwithlittlemorethanachangeofunderwear,atoothbrushandabluntpenknife willclearlyhaveafascinatingtaletotell. Itis,however,worthbearinginmindthat,moreoftenthannot,ourcannyexploreralreadyhasapublishingcontractsignedandsealedbeforethetoeofhisorher walkingboothitsthefloorofthedepartureloungeatHeathrowairport. Playingsafe Betweenthetwoendsofthescale,thestandardguidebookandtheoneoffadventure,thereisanincrediblywiderangeoftopicsfortheseasonedtravellertowrite about.Listedbelowarejustafewsuggestions:

Page28

handyhintsonpacking travellingthroughoutpregnancyandwithababy valuefamilyfundaysout holidaysonabudget backpackers'guidestoarangeofcountries(series) travellingalone locationsoffthebeatentrack travellingacrosscontinentsbytrain/bicycle/car/motorbikeetc. Withalittleimaginationandalotofexperience,settingdownyourtravellingtalesonpapercouldleadtoendlessopportunities,notleastofwhichistoprovidea realistic,atmosphericandexcitingbackgroundforafictionalnovel. FindingFunnyMoments Asenseofhumourisoneofthemostusefulassetsanywritercanpossess. Seeingthefunnyside Ifyouareoneofthosefortunatebeingswhohasthecapacitytoseethefunnysideofeventhemostdifficultsituations,yourwritingwillbenefitathousandfold. Havingfunwithyourhobby MichaelGreenisoneauthorwhohasmadeasuccessfulcareeroutofthehumorousaspectofhishobbies.HisCoarseseriesisrequiredreadingforeveryweekend sailor,rugbyplayer,golferandamateuractor. Withaninnateabilitytohomeinonthewaytheaveragepersonwillgothroughhellandhighwaterinthenameoftheirfavouriteleisureactivity,Michael'sbookskeep youlaughingfromtheveryfirstline,astheopeningtoTheArtofCoarseSailingdemonstrates.
EveryyearIswearIwon'tspendmyholidaysailingagain.ConsideringIsaythisannually,it'ssurprisinghowmuchsailingI'vemanagedtodo.EachtimeIreturnbruised,battered andsufferingfromincipientscurvy,withagreatdentworninmybuttocksandIsay,'ThatwasterrificfunbutnextyearI'mgoing

Page29 todosomethingrestful'.AndsomehowtwelvemonthslaterI'mbangingthesamedentinthesameplacewiththeedgeofacockpitcoamingorcrawlingonhandsandkneesin somestinkingbilge. (TheArtofCoarseSailing,MichaelGreen,ArrowBooks)

Michaelhasagiftforhighlightingtheromanticidealandcontrastingitwiththelessthanpleasantreality.Moreimportantly,hehasarealenthusiasmforandknowledge ofhissubjects. HisCoarsebooksarenotsimplyamusingaccountsofhisadventures,theyaregenuinelyinformativeandpackedwithcolourfulcharacterswhoembellishandaddto hismisfortunes. FollowingWhereYourIdeasLeadYou Writingnonfictionisausefulmethodofgettingyourideasdownonpaper.Italsohelpsyoutounderstandtheimportanceofaccurateresearchandisawayoftraining youtoworkmethodicallyandtoasetroutine. Tryingsomethingnew Havingidentifiedjustafewofthetopicsyourpastexperiencewillequipyoutowriteabout,thenextstepistositdownanddoit. CaseStudies Valexpressesheropinions Valisaforcefulladyinhermidfifties.Shewritesclearlyandexpressesherselfwellonpaper.Shehaswrittenseveralarticlescomplainingaboutavarietyofgoodsand serviceswhich,althoughimportanttoher,areneithertopicalnorofmuchinteresttoanyoneelse.Shehastriedtohaveherarticlespublishedinanumberofwomen's magazinesbuttodate,theyhaveallbeenrejected. Lentakeslifeinhisstride LenlivedandworkedinSpainforseveralyearsuptohisretirement,whenhedecidedtoreturntotheUK.Heiseasygoingwithareadywitandlikestotryhishand atmostformsofwriting.Hekeepsacloseeyeonlocalissuesandhiswitty,topicalletterstothelocalnewspaperareregularlyprinted.Heiscurrentlyenjoyingwriting aseriesofhumorousarticlesabouthisexperienceslivingandworkingabroad.

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Checklist 1.Doyouenjoypassingyourexpertiseontolikemindedpeople? 2.Doyouhavesomethingnewandoriginaltosay? 3.Doyouwanttoleavesomethingforyourfamilytorememberyouby? 4.Doyouhaveanexcitingstorytotell? 5.Couldyouhelpbothyourselfandothersbywritingaboutyourexperiences? Assignment Pickatopicalitemoflocalimportance,preferablyonewhichmatterstoyoupersonallyandwritealetteraboutittotheeditorofyourlocalnewspaper.Keeptheletter briefandtothepointandifyoucan,typeit.Remember,forthebestchanceofpublication,yourlettershouldbejustcontroversialenoughtoinvitefurthercomment.

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3 CreatingFictionalCharacters
BasingCharactersonRealPeople Wheninterviewingauthorspluggingtheirlatestbook,oneofthemostfrequentquestionsaskedbythepresenteris'Areyourcharactersbasedonrealpeople?'The answerinvariablygivenis'Notexactly'. Inordertobeconvincing,fictionalcharactersmustringtrue.Thereadershouldbeabletorelatetothemandidentifywiththembutthedescriptionneedsonlytobe sufficienttoprojectarecognisableimage. Afterall,astheaveragereaderisunlikelytohavemether,thereislittlepointinfaithfullyproducinganaccuratelydetailedwordpictureofGreatAuntEdna.Worse still,ifEdnahadsomethingofareputationinherday,youcouldendupcausingoffenceandevenleavingyourselfopentoapossiblelawsuitifyougetyourfacts wrong. Mixingandmatching ThebestwayofavoidingthisistocomeupwithacompositeimpressionofAuntywhichwillsatisfyinterestedrelativesthatshewastheinspirationforyourcharacter butisfarenoughremovedtokeepyououtofthelawcourts. Aswithanautobiographicalaccount,mixingandmatchingenhancesyourcharactersandsurprisingly,oftenhelpstomakethemmorebelievable. Stereotypingandclichs Stereotypescanbeveryusefulinfiction.Usedwithcaution,theyofferaninstantlyrecognisableframeworkonwhichtobaseyourcharacter. However,writerswhoattempttoportraytheirownracist,sexistorsociallystereotypicalimagesinvariablycauseoffenceandtheseviewsdonothingtoimprovetheir characterisation.

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NAME:..................................................................................................................................................... AGE:......................................................................................................................................................... APPEARANCE:....................................................................................................................................... (hair,eyecolour,height,weight,buildetc.) MARITALSTATUS:................................................................................................................................ CURRENTHOME:.................................................................................................................................. OCCUPATION:....................................................................................................................................... PARENTS:................................................................................................................................................ (aliveordead?) SIBLINGS:............................................................................................................................................... (names,ages,maritalstatusetc.) CHILDHOOD:.......................................................................................................................................... (happy,sad,traumaticetc.) EDUCATION:.......................................................................................................................................... QUALIFICATIONS:................................................................................................................................ RELATIONSHIPS:................................................................................................................................... (pastandpresent) PERSONALITY:....................................................................................................................................... SPECIALSKILLS:................................................................................................................................... STRENGTHS:........................................................................................................................................... WEAKNESSES:....................................................................................................................................... ANYOTHERRELEVANTINFORMATION:.......................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................

Fig.3. Suggestedformatforpottedhistory.

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Wewillbelookingatpoliticalcorrectnessinthechapteronchildren'swritingbutalwaysbearinmindthatwithoutdepthofpersonality,yourcharacterswillbeclichd andcardboard.Itisessential,therefore,whenbuildingcharacters,thatyouknoweverythingaboutthemandcanclearlyvisualisetheminyourownmind. Givingthemapast Justlikerealpeople,fictionalcharactersdon'tsimplyappearfullygrown.Theyhaveparents,backgrounds,siblingsandexperiencesthatshapetheirpersonalitiesand influencetheircurrentbehaviour. Assoonasasuitablecharactercomesintoyourhead,besurethatyouknowwhatsortofpersontheyare.WriteapottedhistoryorCV,asillustratedinthe suggestedformatinFigure3,whichwillgiveyouaninsightintotheirmotivationforbehavingastheydo. Testingforrealism Whilststereotypingcanbeausefulmethodofcharacterisation,beawarethatdifferentpeoplehavedifferentperceptions.Ifyoubelongtoawriters'circleorclass,the followinggroupexerciseisausefulone: 1.Writeaselectionofjobtitlessuchasteacher,plumber,TVpresenter,sculptor,nurseetconpiecesofpaperthendistributethemamongthegroup,allocating thesamejobtitletotwomembersatatime,e.g.ifthereare8groupmembers,2willhaveteacher,2plumberandsoon. 2.Askeachmembertowritetheirowndescriptionofthecharacterthejobtitleconjuresup. 3.Nowaskeachmembertoreadtheirdescriptionoutinturnfortherestofthegrouptoguessthejobofthecharacterbeingdescribed. Despitethefactthatsomeofthegroupmemberswillhavebeenaskedtowriteaboutthesamecharacter,thedescriptionswillprobablybeverydifferent.Eachimage will,nevertheless,beanidentifiablestereotype. Seeingyourcharactersincontext Havingestablishedthatdifferentpeoplehavedifferentperceptions,anotherdimensiontocharacterisationisthecontextinwhichyourcharactersareset.

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UsingaTVPresenterfromtheabovelistasanexample,thereareavarietyofoptionsopentous,dependingonthestyle,toneandgenreofthenovel.Thecharacter couldbea: young,attractiveexsportsman/woman,activitygameshowhost younganchorman/womanforregional/nationalnewsprogramme investigativejournalistforconsumerprogramme ageingnewsreader,concernedaboutfadinglooks exactorturnedmagazinecolumnist,presentingafternoonmagazinestyleprogramme expopsingerturnedchildren'sTVpresenter expoliticianturnedpoliticalinterview/commentator. Thetitle'TVPresenter'clearlyhasaverywideinterpretation.Thecharactercanbemaleorfemale,youngorageing. Theonethingallofthesecharactershaveincommonisthattheyworkinahighprofile,fastmovingindustryinwhichtheirstatusandjobsecurityismeasuredagainst theirpositionintheviewingratings. Fittingintothestoryline Havingdeterminedtheage,sexandpersonalityofyourcharacter,heorshemustnowbeplacedintothecontextofthestoryyouarewriting. VisualisingBackgrounds Whetheritisathriller,romance,lifestyleordetectivestory,yourcharacterhastobehaveinarealisticandbelievableway.Inordertodothis,theymustbeseentobe thesortofpersonwhowouldoptforthecourseofactionyouhaveinmindforthem. Inhernovel,HushaBye,authorSusanMoodydrawsvividwordpicturesofhercharacters,allthewhilegivinghintsthattheirupbringingandbackgroundswillhave aprofoundinfluenceonhowtheywillreactinthefuture. InthefollowingdescriptionofHarriet,thecentralcharacter,thereisaclearimplicationthatpartsofherchildhoodwhichshefeelsmadelittleimpactonherwillprove tohavebeenhighlyinfluentialinherreactiontothesituationsinwhichsheeventuallyfindsherself:

Page35 Harriet'smotherhaddiedwhenshewasababy.Thefactofbeinganorphanhadnot,Harrietbelieved,affectedher,apartfromimbuingherwithaspuriouskindofglamourbothin herowneyesandthoseofherschoolfriends.MostofthesepossessedtherequisitenumberofparentsinotherrespectstheirlivesandHarriet'swerealmostidentical,their housessimilar,thestricturesplaceduponthembyadultsthesame.Growingupinaleafy,wellheeledLondonsuburb,thelossofaparentbydeathwasalmosttheonlyevidence anyofthemhadseenofthemisfortuneswhichcouldbefallunluckiersoulsthanthemselves.

Harriet'sfatherisaremote,undemonstrativefigureandtheinfluenceofherrelativelylovelessearlyyearsisanintegralpartofthedevelopmentofhercharacter, particularlywhen,quitelateinthebook,herownbabyiskidnapped. Talkingtoeachother Oneofthemosteffectivemethodsofcharacterisationisthroughtheuseofdialogue.Howacharacterspeakswilltellyouanenormousamountabouttheirattitudeand personality. We'llbelookingatthetechniquesinvolvedinwritingrealisticdialogueinalaterchapterbutfornow,weneedtothinkaboutourfeelingstowardsthecharacterswe create. InvolvingYourselfinYourCharacters'Lives Wehaveseenhowimportantitistocreatebackgroundsforourcharactersinordertogivesubstancetothem.Wehavealsoseenhowtheirupbringingand backgroundsformthebasisofthemotivationfortheiractions. Establishingmotivation Knowingthestruggleyourcharactermayhavehadtoachievethestatustheyhaveattained,youwillinstinctivelyknowhowtheywillreactiftheylearnthateverything theyhaveworkedforistobetakenaway. ReturningtoourTVPresenter,wecanselectayounganchorwomanforaregionalnewsprogrammeanddevisebothbackgroundandmotivationforher.Usinga chartformat,Figure4detailsanunhappychildhoodanddifficultysustainingrelationshipswhichsuggeststhefollowingstorylinefor26yearoldSallyBlake:

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NAME AGE HAIR EYES BUILD MOUTH

SallyBlake 26 Blonde,neatlystyled,shoulderlength Blue,brightandsmiling Slim,elegant Sensitive,quitewidewithfairlyfulllipsshowingwhite, eventeeth Single FunctionalfiatnearTVstudio BethandJames.DivorcedwhenSallywasfour.Father diedrecently,wasarespectedinvestigativereporter. Hadlittlecontactwithhisdaughter.Mothermodel, afterdivorcemarriedfashionphotographer,movedto France.SentSallytoboardingschoolinUKwhensister wasborn Eighteenyearoldhalfsister,Sophie,amodel Claude,haslittleinterestineitherSallyorSophie. Absorbedinhiswork,heenjoyshisglamorousjetsetting lifestyle.Hasfrequentaffairswithyoungwomen HappyuntildivorceandSophie'ssubsequentbirth Hatedboardingschoolandduringholidays,foughtwith Sophie,whowaseducatedathomeinFrance LanguageDegree,1stclasshonoursfromredbrick university Firstrealboyfriendwasanactivistinthestudentunion, lefthertomoveinwithadramastudent.Severalshort termrelationshipssince.CurrentlyseeingMark,a marriedchiefexecutiveinherTVcompany. SpeaksfluentFrench Ambitious,levelheadedinacrisis Scaredofformingpermanentrelationships Sallyishardworking,conscientiousandveryambitious. Scarredbyherunhappychildhoodandmorerecently,by thelossofherfather,whomsheemulates,sheis determinedtostopatnothingtoreachthetopofher profession

MARITALSTATUS CURRENTHOME PARENTS

SIBLINGS STEPFATHER

CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

QUALIFICATIONS

BOYFRIENDS

SPECIALSKILLS STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES RELEVANTINFORMATION

Fig.4. Firstbackgroundforyoung,smartanchorwomanforregionalnewsprogramme.

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Motivationforyounganchorwomanforregionalnewsprogramme AtalentscoutfromanationalnewsnetworkhasbeenfollowingSally'sprogressandoffersherajobintheirstudio.Sheintendstotakeitwhentheofferiswithdrawn. Mark,herinfluentiallover,doesn'twanttoloseheroneitherapersonalorprofessionallevelandhaspulledstringstoblockthejoboffer. BasedonwhatwealreadyknowaboutSally'scharacter,itisunlikelythatshewillgiveupwithoutafightorthatthereisanyfutureinherrelationshipwithMark.She hasneverputfamilyorfriendsbeforeherownneeds.Sheisalonerwhowasforcedtotakecontrolofherownlifefromaveryearlyageandisnotgoingtobepushed aroundbysomeonewhoistryingtomanipulateherforhisownends. Herreaction ArmedwiththeinformationaboutSally'sbackgroundandcharacter,dependingonthestyleofthebook,shecouldreactinoneofanumberofWays.Shecould: 1.BlackmailMarkintousinghisinfluencetoreinstatethejoboffer. 2.DeviseaplantomurderMark. 3.ConfrontMark,fightwithandaccidentallykillhim. 4.ConsultalawyerandtakeMarktocourt. 5.CompileanexposoftheTVindustry. 6.SecretlyconductanindepthinvestigationintocorruptioninMark'scompany. 7.SetMarkuptotaketheblameforrunningalibellousnewsstory. Sally'sreactionisdeterminedbyhertoughbackground.Theproductofalessthanperfectmarriage,shehasanabsentfatherandamotherwhotransfersheraffections tohernewhusbandandbabywithlittlethoughttoherdaughter'sfeelings. Toherstepfather,sheisanencumbrance,shippedofftoboardingschooltomakewayforherbabysister.Itisnotsurprisingthat,assoonassheleavesuniversity, SallyfindsherselfaflatinEnglandandrarelyreturnstoFrance. Shehasbeenforcedtobecometotallyselfreliantandwilltakewhateveractionshedeemsnecessarytoachieveheraims.

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NAME AGE HAIR EYES BUILD MOUTH

SallyBlake 26 Blonde,neatlystyled,shoulderlength Blue,brightandsmiling Slim,elegant Sensitive,quitewidewithfairlyfulllipsshowingwhite, eventeeth Single FunctionalfiatnearTVstudio BethandJames.DivorcedwhenSallywasfour.Father diedrecently,wasarespectedinvestigativereporter. SawSallywheneverhewasonleave.Mothermodel, afterdivorcemarriedfashionphotographer,movedto France.SentSallytoboardingschoolinUKwhensister wasborn Eighteenyearoldhalfsister,Sophie,amodel. Irresponsibleandfunloving Claude,goodfamilyman.FondofSallybutfeelsalittle intimidatedbyherdeterminationtosucceedandisaware thatsheidolisedherfather Happy.VeryprotectiveofSophie,whomshelooksout forwhenthingsgowrong,astheyoftendo LovedboardingschoolinEnglandbutlookedforwardto holidaysspentinFranceorinLondonwithfather wheneverhewasaround LanguageDegree,1stclasshonoursfromredbrick university HasbeenrefusingMark,amarriedchiefexecutiveinher ownTVcompany,forsometime.Isadmiredfromafar byNick,acameraman SpeaksfluentFrench Ambitiousbutputsfriendsandfamilybeforecareer Alittletootrustinginherrelationships Sallyishardworking,conscientiousandambitious. AlthoughshelovesherFrenchfamily,shedecidedtolive andworkintheUKtobenearherfather.Whenhedies, sheisleftfeelingvulnerableandfrightenedofthe powerfulMark

MARITALSTATUS CURRENTHOME PARENTS

SIBLINGS

STEPFATHER

CHILDHOOD

EDUCATION

QUALIFICATIONS

BOYFRIENDS

SPECIALSKILLS STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES RELEVANTINFORMATION

Fig.5. Secondbackgroundforyoung,smartanchorwomanforregionalnewsprogramme.

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ChangingTheCharacter However,ifSally'supbringinghadbeendifferent,herreactionswouldchangeaccordingly.Takingthesamescenario,afewalterationshereandtherewillproducea totallydifferentresult. Rebuildingthebackground Keepingthesameframework,allweneedtodoismakeafewadjustmentstotheattitudesofSally'sparents,changeherschoolingandherrelationshipwithhersister andwehaveawholenewsetofpossibilities. We'llstillhavetheparentsdivorcingwhenshe'sfouryearsoldandhermotherremarrying,butthistimetheirattitudetowardsthechildwillbefarmorepositive,as showninthealterationstothechartinFigure5. Motivation Withthisbackground,wenowhaveawholenewsetofreactions.WhenSally'sfatherdies,herfamilyissupportiveandcaring.Herstepfatherknowshecannottake herfather'splacebutheisthereifsheneedshim. Storyline Withasupportivefamilyandahappierdisposition,Sallywillbelessaggressive,soweneedtoaddanextradimensiontothestorylinetotriggerareaction.Wecan utiliseherhalfsisterSophiewho,whilststayingwithSally,fallsinwithabadcrowd,inwhichthepowerfulMarkplaysaleadingrole. Herreaction Whilstshewouldnolongerconsiderviolence,points4to6abovewouldalmostcertainlyfitintothenewscenario.Sallymight: ConsultalawyerandtakeMarktocourt. CompileanexposoftheTVindustry. SecretlyconductanindepthinvestigationintocorruptioninMark'scompany. The'new'Sallywouldn'tgoitalone,shewouldseekhelpfromavarietyofsources:

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1.Thelawyer,withwhomshebecomesromanticallyinvolved. 2.Thelovelorncameraman,whoriskshislivelihoodtohelpwithherinvestigations. 3.Herstepfather,whosecontactsinthemediahelphertorescueSophieandputMarkbehindbars. 4.Herfather'spapershewasinvestigatingMark'sactivitiesjustbeforehedied. 5.Hermother,forsupportasafriendandconfident. RelatingtoYourCharacter Whicheverscenarioyouchoose,bearinmindthatifyoudon'tcareaboutyourcharacter,neitherwillanyoneelse. The'old'Sally(Figure4)mayberuthlessbutit'snotherfault.Ashercreator,itisyourtasktoconveyherinnermostthoughtsandfeelingstothereadersothatthey willunderstandthereasonsbehindherbehaviour. InordertotrulyrelatetoSally,youneedtoputyourselfinherplaceandimaginehowyouwouldfeelif: Whenyouwerefouryearsold,yousawyourfatherleavehome,nevertoreturn. Afteryourfatherleft,youfeltutterlyaloneandabandoned. Youwerebroughtupbyaselfish,spitefulmother. Withoutwarning,yourmothermarriedawomaniserwhomyouhardlyknewandwhoclearlydislikedyou. Youweretakenawaytoliveinaforeigncountry. Youwereconfrontedwithababysisterthenimmediatelypackedofftoboardingschool. Yourfatherdiedsuddenly,severingtheonlylinkwithmemoriesofahappiertime. Youwouldhavetobeparticularlyhardheartednottorelatetoatleastoneoftheabovecircumstances.Addingthiskindofdepthtoacharacterbringsrealismandis amajorfactorinobtainingthatvitalingredient,readeridentification.

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Caringwhathappens InoursecondcharacterisationofSally(Figure5),herbackgroundgivesuslittlecauseforconcern.Despiteherparents'divorce,shehadahappychildhoodsowe needtorelyonSally'scharismaticpersonalitytogainthedesiredeffect. Onceagain,youhavetoputyourselfinherplace.Youhaveeverythinggoingforyou,happyfamily,comfortablehomeandexcellentjobprospects.Imaginehowyou wouldfeelif,withinanincrediblyshorttimespan: Yourfather,whomyouadoredandemulated,diedunexpectedly. Asituationwithwhichyouwerecoping(i.e.Mark'sunwantedadvances)suddenlyspiralledoutofyourcontrol. Youdiscoveredthatyourbelovedyoungersisterwasinmoralorphysicaldanger. Youfeltyouwerefallinginloveatatimewheneverythinginyourlifewasbeingturnedupsidedown. Inoursecondscenario,everythingseemstobehappeningtoSallyatonceandastheauthor,youshouldberightintherewithher,concernedforher,urgingherto maketherightdecisionswhich,initially,sheisunlikelytodo,aswe'llshortlydiscoverinthefollowingsectiondealingwithconflict. HowWouldyouReactiftheyApproachedyou? Withoutrealisticcharacters,afictionalstoryisflatandlifeless.Peoplereadaboutpeople,sothecharactersyoucreateshouldnotonlyberealistic,theyshouldalso provokeareactionfromyourreader. Runningaway Everycharacterinaworkoffictionshouldbethereforapurpose.Charactersshouldneverbeusedinordertosetthesceneorcreateabackcloth. Ifyou'veplacedtheminascene,theyhavetoperformafunctionandwiththisinmind,youshouldeitherbeattractedorrepelledbythem.Iftheyonlyhaveasmall roletoplay,youmaysimplyfindtheminterestingorintriguingbutyoushouldneverbeindifferent. Whencreatingfictionalcharacters,therefore,imaginehowyoupersonallywouldreactifyoumetthemonadarknight.Wouldyou:

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Runaway? Stoptoofferassistance? Fallinlove? Berootedtothespotinterror? Befilledwithloathing? Attackthem? Avoidmakingeyecontact? Nodabriefgreetingandmoveswiftlyon? Onemethodofconveyingexactlywhatsortofreactionyourcharacterwouldprovokeisthroughinteractionwithanothercharacter. Interactingwithoneanother InthefollowingextractfromthepsychologicalthrillerLadykillerbyMartinaCole,adescriptionofserialkillerGeorgeMarkhamisgiventhroughtheeyesof JosephineDenham,acolleagueatwork:
'MrMarkham,haveyoufiveminutestospare?' ThevoiceofJosephineDenhambrokeintohisthoughts.Heturnedinhisseattoseeherstandinginthedoorway,smilingathim. 'Ofcourse,MrsDenham.'Hisvoicewassoftandpolite. JosephineDenhamturnedandwalkedbacktoheroffice.GeorgeMarkhamgaveherthecreepsandshedidnotknowwhy.Hewasalwayspolite.Chillinglypolite.Henevertook daysofffornoreason,healwayskepthimselftohimself,nevertooklonglunchesortriedtoengageherinbanter,likesomeoftheothermaleemployees.Allinallhewasamodel worker.Yetshehadtoadmittoherselftherewassomethingabouthissoft,pudgybodyandwaterygreyeyesthatgaveherthewillies.Shesatatherdeskandobservedthelittle maninfrontofher. 'Please,takeaseat.' ShewatchedGeorgetakethematerialofhistrousersbetweenhisthumbandforefingerandpullitupbeforesittingdown.Eventhisactionirritatedher.Shesawhisfunnylittle smilethatshowedhisteethandfeltevenmoreannoyed.

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Provokingareaction TheauthorleavesusinnodoubtthatGeorgeismostunsavouryandatnotimedowefeeltheslightestbitofsympathyforhim.Josephinehas,wearesure,everyright todislikehim.ThisimpressionisreinforcedafewlinesfurtheronwhenweseehisreactionasJosephinetellshimheistobemaderedundant.

Georgefeltanurgetoleapfromhischairandslapthesuperciliousbitchwithherpaintedface,herdyedblondehair,herfat,wobblingbreasts.Thedirtystinkingslut!Thedirty whore!

WhilstthereisnodoubtthatGeorge'svitriolicreactionisappalling,thereisstillroomforahintofjustification.Anyonewhohasexperiencedredundancymustbeable torelatetothefeelingsoffrustrationandhelplessnesswellingupinsidehim. Atthesametime,Josphine'suneaseinhispresenceisverywellfoundedasitisalltooclearthatanywomanunfortunateenoughtofindherselfalonewithGeorge Markhamisinverygravedanger. CreatingConflict Inordertounderstandtheimportanceofconflictinafictionaltale,imaginethefollowingscenario:

Abeautiful,titledyoungladyisabouttocelebratehereighteenthbirthday.Herwealthy,happilymarriedparentsthrowapartyforherattheirstatelyhome.Heradoredolder brothertelephonestoletherknowthatheisbringinghisbestfriendandpartnerinhissuccessfullawfirmtotheparty.Thebestfriendisthehandsomeheirtoafortuneandavast estateinthecountry.Theireyesmeet,theyfallinstantlyinlovetothegreatdelightoftheirfamilies.Theymarry,havetwochildren,agirlandaboyandlivehappilyeverafter.

Bynow,youareeithershruggingandmuttering'Sowhat?'oryou'redriftingofftosleep.Eitherway,itisunlikelythatyoufoundtheabovestorylineexactlyriveting becausethesimplefactofthematteristhatnothinghasgonewrong. Throwingobstaclesinthepath Conflictisallaboutobstructingthecourseof:

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truelove solvingamystery obtainingrevenge trackingsomeonedown reachingagoal. Itisasadfactofhumannaturethatnoonewantstoreadaboutanythingthatiseasilygained.Yourtaskasanauthoristothrowasmanyobstaclesaspossibleinthe pathofyourcharacterstoensurethatwehavetokeeponreadingifwearetodiscoverwhethertheymanagetoachievetheiraims. CaseStudies Junemakeseverythingallright Juneisacheerfulpersoninhermidtwenties.Themotheroftwosmallchildren,shehasanoptimisticoutlookonlifeandthisisreflectedinhercharacterisation. Unfortunately,thistendencyalwaystolookonthebrightsidemeansthathercharactersoftenlackdepthandrealism.Shealsofindsitdifficulttobringconflictintoher stories,asshelikestomaketheirlivesrunassmoothlyaspossible.Untilshecanovercomeherdesiretohaveeveryonelivinghappilyeverafter,herstorieswill continuetobedullandlifeless. Billtakesapracticalapproach BillisabusinessmaninhislatefortieswhotravelsextensivelyaspartofhisjobbothintheUKandabroad.Thefatherofteenagechildren,hehashadquitea chequeredcareer,servinginthearmedforcesforatimeandthenasaprisonofficer.Hispastandpresentoccupationshavemeantthathehaslearnedhowtorelateto awidevarietyofpeopleonvastlydifferentlevelsfromallsectorsofsociety.Consequently,hehasdevelopedtheabilitytopredicthowpeoplearelikelytoreactin stressfulsituations.Heiscurrentlywritinganovelsetagainstabackgroundoftheprisonservicewhichcontainssufficientconflictandrealismtomakeitcompelling reading. Checklist 1.Doyoureallyknowyourcharacters?

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2.Haveyoucreatedrealisticbackgroundsforthem? 3.Doyouknowhowtheywouldreactinagivensituation? 4.Howwouldyoureactifyoumetthem? 5.Doyoucarewhathappenstothem? Assignment Tohelpyouunderstandhowtobuildacharacterfromastereotype,trythisrapidresponseexercise.Pictureinyourmind'seyeawealthybusinessman,thenanswer thequestionsbelowusingthefirstanswerthatcomesintoyourhead: 1.Howoldishe? 2.Whatcolourarehishairandeyes? 3.Howtallandwhatsortofbuildishe? 4.Isheniceornasty? 5.Whatishisofficelike? 6.Whereisitsituated? 7.Ishemarried? 8.Ifyes,doeshehaveamistress? 9.Whatishishomelikeandwhereisitsituated? 10.Doeshehaveanychildren? 11.Ifyes,howmany,whatsexandhowoldarethey? 12.Whereishenow,atthismoment? 13.Whatishedoing? 14.Whatwillhedonext? NB:Bynow,youshouldbeformingastorylinearoundhischaracter.

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4 SettingandAtmosphere
GettingaFeelofPlaceandTime Wheneverandwhereveryourstoryisset,athoroughknowledgeoftheperiodandlocationaboutwhichyouarewritingisvital. UsingAllFivesenses Youneedtouseallthefivesenses,sight,sound,smell,touchandtaste,ifyouaretoconveyafeelingoftimeandplace. InthefollowingextractfromSusanMoody'snovelHushabye,hercentralcharacter,Harriet,isstayingwithhergrandparents.Openingwiththesenseofsmelland continuingthisasanoverridingthemethroughoutthepassage,theauthorskilfullybringsallHarriet'ssensesintoplaytopaintavividpictureofthehouseandits occupants.
ThehouseinCornwallsmelleddifferentfromtheoneinLondon:shinier,cleaner.Harriet'sgrandmotherspenthertimearrangingflowerspickedfromhergarden,polishingthe furniture,fillingthedayswithsmallroutines,doingwhatshehaddoneyesterdayandwhatshewoulddoagaintomorrow.Thelavenderscentedsheetsontheirbedswere starchedandmadeoflinentherewerestarchednapkinsatmealstoo,withmonogramsinonecorner.Shedidthingsindueseasonmademarmalade,collectedwindfalls,stirred Christmaspuddings,cutthestalksoflavenderandsewedthescentedgrainsintosachetsoflaceandribbon.Thingsweredoneatprescribedtimesmilkdrunkateleven,awalkat three,theradioswitchedonat5.54fortheweatherforecastbeforethesixo'clocknews.

MovingBackandForthinTime Theabovepassagedoesmorethansettheatmosphere,italsoconveysanimpressionoftime.

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Harriet'sgrandmotherisnotamoderncareerwoman.Sheistheepitomeofrespectability,comfortablewithherroleaswifeandhomemaker.Shelivesanorderedlife inthecountryandheroutlookisrootedinastrongsenseofdutyandthevaluesofapreviousgeneration. Removeherfromthissettingandplaceherinachromeandglassapartmentinthecentreofabustlingcityandshewillappearoldfashionedandvulnerable.Pulledout ofherowntime,shewillbelikeafishoutofwaterandtheatmospherewillbecomecompletelydifferent. Settingovercharacters Theimportanceanauthorgivestoastory'ssettingdependsnotonlyonthestyleofwritingbutalsoonthegenre.Inaromance,forexample,thebackgroundhasa majorinfluenceonthebehaviourofthecharacters.Listedbelowarejustafewexamplesofsettingstakenfromromanticnovels: aCaribbeancruiseship atropicalisland anItalianvineyard alakeintheCanadianRockies anantiquesshopandcottageinthecountry. Ineachcase,thesettingisdescribedinsensuousdetail,thescentsoffruitsandflowers,crystalclearlakes,whisperingbreezesandrollinghills. Thepaceofthestoryisalwaysslowenoughtoallowthereadertosavourthesights,soundsandflavoursbutfastenoughtomaintaintheimpetus. Makingwarnotlove Actionnovelssuchaswarstoriesusesimilartechniquestoconjureupthefeelofbattle.Shatteredbodiesandflattenedbuildings,deafeningshellfire,screamsofterror, thestenchofdeathallaround.Oncebustlingtownsarereducedtopilesofrubbleandtwistedmetal,thesurroundinglandscapebecomesamassofcraterslitteredwith burnedoutvehicles. Thistime,thepaceisveryfast,pullingthereaderthroughthehorrificsights,soundsandsmellsasquicklyaspossibletothecomparativesafetyofthenextchapter.

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Keepingthebackgroundoutoftheforeground Asageneralrule,thesettingshouldneverbeallowedtodominatethestoryline.Itisrelativelyeasytogetcarriedawaybuttrytoavoidusingmorethantenlinesof puredescriptioninoneblockoryourstorywilllosepaceandfailtoholdareader'sattention. Lettingyourcharacterssetthescene Themosteffectivewaytodescribeasceneistoletyourcharactersdoitforyouthroughinteractionwiththeirsurroundings.Thiswillimprovethepaceofyourwriting andconveyafeelingofsetting,atmosphereandinsightintothecharacterinonefellswoop. Forexample,studythefollowingtwopassagesanddecidewhichyoufeelismostatmospheric:

PassageA Itwasthemiddleofwinter.Theroomwasicycoldandhidinginonecornerwasachild,alittlegirl.Themanstoodintheroomforamomentbutcouldnotseeherconcealedinthe darkshadows.Heturnedandstrodeaway. PassageB Nowarmthfromthethinwintersunhadmanagedtopenetratetheicycoldnessoftheroom.Thechildhuddled,shiveringinonecorner,willingtheshadowydimnesstoconceal her.Sheheldherbreathasthemanstoodmotionless,listeningforwhatseemedaneternity,beforeheturnedandstrodeimpatientlyaway.

VisitingLocations Therearepitfallsinsettingyourstoriesinreallocations,particularlyifyouchooseanareayoumovedawayfromandhavenotvisitedformanyyears. Toillustratethis,thefollowingisjustasmallsampleofrecentchangesinmyownneighbourhood. Thelocalhighstreethasbeendecimatedbytheopeningofanoutoftownshoppingcomplex. Amultiplexcinemaisbeingconstructedonthesiteoftheformertechnicalcollege. Aseriesofminiroundaboutshavebeenbuilt. Severalroadshavechangedtheirusefromtwowaytoonewaystreets.

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Acomplexsystemofzebracrossingsandpedestrianrefugeshasbeenconstructed. Changingthelandscape Alloverthecountry,roadsarebeingwidened,housing,tradingandindustrialestatesarebeingbuilt,supermarketsarespringingup,golfcoursesandthemeparksare changingtheappearanceofthelandscape. Conversely,manytownandcitycentreshaveacquiredaneglected,derelictlookasrecessionhitbusinessescloseandoncethrivingfactoriesstandempty,the surroundingareasovergrownwithweedsandlitteredwithglassfromsmashedwindows. Soakinguptheatmosphere It'snotallgloomanddoomofcourse.Muchofthecountrysidehasremainedunchangedforgenerationsandlargetractsoflandonoldindustrialsiteshavebeen reclaimedandlandscapedbyenvironmentalists. Ifyouintendtosetyourstoryinyourownlocality,you'llbeuptodatewithanychangesandhavefewproblemsestablishingarealisticatmosphere.If,however,you wishtosetyourstoryintheareawhereyougrewuporlivedsomeyearsago,itiswellworthrevisitingthelocationinordertoestablishwhetheritstillretainsthe atmosphereyouwishtoconvey.

Strikingabalance Anotherproblemwithusingawellknownlocationisthatofstrikingthebalancebetweeninstantrecognitionanddistractingrealism.Thefollowingpassagedetailsthe progressofacharacterthroughtheCityofLondon.

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Fig.6. MapoffictionallocationfromRuthRendell'sInspectorWexfordnovel SomeLieandSomeDie(ArrowBooks),depictingthelocationforapop festivalinanareajustoutsidethefictionaltownofKingsmarkham.

Page51 LeavingtheBankofEngland,BarnabymadehiswaytoStPaul'sCathedral.HefollowedtheroutefromThreadneedleStreettoCheapside,passingStMildred'sandGrocer'sHall Courts,OldJewry,IronmongerLaneandKingStreetonhisrightandBucklersbury,QueenStreet,BowLaneandBreadStreetonhisleft.

WhilstthefamousnamesmentionedprovideanunmistakableLondonsetting,thereisverylittleatmosphereinthispassage.Thereistheaddeddifficulty,too,that anyonefamiliarwiththeareamaywellbegintowonderiftherouteandroadnamesarecorrect.Atbest,thiswilldistractthemfromthestorylineandatworst,they mayputthestorydownwhiletheygooffandsearchfortheirLondonAtoZ. Drawingmaps Aswithanyotherwritingtechnique,inthehandsofaskilledauthor,theuseofthiskindofdetailedinformationcanbecomeintegraltothetoneandpaceofthebook andmanywriterscananddouseittogreateffect. TheattentiontodetailawardwinningnovelistRuthRendellpaystotheroutestakenbyherprotagonists,emphasisesratherthandetractsfromtheatmosphereofher novels.Shesometimestakesthisonestagefurtherbydrawingamaporstreetplanofalocation,asillustratedinFigure6.TakenfromanInspectorWexfordnovel entitledSomeLieandSomeDie(ArrowBooks),themapdepictsthelocationforapopfestivalinanareajustoutsidethefictionaltownofKingsmarkhamandnot onlyhelpsthereadergettheirbearingsbutalsoaddsrealismtothestory. Creatingthefeelofaplace Forsomenovels,thesettingisintegraltotheplot.Untilitsdemolition,theareasurroundingtheBerlinWallwasacentralfeatureinscoresofspynovelsandthesame istrueoffamouslandmarkssuchasthe: EiffelTower EmpireStateBuilding HousesofParliament Kremlin StMark'sSquare StatueofLiberty TajMahal.

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Basingyoursettingonafamiliarlocation Inordertoavoidthedistracting'streetmap'scenario,aneffectivealternativeistothrowinoneortwowellknownevocativenames.Thisencouragesthereadertouse theirimaginationtofillintheblanks,asdemonstratedbythefollowingrewriteofthepreviousCityofLondonexample:

LeavingtheBankofEngland,BarnabymadehiswayfromThreadneedleStreettowardsStPauls,feelingaflickerofexcitementashereadoffthehistoricnamesoftheroadshe passed.OldJewry,BowLane,BreadStreet,Cheapside.Barnabyrecitedthemtohimselfashetried,invain,toblockouttheintrusivedinofthemoderndaytraffic.

Makingupyourownlocation Makingupyourownlocationallowsyoutodesignthelandscapetosuityourownpurposes,particularlyifitisbasedonanareawithwhichyouareveryfamiliar. Italsoallowsyoutodealwithanyunforeseenhazardsconstructedinyourabsencebythetownplanningdepartment.Theoddnewroadlayout,housingorindustrial estatecanbehappilydiscardedifitobstructsyourprotagonist'sprogressordetractsfromtheplannedstorylineandifyouneedtogetfromAtoBinahurry,youcan simplybuildyourselfanimaginaryroad. Travellingtoexoticplaces Aswehaveseen,romanticnovelsarebynomeanstheonlybookswhichuseforeignandexoticsettings.Politicalthrillers,adventurenovels,crimestoriescanallbe setagainstexoticbackgroundsandwheresciencefictionandfantasyareconcerned,theuniverseisyouroyster. However,relianceonacombinationoftravelguides,touristbrochuresandmemoriesofasevendaypackageholidaytoBenidormis,onitsown,unlikelytoprovide youwithsufficientdetailtocreatearealisticallyatmosphericbackground.Ifyouaresettingyourstoryinaforeigncountry,yourwritingwillbefarmoreeffectiveifyou arethoroughlyfamiliarwiththearea,itsclimate,peopleandpolitics. Thisisfineifyourstoryhasacontemporary,earthboundsettingbutforhistoricalorfuturistictales,researchandeducatedguessworkarevitalingredientsinthe creationoftherequiredatmosphere.

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ImaginingwhatitWouldbeLiketobethere Assumingthatyou'vedoneyourresearchandhavesufficientinformationtowriteadetaileddescriptionofyourcharacter'ssurroundings,trythefollowingtest: Pictureyourselfsittinginanarmchairinyourlivingroom.Itisaround7.30pminthemiddleofwinterandyouarereadingabook.Youhaveadrink besideyou.Nowimagineexactlythesamesceneinapreviouscenturyandthenatapointofyourchoosinginthefuture.Forallthreescenes,answer thequestionslistedbelow: 1.Whatmaterialhasbeenusedtomakethechairyouaresittingon? 2.Whatmethodoflightingareyouusing? 3.Istheroomheatedandifsohow? 4.Istheroomcarpeted?Ifnot,whatsortoffloorcoveringdoesithave? 5.Howistheroomdecorated? 6.Whatisthetitleofthebookyouarereading? 7.Whatareyoudrinking? 8.Isitinaglass,cup,goblet,other?Ifnotglassorchina,whatisitmadeof? 9.Whatareyouwearing? 10.Areyouwarmenough? Bycomparinghowcomfortableyounormallyfeelinthegivensituationwithhowyouimagineitwouldhavefeltinthepastandhowitmightfeelinthefuture,youcan bringagreatdealofrealismtoyourwriting. Livingthepart Oneadvantagehistoricalsettingshaveoverfuturisticonesisthatlifestyles,costume,homes,furnishingandutensilsofpreviousgenerationsareverywelldocumented. Researchmaterialisavailableintheformofbooks,paintings,antiques,publishedletters,historic

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buildings,museums,newspapersandformorerecenthistory,photographsandfilms. Makinganeducatedguess Forhistoricalsettings,wehavesufficientinformationtoimaginehowourcharactersrelatedtotheirsurroundings.Theonlydisadvantageisthat,ifyougetitwrong, someoneisboundtonotice. Incontrast,storiessetinthefutureoffermoreleewaytolettheauthor'simaginationrunriotbutthedesigns,materialsandlifestylesdepictedmustbebasedoncurrent scientificknowledge. WearingDifferentClothesandCostumes Thecostumesyourcharactersweardomuchmorethanjustsetthescene.Amongotherthings,they: settheperiod settheage,nationalityandoccupationofacharacter giveaninsightintothecharacter'spersonality conveyasenseofoccasion evokereaderidentification. Tohelpyourelatetothewayacharacterwouldmoveandrespondinvarioussituations,imaginehowyoureactwhenyouarewearingclothesdesignedforaspecific purpose.Ifyouhaveeverwornoneormoreofthefollowingoutfits,forexample,howdidyoufeelandhowdidyoumovearoundtheroom? afulllengtheveningdress tophatandtails aweddingdressandveil adinnerjacketanddressshirt abusinesssuit oldjeansandteeshirt overalls luxurioussilkunderwear

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thermalunderwear wellingtonboots nothingatall. Actingthepart Taketophatandtailsfromtheabovelist.Theyhaveaseeminglymagicaleffectontheirwearersothatmennotexactlyrenownedfortheirsartorialelegancesuddenly findthemselvesholdingtheirshouldersbackandtheirstomachsin.Perchedatajauntyangleontheirheads,thetophatprovidestheperfectfinishingtouch,conveying bothstyleandbreeding. Thesameistrueofthefulllengthballgown.LadieswhousuallydressforcomfortinteeshirtsandjeanscanfindthemselvestransformedintoCinderellalookalikesat thedropofaneckline.Exchangethesquashytrainerforthesatinslipperandyouhaveapictureofeleganceandfemininityinnotonlyherlooksbutalsoher demeanourandactions. Conformingorcontrasting Thefactthattheclothesyourheroiswearinghavehimlookingeveryinchthegentlemanandyourheroine'sattireimpliesstyleandbreedingisamajorfactorin characterisation. Whilstthetall,handsome,immaculatelyturnedoutchapmayfulfiltheroleofeverywoman'sanswertoherdreams,hecouldalsobeanyoneofthefollowing: aconfidencetricksterwithoutapennytohisname afashionconsciousyoungdandy,interestedonlyinhisownappearance acharmingrogue,whooverspendsonclothes,wining,diningandgambling. amanofaction,uncomfortablyrestrictedbyhisformalclothes. Thewayhewearshisclothes,hisbearing,attitudeandbehaviourwillallgiveacluetohispersonality.Doeshe,forexample,constantlyrubhisfingerroundhisshirt collar,indicatingdiscomfort?Orisheunabletopassamirrorwithoutstoppingtochecktheconditionofhissilkpockethandkerchief? Heroines,too,revealagreatdealfromthewaytheycopewith

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theirclothes.Dressedinskintighteveninggownanddrippingwithdiamonds,ourheroinecouldbe: aconfidencetrickerwithoutapennytohername avaingolddigger,determinedtotraparichhusband ashy,sportytyperestrictedanduncomfortableintheseclothes. Likehermalecounterpart,ourheroinemaybesophisticatedandelegantbutifshehasdifficultywalkinginhertightskirtormodestyhasherconstantlypullingupthe topofherdress,itwillbeclearthatsheislessthancomfortablewiththeimagesheisexpectedtoproject. CaseStudies Ivylooksback Ivywasbroughtupinaruralvillagebuthaslivedmostofheradultlifeinthecity.Promptedbynostalgia,shedecidestosethercontemporarynovelintheareawhere shespentherchildhoodanddescribesthesurroundingcountrysideinmeticulousdetail.Fortunately,shedecidestovisitheroldhomebeforeshecompletesthenovel, todiscoveranoutoftownshoppingcomplexnowcoversthefarmlandwheremostofthepresentdayactionofherstorytakesplace. Racheldemolishesanofficeblock Rachelhastheperfectlocationinmindforthefictionalcitysettingofherhistoricalnovel.Thereisnowanofficeblockonthesitebut,withtheaidofsomecareful research,sheunearthssufficientinformationaboutthehouseswhichoncestoodtheretocreateavividlyrealisticimpressionofthelayoutofcitystreetsatthetimein whichherstoryisset.Basedonherinvestigations,sheisabletodeviseherownstreetmapforreference,adaptingittosuitthestorylinewherevernecessary. Checklist 1.Areyouthoroughlyfamiliarwiththelocationyouareusing? 2.Doyouhaveamapofthearea? 3.Haveyoucalculateddistancesandtraveltimes?

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4.Doyouknowwhatmodeoftransportyourcharacterswoulduse? 5.Areyouconfidentyouknowhowitfeelstoliveinyourchosenperiod? 6.Arethecostumesaccurateanddoyouknowhowitfeelstowearthem? Assignment Selectoneofthefollowingcastlesanddescribeitasseenthroughtheeyesofavisitor: aDisneystylethemeparkfantasy astatelyhome,opentothepublic ahighlandfortress aruin anurbancastle abouncycastle. (NB:Thisexerciseworkswellinpairswithinagroup.Thedescriptionisgivenbyonepairandtheothershavetoguesswhatsortofcastleisbeingdescribed.)

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5 ShowingNotTelling
ReactingandInteractingwithPeopleandSurroundings Aswesawinthepreviouschapter,oneofthemosteffectivewaystoconveypersonality,age,settingandatmosphereisthroughthereactionsofyourcharacters. Thisinvolvesshowingwhatishappeningthroughacombinationofaction,reactionanddialogueratherthannarratingortellingthestorytothereader. Telling Writerstendtobeavidreaders,oftenwithabackgroundsteepedinclassicworksofliterature,manyofwhicharewritteninthenarrativevoice.Oneexampleofthis techniqueisEmilyBront'sclassicnovelWutheringHeights,wherethesequenceofeventsisrelatedinstoryformbyoneminorcharactertoanother. Itisperfectlyunderstandablethatwellreadwritersshouldseektoemulatethisapproachbutinamoderncontext,thetechniqueisverydated.Itslowsthepace considerablyandbythetimethesceneisset,bothyouandthereadermaywellhaveforgottenwhatthestorywasaboutinthefirstplace. Movingwiththetimes Itisatestamenttotheskillofourclassicauthorsthattheirstories

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continuetobeenjoyedtoday.Onereasonforthisisthat,despitethe'Letmetellyouastory...'qualityofthewriting,manyclassictalescontainfarmoreactionand interactionthanyoumaythink.Itisthenarrativestylethatcreatesthemisleadingimpressionofaleisurelypace,nottheactualcontentofthestory. Showing Incontrasttousingastaticcharacterto'tell'thetale,showingwhatishappeningthroughtheactionsandreactionsofyourcharactersbringspace,movementandlife toastory,asyoucanseebycomparingthefollowingexamples:

ExampleA(telling) Theweatherwasverycold.Luckily,Susanhadputonherheavyovercoat,theonewiththehood,soshewasabletokeepreasonablywarm.Walkingalongtheroad,shenoticed thattherewerenoleavesonthetrees,asuresignofwinter.Thewindowsofthehousesoneithersideofthepavementwereblankanddark.Susanthoughtitmadethestreetfeel gloomyandoppressive. ExampleB(showing) Susanpulledherheavyovercoataroundhertokeepouttheicycold.Offeringsilentthanksforthewarm,furlinedhood,shehurrieddownthedesertedstreet.Leaflesstrees wavedmenacinglyinthebitterwindassheanxiouslysurveyedtheblankwindowsofthehousesliningthebarepavements.Theoppressivegloomofhersurroundingssenta shudderoffearthroughSusan'sslenderframe.

Doinganddescribing BycomparingthetwopassagesaboveyoucanseethatinExampleA,Susanisalmoststatic.Thereaderistoldthattheweatheriscold,thatSusaniswearingaheavy, hoodedovercoat,thatthestreetwasgloomyandtheatmosphereoppressive. InExampleB,however,Susanisreactingtohersurroundings.She'pulls'herheavyovercoataroundher,'offerssilentthanks'foritswarmthand'hurries'downthe street.Thetrees,too,aremoving.Theyare'wavingmenacingly'causinghertobecomeanxious.Thereismoredescriptiontoo,asthe'oppressivegloom'sendsa 'shudderoffear'throughher. Performingactions Throughtheuseofverbsandadverbs,yourcharacterswillperform

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actionsthatdemonstrateclearlytheirreactiontothesituationinwhichtheyfindthemselves. Thisisafarmoreeconomicalmethodofwritingdescriptionthanthenarrativestyle.Infact,ExampleAis70wordslong,whilstexampleB,withalltheextra informationaboutSusan'sbuild,hercoatandherframeofmindetc.,amountstoonly64. FeelingtheHeat Havingestablishedthatourcharactersmustreacttotheconditionsaroundthem,wehavetothinkabouthowtheywillbehaveinavarietyofcircumstances. Hottingup InthefollowingpassagefromJonathanGash'snovel,TheJudasPair(ArrowBooks),antiquesdealerandamateursleuthLovejoyfindshimselfinmortaldanger, whenthevillainsetsfiretothethatchedroofofhiscottage.

ThenIsmelledsmoke. Theshushingsoundwasthepoolednoiseofamillioncrackles.Mythatchedroofhadbeenfired,probablybymeansofalightedarrow.

Atthispoint,Lovejoypanicsbuthissenseofselfpreservationswingsintoactionandhemakesarapidanalysisofhissituation:
Ihadtothink.Smokewasbeginningtodriftinominouscolumnsverticallydownwards.ReflectedfirelightfromeachwindowshowedmemoreofthelivingroomthanI'dseenfor sometime.Iwasgoingtochoketodeathbeforefinallytheflamesgotme.Thebeamswouldsetalight,thewallswouldcatchfireandthefirewouldextenddownwardsuntilthe entirecottagewasablaze.

Lovejoyrealisesthathisonlyhopeistoburyhimselfinapriest'sholeundertheflagstonefloorbutheisunpreparedfortheconditionsheencounters:
Theairenteringmylungswasalreadysearinglyhot.Fromabovemyheadcamefranticgushingsounds,creakingsandoccasionalponderouscrasheswhichterrifiedmemorethan anything.The

Page61 wallswouldbeburningnowandthebeamswouldbetumblingthroughthelivingroomceiling.TwiceIheardloudreportsastheglasswindowswent.Itmustbeaninferno.Iwas wornoutanddyingfromheat.Toocleverbyfar,I'dgotmyselfinthereverseoftheusualposition.Iwassafefromsmokeandbeingcookedinanoven.IfonlyIcouldbringairin. Iforcedmyselftothinkastheblazeabovemyheadreachedacrescendo.Whatcouldmakeairmove?

Allthroughthepassage,Lovejoyisreactingtohissurroundingsandtherisingtemperature.Heisfacedwitharaceagainsttimeandinordertoconveythis,theauthor flicksbackandforthbetweentheraginginfernoaboveLovejoy'sheadandtheextremeheatofhisconfinedconditionsinthepriest'sholeunderthefloor.Thiskeeps thepacemovingextremelyquickly,pullingthereaderalongsothatthey,too,canfeeltheheat,smellthesmokeandsensetheterrorLovejoyisexperiencing. ShiveringAgainsttheCold Aswehavealreadyseeninsomeoftheexamplesused,ourcharacters'reactionstotemperaturewillbereflectedintheirbehaviour. Coolingdown Thereareavarietyofwaystoconveytheimpressionthatacharacterisfeelingthecold.Theymay: shiver pulltheircoatmoretightlyaroundthem carefullyselectwarmclothingtowear flaptheirarms stamptheirfeet huddletogetherforwarmth feelsleepy,riskingdeathiftheyclosetheireyes keepmovingtoincreasetheircirculation. Weatheringthestorm Whetherhot,cold,wetordry,onethingyouhavetorememberis

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nottooverdoclimaticconditions.Thefollowingpassageillustratesthispoint:
Ithadbeenraininghardfordays.Waterstreamedfromtheguttersofeveryroof,pouringdownwindows,alongpavements,runninginfastmovingrivuletsalongeachroad. Beneaththestreets,torrentsofwatergushedandgurgledbeneaththefeetofthepeoplehurryingalongtheshiny,wetpavements,pushingandshovingoneanotherintheirhaste togetoutoftherain.Steelgreystormcloudsgatheredoverhead,meetingoneanotherheadoninpreparationforyetanotherdownpour.Itwasvery,verywet.(85words)

Feedingintheinformation Onemethodofavoidingthiskindofoveremphasisistofeedtheinformationtothereaderinsnippets. Ifitisrainingheavily,thenhaveyourcharacterrunforshelter,orstruggleforafewsecondswithanuncooperativeumbrella.Animpressionconveyedwithafewwell chosenverbs,adverbsandadjectiveswillbefarmoreeffectivethanwordydescription,hammeringhomeapointmadeearlyinthefirstsentence. Economywithwordsnotonlyimprovesthequalityofyourwriting,italsomakesyourworkamoreattractivepropositionforprospectivepublishers.Bearingthisin mind,tryrewritingtheabovepassageinamoreeffectiveandsubtleway.Youwillfindthat,bycuttingoutanysuperfluousinformationandincludingacharacterto reacttotheconditions,thepiecewillbefarmoreevocativeandprobablyalotshorter. (Asuggestedrewriteoftheaboveexercisecanbefoundatthebackofthebook.) RevealingEmotions Weallhaveemotionswhichrevealthemselvesthroughourwritingandtherearecertaincircumstancestowhichwereactmorestronglythanothers. Whilstourcharactersneednotbebasedonourselvesoronournearestanddearest,ourownemotionswillbereflectedintheirreactionsandbehaviour. Standingupforyourself Youmay,forexample,havebeenbulliedinthepastbysomeoneina

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positionofpower,ateacher,employer,parentorspouse.Asaresultofthisexperience,bullyingbehaviourinanyoneyouencounterwillevokesomeverystrong feelings.Thesecanandshouldbeharnessedandusedtogreateffectbyyourcharacters. Ifyoufeelstronglyaboutsomething,sowillyourcharactersbutunlessyoubelieveimplicitlythattheywillreactinacertainway,thenyourportrayalwillbeunrealistic. ExpressingFeelings Allowyourcharacterstodothetalkingforyou.Whilstitisimportantthatyourcharactersreactasthey,notyou,wouldinagivensituation,you'llbeamazedathow oftenyourattitudesandopinionsarereflectedintheiractions. Thinkingpositively Thereisnoreasonwhyemotionsshouldbenegative.Positiveattitudesworkeverybitaswellasnegativeonesandenthusiasmalwayscomesoverinanauthor'swork. Itmaybealifestyle,anideal,asportoracertaintypeofpersonbutwhateveryourpassion,youcanconveyitveryeffectivelythroughthecharacteryouwriteabout andaddrealisticbackgroundstoyourstoriesatthesametime. WritingasIdoforthewomen'smagazinemarket,mycharacters'attitudesandopinionsreflectmyownbutmustalsorelatetothereadershipofthemagazine. Theextractbelow,fromashortstoryentitled'Wishing',illustratesthefrustrationanintelligent,hardworkingbusinesswomanfeelswhentrappedinamarriagewitha dominanthusband.Shehasfoundwhatsheconsiderstobeherdreamhomebutherhusbandcontrolsthefinancesandhastobepersuadedthatthepropertyisagood investmentbeforehewillconsiderpartingwithherhardearnedcash.
WatchingMartinpaceroundtheoutsideofthebuilding,Lisacouldalmostseethefiguresbeingcalculatedwithinhisbrain. Shesighed,wonderingwhyhisheadforbusinesshadeverattractedhertohim.Ayoungaccountantwhoknewagoodthingwhenhesawit,Martinhadseizedtheopportunityto showtheinexperiencedfashionstudenthowtomarketthehandmadeknitwearshewasproducing. Intheeighteenyearssincethey'dmarried,thehomebased

Page64 operationhadgrownintoathriving,designerlabelcompany. Shesquaredhershoulders,determinedtofightoffthefamiliarknotofdisappointmentthatMartin'sattitudewascausinginherstomach.

Throughoutthestory,Martin'sreactiontoeverythingLisashowshimiscoldanddisinterested.Determinednottoloseherdream,Lisaexploresthegardenandis delightedtofindawishingwell,completewiththatchedroof,concealedintheneglectedgarden. Sheintendstobreedsheeponthelandinordertoproducewoolforhergarmentsandisevenmorepleasedwhenthehouseagentassuresherthatthewellisrealand thewaterpure. Unfortunately,Martinfailstoseethepotentialoftheproperty,eitherromanticorfinancial,andinalastditchattempttopersuadehimotherwise,Lisalureshim towardsthewishingwell.Thestory'sendingwas,forme,morethansatisfactoryindealingwiththeinjusticeofLisa'ssituation:

AsuddenthoughtcausedLisatofrown.Assheopenedthecardoorandreachedforthemobilephone,shewonderedwhetherthewellmightbepolluted.AdmittedlyMrPeters hadinsistedthatthewaterwaspurebutthingswerealittledifferentnow. No.Lisashookherheadfirmly.Nothingcouldgowrong.Especiallyasshe'dmadeawish.Whichiswhatyoualwaysdid,wasn'tit?Justbeforeyouthrewsomethingintoa wishingwell. (Bella,1993)

ItisnotonlythesenseofawrongrightedthatvindicatesLisaintheappallingcrimeshehascommittedbutalsoheralmostchildlikeinnocenceinchasinganelusive dream. SheandIhadabsolutelynothingincommoninlooks,ageand,thankfully,ourchoiceofhusbandbutIcouldn'thelpfeelingsorryforherandwantinghertohaveher wishanditwasthiselementthatbroughthercharacteraliveandmadethestoryworkforme. MovingYourCharactersAroundtheRoom Aswesawinthesectiondealingwithreactionandinteraction,staticcharactersaredullandlifeless.Ifyouaretobreatheanylifeintothem,theymustbeseentomove about. Inordertowriteeffectivelyaboutasituation,itisnotenoughjusttovisualisethecharacters,theauthormustalsohaveaclearpicture

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oftheirsurroundings.Thelayoutofaroom,forexample,thelengthofaroad,theinteriorofacar. Mindingthefurniture Evenwhenallthecharactersareseated,theystillnodtheirheads,shiftposition,waveahandexpressively.Theymaystandup,pacethecarpetormaketheirwayinto anotherroom.Inordertoconveythiseffectively,youneedtoknowthelayoutofnotonlytheroombutalsothebuildingandhowtheycangettowheretheywantto go. Youalsoneedtoknowwherethefurnitureisplaced,howtheymanoeuvrearounditandhowfastorslowlytheymove. SpeedingandSlowingthePacewithVocabulary Throughoutanystory,anauthorhastoincreaseandslowthepaceinordertogainthemaximumeffect.Thisisachievedbyacombinationofemotivevocabularyand thelengthofthewordsandsentencesused. Shorteningandlengtheningthesentence Asageneralrule,shortwordsandsentencesdenote: anger urgency fear pain. Longerwordsandsentencesdenote: romance contentment relaxation confidence. Youcanalsouselonger,slowersentencestohelpbuildtensionasinthefollowingextractfromMartinaCole'ssuspensenovelTheLadykiller:
ItwasSaturdayandGeorgewasaloneinthehouse.Aftercarefullywashingupthebreakfastthingsandputtingthemaway,hemadehimselfapotoftea.Whileitbrewedonthe kitchentablehewalkeddowntohisshedandbroughtbackhisscrapbooks.

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Atfirstsight,thissceneportraysacontentedmanrelaxinginhishomeonaSaturdaymorning.Bythisstageinthebook,however,thereaderispainfullyawareofthe horrificimagesthatGeorge's'scrapbooks'contain. Nowcomparethelengthsofboththewordsandthesentencesintheaboveextractwiththefollowingpassagefromthesamebook:

Thetwosmallboyswalkedfast.Drivingrainwaspeltingintotheirfaces.Thesmallerofthetwohadredrimmedeyesandhadobviouslybeencrying.Alargeclapofthunder boomedoverhead,followedbyaflashoflighteningthatlitupthesky. (TheLadykiller,MartinsCole,HodderHeadline)

Thepaceofthesecondpassageismuchfasterthanthefirst.Inbothcasesthereaderisinnodoubtthatsomethingveryunpleasantisabouttohappenbutinthefirst example,thecharacteriscontentandthisisreflectedinthevocabularyused.Inthesecondextract,thecharactersareclearlyunhappyandthevocabularyisshort, sharpandthreatening. FlashingBackandForthinTime Flashbackisoneofthemostusefultoolsawritercanuse.It: providesaninsightintoyourcharacters'personalitiesandpasts givesbackgroundinformation describesthecharactersandaddssubstancetotheplot movesthestoryforward offershintsor'signposts'thathistoryisabouttorepeatitself. Flashinginformation Whilstthelengthofaflashbackvariesconsiderablyfromoneshortphrasetoacompletechapter,thetechniqueworksbestifyousimply'flash'toasignificantincident inthepast,thenbringyourcharacterstraightbacktothepresentassoonasyouhaveimpartedtherelevantinformation. Forexample,ifthereaderistounderstandwhyourTVpresenter,SallyBlake,behavesinacertainway,weneedtogivethemafewhintsaboutthebackgroundto thestory.Theflashbacksinthefollowingscenearemarkedinitalics:

Page67 'I'msorryMark,'Sallyfoughtbackthetearswhichthreatenedtooverwhelmherresolve,'It'sover.I'mleavingyou.Ishouldn'thavebelievedyourliesaboutleavingyourwifeand children.' Huggingherkneestoherchin,sherockedchildishlytoandfroforcomfort,waitinginvainforhisresponse,'DidyouhearwhatIsaid?' 'Oh,yes,Iheardyou.' Sallyfeltthehairsonthebackofherneckstandonendassheunclaspedherlegsandliftedherheadtomeethisfuriousgaze.Thelasttimehe'dusedthattone,theviolencethat hadfollowedhadlandedherinhospital.Furtively,sheslidsidewaysacrossthebed,increasingthedistancebetweenthem.

Flashbacksshouldprovideaseriesofrevelationsaboutthecharacterswhichgivejustenoughinformationtokeepthereaderwantingtoknowmorebutatthesame time,revealsomethingthereaderdidn'tknowbefore. Intheaboveexample,thefirstflashbackinformsusthatMarkisamarriedman,thesecondthatheisviolent.Fromthesetwosnippetsofinformation,weknowthe backgroundtotheirrelationshipandcanpredictanegativereactiontoSally'sdesiretoendit. Keyphrases Listedbelowaresomekeyphrasesdesignedtoleadyousmoothlyintoflashback: Thatsummerhadbeenalmostperfect. Therehadbeenatimewhenthingsweredifferent. Asachild,hehadbeennervousandshy. Fillingawholechapter Whilstitispossibletowritewholechaptersinflashback,thiscanbecounterproductive.Asalways,inthehandsofaskilledauthor,lengthyflashbackofthistypecan beveryeffective.However,forittoworkwell,thecontentmustbecompletelyrivetingandintegraltothemainplot.Eventhen,itcansometimesbedifficulttopullthe readerbacktothepresent.Itisusuallybettertosticktobrief,rapidflashestokeepyourstorymovingsmoothlyandatagoodpace.

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Movingforwardintime Itcanbesurprisinglydifficulttomoveyourcharactersforwardfromoneplaceandtimetothenext. Forexample,whengettingthemfromworktohome,unlessitisvitaltotheplot,thereisnopointinhavingthemwalkoutofthebuilding,getintotheircarandgivinga blowbyblowaccountofthedrivehome. Noristhereanyneed,oncetheyarehome,tofollowtheirprogressthrougheatingtheireveningmeal,goingtobed,thengettingupinthemorning,leavingthehouse anddrivingbacktoworkagain. How,therefore,doyougetyourcharactersfromAtoBandfromonedaytothenextwithoutslowingthepace? Stoppingandstarting Thesolutionisrelativelyeasy.Yousimplystopattheendofonepieceofactionandstartupagainatthenext.Forexample:

Shepickedupherhandbagandwalkedbrisklytothedoor,'Seeyoutomorrowthen,'shenoddedcurtlyinmydirection,'I'llseemyselfout.' Shearrivedpromptlyatninethenextmorning.

Onceagain,therearekeyphrasesthatarehelpfulinmovingtheactionforward. Itwasn'tuntilmuchlaterthat... Itwastobeyears,notdays,beforetheywouldmeetagain. Lessthananhourhadpassedbefore... CaseStudies Garyincludeseverydetail Garyisextremelykeentowriteactionnovelsandoncehestartstowrite,thewordstumbleontothepage.Hisstoryideasareexcitingandimaginativebuthistendency toincludelargetractsofbackgroundinformationandlongwindeddescriptionproducestaticcharacters,lackingrealism.Sadly,thesuperfluousinformationinhis storiesmakesthemovercomplicatedandconfusingtoread.

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Stevetriesouthisclimbingskills Steve'shobbyisclimbingandhebaseshisplotdevelopmentonsituationshehasencounteredasamemberofaclimbingteam.Bycombininghisexperiencesof climbingdifferenttypesofterrain,inavarietyofweatherconditionswithhisknowledgeofteamworkinpotentiallydangeroussituations,heisabletobringhis charactersvividlytolife.Asaresult,hisadventurestoriesarefastpacedandexciting. Checklist 1.Doyourcharactersreacttotheirsurroundings? 2.Dotheyinteractwithoneanother? 3.Haveyouclearlyconveyedtheirsurroundings? 4.Doyouknowhowtheirpastgovernstheirpresentbehaviour? 5.Dotheyfightforyourprinciples? 6.Doesthepacesetthemoodeffectively? 7.Areyourflashbacksshortandeffective? 8.Doeseachscenemovesmoothlyintothenext? Assignment Writeasceneinwhichawifeistryingtoconcealamurderweaponimmediatelyafterkillingherhusband.Thesceneshouldcontainthefollowinginformation: thewife'sappearance,includingheight,hairstyle,ageandbuild thetimeofday theseason theroomsheisin howtheroomisfurnished whyshekilledhim.

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6 WritingRealisticDialogue
DevelopingaGoodEar Dialogueisthebearerofinformation,plotandcharacterisation.Itperformsanumberofvitalfunctionsforthefictionwriter: Delineatescharacter. Movesthestoryforward. Createsconflict,tensionandsuspense. Explainswhathappenedinthepast. Conveysemotion. Conveysthethoughtsofthecharacters. Perhapsmostimportantlyofall,dialoguebetweenyourcharactersbringsthemtolifeinawaythatnootherwritingtechniquecan. Hearingthemspeak Untilacharacterspeaks,alltheirthoughtsandemotionsareportrayedthroughsomeoneelse'seyes,i.e.thenarrator's. Thethingsacharactersaysandthewaytheysaythemgivesamuchclearerinsightintotheircharacterandallowsthereadertomakeuptheirownmindastowhat sortofpersontheymightbe. Realisticdialoguegivesimmediatecharacterisationinawaythatnarrativesimplycannotdo.Asaquicktest,readthroughthefollowingphrasesandseewhoyouthink isspeaking: 1.'Forgoodness'sakegetyourhairoutofyoureyesandstandupstraightwhenI'mtalkingtoyou.' 2.'Icanspareyoufiveminutesbutkeepitbrief.' 3.'Holdmyhandwhilewecrosstheroad.' 4.'Goodmorning,howmayIhelpyou?'

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Notonlydowehaveaninstantideaofthepersonspeakingbutwecanalsomakeaneducatedguessabouttheirappearanceandtheirexpression. Forno.1,forexample,theimageisimmediatelyofsomeoneinauthority,aparentorteacher,andtheirexpressionisstern,theirdemeanourimpatient. Bycontrast,exampleno.4isprobablysmilingandismakinganefforttobepoliteandfriendly.Heorsheisalmostcertainlydressedsmartlyinordertomakeagood impressiononapotentialcustomer. Soundingrealistic Ifyouweretowriteacompletelyrealisticpieceofdialoguebetweentwoyoungwomen,itmightsoundsomethinglikethis:

'Hi!How'sitgoing?' 'OK.How'sthingswithyou?' 'Oh,youknow,OKbutI,er...' 'Yeah,Iknowbutyoucan't,well,urn,youknow.' 'Yeah,Iknowbutanyway,didyouwatch'Soapsuds'lastnight?Wasn'titawful?' 'Thepits.She'dneverhavedonethatinreallife.Imean,erm,well,it'sso...' 'Yeah,Iknow.'

Interrupting,'umming'and'aahing' Inreallife,mostpeoplesprinkletheirconversationswith'ums'and'aahs'.Theyalsotendtointerruptthepersonspeakingtothem,sothatsentencesarecutshortin midflow. Iffictionwritersweretoincludethissortofdialogueintheirstories,noonewouldreadpastthefirstpieceofconversation.Infiction,eachcharactermusthavetheir sayintheirowninstantlyrecognisablevoice. Inordertoproducerealisticdialogue,therefore,youhavetodevelopagoodearforlisteningtohowthepeoplearoundyouspeakandanabilitytotransfertheir 'voices'ontothepageinanacceptableway. ActingOutaSituation Onemethodofdevelopingrealisticvoicesforyourcharactersistoactoutthesituationyouwishtoportray.

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Recordingthespeeches Youcandothisbyimaginingitinyourheadorbyspeakingthewordsoutloudtohearhowtheysound. Youmayprefertorecordallthedialogueontapesoyoucanplayitbackatyourleisureandensurethateachcharacterhastheirowndistinctivewayofspeaking. Usethemethodwhichworksbestforyoubutmakesurethatifonecharactersays,'Hello,howareyou?',theresponseis'I'mfine,howareyou?'andnotsomething entirelyunrelated. Communicatingwitheachother Rememberthatthepurposeofwritingdialogueistogetyourcharacterscommunicatingwitheachother,nottalkingdirectlytothereader. Thetechniqueofhavingonecharactersayingsomething,whilsttheothertalkseithertothemselvesortotheaudienceaboutsomethingcompletelydifferentisbestleft toscriptwriterswhohavetheadvantageofthevisualandauraldimensionstoexplainwhatisgoingon. Havingaconversation Oneusefulmethodofbringingyourdialoguetolifeistochoosethepairyoumoststronglyidentifywithfromthelistbelowandwriteaconfrontationalconversation betweenthem: Dissatisfiedcustomer/unhelpfulshopassistant. Unreasonabletrafficwarden/iratemotorist. Disinterestedhospitalreceptionist/franticpatient. Officioustrainguard/exasperatedcommuter. Harassedshopper/pushyelderlylady. Angryhomeowner/selfishneighbour. If,bynow,youareinaflamingtemper,calmyourselfdownbyreadingwhatyouhavewritten.Thedialogueshouldbewonderfullyrealisticandvibrant. Puttingthespeechincontext Thevocabularyyourcharactersuseconveysmorethanjustpersonality,italsogivesanideaoftheirage,socialstatusand

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relationshiptooneanother.Readthetwoexamplesbelowandseeifyoucantellwhothecharactersmightbe:
ExampleA 'You'renotgoingouttonight.Iwon'tletyou.' 'Youcan'tstopme,I'moldenoughtodoasIlike.' 'You'renotsooldthatIcan'tgiveyouacliproundtheear.' 'ButI'vegottogo,everyone'sgoing.' ExampleB 'You'renotgoingouttonight.Iwon'tletyou.' 'Youcan'tstopme,I'lldoasIlike.' 'IfyougoI'llkillmyself.' 'Don'tbeafool.'

Alteringthevocabulary ThecharactersspeakinginExampleAaremostlikelytobeaparentandchild,probablyateenager. InExampleB,wehaveanentirelydifferentsituation.Herethecharactersareclearlylovers,headingtowardsabreakupintheirrelationship. Inessence,itisthesameconversationbutthethingsthecharacterssay,thevocabularytheyuse,thewaytheyspeak,arequitedifferent. Hesaid,shesaid Takealookatthefollowingpassagesanddecidewhichyouthinkworksbest:

PassageA 'YouknowIhatefish,'hesaid,'Yeteveryweekwithoutfail,youinsistontryingtomakemeeatit',hecomplained,throwingdownhisknifeandforkindisgust. PassageB 'YouknowIhatefish,'hethrewhisknifeandforkdownindisgust.'Yeteveryweekwithoutfail,youinsistontryingtomakemeeatit.'

Infact,bothpassagesworkperfectlywellbutinPassageA,thewords'hesaid'and'hecomplained'arecompletelysuperfluous.

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Combiningactionanddialogue Aswesawinthepreviouschapter,charactersarenotstatic.Theymovefromplacetoplace,wavetheirhandsaround,shrugtheirshouldersandstamptheirfeet. Theirfacialexpressionschange,theyhaveendearingorirritatingmannerismsandtheirbodylanguagecantellyoualmostasmuchaboutthemasthewaytheyactually speak. Acombinationofactionanddialogue,asdemonstratedinPassageBabove,willbringfarmorerealismandlifetothecharactersthanastringof'he/shesaids'. Standingalone Forshortpassages,gooddialoguewillstandalonewithoutanyactionatallasyoucanseefromthefollowingconversationbetweenacustomerandashopassistant:

'Iboughtthistapeplayeryesterdayanditdoesn'twork.' 'Isee.What'stheproblem?' 'Itkeepschewingupthetapes.' 'Isee.Whatwouldyoulikeustodoaboutit?' 'Givemeareplacementofcourse.' 'I'llhavetogetclearancefromthemanagerbuthe'satlunchrightnow.' 'OK.I'llwait.'

Thereisnoproblemunderstandingthesituation.Wecaneasilytellwhichoneisspeakingandthedialogueflowsperfectlywell. Withinthecontextofastorywherewearefamiliarwiththecharactersandtheplot,ashortconversationlikethiskeepstheactionmovingveryeffectively.Itshould not,however,besustainedfortoolongforanumberofreasons: Unlessweknowthecharactersbeforehand,wehavenoideawhattheylooklike. Itismoredifficulttoassessthemoodofthecharacters. Nomatterhowdistinctivethevoices,theconversationwilleventuallybecomeconfusing. Alongblockofunbrokendialoguesoonbecomesboring. Bringinginsomeaction Actionservesasthedescriptiveelementwithindialogueasyoucanseefromthefollowingrewrite:

Page75 'Iboughtthistapeplayeryesterdayanditdoesn'twork,'Colinslappedtheboxdownonthecounter. 'Isee.What'stheproblem?' 'Itkeepschewingupthetapes,'irritably,hetippedthedeviceoutofitspacking. 'Isee,'smilinghelpfully,thegirlpickeditupandbeganturningitaroundinherhandsinavainattempttodetectthefault.'Whatwouldyoulikeustodoaboutit?' Colinsighedimpatiently,'Givemeareplacementofcourse.' Thegirlfrowned,'I'llhavetogetclearancefromthemanager,'shechewednervouslyatherlip,'buthe'satlunchrightnow.' 'OK.'Colinsnatchedupthetapeplayerandstuffeditbackintoitsbox,'I'llwait.'

Fromtheiractions,wecanseethatthegirlisanxioustopleasebuthasnoideahowtodealwiththesituation.Colin,ontheotherhand,isirritableandnotabouttobe palmedoffbyaninexperiencedyoungster. LosingYourTemper Inthemiddleofdomesticargumentswiththeirlovedones,itisnotunknownforauthorstostopdeadinmidinsultandreachfortheirtrustynotepadandpen. Fightingtalk Akeenwriterwillneverletagoodpieceofdialogueescape,nomatterwhenorwheretheystumbleacrossit.Iftheirpartnerhappenstohurlaparticularlyjuicy phraseatthemintheheatofbattle,theyknowthey'llonlyregretitiftheydon'tstopandwriteitdown. Weallfindourselvesinconfrontationalsituationsfromtimetotimeandthemoreyoucanidentifywiththerolesofyourcharactersandrelatetotheirfeelingsand frustrationsthemorerealistictheirargumentswillsound. Basingyourcharacters'dialogueonyourowndomesticdisputesmayseemheartlessandinsensitivebutforthetruecreativewriter,there'snosenseinwastinggood material. FallinginLove Conflictisavitalelementinanyworkoffiction,sothedialoguebetweentwocharactersfallinginloveshouldbeasvolatileasargumentsbetweenwarringpartners.

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Whisperingsweetnothings Whilsttenderpillowtalkhasitsplace,alltheconcerns,heartache,soulsearchingandnervesthatarepartandparcelofforminganewrelationshipmustbereflectedin thedialogue. Ifeveryconversationisdrippingwithsugarysweetdeclarationsoflove,itwillnotonlysoundunrealisticbutalsobeutterlyboring.Inordertoconveyheightened sexualattractionbetweentwocharacters,theremustbeanelementoftensioninthedialogue. InnovelistPatriciaBurns'FirstWorldWarsaga,CinnamonAlley,heroinePoppyPowersmeetsandfallsforAmericanserviceman,ScottWarrender.Tocomplicate matters,sheisalreadybeingardentlypursuedbyveteranJoeChaplin. Thefollowingshortextractleavesthereaderinnodoubtaboutherfeelingstowardsthetwomen:

ThenScottgaveherabriefhugandlethergo. 'IguessIbetterletyougetbacktowork.ButI'llbewatchingyou,mind.I'llbewatchingeverymoveyoumake.' WhenJoesaidthingslikethatitirritatedher.FromScott,itmadeherfeelcaredforandsecure. (CinnamonAlley,PatriciaBurns,ArrowBooks)

CreatingRealisticAccentsandDialects Sofar,alltheconversationswehavelookedathavebeeninstandardEnglishbutthisisn'talwaysthecase. Ifyourstoryhasaregionalorforeigninfluence,partofthecharacterisationmayhingeontheprotagonisthavinganinstantlyrecognisableaccentandthishastobe conveyedtothereader. Avoidingtheapostrophe Let'stakeawellknownquotationbyRobertBurns:

Wee,sleekit,cow'rintim'rousbeastie, O'whatapanic'sinthybreastie. (ToaMouse)

Toanyonefamiliarwiththequote,decipheringitontheprintedpageisrelativelyeasybutformany,alongtractofunfamiliarwordslitteredwithapostrophesisahighly unattractive,nottosayunreadable,proposition.

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Listeningtotherhythm Ratherthantrytoreproduceanaccentphoneticallybyspellingthewordsdifferentlyordroppingtheoddletterhereandthereandreplacingitwithanapostrophe, listentotherhythmofspeech. Youcanachievefarmorerealismbyturningtheorderofwordsaroundinasentenceandsparinglythrowingintheoddcolloquialism. IncontrasttoherScottishnamesake,contemporarynovelistPatriciaBurnseffectivelyconveysScottWarrender'sAmericanaccentthroughthesubtleuseof phraseologyandinPoppy'sreactiontothethingshesays,asshowninthefollowingextract:

Poppytuckedherhandinsidehiselbow. 'You'llhavetotellmewhichwaytogo.Isitfar?Ihopeso.' 'Iusuallygetthefirstworkmen'stram,'Poppytoldhim,beforeshecouldstopherself. 'Tohellwiththatbeggingyourpardonwe'llfindacab.Areyoutired?' Generallyshewaswornoutattheendofanightspentonherfeet,wantingonlytocrawlintobedandsleepthesleepofthedead.Buttonightshecouldhaverunallthewayto Scotlandandback. 'No,notabit.I'mfine.' 'You'retougherthanme,then.WhenIwaswaitingtablesIwaswashedoutbythetimeIfinished.' 'You?Awaiter?Butyou'reanofficer.' 'Don'tmeanathing,honey.MyfolkskeepahardwarestoreinupstatePennsylvania.Iworkedmywaythroughcollege.' 'Oh'Itwaslikeaforeignlanguage,butshedidgetthegistofit. (CinnamonAlley,PatriciaBurns,ArrowBooks)

NotonlydoestheauthorclearlyconveytheAmericanliltinScottWarrender'sspeech,shealsoeffectivelyconjuresuptheperiodwartimefeelinPoppy'sresponses andreactions. Thereisasense,too,ofthecharacterscirclingroundoneanotherinawaythatistypicalwhenthereismutualattraction.Keentogettoknoweachotherbetter,each oneisanxioustosustainthemomentandworriedthattheymightsaythewrongthingandmisstheopportunityofalifetime. SwearingandSlang Whetherornotawriterdecidestouseexpletivesdependsnotonlyonthestyleandcontentofthestorybutalsoontheauthor'sown

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sensibilities.Youmayfeelswearingisanintegralpartofyourcharacter'spersonalityandwithoutit,theirdialoguewouldlackrealism. Usedsparingly,swearwordscanaddimpactandpacetodialoguebutgratuitoususeofobscenitiesisoffensiveandunnecessary.Whereasceneisviolentora characterisdepictedasbeingextremelyangry,upsetorfrustrated,theoccasionalexpletivewilladdrealismandpowertothescene.Toomanyobscenitieswill, however,haveadilutingeffectandthefullimpactwillbelost. Usingslang Slangdatesveryquicklysothatacontemporarypieceoffiction,liberallysprinkledwithbuzzwordsfromuptotheminutespeech,willappearquaintandoddina fewyear'stime. Slangis,however,aninvaluablemethodofconveyingperiod.Forexample,canyoudatethefollowingphrases? 1.Shethinksshe'sthecat'spyjamas. 2.Rightonmanthat'sgroovy. 3.You'redoingmyheadin. (Answersatbackofbook.) Thecharacters'agesplayalargepartintheuseofslang.Differentgenerationshavetheirownslanglanguagesandaswehaveseen,themosteffectivemethodof conveyingadifferentlanguageisthroughtheuseoftheoddwordhereandthere,ratherthantryingtoreproduceitinlarge,indecipherablechunks. Writingdialogueisnotsomuchamatterofreproducingexactlyhowpeoplespeaktooneanotherinreallife.Itismoreaboutsettingdownonthepagea representationofspeechwhichhelpsthewriterconveycharacter,periodandplotinarealisticway. CaseStudies ElizabethusesperfectEnglish ElizabethisaretiredEnglishlanguageteacher.Afteralifetimeofcorrectingherpupils'grammar,shefindsitimpossibletoignoretherulesandallowhercharactersto speaknaturallytooneanother.Asaresult,sheisunabletodevelopclearlyidentifiable'voices'forhercharactersandtheirdialogueisstiltedandunrealistic.

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Brendaactsouteachsituation Brendaisamotheroffour.Herchildren'sagesrangefrom18to30.Sheisakeenamateuractressandmemberofherlocaldramasociety.Shehasagoodearfor languageandherfamilykeepsherabreastofthelatestslangphrases.Herinterestinthrillerwritingmeansthatsheusestough,uncompromisingcharacterswhohave colourfulvocabularies.Sheisnotafraidtouseexpletivesorslangintherightcontext.Asaresult,herwritingisvibrantandrealistic. Checklist 1.Doyourcharacterseachhavetheirowndistinctive'voice'? 2.Canyoutellwhoisspeakingtowhombythedialoguealone? 3.Haveyouusedacombinationofdialogueandaction? 4.Areyousurethedialogueisnotstilted? 5.Haveyoubeensparingwithyouruseofslangandaccents? 6.Doesthedialoguemovethestoryforward? Assignment Ifyoubelongtoawritinggroup,thereisasimpleexercisewhichdemonstrateshowaconversationdevelops. Goingclockwiseroundacircle,thefirstpersonbeginswiththephrase,'I'msorry,youcan'thavethecartonight',thenturnstothenextpersonforaresponse,whichis usually,'Whynot?'Continueinthismanner,makingarulethatthedialoguemustbebroughttoasatisfactoryconclusion. Theendresultwillusuallybeacompromisebetweenthetwocharacterswhohaveevolved.(Ninetimesoutoften,thedialoguedevelopsintoanargumentbetween fatherandson.)

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7 FindingTrueLove
WritingaRomance Aromanceisthestoryofamanandawomanwhomeetandfallinloveagainstalltheodds.Theingredientsforastandardromanceare: attractivecentralcharacters abeginning,middleandhappyending anelementofsuspense obstaclesdesignedtokeeptheheroandheroineapart asatisfactoryconclusion,culminatinginthepromiseofmarriage. Romanticfictionistrueescapismandgreatfuntowriteasyousteepyourselfinavisionofwhatlifecouldbelikeifonlyallyourdreamscouldcometrue. Mostbutnotallromanticfictioniswrittenbywomen.Thisisbecauseitiscentredaroundaparticularlyfeminine,idealisedperceptionofwhatalovingrelationship shouldbe.Themaleheroisstrong,yetgentle.Acaring,nurturingcreature,whoputstheneedsanddesiresoftheheroinebeforehisown. Believewhatyouwrite Atongueincheekapproachtoromanticfictionsimplywon'twork.Inordertowriteconvincingly,youmustbelieveinyourcharactersandbepreparedtofall helplesslyinlovewiththehero. Thisdoesn'tmeanyoucan'tbringhumourintothestory.Providingyouarelaughingwithandnotatyourcharacters,youcanmakethemandtheirsituationasamusing asyouwish.Attheendoftheday,however,youhavetocarewhetherornotyourcharactersproclaimtheirloveforoneanotherandachievethehappyendingthatis anintegralpartofeveryromanticstory.

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FindingFlawsAttractive Bearinginmindthatattractivecharactersarecentraltotheromantictheme,weneedtoexploretheidiosyncrasiesofsexualattraction. Beautyintheeyeofthebeholder Itistemptingtodepictyourheroineasexquisitelybeautifulshininghair,immaculatecomplexionandafigureanywomanwoulddiefor. Equally,youmightinitiallyportrayyourheroasapictureofmasculinity.Tallandhandsome,withaheadofthick,luxurianthairandofmuscular,athleticbuild. Theybothlookandsoundwonderful,havewarm,caringdispositionsandtoallintentsandpurposes,areperfect.Tooperfect.Weordinarymortalsknowwehaven't achancewithpeoplelikethis.Theywouldneverfallforlittleoldus,soinordertomakeyourromanticcharactersappearmorebelievableand,moreimportantly, attainable,itisnecessarytogivethemaflaw. Fallingfortheflaw Theflawmaybephysical,perhapstheheroineisalittletooshort,theherojustaninchorsotootall.Whateveryoufeelittakestomakethemabitmorehumanthanif theywereperfectlyproportioned. However,aphysicalflaw,whilstuseful,onlyofferspartofthepicture.Aroundedcharacterwillalsohaveanemotionalhangup.Perhapstheyarestubborn,proud, impetuousorabsentminded.Thesearethesortofcharacteristicsthatwillatfirstexasperateandsubsequentlyattractonetotheother. OvercomingInsurmountableObstacles InChapter3,wesawhowimportantitistoincludeconflictinastory.Thescenarioillustratingthepointhadabeautifulyoungwomanmeetingandmarryingthemanof herdreamsandlivinghappilyeverafter. Whilstthisformulaisthebasisforaromanticstory,onitsownwithoutanyconflict,itoffersnosustainableplot. Preventingthecharactersfromsucceeding Havingcreatedyouralmostperfectcharactersandsetthemagainstasuitablyromanticbackground,itwouldbeverypleasanttosimply

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1. Sally'srelationshipwithmarriedMarkisrocky. SallytellsMarktheyarefinished. ShemeetsNick,anewcameraman.

2. Nickasksherout.Sherefuses.Markoffersher promotiononconditionthatshecontinuestheiraffair.

3. Sheislevelheadedinacrisis. ShetellsMarksheneedstimetothink. ShebumpsintoNickassheleavesthebuilding. Hesensessomethingiswrong. Theygoforadrink. 6. SallyfightswithNick,refusingtolistentohis explanation. Sheresignsandwalksout. Athome,thephoneringsconstantlybutsheignoresit. 9. Everythingiswonderful.Sallyisinloveandplansto returntotheUKandtakeupthenewjob. ThensheseesNickgoingintoSophie'sroom.

4. Despiteherproblems,Sallyfindsherselffallingfor Nick. Hetakesherhomeandstaysthenight. HepersuadeshertostanduptoMark. 7. Jobandromanceprospectsgone,Sallygoestostay withhermotherinFrance.SophieisspitefulandSally miserable.

5. ThefollowingafternoonSallyoverhearsNickdeepin conversationwithMark. Shemistakenlybelievestheyareconspiringagainst her. 8. NickarrivesinFrance. Astudioislookingforan'anchor'forthemainnews. Thiswaswhathe'dbeendiscussingwithMark,trying topersuadehimtoletSallygo. 11. Hurtandangry,SallyreturnsimmediatelytotheUK andthrowsherselfintohernewjob. ShemanagestobreaktheholdMarkhasoverherbut shecan'tgetoverNick. Then,sheseeshiminthestudio.

10. NickdeniesbeinginSophie'sroombutinthemiddle ofaromanticmealwithSally,Sophieburstsin screaming. Nickbustlesheroutsideandintohiscarandthey driveoff.

12. Atfirst,sheresistshisattemptstotalktoheruntil SophiearrivesandconfessesthatNickwashelping herkickherdrughabit. Finally,SallyrealisesshecantrustNickandthey confesstheirlove.

Fig.7. Planofobstaclestoromance(basedonFigure4).SallyendsaffairwithMarkandfallsinlovewithNick.Heremotionalbackgroundpreventsherfromembarkingona newrelationship.Finally,Nickwinsheroverandtheyachievetherequisitehappyending.

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sitbackandletnaturetakeitscourse.Sadly,that'sthelastthingaromanticwritercando.Theauthor'staskistocomeupwithdeviouswaystopreventtheheroand heroinefromgettingtogetheruntilthelastpossiblemoment. AswehavealreadyformedapictureoftelevisionnewsreaderSallyBlake,wecanuseherasaheroineforourromance.TakingthefirstCV,wheresheistheproduct ofabrokenmarriage,withadisinterestedstepfatherandaspoilthalfsister,weknowthatsheisscaredofformingpermanentrelationships.However,wealsoknow thatsheisambitiousso,forthepurposesofourstory,wewillneedtosabotage: 1.anyattemptonherparttoformalastingrelationshipwiththehero 2.anyexcitingnewcareerprospects. Gettingtoknowthehero Beforewecandeviseaplanofobstaclestotheirlove,weneedtogettoknowthehero. LikeSally,Nickwillhaveoneortwoendearingpersonalquirks.Perhapsherubsthebumponhisbrokennosewhenhe'sconcentratingorthecornerofhismouth twitcheswhenheisamused. HehasprobablybeenhurtbyawomaninthepastandhisattractiontoSallywillbeinspiteofadeterminationnottorepeattheexperience.Itwillbethesetraitswhich willmakehimirresistibletoourheroine. Jumpingtothewrongconclusion Bydraftingaplanofobstaclestothecouple'sromance,asshowninFigure7,wecanseeataglancehowtheywillfitintothestoryline. Oneofthemosteffectiveobstaclesistheromanticheroandheroine'sunerringtalentforjumpingtothewrongconclusion,asshowninFrame5. Sally'simmediatereactionwhenshediscoversMarkandNickinconversationistoassumetheyareplottingagainsther.ItneveroccurstoherthatNickmightbe tryingtohelpherbutifitdid,shewouldthoroughlyresenthisinterference.Eitherway,hecannotwin. ThenextmisunderstandingoccursinFrame10,withNick'sattentiontoSophie.ItisherfearoflosinghimtoherspitefulstepsisterthatpromptsSally'silljudged behaviour.Meanwhile,itisacombinationofprideandintegrityonNick'spartwhichgovernshisreactions.

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Rememberthat,howevermanyobstacleswethrowinherpath,Sallymusthaveovercomethembytheendofthebook. DrivingFastCarsandWearingFancyClothes Romanceandglamourgohandinhandandifyouintendtowriteromanticfiction,youneedglamoroussettingsforyourstories. Ourstoryissetaroundthefastmovingbackgroundofatelevisionnewsstation.However,theworldsofhighfashion,fastcars,thoroughbredhorsesandsporting championsalsofeatureheavilyinthiskindofnovel.Noonewantstoreadaboutthelovelifeofagaragemechanicandasecretary.Not,thatis,unlessthegarage mechanicdesignsandbuildsrevolutionaryracingcarsorthesecretaryworksforahighpoweredexecutiveofaninternationalindustrialgiant. Followinghighfashion Clothesareparticularlyimportantandalwayssetoffahero'sphysiqueoraheroine'sfiguretoperfection. Eventhepoorestheroineseemstobeabletolayherhandsonatleastonepuresilkdesignereveninggown,whilstold,wornjeansandanopenneckedworkshirt enhanceourhero'shardmanimageasmuchastheculturedsideofhisnatureisimprovedbyhisappearanceinanimmaculatetuxedo. Keepingupwiththetimes Inlinewiththeglamour/powerimage,today'sromanticheroinemaywellbeinhermidtolatetwentiesandrunningherownbusiness.Shemaydriveapowerfulcar, pilotaplane,sailayachtorbeanexperthorsewomanandwillnotappreciatebeingtreatedasifshe'sarareandfragileflower. EnjoyingSexandFood Theonlyrulerelatingtotheinclusionofsexinaromanticstoryisthatitmustbeintegraltothestorylineandportrayedwithinthecontextofalovescene.Gratuitous sex,particularlyiflinkedwithviolence,istotallyunacceptable. Practisingsafesex Someromanticwritersalwaysincludeexplicitsexscenes,othersneverdo.Itisentirelyuptoyoutodecidewhetherornotyouarecomfortablewritingaboutsex.

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Allsexualencountersbetweentheheroandheroineareimmenselypleasurableandsafesexispractised.Thisisallpartofthecaring,nurturingrolewhichisthe essenceofthetrueromantichero. Eatinganddrinkingsensuously Eatingisalmostasimportantassexinaromanticstory.Mealsaredescribedingreatdetailandrangefromplainbutwholesomesimplefaretodelicatelypresented gourmetdishes. Forexample,aromanticploughman'slunchfortwowouldconsistofafresh,Frenchloaf,deliciouslycrustyontheoutside,thesoft,whitemiddlethicklyspreadwith creamybutter.Thecheesewillbefirmandmature,servedwithageneroushelpingoftangy,homemadechutney.Thewholethingwillbewasheddownwithanamed wine,afruityredorlight,refreshingwhite. Listedbelowisaselectionofkeywordsfordescribingfoodanddrink: cool crisp crunchy crusty fresh frothy melting piquant refreshing smooth succulent tangy velvety

HeighteningAlltheSenses Aswehaveseeninpreviouschapters,inordertobringfictionalcharacterstolife,itisimportanttobringallfivesensesintoplay. Inromanticfiction,thesesensesareheightenedformaximumstimulation.Carsgofaster,foodtastesbetter,clothesfeelsilkierandvoicesaresofterandwarmer. Thingslookbetter,too.Carsgleam,mealsarefeastsfortheeyes,garmentsclinginalltherightplaces,hairandeyesshineandflash,skinandmusclesaresoftorhard tothetouch. BringingtheHeroandHeroineTogether Withallthesesensationstolookforwardto,it'snotsurprisingthatromanceissuchapopularformoffiction.Allthatremainsnowistobringourheroandheroine together.

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Inaromance,whenheroandheroinemeet,theirfirstemotionshouldbeanyoneofthefollowing: anger dislike suspicion distrust intimidation embarrassment fear caution irritation reluctantattraction. Whatitshouldneverbeis'love'.Thatwouldbetooeasyandasweknow,withoutconflict,thereisnostory. HistoricalSettings Theadvantageofacontemporaryromanceisthatyouarewritingabouttoday'scharactersandcansetthemagainstbackgroundswithwhichyouarefamiliar.Aswe sawinChapter4,itisimportanttohaveaccurateknowledgeofalocationwhetheritisasmallprovincialtownoranexoticSouthSeaisland.Backgroundinformation mustalsobeaccurate.Knowledgeofthetelevisionindustrywould,therefore,beessentialforanyonewritingSallyandNick'sstoryandforhistoricalromances, accuracyisequallyimportant. Researchingtheperiod Foranhistoricalstorytoworkeffectively,therightmonarchmustbeonthethroneandcostumes,furnishings,vehicles,dialogue,attitudesandbehaviourmustall reflecttherightperiod. Romanticetiquettethroughtheagesisacomplexarea.Inordertowritebelievablehistoricalfiction,itisessentialthattheauthorunderstandsandisthoroughly conversantwiththeconventionsandrulesoftheperiod. Employingthelanguageoffans,forexample,isonemethodbywhichaheroinecouldembarkonaromanticliaisonwithapotentialsuitor.Likeeveryotherlanguage, however,youhavetoknowittospeakit. Youalsoneedtoknowwhowouldbedeemedanunsuitablemarriagepartnerandwhowouldbeconsideredanexcellentcatch

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accordingtotheconventionsofthetime.Methodsofovercomingparentalopposition,schemesforbetteringthemselvesorplansforelopingmustallbeworkable withinthecontextofthehistoricalsettingyouhavechosen. Attendingbanquets Eatinganddrinkingwasjustasimportantinthepast,ifnotmoreso.Forthehistoricalnovelist,itisvitalthatyouknowwhatfoodwasservedandhowitwascooked. Financealsorearsitsuglyheadas,whilsttheheroandheroinewillcarenothingformonetarygain,financialstatuswillhaveenormousimplicationsonanypotential marriageplans. Inromanticfiction,thebackgroundisasimportantastheplotandaccuracyprovidesanidealbalancefortheescapisttaleyoulongtotell. Checklist 1.Wouldyoufallinlovewithyourhero? 2.Isyourheroineattractivetobothmenandwomen? 3.Doyouwantthemtolivehappilyeverafter? 4.Doesyourstoryhaveahappyending? 5.Isthebackgroundinformationaccurate? 6.Haveyouusedallfivesenseseffectively? 7.Issexportrayedwithinthecontextofalovingrelationship? Assignment Selectoneofthefollowingpairsandwritethesceneoftheirfirstmeeting,conveyingtheirreactionsthroughacombinationofdialogueandaction: Amalelawyerwhosebrillianceincourtledtoamiscarriageofjusticeagainsttheyoungwoman'sfather. Afemalehospitaladministratorchargedwithcuttingcostsandamalepaediatrician. AminorladyinwaitingatQueenElizabethI'scourtandaSpanishcourtier.

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8 Haunting,ThrillingandKilling
IntroducingaNoteofSuspense Forsomewriters,thethrillofthechasehaslittletodowithlove.Theirpreferenceisforghostandhorrorstoriesandtheopportunitytheyoffertotaketheirwritingto thelimitsoftheirimagination. Explainingtheinexplicable Ghoststakemanyformsandappearinnovelsinarangeofguisesandmoods.Theymaybe: friendly hostile sad happy mischievous malevolent humorous helpful obstructive manipulative powerful possessive terrifying comforting. Inadditiontoallthosequalities,theformtheytakecouldbe: arestlessspirit acontentedresident apoltergeist amessengerfromthepast,presentorfuture.

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Someghostsassumeclearlyvisiblehumanform,othersareopaqueandsomearesimplyashapelesspresencebuttheonethingtheyusuallyhaveincommonisthe abilitytomaterialiseanddisappearatwill. Diggingupthepast Ghostlycharactersarenodifferentfromanyotherprotagonistsandshouldbetreatedaccordingly. Youneedtodigdeepintotheirpastsothattheirbackgroundoffersanexcellentreasonfortheircurrentexistence.Theirpastwillalsoexplaintheirattitudetothe mortalstheyencounter. Forthemortalcharacters,whethertheghostisfrighteningorfriendly,theinitialmeetingmusthaveanelementofsuspenseacreakingfloorboard,suddenicydraught, aslammingdoororwindow. ConfrontingtheFearsWithin Whilstnoteveryhorrorstoryfeaturesaghost,thetwogenresoftenoverlapasbothsetouttofrightenthereader. Horrorstoriesexploitourfearsandshockusintofacingthethingwebelievetobelurkingintheshadows.Ifyouarefrightenedofspiders,forexample,it'sbadenough ifyouseeonecrawlingupyourarm.Imaginehowmuchworseitwouldbeifyouwerelockedinadarkroomwithdozensofthemrunningaroundyou.Youmightnot beabletoseethembutyou'dcertainlyknowtheywerethere. Infact,theyneednotbethereatall,yousimplyhavetobelievetheyareandyourimaginationwilldotherestforyou.Beforelong,you'llstarttofeelthemcrawlingup yourlegsandoveryourbody. Confrontingyourworstnightmare Horrorfictionisbasedontheprincipleofconfrontationwithyourworstnightmareandcommonphobiasareusedtogreateffectinbothghostandhorrorstories. Theprospectofspendingthenightinahauntedhouse,forexample,mercilesslyexploitsournaturalfearsofthedarkandisolation.Amongthespookysensationsand incidentsguaranteedtoscareussillyare: beingcutofffromtheoutsideworld lackofwarmthandlight

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novisibleescaperoute havingsupportingcharactersmysteriouslydisappearingonebyone. Losingcontrol Theunderlyingthemeofthescenariofeaturedaboveisthatofpowerlessness. Onceacharacteristrappedinasituation,theymustrelyheavilyontheirwitsforsurvivalandifthey'vehadthosewitsfrightenedoutofthem,wewon'tholdoutmuch hopefortheirchances. Lossofcontrolorfreewillisanotherverypowerfulthemeinghostandhorrorstoriesandincludes: beingunderattackfrommonsters,e.g.werewolves,vampires,zombiesetc. beingtrappedalonewithyourworstnightmare havingyourmindand/oractionscontrolledbysomeoneevil beingunabletofindanescaperoute,i.e.everyroadyoutakeleadsbacktowhereyoustarted beingunabletodistinguishbetweenrealityandfalsehood,i.e.areyouinsane? beingtheonlyonetorecognisethegrowingdanger,i.e.beingquitealone. ContrastingNormalityWithTerror Contrastingfearoftheunknownwithabackgroundoffamiliarityproducesanimmenselystrongfeelingofterrorandsuspense. Creatinganelementofdoubt Pictureasceneofcontenteddomesticity.Ahousewifeistacklingtheroutinechoreswhenthephonerings.Justassheisabouttopickupthereceiver,itstops. Nothingparticularlyunusualhere,justawrongnumber.Unless,ofcourse,thesamethinghappenscontinuallythroughouttheday. Bythetimeherhusbandreturnshomefromwork,ourhousewifeisabundleofnerves.Hemanagestocalmher,puttingitdowntophoneengineersworkingonthe line. ThateveningtheyarewatchingTVwhenthewifehearsanoise

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outside.Husbandinvestigatesbutcanseenothing.Thecatstrollsinthroughtheopendoorandtheylaughtheincidentoff. Inbedthatnight,thewifeiswokenbythephoneringing.Herhusbandstirsbutdoesn'twakensoshemakesherwaydownstairstoansweritbutwhenshepicksup thereceiver,thelineisdead.Shereturnstothebedroomandclimbingbackintobed,snugglesclosetoherhusbandbutsomethingdoesn'tfeelright.Shetriesinvain torousehimanddiscoversheisdead,hisfaceacontortedmaskoffear. Providinganexplanation Lullthereaderintoafalsesenseofsecuritybyprovidingcredibleexplanationswhenthestrangeeventsbeginsothat,whentheterrorisrevealed,itscaresthemas muchasthecentralcharacter. Justwhenyouthoughtitwasallover Dependingonthestyleofthestoryyouarewriting,itissometimespossibletoaddevenmoreimpacttothetalebyrevivingthemonsterjustlongenoughforonelast attack. Thecentralcharacterhasfoughtandvanquishedhisfoeandisfeelingjustifiablyeuphoric.Nothingcanharmhimnow,thetown/city/worldissavedandlifeisrapidly returningtonormal. Justwhenyouthoughtitwasallover,however,whatevergrislybeingisleftafterourherohasfinishedwithithaulsitselfpainfullybackfromthedeadandmakesone last,usuallyunsuccessful,lungetowardshim. Layingthefoundationforasequel Alternatively,asyouapproachtheendofyournovel,youmayalreadybethinkingaboutasequel. Ifso,ithelpstogiveahintthatthemeansaretheretorecreatetheterror.Aflickeroflifeinatwitchinglimb,anunnoticedpodoregg,anindicationthattheconditions whichgaverisetotheterrorcouldbereproducedifcertainconditionswererecreated. WritingaMurderMystery Whilstmurdersfrequentlytakeplaceinbothghostandhorrorstories,wecanderivecomfortfromthefactthattheperpetratorsareproductsoftheauthor'svivid imagination. Themortalmurdererisaverydifferentkettleoffishasheorshemaybebasedonarealpersonorevent.

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Avoidingtruestories Allwritersexploitinformationgleanedfromthemediabutcaremustbetakentoprotectinnocentvictimsoftruelifecrime.Thediscoveryofamurdervictim'sremains oranoldnewspapercuttingmighttriggeryourimaginationbutforthefamiliesofthoseinvolved,itisatraumafromwhichtheywillneverfullyrecover.Byallmeansuse truelifecasesasaframeworkforyourstoriesbutthebackground,charactersandplotshouldbeyourownfictionalcreation. Employinganamateurdetective Fortoday'scrimewriter,thegiftedamateurdetectiveinthestyleofAgathaChristie'sMissMarpleisathingofthepast. Nowadaystheamateurisusuallysomeonewhohappenedtobeinthewrongplaceatthewrongtime.Havingstumbledacrossacrime,theybecomeentangledinthe eventswhichfollowandareforcedtosolvethemysteryinordertoextricatethemselvesfromthesituation. Theattitudeoftheprofessionalpolicemaninallofthisiseitheroneofoutrighthostilityordownrightsuspicion.Indeed,ourunwillingsleuthcouldwellfindthemselves ontherunfromthelawandunabletoconvinceanyoneoftheirinnocence. Consultingaspecialist Novelsfeaturingamateurdetectivesareusuallysetagainstspecialistbackgroundsreflectingareasoftheirauthors'ownexpertise.EllisPeters'medievalmonk,Brother Cadfael,forexampleandJonathanGash'sroguishantiquesdealerLovejoyarejusttwosuchsuccessfulfictionalsleuths. Inthistypeofnovel,thefascinatingbackgroundsgiverisetosubplotsandbackstorieswhichareasgrippingtothereaderasthecrimebeingsolved.Ifanew specialistamateursleuthistobreakintothisovercrowdedfieldoffiction,theirbackgroundmustbecompletelydifferentfromanyotherdetectiveseriescurrentlyon thebookshelves. Relyingontheprofessionals 'Policeprocedurals',whereaprofessionalpoliceofficersolvesthecrime,featureuptotheminutepolicemethodsandthelatestadvancesinforensicscience. Accuracyisvitalandthedetectiveneedstobeafairlycolourfuloreccentriccharacter. ChoosingaMurderWeapon Thechoiceofmurderweaponshouldberealistic,bearinginmind

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thatthecauseofdeathcouldbeanyoneofthefollowing: ablowfromabluntinstrument stabbingwithaknifeorsharpimplement poisoning shooting drowning strangulation suffocation. Killingeffectively Whicheverweaponandmethodyouselect,youmustbesurethatitwillworkandknowwhateffectsitwillhaveonyourvictim.Forexample,ifyouintendtostab, shootorphysicallyattackyourvictim,couldyouanswerthefollowingquestions? Howmuchbloodwilltherebe? Whatshapewillthewoundbe? Howmuchforcewillbeneededfortheblowtobeeffective? Howlongwillthevictimtaketodie? Poisoningthevictim Poisoningthevictim'sfoodisafavouritemethodbuthereagain,itisimperativethatyouknowafewbasicfacts: Isthepoisoneasilydetectable? Doesithaveadistinctivetaste/odour? Whatquantitiesareyoulikelytoneed? Isitreadilyavailableandobtainable? Whatsymptomswillthevictimdisplay? Howlongwillthevictimtaketodie? Killingbyaccident Occasionallyavictimiskilledbyaccident.Theymayfalldownricketystepsandbreaktheirnecks,havesomethingheavyfallonthemorbelockedinthecellarofan emptyhouse. Underthesecircumstances,theytendtobevictimsoftheirownevilplans,havinghatchedtheplotandfallenintotheirowntrap.

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Occasionally,however,theyareinnocent,theirdeathleadingtountoldproblemsforthecharacterwhowasinstrumentalincausingitinthefirstplace. Whenplanningamurder,beabsolutelysureofyourfactsandremember,thesimplertheplan,themorelikelyitistosucceed. PlottingandPlanning Aplotissimplywhathappensinastoryandplotdevelopmentdependsagreatdealonyourcharacterisation. Yourcharacters'reactionstoagivensituationwillhaveastronginfluenceonyourplot.Inafamilysaga,forexample,thestorywillbecentredaroundonecharacter's relationshipwiththeirfamilyandthepeopletheyencounterastheirtaleunfolds. Incontrast,crimenovelsarecentredaroundthesolutionofthecrimesothat,whilstitisessentialtohaveastrongprotagonist,thebookmustbecarefullyplottedin ordertokeepuptheinterest.aBeforeyoubegintowritethebook,youmustbeveryclearwhereallthetwistandturns,cluesandredherringswilloccur. YoushouldalsotakenoteofthefollowingadvicefromcrimewriterSusanMoody:'Youmustplayfairwiththereader.Notwinbrothersproducedinthelastchapter. Sharetheclueswiththereader,yourjobistohidethemasskilfullyasyoucan.' Planningyournovel Nomatterwhatthegenre,youshouldalwaysdraftoutaplanoroutlinewhichtakestheworkthroughfromitsbeginningtoitslogicalend. Thishelpsyoutoplotboththemainthemeandanysubplotsor

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'backstories'withinaflexibleframework.AswesawwiththeplanofobstaclestoSally'sromanceinChapter7,farmoreisgoingonthanjustherloveaffairwith Nick. Eachstageoftheplotmustbesetoutwithintheframeofachapterbychapteroutline,sothatyoucanseeataglanceexactlywhereandwheneachincidentoccurs. UsingtheplotlinefromChapter3whereSallyaccidentallykillsMark,Figure8showsthedraftplanofacrimenovel.Asyoucansee,thedetailisverysketchy.Atthis stagethebackstory,orsubplot,hasbeenomittedbuttherewillberoomwithineachframetoslotindetailsofNickandSally'sromancefromouroriginalplan. Anoutlineshouldberegardedasaflexibletool,whichmaybealteredandshapedtosuitthecircumstances.Youhavetobecomfortablewiththeideaofchangingit round,takingsomebitsoutandmovingotherstomorelogicalplaces. Devisingastoryboard Puttingitoncomputergivesyouthefreedomtoalteritatwillalthoughitdoeshelpiftheplanisinconstantviewinstoryboardorchartformwhileyouareworking. Someauthorsusewipecleanboardsorselfadhesivenoteletswhichcanbemovedaroundanddiscardedwhennecessary,whilstotherspreferalargesheetofwhite paper,draftingtheplanoutinpencil,colourcoding,erasingorcrossingoutitemswherenecessary. Whichevermethodyouselect,onceyouhaveaplantowhichyoucanwork,itismucheasiertoslotintheplotchangeswhenandwheretheyoccurandbuildupa visualpictureofthecompletednovel. Avoidingerrors Anothergreatadvantageofproducingavisualaidlikethisisthaterrorsinthestorylinecanbedetectedataglance. If,forexample,youhaveacharacterwhowaskilledinChapter3unaccountablyturningupinChapter5,youcanremedythisbeforeyougettoofarintothebook. Awrittenplanallowsyoutoseewhereeachcharacterisatanygivenmomentandtocalculatehowtomovethemfromandtoeachlocation.Italsopreventsyou forgettinganyminorcharactersalongtheway. TwistingtheTale Everycrimestorycontainsanelementofsuspense,providedbythetwistsandturnsintheplot.

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Chap1 SallyreturnstofiattofindMarkinfoultemper.She saystheiraffairisover,hasmetNick.Endswith Mark'sattempttorapeher.

Chap2 SallyfightsMarkoffandheleaves.Laterinbedis wokenbyphone.It'sNick.Markhasattackedhim. Hecomesover.Lovescene. Doorbellrings.Police.Markisdead,killedbyblow frompaperweightfromSally'sofficedesk.

Chap3 InsufficientevidencetoholdSally.Inoffice,papersre drugsstoryshewasworkingonaremissing.She hearsnoise,seesNickriflingthroughMark'sdesk andfindingfile. Confrontshim,hisstoryislame,distractshim.Ends withhergrabbingfileandrunning. Chap6 SallyconfrontsNick.DidhemurderMark?He swearshisinnocence.Sayshewasworkingondrugs caseforrivalnewsstation. Lovescene.EndswithSallywakingtofindNick, Sophieandfilehavealldisappeared. Chap9 Sophiesufferingwithdrawal.Dooropens,itisClaude, followedSophie.Rescuesgirlsbutinsistsunsafetogo topolice.TheyreturntoSally'sflat.Endswithher discoveringitransacked.

Chap4 SallyonChannelTunneltrain.ThinkssheseesNick butitisalookalike.Relaxes,studiesfile,findlinks withbothMarkandNick.Endswithherleavingtrain unawaresheisbeingfollowed.

Chap5 Atmother'shouseinFrance.Claudebehaving strangely.Sophielookspaleandill.Sallydiscovers Claudesearchingherthings. Theyargue.ShedecidestoreturntoUK.Endswith herseeingNickingardenwithSophie. Chap8 Sallyinlockedroom.Hearsscuffleoutside. Sophiehighondrugspushedin,doorlocked. Sophieconfessessheisa'mule'(carrier)forthedrugs baron.Sheisterrifiedofsomeone. Endswithfailedescapeattempt. Chap11 Nickagitated.GrabsSally,shegrappleswithhim, managestoescape,runsstraightintoClaudewho bringsherbackinside.HeconfrontsNick,bothmen accuseeachother.

Chap7 SallyreturnstoUKandstudio.Checkscomputer, findscontactaddressindrugscase.Breaksinbutis captured.Recognisesmajordrugsbaron.Endswith Nickarriving,revealedasgangmember.

Chap10 SallybegsClaudetocallpolice.Herefuses. ShetriestocallanambulanceforSophiebuthesays hewillgetadoctor.EndswithSophietryingtowarn Sallyaboutsomethingbutbeforeshecanname names,Nickarrives.

Chap12 WhichmancanSallytrust?Sheappearstochoose Claudebuthegiveshimselfawaybytellingherhow Markwaskilled(couldn'tknowthis).Rght.Nick savesthemrevealsheisdetectiveworking undercover.Endswithpromiseofromance.

Fig.8. Outlineforcrimenovel.

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Layingafalsetrail Twistingthetaleinvolveslayingafalsetrailinsuchawaythatanysurpriseendingisafeasibleone.Thecluesmustbedoubleedged,sothatwhilstcarefullysteering thereaderinthewrongdirection,oncloserexaminationtheyactuallyleadtotherightone. Forexample,inourstoryaboutSallyBlake,theminuteNickmeetsSophie,heappearstobefollowingRoute(a)inthechartinFigure9,ditchingSallyinfavourofher sisterwhen,infact,heisactuallyfollowingRoute(b).Asbothroutesareequallyvalid,neitherSallynorthereaderwillfeelcheatedwhenthetruthisrevealed. NickappearstobeveryinterestedinSophie (a)Hefindshersexuallyattractive (b)Herecognisesthatsheisadrugaddict (a)Hewantstoditchherforhersister (b)Hewantstoprotectherfromthetruth (a)Heisavillain (b)Heisadetectiveworkingundercover (a)Theyhaverunofftogether (b)Nickhastakenhertoaclinictokickherdrug habit

WhenquestionedbySally,Nickisevasive

Nickiscageyabouthispast

NickandSophiedisappeartogether

Fig.9. Twistclueformat.Thereadershouldbedeliberatelyledtobelievethatthefirstanswers,Route (a)arecorrect.However,thesecondanswersareequallyvalidandRoute(b)is,infact,thecorrectone.

Inatwiststory,thereadershouldbekeptguessingrighttotheend.Fordetailedinformationonhowtowritetwistintaleshortstories,seemybookinHowTo's SuccessfulWritingseriesentitledCreatingaTwistintheTale. Plantingredherrings Redherrings,unliketwistsinthetale,aresimplyfalsetrailswhicharedesignedtoleadyoudownaproverbialblindalley.Eachsuspectisfurnishedinturnwithanalibi andthereisanelementofchallenge

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involvedwherebythereaderisbeinginvitedtounravelthemystery. Forexample,SallyisinitiallytheobviouschoiceforMark'smurdererbutcanbeeliminatedbyahelpfullydetailedpathologist'sreport. Thisleavesuswiththestandardmurdermysteryquestion:'ifshedidn'tkillhim,whodid?'Nick,ournextmostobvioussuspect,isreleasedbythepolice,leavingus freetosendthereaderoffonanumberoffalsetrailsbeforetheresolutionofthemysteryinthefinalchapter. LookingtotheFuture Futuristicstoriesareenduringlypopularandthesciencefictionwritercanchoosetowriteanyofthefollowingtypesofstory,providingtheyaresetagainstascientific background: aromance adventurestory politicalthriller psychologicalthriller murdermystery horrorstory. Explainingtheinexplicable Unlikefantasy,whichfeaturesmagicalcreaturessuchasgoblinsandgremlinswithinparallelworldsandtimezones,sciencefictionexplorestheconceptsand implicationsofspaceandtimetravel,scientificdevelopmentsandtheoreticalpossibilities. Thepremiseyouuseneednotbeprovenscientificfactbutitmusthaveafactualbasisanditmustbetheoreticallypossible.Withintheseconstraints,thesciencefiction writercanapproachthegenrefromavarietyofangles. Exploringtheinfluenceoftechnologicalchangefrombothnegativeandpositiveangles. Voicingconcernsforthefutureoftheplanet. Exploringthepossibledamagingeffectofnewtechnologywhentakentotheedgesoftheoreticalprobability. Usingtechnologicaladvancestoprovideafuturisticsettingforanadventurestoryorpoliticalnovel.

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Recognisinganalien Aliens,likeghosts,canbehostileorfriendly,dependingonthetoneofthestory.Manyarehumanoidbutiftheyare,theyalwayshaveonestrangecharacteristicby whichtheycanbeidentified. Ofthosethataren'thumanoid,hostilealienstendtobeslimyorscaly,whilstfriendlyonesareusuallycuddlyand/orfurry.However,watchoutforaliensdisguisedas earthcreatures.Thesemaytaketheformofinsectsorsmallmammals,onlyrevealingtheirtrueidentityundercertaintraumaticconditions.

AsallaliensfunctiondifferentlyfromEarthlings,oneeffectivemethodofintroducinghumouristogiveyouralienaslightlyirritatingquirkorhabitwhichmayormaynot bethesameasanyspecialpowersorabilitiesitmaypossess. Travellingintimeandspace Traveltothepastoftenaimstopreventacatastropheinthefutureortacklespoliticalissuessuchaswhatmighthavehappenedifhistoricaleventshadtakenadifferent turn. Traveltothefuturetendstoexplorethehumanpotentialforselfdestruction,theeffectsofovermechanisation,pollutionandnuclearwarfare. Discoveringnewworlds Wenowknowsomuchaboutourownsolarsystemthat,ifyouwishtowriteaboutinterplanetarytravel,youneedtogomuchfurtherafield.

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Duetothevastdistancesinvolved,youhavetofindwaysofpreventingyourcharactersfromdyingofoldagebeforetheyreachtheirdestinationandtherearea numberofmethodsyoucanuse: suspendedanimation deepfreezing 'warp'speeddrivesforyourspaceship 'hyperspace'adimensionwheredistanceisreducedtozero a'generation'starship,i.e.amoving,livingcolonyinspace. Losingsightofthestory Sciencefictionhassomuchtoofferthewriterinthewayoftechnologicalbackground,exoticsettingsandpoliticalthemesthatitisalltooeasytolosesightofthe charactersandplot. Inordertoensurethatthesettingdoesnotswampthestory,followthesamerulesthatapplytoeveryotherformoffictionwriting:welldrawn,believablecharacters andastorythatiscarefullyplannedandplottedfrombeginningtoend. CaseStudies Boblovestoshock BobisamatureEnglishLiteraturestudent.Hisspecialinterestishorrorandhiswritingiscolourfulandimaginative.Unfortunately,heisinclinedtolethisimagination runawaywithhim,fillinghisstorieswithsomuchbloodandgorethattheshockeffecthestrivesforislost.Untilhecantonedowntheimagerybytakingamoresubtle approach,hewillfailtoachievehisfullpotentialasahorrorwriter. Sueenjoysagoodmurder Sueisagreatfanofmurdermysteriesandherclericaljobatthelocalpolicestationhasgivenheranexcellentinsightintopoliceprocedures.Drawingonthe knowledgeshehasgainedthroughherwork,sheisintheprocessofcreatingafemaleDetectiveInspectorandiscurrentlyplanningamurdermysterynovelfeaturinga backstorydealingwithsexualharassmentwithinthepoliceforce.

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Checklist 1.Wouldyourstoryallowareader'simaginationtoplayanactiverole? 2.Haveyouwrittenachapterbychapterplanofyournovel? 3.Haveyouchartedtheplotdevelopments? 4.Haveyouthoroughlyresearchedthebackgroundtoyourstory? 5.Ifyourstoryisbasedontrueevents,haveyoufictionalisedthecharacterssufficiently? 6.Isyourstorylinecredibleandwithintheboundsofprobability? Assignment Ateenagegirlisbabysittingforacouplenewtotheneighbourhood.Shehearsanoiseupstairs,investigatesbutcanfindnothingamiss,thetwochildrenaged3and9 aresoundasleep.Continuethisstoryline,includingthefollowingpoints: otherunusualeventswhichoccurthroughouttheevening anapparentlyinnocentexplanationofthenoise amoresinisterexplanationofthenoise thediscoveryofsomethingrelevanttothenoise theimplicationstothegirlandthefamilyofthisincident.

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9 WritingforChildren
ThinkingBacktoYourChildhood Formanynovicewriters,thedesiretowriteforchildrenspringsfromtheirenjoymentinmakingupstoriesfortheirownoffspring. Tellingbedtimestories Despitetheinfluenceoftelevisionandcomputers,bedtimeinacomfortinglylargenumberoffamiliesisstillsynonymouswithstorytime. Parentsstillenjoyreadingtotheirchildren,astheywerereadtowhentheyweresmallandwilljumpatthechancetodigouttheiroldfavouritesandintroducethemto abrandnewaudience.

Sometimes,however,thestoriesneedalittlealteration.Perhapsthevocabularyistoodifficultorthestoryratherfrightening.Wemayfeelafewchangesareinorder andbeforelong,wearemakingupourownstories,replacingtheleadingcharacterswithourselvesandourchildren. Entertainingthefamily Bothchildandparentgainagreatdealfromthisexercise.Thechildrenenjoybeingpartofanightlyadventureandparentshave

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funlettingtheirimaginationrunriot. Theremaywellcomeapointwhenanadmiringrelativeorfriendurgesyoutowritethesestoriesdownandturnthemintoabookandifthisisyourintention,bearin mindthat: Familystoriesusuallyincludelotsoflittlepersonalasidesand'in'jokes. Thestoriesoftenfeatureincidentswhichareamusingonlybecausetheyhappenedtofamilymembers. Tellingstoriestoyourownchildrenisenjoyablebecausetheyunderstandandrelatetoyoursenseofhumour. Consequently,theverythingsaboutyourstorieswhichappealtoyourownchildrenmayholdlittleornointerestforanyoneoutsideyourcircleoffamilyandfriends. Broadeningyourhorizons Ifyouintendtowriteworkofapublishablestandardforchildren,youmustconsiderablybroadenyourhorizons. Beginbyexploringyourattitudetochildreningeneral.Ifyoulovethemallunreservedly,believingthemtobedelightfullyangeliccreatures,children'swritingis probablynotforyou. LookingatLifeThroughaChild'sEyes Inordertowriteeffectivelyforchildren,youneedtothinkandreactastheydo.Tohelpyoulookatlifethroughtheeyesofachild,considerhowatinybabyfunctions withinitsenvironment.Undernormalcircumstances,ababycriesforthefollowingreasons: hunger discomfort pain tiredness. Welearnhowtostopthebabycryingthroughacombinationofinstinct,trialanderror. Manipulatingadults Atthesametime,thebabyalsousestrialanderrortomanipulatetheadultswhopandertoitseveryneed.

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Itlearnsveryquicklyhowtostimulatethedesiredresponseinitsparentsandunderstandsalltoowellhowtoreactinordertoavoidcertainsituations.Ataveryyoung age,thebabywillbecapableofquitecomplexbehaviourguaranteedtodriveitsparentstodistraction. Itisatthispointthatthebabybeginstoformtheveryaccurateopinionthatadultsarehighlyirrationalcreatures. Thinkingrationally Childrenarerefreshinglydirectintheirthoughtsandactions.Incontrast,adultbehaviourcanappearextremelyirrational.Forexample,thepersonwhopraisesyoufor drawingapictureonablanksheetofpaperwill,fornoreasonimmediatelyobvioustotheaveragetoddler,punishyouseverelyfordrawingasimilarpictureonablank wall. Bythetimethechildiswalkingandtalking,itknowsthateverythingitdoeshasacertainriskfactorattachedtoit.Whenattemptingsomethingnew,itrunsa50/50 chanceofeitherbeingpraisedorgettingintotrouble. Pokingfunatauthority Onceachildhasbeguntoprogressthroughtheschoolsystem,itwillbegintorelatemuchmoretoslapstickhumour,asdemonstratedbytheenduringpopularityof comicssuchasTheDandyandTheBeano(publishedbyD.C.Thomson). Childrenadorestorieswhichpokefunatauthority,anaspectoftheirnaturewhichRoaldDahl,consideredbysometobethegreatestchildren'sauthorofourtime, shamelesslyexploited. Understandinghowitfeels Ifyouintendtowriteforchildren,youmustbeabletorelatetotheirantiauthoritarianemotions. Therewillbemanysignificantincidentsinyourchildhoodthatyouhavecarriedwithyouintoyouradultlife.Trytorememberexactlyhowyoufeltwhenthey happened,whatemotionsyouexperiencedandhowlongittookyoutogetoverthem. Itissurprisingjusthowmuchstayswithusintoadulthood,especiallyifwehavebeenatthereceivingendofparticularlyspitefulorthoughtlessbehaviour. Beingsmallandpowerless Theoneemotionthatissharedbyallchildrenisthefeelingofpowerlessnessinthefaceofadultsupremacy.

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Lookingatlifethroughachild'seyesgivesyouaverydifferentperspectivefromthatofagrownup.Adultscancomeandgoastheyplease,buywhattheylike,eat whattheylike,doandsaywhattheylikeandmoreimportantly,theyarebigandpowerful. Achild,ontheotherhand,issmallandpowerless,subjecttothewhimsandwishesofprettywellanyonebiggerthanthemselves.Itissurelynocoincidencethat,as wesawinthepreviouschapter,theconceptofbeingpowerlessisarecurringthemeinhorrorstories. Relatingtotherightagegroup Beforeyouattempttowritestoriesforchildren,decidewhichagegroupyourelatetobest.Childrenareasvariedintheirtastesandinterestsasadultsbutwhilstthere isnolimitonthethemesyoucanexplore,vocabularyandstyleisaverydifferentmatter.AsMargaretNash,authorofmanychildren'sbooks,includingthepopular 'Class1'series,explains:

Plotshavetomovemuchfasterforchildrenthanadultsandeachchaptershouldincludesomeparticularinterestaswellassomeformandprogression.

Readwithawriter'seyebookswrittenfortheagegroupofyourchoiceandinordertoestablishthevocabularyandconceptsyoushouldbeusing,studyNational Curriculumreadingschemes. Ifyoucan,offeryourservicestothelocalschoolasavolunteerhelperandreadstoriestothechildren.Duringthesestorysessions,assesstheirreactionsbynotingthe followingpoints: Howsoondotheybegintofidget? Whichstoriesholdtheirattentionandwhichdotheyfindboring? Whattypeofstorydotheyenjoythemost? Whichstoriesstimulatereactionsandwhy? PlayingAroundwithIdeas Takeagoodlookatthelatestchildren'sbooks,particularlythosewhicharerecommendedforusewithintheNationalCurriculum.Youwillfindthattheydealwitha staggeringvarietyoftopics,rangingfromseriouslifestyleissuestofantasyadventures. Whenwritingforveryyoungchildren,youneedtousesimple,basicconceptsandfamiliarsituations.Astheirsocialskillsdevelop,

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humourplaysamuchlargerpartandincludesslapstick,puns,onelinejokesandwisecrackingcharacters. Oncethechildapproachesteenage,therangeoftopicsmatchesthatofadultmaterial,themaindifferencebeingthefastpacedstyle,vocabularyandattitude.The teenagenovelisarapidlyexpandingmarketforauthorswhohavetheabilitytoidentifywiththisdifficultstageofachild'sdevelopment. WritingforEducationalMarkets Writingforchildreninvolvesbothentertainingandeducatingthereaderandfornonfictionwriters,thereisavarietyofopportunitytodojustthat. Readingcomicsandmagazines Glancingthroughthewealthofcomicsandmagazinesonthenewsagents'shelves,youwillfindsomethingforallagegroupsandinterests. Newspapersandmagazinesoccasionallyfeaturepagesforchildrenandmaytakenature,craftoractivityarticles.Oneortwocomicshavejoinedforceswithnational organisationssuchastheBrownieswho,alongwithmanyothernationalchildren'sclubsandsocieties,producetheirownmagazine.Acombinationofspecialist knowledgeandtheabilitytowritewiththeclarityrequiredforayoungreadershipcouldleadtoawidevarietyofoutletsfornonfictionarticles. Educatingyoungreaders Bothnonfictionandstorybooksforchildrenofferenormousscopetoteachyoungreadersabouttheworldaroundthem.Thefollowingisjustatasteofwhatcanbe covered: conservationandecologicalissues engineering geography history informationtechnology manufacturing science. Bearinginmindtheexpertiserequired,theeducationalbookmarketcanbequitedifficulttobreakinto.

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MaoliosaKelly,LiteraryPublisherofHeinemannEducationalPublishers,admitsthatveryfewunsolicitedmanuscriptsareaccepted.Whilstallherauthorsare commissioned,sheispreparedtolookatunsolicitedmanuscriptsbuttheymustmeetthefollowingrequirements: Bepitchedattherightlevel,57yearolds. Communicateconvincinglywiththeintendedreadership. Authorsshouldhavesomeexperienceofworkingwithchildren. Authorsshouldfamiliarisethemselveswiththepublisher'soutput. Ifpossible,authorsshouldtalktothepublishertofindouttheirneedsandinterestsforthebookstheypublish. Beingpoliticallycorrect Politicalcorrectnessisanincreasingfeatureofallwalksoflifeandaswithallgoodintentions,thebasicideabehindtheprincipleissound.Initsbestform,political correctnessaddresses,amongotherthings,theattitudesandconceptswhichgiveriseto: racism sexism prejudiceagainstpeoplewithdisabilities theconceptthatatwoparentfamilywith2.4childrenissuperiortoanyother classprejudice. Whatarelittleboys/girlsmadeof? Untilrelativelyrecently,mostchildren'sfictiontraditionallydepictedboysastheleaders,solvingmysteries,forminggangsandgenerallyrunningtheshow.Girlswere grudginglyallowedtotagalonginordertoproviderefreshmentsandberescuedwhenevernecessary. Anystrongwilledgirlswhounderstoodanythingmechanicalorwereinanywaysportywerelabelled'tomboys'andneverquitefittedinwiththerestofthegroup. Schoolstorieshavealwaysbeenandstillareimmenselypopularbuttheschoolfeaturedwasinvariablytheboardingvarietyandverydefinitelyuppermiddleclass. Changingtimes Timeshavechangedandthankfully,attitudeshavemovedon.Black,

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Asianandforeigncharactersarenolongerportrayedascaricatures,whilsttoughgirlsandsensitiveboysareperfectlyacceptable. Today'spublishersacknowledgethatnoteverychildcomesfromatwoparentfamilyandthatgoodnessanddecencyarenotnecessarilycommensuratewithawhite, middleclassbackground. Theinfluencethesepositivechangesinattitudehavehadonchildren'sfictionshouldnotbeunderestimated. Reflectingtoday'slifestylesandvalues Modernchildren'sfictionreflectstoday'slifestylesandvaluesinafastmoving,multiculturalsociety. Inanageofinteractivecomputersandtheinformationsuperhighway,youngstershaveneverbeensowellinformed.Thechildren'sauthoroftodaykeepsabreastof thelatesttechnogicaldevelopments,isuptodatewithcurrentschoolsystemsandrelatestomodernattitudesandconcepts. AnthropomorphisingAnimals Atfirstglance,'anthropomorphising'orhumanisinganimalcharacterswouldappeartobetheidealwaytocaptureandholdachild'sattention. Changeallthecharactersinyourstorytocuddlyanimals,dresstheminpicturesqueclothes,placetheminacountrysettingandyoucanforgetallaboutmodern technology,thekidswilllovethemtobits. Assumingaparentalrole Anthropomorphisedanimalsdo,itistrue,haveinstantappealbuttheyalsoperformavarietyofotherfunctions.Theycanbe: adultsthatbehavelikechildren childrenwithcapabilitiesfarexceedingtheiractualage naughtytomakeamoralpoint ametaphorfortheirhumancounterpart. Havingyouranimalplayingthepartofasillyadultofferstheyoungreadertheopportunitytofeelsuperiorandadopttheparentrole.Thenaughtyanimalcangetintoall sortsofscrapesfromwhichithastoberescued,makingamoralpointintheprocess. Youranimalcharactermay,however,beachild.Inthiscase,itusuallyhasskills,commonsenseandabilitiesfarbeyonditstrueage

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butbecauseitisananimal,thisappearsperfectlyacceptable. Animalcharacterscanalsobeusedtoportrayfrighteningorthreateningconcepts.Themostfamiliarexamplesare,perhaps,thethemesusedintraditionalfolktales suchasthethreelittlepigsandthebigbadwolf.Themoralmessagesarealwaystherebutaremorepalatablewhendeliveredbyanimalsratherthanpeople. Appealingtoolderchildren Thereisnoagelimitforanthropomorphisedanimals.BookslikeWatershipDownaimedatyoungteenstoadultshaveaverypowerfuleffect.Theanimalsocietythey portrayisametaphorforitshumancounterpartandassuch,complexissuescanbedealtwithinawaywhichwillbereadilyabsorbedbyyoungerreaders. WritingaboutChildren Attitudesinchildren'spublishinghavechangeddramaticallyoverrecentyears.Althoughanimalstoriescontinuetobepopular,themajorityofchildren'sbookstoday haveachildastheircentralcharacter. Solvingaproblem Inthesamewaythatconflictisanessentialingredientinadultfiction,givingyourcentralcharacteraproblemtosolveisthemainconceptbehindanychildren'sstory. Thebasicformulawhichcanbeappliedtochildren'sfictionis: characterproblemsolution

bearinginmindthatthechildcentralcharactermustbetheonetofindthesolutiontotheproblem.Itistemptingtoproduceakindlyadulttosavethedaybutthis woulddefeattheobjectoftheexercise. Providingtheproblem Asageneralrule,adultsinchildren'sstoriestendtobeoneoracombinationofthefollowing: stupid selfabsorbed eccentric unhelpful downrightnasty.

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Theirmainfunctionisusuallytoperformtasksthatcannotbehandledbythechildcharacters,likeoperatingheavymachineryorwritingcheques,toprovidethe humourortoberescuedasnecessary. Theadultcharactermayalsoprovidetheproblemtobeovercomebutisrarelyofmuchpracticaluse.Childrenneedtobeabletorelatetothecharactersintheir storiesandallowinganadulttotakecontrolistantamounttosellingouttotheenemy. WritingPictureBooks Picturebookspresentawholenewsetofchallenges.Thepicturesmayperformavarietyoffunctions,dependingonthetypeofbook.Theycan: telltheentirestorywithoutanytextatall provideaninteractivedimension provideaneducationalelement addtothetone(humorous,frightening,excitingetc.) complementthestory. Inpicturebooksfortheveryyoung,itshouldbepossibleforthechildtounderstandwhatishappeningpurelyfromthepicturesalone. Movingupinage,theillustrationsshouldcomplementthestoryline,addingdepthanddimensiontothestoryandhelpingtobringthecharactersalive. Findinganillustrator Itisnotagoodideatodrawthepicturesyourselfunlessyouareatrainedillustrator.Iftheideaforyourpicturebookisstrongenough,apublisherwillfindasuitable illustratorforyou. Becausetheillustrationsaresoimportant,thismaytakesometime,possiblyyearsratherthanmonths.Duetotheskillandtimeinvolvedinillustration,theartistoften receivesahigherpaymentthantheauthor. Ontheplusside,picturebooksaresoexpensivetoproducethatifyourmanuscriptisaccepted,youcanbesureofthepublisher'scommitmenttoyouandyourwork.

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CaseStudies Vicentertainshisgrandson Vicisaretiredjournalist.Hiscolumnraninthelocalpressforovertwentyyearsbutnowhehastimeonhishands,hewouldliketotryhishandatwritingforchildren. Heusedtomakeupstoriesforhisownchildrenandenjoysretellingthemnowtohissevenyearoldgrandsonbutrecentlynoticedthechild'sattentionwandering. Whenquestioned,theboyconfessedthathefoundthestoriesoldfashionedandsaidhewouldratherbeplayingcomputergames. Bentriesanexperiment Benisascienceteacheratalargecomprehensiveschool.UtilisinghisknowledgeofschoolsystemsandtheNationalCurriculum,hedevisesaplotinwhichagroupof childrenworkingonaclassprojectmakeanamazingscientificdiscovery.Theyshowtheirteacherwhopromptlytakesallthecreditandthechildrenhavetocombine forcestoprovetotheschool'sheadthattheyarethetrueinventorsoftheformula.ThevocabularyiscorrectlypitchedandastheyarebasedonBen'sownpupils,the charactersareveryrealistic. Checklist 1.Haveyouidentifiedtheagegroupforwhichyouwishtowrite? 2.Isyourvocabularyappropriate? 3.Isyourstorytoldfromachild'sperspective? 4.Doesyourstoryreflectmodernattitudesandlifestyles? 5.Willyourstoryappealtotoday'schild? 6.Doyourchildcharacterssolvetheproblemthemselves? Assignment Wehaveallexperiencedsimilarincidentstothoselistedbelow: Yoursiblinggotapresentandyoudidn't. Yougotapresentandyoursiblingdidn't. Youwonaprize. Achildhoodillnesscausedyoutomissatreat.

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Youfelloverandhurtyourselfandeveryonelaughed. Amuchlovedpetdied. Youwerehauledoutofyourdeskatschoolandtoldoffinfrontofthewholeclassforsomethingyoudidn'tdo. Thinkbacktoyourchildhoodandwritedowntheemotionsyoufeltwhensuchincidentsoccurred.

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10 SendingYourWorktoaPublisher
SeeingYourWorkinPrint SurveysconductedbyboththeWorkers'EducationalAssociationandadulteducationauthoritieshaveshownthatover90percentofstudentsenroloncreative writingcourseswiththeintentionoflearninghowtowriteforpublication. Unfortunately,theharshrealitiesofthepublishingworldcan,forsome,comeasaterriblycruelshock. Meetingthepublisher'srequirements Creativityis,ofcourse,avitalingredientbuteventhemostgiftedwriterwillfailintheirbidtoachievepublicationiftheyareunabletofulfilcertaincriteria.For example,themajorityofnewspaperandmagazineeditorsexpectthemanuscriptyousendthemto: betypewrittenorwordprocessedindoublelinespacingononesideonlyofwhiteA4paper bewrittentothespecifiedlength coverpreviouslyagreedsubjectmatter haveabeginning,middleandanend arrivebyanagreeddeadline. Thewriterwhofulfilstheserequirementsandcontinuestodosoagainandagainistheonewhowillconstantlyfindmarketsfortheirwork. Conversely,thewriterwhoproducesworkofexceptionalcreativitybutfailstocomplywiththeabovecriteriawillusuallymeetwithrejection. Findingtherightmarket Thefollowingmagazinesusuallywelcomegood,reliablecontributors:

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club company'inhouse' religious school specialinterest. Usefulmarketinformation,adviceonwritingtechniquesandnewsofdevelopmentsinthepublishingworldcanbefoundinanumberofwritingmagazines.Subscription addressesarelistedattheendofthebook. PlaywritingforYourLocalDramaGroup Itisnotoriouslydifficultfornewplaywrightstogettheirworkperformedinthelegitimatetheatrebutifyouareluckyenoughtohavearepertorytheatreinyourlocality, keepaneyeoutforschemesdesignedtoencouragenewauthors. RegionalArtsCouncilsoccasionallysponsorcompetitionsanddramaprojectsandoneortwoleadingplaywrightsrunschemesforyoungwriters.Itisworthkeeping youreyesandearsopenforscriptwritingprojectsinyourarea. Workingwithyourlocaldramagroup Onewayyoumaybeabletoseeyourplaysperformedisbycontactingyourlocalamateurdramaticcompany. Publishedplaysaresubjecttoperformingrightspaymentsandthisisanexpensemanyamateurgroupscanillafford.Havingatameauthorwhocankeepthem suppliedwithimaginativescriptsis,therefore,ahugeassetandprovidesthewouldbeplaywrightwithavaluabletrainingground. EnteringCompetitions Competitionsofferenormousopportunitiesforwritersineveryfieldofwritingbutperhapsmostparticularlyinthewomen'smagazinemarketwhere,formanywinners, theycanbethefirststeptowardsacareerasanovelist. Competitionsareregularlylistedinthewritingpressandoftenlevyalegitimateentryfeeofbetween1and5,butbeawarethatsomeadvertisements,particularlyin nationalnewspapers,canbemisleading.

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Payingforprizes Poetsfinditespeciallydifficulttofindapublishingoutletfortheirwork,soitisnotsurprisingthattheycanfallvictimtounscrupulousadvertisers. Theprizeispublicationinananthologywhichthesocalled'winners'areinvitedtopurchaseforanythingfromaround12upwards.Knowingthatfewwriterscan resisttheopportunitytoseetheirworkinprint,thecompetitionorganiserscanbesureofreceivingatleastoneifnotmoreordersfromeachentrant.Thebook,ifit evermaterialises,isgenerallypoorlyproducedandcontainsfewpoemsofanyliterarymerit. Thewriters'magazineWritersNewshasmountedacampaignagainstthesecompetitionsandrefusestofeatureadvertisementsforthem.AccordingtoeditorRichard Bell,competitionwinnersshouldexpecttoreceiveacomplimentarycopyofanyanthologycontainingtheirworkorifthisisnotpossible,itshouldatleastbeavailable inthelibrary. Selectingthesensibleoption Thereare,however,plentyofreputablebodiesrunningcompetitionswhich,dependingontherules,conditionsandtheprizeonoffer,mayopenusefuldoorsforthe winningauthor. VanityPublishing Despiteallthewarningsregularlygiveninthewritingpress,noviceauthorsarestillpersuadedtopartwithmoneyinordertoseetheirworkpublishedinbookform. Payingforpublication Thepriceforthisdubiousprivilegemaystartatfourfiguresandcanescalatebeyondyourwildestimagination.Horrorstoriesincludetalesofpeoplesellingtheirhomes andeverythingtheyowninordertopayforsomethingthatis,asfarasthecommercialbookworldisconcerned,completelyworthless. Ifyouaredrivenbycountlessrejectionsfromlegitimatepublishinghousestoinvestigatetheworldofthevanitypublisher,beawarethat: 1.Theirincomeisderivedfrombeingpaidtoproduceabook.Oncethispartofthebargainisfulfilled,theyhavenoneedtowasteanyexpenditureonmarketing.

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2.Vanitypublishersareundernoobligationtodistributethebookandrarelyhavedistributionoutlets. 3.Booksproducedbyvanitypublishersusuallylookunprofessionalandareeasilyidentifiedbybookretailerswhowillhavelittleinterestinorderingthem. 4.Thepublishedbooksarelegallythepropertyofthepublisher.Anypaymentsyoumakearepurelytocoverthecostofproduction. 5.Rememberthegoldenrulepublisherspayyou. SelfPublishing Selfpublishingdiffersfromvanitypublishinginthattheauthorsetsupandcontrolsthepublicationandmarketingoftheirbook. Thisinvolvespayingaprinter,findingretailoutletsandhandlingallthedistributionandpublicity.Itis,therefore,imperativethatbeforeyouembarkontheexpenseof publishingyourownbook,youarequitesurethatthereisamarketforit. Findingagapinthemarket Themajorityofsuccessfulselfpublishedbooksarenonfictionandinvariablyfillagapinthemarket. Forexample,yourbusinessmayinvolvetravellingaroundthecountrybutasyouworkforyourself,yourbudgetmaybeverytight.Perhapsyouhavebuiltupa personaldirectoryofB&Bestablishmentsofferingexceptionallygoodvalueformoney.Somanyofyourcolleaguesasktoborrowyourdirectorythatyourealiseit haspotentialasasaleablecommodity.Youobtainquotesfromlocalprintersandchoosetheonewhichwillgiveyouthebestresultatarealisticprice. Theadventofdesktoppublishinghashelpedtobringproductioncostsdown,sothismaynotbetooprohibitive,butdistributioncanstillbeaproblem.Retailoutlets areunenthusiasticabouttakingselfpublishedbooks,soyoushouldconsidersettingupamailorderoperation.Advertiseintheappropriatetradepressandproviding youdonotexpecttheprojecttomakeyoueitherrichorfamous,itcanprovetobeaverysatisfyingexercise. Sellingyouridea Beforeyouembarkontheexpenseofpublishingyourownnonfictionbook,however,itisworthtryingaprofessionalpublishinghouse.

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Ifyourideaisgoodenoughandyouareconvincedthatthereisamarketnicheforit,thenyourfirststepshouldalwaysbetocontactasuitablepublisher.Market researchisessentialinordertohelpyoufamiliariseyourselfwiththestructureandlengthofsimilarbooks.Trytofindaseriesintowhichyourtopicwillfit,thenwritea chapterbychapteroutlinealongthelinesillustratedinFigure10. Whenyouaresurethatyouhavesufficientmaterialtosellyouridea,makealistofsuitablepublishersandtelephoneorwriteaninitialenquiryletteraskingifthey wouldbepreparedtoconsideryourproposal. Iftheideaisstrongenough,youwillbeaskedtosubmityourwrittenoutlinebasedonthepublisher'shousestyle.Reputablepublisherswillusuallyrespondquite quickly,probablywithin46weeks.Anylongerthanthreemonthsandyoushouldchasethemupandifnecessary,requestthattheoutlinebereturnedtoyou(see Figure11). WritingaSynopsis Asynopsisofanovelisaresumofthebook'sstory.Leadingliteraryagent,BlakeFriedmann,issuesclearguidelinestoauthorsonhowtowriteatreatmentor synopsis.Theyrecommendthatitisbrokendownintofoursections: 1.Introductionabriefsellingstatementaboutthebook. 2.Characterbiographiesshortbiographiesofallofthemajorcharacters. 3.Statementofintentwhyyouwantedtowritethenovelandwhetheritisbasedonafactualevent. 4.Synopsisortreatmentastepbystepstorylineofthenovel. Theguidelinesexplainthatthesynopsisconveystheemotion,notjusttheplot,bymakingitclearwhatmotivatesyourcharactersandtheimpactofeventsonthem. Whilstalloftheaboveinformationshouldbeincluded,itisimperativethatyoukeepyoursynopsisasbriefaspossible.Remember,itspurposeistocapturea publisher'sattentionandholditrightthroughtotheend. Givingawaytheending Onerecurringerrorthatirritatespublishersandagentsbeyond

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TheSalesman'sB&BDirectory INTRODUCTION CHAP1:CHEAPANDCHEERFULACCOMMODATION Under15pernight Offroadparking Neartowncentre Closetomotorway CHAP2:THREESTARANDOVER Ensuiterooms FullEnglishbreakfast Specialdeals Extrafacilities CHAP3:LONGHAULSTOPOVERS Lesserknownroutes Farmhouses Warmwelcomes Valueformoney CHAPTER4ONWARDS:continueinthisformatuntilthelastchapterwhich,forthistypeofbook,wouldbe alongthefollowinglines: COSTSANDRECORDKEEPING Comparisonofcostsandservices Expenses,recordkeeping,taximplications Maps Usefuladdresses Glossary Index

Fig.10. Sampleoutlinefornonfictionbook.

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ADDRESSANDTELEPHONENUMBER date.......... ASmith Publisher LondonW1 DearMrSmith FollowingourtelephoneconversationinJanuarythisyear,asrequestedIsubmittedanoutlineforTHE SALESMAN'SB&BDIRECTORY. ItisnowthreemonthssinceIheardfromyouandIwouldbegratefulifyoucouldletmeknowwhetheryouare interestedinpublishingthebook.Ifnot,IwouldappreciateitspromptreturnsothatImaysubmititelsewhere. Thankingyouinanticipation. Yourssincerely AWriter
Fig.11. Samplechaseupletter.

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beliefisthesynopsiswhichpromiseswonderfulthingsbutfinisheswithsomethinglike:
'Ifyouwanttoknowwhathappensnext,you'llhavetoreadthebook!!!!'

Sadly,theywon't.They'llprobablyjustheaveasighandsendyourmanuscriptbackinthenextavailablepost. Yoursynopsisisyoursalespitchandshouldcontainallyourmanuscript'sstrongestpoints,includingdetailsofasatisfactoryending. PresentingYourManuscript Thereisnoabsoluteruleaboutwhatyoushouldsendtoeitherabookpublisheroranagentbutunlessstatedotherwise,itisgenerallyasynopsisandthreechapters. Submittinguserfriendlymanuscripts Oneofthefirstquestionsstudentsonmycreativewritingcoursesaskis'DoIneedatypewriter?' Handwrittenmanuscriptsarealmostalwaysreturnedunreadso,ifyouwanttobepublished,yourmanuscriptmustbetypewrittenindoublelinespacingononeside onlyofA4sizedwhitepaper. Theequipmentyouuseisamatterofpersonalpreferencebutifyouintendwritingformainstreammagazinesornewspapersonaregular,professionalbasis,thenbeing userfriendlytakesonawholenewmeaning. Unlessotherwisestated,fictionmanuscriptsshouldstillbesubmittedonA4whitepaperasabove,butonceashortstoryhasbeenacceptedforpublicationyoumay beaskedtoresubmititondisc.ItisrarelyfinanciallyviableforyoutopaysomeonetotranscribeitforyousotheinitialoutlayforaPCcanproveanexcellent investment. Technophobicarticlewriters,ontheotherhand,canfacerealproblemsasmagazinesandnewspaperstendtolooktoelectroniccommunicationfortheirtopical features.Manymainstreampublicationsnowaskwouldbecontributorstofaxthemwithanideaandaworkingoutline,ratherthanpostingacompletedmanuscript. RegionalnewspapersmaywellrequestthatcontactismadeviaEmail. Whilstthereisstillplentyofopportunityinthehugerangeof

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smaller,specialisedpublications,ambitiousarticleandshortstorywriterscannotaffordtoburytheirheadsinthesandandignoretheimpactoftheInternetonthe mainstreampublishingindustry.Formoreinformationonwritingforthemainstreammarket,seemybookWritingShortStories&Articles. Removingstaplesandpins Neverusestaplesorpinstofastenthepagesofyourfictionmanuscript.Oneofthequickestwaystoannoyaneditoristowoundtheirfingersonspitefulfasteners. Anothersurefireirritantistheclearplasticfolder,whoseslipperysurfacecanbealmostguaranteedtosendapileofmanuscriptscrashingtothefloortheminute anyonewalkspasttheeditorialdesk. Thinkingahead Everyeditor,publisherandagenthasa'slushpile',apileofunsolicitedsubmissionswhichhavetoberead. Inordertoensurethatyourmanuscriptfindsitwayfairlyquicklytothetopofthepile,hereareafewsimpletips: 1.IncludeabriefcoveringletterandfrontsheetwitheachmanuscriptasshowninFigures12and13. 2.Numbereachpageconsecutively. 3.Headeachpagewithyournameandthetitleofthemanuscript. 4.Finisheachpagewith'm/f...'or'cont/d.'toindicatemoreistocome. 5.Endthefinalsheetwiththeword'End'oralineofasterisks. 6.Manuscriptsshouldbeposted,unfoldedinalargeenvelope. 7.Placebookmanuscriptsunboundinacardfolderorbox. 8.Neverfastenyourmanuscriptwithpinsorstaples. 9.Alwaysattachsufficientpostagetocoverthefullcostofreturningyourmanuscript. 10.Ensurethatyourreturnenvelopeislargeenoughforyourmanuscript.

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ADDRESSANDTELEPHONENUMBER date.......... ASmith FictionEditor TheMagazine LondonW1 DearMrSmith Pleasefindenclosedashortstoryofapproximately1,000wordsentitled'Acceptance'whichIhopeyouwillfind suitableforpublicationinTheMagazine. Ihaveenclosedreturnpostageforyourconvenienceandlookforwardtohearingfromyouinduecourse. Yourssincerely AWriter

Fig.12. Samplecoveringletter.

REALNAME,ADDRESS&TELEPHONENUMBER ACCEPTANCE Ashortstoryofapproximately1,000words by AWriter(orpseudonym)

Fig.13. Samplefrontsheet. NB:Ifyouuseapseudonym,makesuretheeditorknowsyourrealnameoryouwillhavedifficultycashingpaymentcheques.

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ApproachinganEditor Oneofthemostfrequentdisappointmentsfornewwritersishavingtheirmanuscriptreturnedwithastandardrejectionletter. Therejectionitselfisdisappointingenoughbutauthors,keentoknowwheretheyaregoingwrong,longforafewpearlsofwisdomfromthepublishingestablishment. Givingencouragement Editorsaresimplytoobusytowritepersonallytoeveryonewhosendsthemamanuscriptbutifyourworkshowspromise,somewilltakethetimetoscribbleafew briefwordsofencouragement. Somehavetwostandardletters,oneanoutrightrejection,theotherrejectingthepiecebutaskingtoseeanythingelseyouwrite.Ifyoureceivethesecondtype,send somethingelseoffwithoutdelayyourtoeisinthedoor. Occasionally,aneditorwillphoneyou,eithertoacceptthepieceoraskifyoucanalteritslightly.Ifyouwanttoseeyourworkinprint,agreetoanychangesthey suggest.Youmaynotlikeamendingyourworkbutitwillbeworthitinthelongrun. Itisnogoodexpectingbusyeditorstoteachyouyourcraft.Itisuptoyoutodeveloptheabilitytoassessyourownworkandapproachtherightmarket,sobefore yousubmitamanuscript: Researchthemarketthoroughlytoestablishthepublisherslikelytobeinterestedinyourmanuscript. Findoutiftheeditorprefersinitialapproachestobeintheformofenquirylettersorispreparedtoconsidercompletedmanuscripts. Establishthenameofthepersontowhomyoushouldaddressyourmanuscript. Allowsixtoeightweeksbeforeyouwriteachaseupletter(Figure11). Takeanyeditorialadviceyouareofferedandactonit. Multiplesubmissions Untilrecently,sendingyourmanuscriptsimultaneouslytomorethanonepublisherwasfrowneduponbytheindustry. Now,however,publishersrecognisethathavingtowaitmonthsforananswercanbefrustratingandarepreparedtotolerateauthors

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makingmultiplesubmissionsprovidingthisisstatedinthecoveringletter. Lookingatitfromthepublishers'pointofview,bysubmittingyourmanuscripttothem,youareofferingitforsale.If,whentheyagreetobuyit,youtellthemyou've justsoldittosomeoneelse,theywillbejustifiablyannoyedthatyouhavewastedtheirtime.Thisisnotagoodwaytowinfriendsinthepublishingindustry. CopyrightingandSyndication Assoonasyoucommityourworktopaper,itbecomesyourcopyright.Youmaythenofferforsaleanynumberofrightsinthatworkforpublicationpurposes,e.g.: FirstBritishSerialRights(FBSR) foreignrights,i.e.French,German,Americanetc. specificrightsforasetperiod allrightsforallpurposes. Signingawayyourcopyright FBSRmeansthatthepurchaserhastherighttopublishthemanuscriptonceonlyinBritain.Thesameappliestofirstforeignrightsbutyoucanalsosellsecond,third etc.rights.Broadcasting,filmand,withthegrowthoftheuseoftheInternet,electronicrightsarealsoindemand. Themoretimesyousellamanuscript,themorecomplicatedthecopyrightprocessbecomesbutthinkverycarefullybeforeagreeingtosellyourworkonan'Allrights forallpurposes'basisasyouwillbesigningawayallownershipofyourmanuscript. Copyrightisacomplexandspecialisedfieldandifyouareatallconcernedabouttherightsyouarebeingaskedtosell,youshouldconsultanexpert. Gettinganagent CaroleBlake,jointmanagingdirectorofleadingliteraryagency,BlakeFriedmann,statesthatthemainadvantageofhavinganagentisthattheauthorhassomeoneon theirsidewhowillgivethemhonestcriticismthatwillimprovetheircareerprospects. BlakeFriedmannreceivesapproximately400unsolicitedmanuscriptspermonthbut,onaverage,takesononlythreetosixnew

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authorsayear.Likepublishers,literaryagenciesspecialiseinspecificpublishingareasandonceagain,marketresearchisimperativebeforemakinganinitialapproach. Asageneralrule,agentsdonothandleshortstoryandarticlewriters,whomaybebetterservedbyasyndicationagency. Syndicatingyourstories WithashrinkingUKmarketforshortstories,manywriters'trytheirluckabroadandareputablesyndicationagentcanlightentheloadconsiderably. Theywillsellyourstorytoasmanymarketsaspossibleallovertheworld,keeparecordofsalesandsaveyoubothlegworkandheavypostagecosts. Inreturn,ofcourse,theywilltakeapercentage,sobeforeyouhandoveryourmanuscripts,makesurethetermsareagreedinadvanceandinwriting.Reputable syndicationagenciesarelistedinTheWritersandArtistsYearbook. KeepingRecords Fromthedayyousendyourfirstlettertoaneditor,youshouldkeeparecordofwhenandwhereyousentit,whetheritwaspublishedandifso,howmuchyouwere paid. InformingtheInlandRevenue Oncepaymentsstartcominginonaregularbasis,itisimperativethatyouhaveaclearrecordofeverythingyouearnfromwriting. Bearinmindthatallpaymentsfrompublishinghousesareputthroughtheirbookssoevenifyoudon'tinformtheInlandRevenueaboutyournewsourceofincome, yournamewilleventuallycometotheirattention. Offsettingyourcostsagainsttax Youcanoffsetthecostofmaterialssuchaspaper,ribbons,inkcartridges,postageetc.againsttaxand,ofcourse,capitalexpenditure.suchasPCs,desksandfiling cabinets. Keepreceiptsofeverythingyoupurchaseandrecordallyourincomeandexpenditure.SuggestedformatsforrecordkeepingareillustratedinFigures14and15. ThereareanumberofusefulleafletsavailablefromtheInlandRevenueandyourtaxinspectorwillbepreparedtoadviseyouoryoumayprefertoengagean accountant.Shoparoundtoestablish

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Stationery

Postage

Telephone(Bus. prop.only)

Subscriptions

Motor&Travel (Bus.prop.only)

Useofhomeas office

Sundries

Capital expend.

Fig.14. Suggestedheadingsforexpenditurerecord.

TITLE BrewingRealAle HoppingHolidays

FORMAT Article(1,000words) Interviewhoppicker(500 wds) Article(1,500words) ShortStory(1,200)

PUBLISHER Brewer'sMonthly ''"

AMOUNT 50 25

DATEPAID 12.7.9X 2.8.9X

BeerfortheConnoisseur OnefortheRoad

HomeBrew ""

100 75

11.10.9X 21.12.9X

Fig15. Suggestedheadingsforincomerecord.

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howmuchyouarelikelytobechargedandremember,accountancycostscanbeoffsetagainsttaxandwillprovetobeaveryworthwhileexpensewhenyourwork reallybeginstotakeoff. FindingSupportfromOtherWriters Writing,weareconstantlytold,isaverylonelyoccupationeventhoughtheimagethispresentsisactuallyveryromantic. Thereyouare,justyou,yourwordprocessorandyourcharacters.You'velockedthedoor,takenthephoneoffthehookanddisconnectedthedoorbell.Thereis nothingtopreventyoufromproducingamasterpiece.Unfortunately,youcan'tthinkofawordtowrite. Confrontingwriters'block Itisarguablewhetherwriters'blockactuallyexistsorwhetheritissimplybroughtaboutbytheprovisionofperfectconditionsinwhichtowrite. Likeourfictionalcharacters,wewillstrivetoovercomeanyobstacleinordertofulfilourambitionstoseeourworkinprint.Removethoseobstaclesandwe immediatelyyearnfordistraction. Welongtohavesomeonetotalkto,preferablyalikemindedpersonfromwhomwecangainsomepositivefeedback.Weneedotherwriters. Joiningawriters'circle Fortunately,helpisathandintheformofwriters'circles,conferences,seminarsandcourses. Yourlocallibraryshouldhavedetailsofwriters'activitiesinyourareaandwritingorganisationswillbeonlytoopleasedtoaddyournametotheirmailinglists. Societiesandassociationsforwritersarelistedattheendofthisbookbutforsomeexcellentonthespotadvice,herearesomewordsofwisdomfromestablished writingprofessionals: 'Ilookforastrongstorywithbelievable,interestingcharactersthatIknowIwillbeabletointerestapublisherin.Mostirritatingaresloppywriting,authorarrogance andincorrectassumptionsaboutthetrade.'(CaroleBlake,agent) 'Don'tjustsittheregetonwithit!'(PatriciaBurns,novelist) 'Ifyoudon'tenjoywhatyouarewriting,nooneelsewill.'(MartinaCole,novelist)

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'Don'twaitforinspirationtocome.Sitdownandwrite,howeverharditis.Theactofwritingitselfstimulatesthecreativeflow.'(MichaelGreen,humorist) 'Writeeveryday,evenifit'sonlyforanhouraday,keeponehoursacred.Donotwaitforinspiration,youmaywaitinvain.'(SusanMoody,crimewriter) 'Makewritingyourtoppriorityafterfamilyandmoralobligations,makingsureyouspendacertainamountoftimeeachweekeitherwritingorthinkingyourstory through,evenifitmeanseveningwork.Readyourworkaloudandcheckforpaceetc.'(MargaretNash,children'swriter) Formingyourowngroup Whilstfamilyandfriendscanbewonderfullyencouragingandsupportive,feedbackfromotherwritersisinvaluable. Ifallelsefailsandyoucanfindnothinginyourarea,whynotstartyourownwriters'group?You'dbeamazedatthenumberofpeoplewhohaveamanuscripttucked awayandwouldwelcometheopportunitytosharetheirloveofcreativewriting.

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Glossary
Anthropomorphisation.Givinganimalcharactershumancharacteristics. Article.Afactualpiecewrittenforpublicationinamagazineornewspaper. Backstory.Backgroundstorylineorsubplotagainstwhichthemainactionisplayedout. Clich .Stereotype. Conflict.Problemsandemotionsprovidingtheobstaclestobeovercomeinaworkoffiction. Copyright.Thelegalownershipofpublicationrightsinapieceofwrittenwork. Dialogue.Conversationbetweencharacters. Doublelinespacing.Leavingablanklinebetweeneachtypewrittenlineonapage. Fiction.Amadeupstory,notfact. Flashback.Amethodofrevealingbackgroundthroughsnippetsofinformation. Genre.Theliterarycategoryintowhichyourworkfalls. Inhousemagazine.Publicationsproducedbycompaniesfortheiremployeescontainingitemsofnewsaboutstaffandchangeswithintheorganisation. Interaction.Howcharactersreacttothepeople,settingsandobjectsaroundthem. Lettertotheeditor.Letterintendedforpublicationonamagazineornewspaper'sletterspage. Location.Wherethestoryisset. Motivation.Thereasonsforacharacter'sbehaviourandattitudes. Mule.Someonewhocarriesconcealeddrugsthroughcustomsfordrugsmugglers. Multiplesubmission.Sendingthesamemanuscriptsimultaneouslytoanumberofdifferentpublishers. Narrativestyle.Usinganarratortotellthestory.

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Nonfiction.Fact. Outline.Flexiblestepbystepplanofamanuscript. PC.Personalcomputer. Piece.Anarticleintendedforpublication. Plot.Theplanofeventsrunningthroughastory. Policeprocedural.Acrimenovelwherethedetectiveisapoliceofficer. Politicalcorrectness.Therequirementthatattitudesandvocabularyinyourmanuscriptarenotoffensivewithregardtorace,sex,creedetc. Pottedhistory.Briefresumofacharacter'sbackground. Protagonist.Themaincharacter. Readeridentification.Charactersandsituationswhichareinstantlyrecognisabletoyourintendedreadership. Redherring.Cluedeliberatelyimplicatingthewrongsuspectinacrimestory. Selfpublisher.Anauthorwhopublishesandmarketstheirownbook. Shortstory.Aworkoffictionoflessthan10,000words. Showingnottelling.Usinginteractionratherthannarrationtodepictthesequenceofeventsinanarticleorstory. Slushpile.Collectionofunsolicitedmanuscriptswaitingtobereadbyaneditororagent. Stereotype.Afixedimageofspecificgroupsbasedonage,sex,race,religion,socialstatusetc. Stringer.Contributorofitemsofnewstoalocalnewspaper. Syndication.Tooffermanuscriptsforsimultaneoussaletopublicationsworldwide. Synopsis.Astepbystepresumofabook'sstory. Unsolicitedmanuscript.Amanuscriptsubmittedunrequestedforapublisheroragent'sconsideration. Vanitypublisher.Acompanywhichwillagreetopublishyourmanuscriptinreturnforpayment.

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AnswerstoAssignments
Chapter5SuggestedRewriteof'Showing'Not'Telling'Exercise Original Ithadbeenraininghardfordays.Waterstreamedfromtheguttersofeveryroof,pouringdownwindows,alongpavements,runninginfastmovingrivuletsalongeach road.Beneaththestreet,torrentsofwatergushedandgurgledbeneaththefeetofthepeoplehurryingalongtheshinywetpavements,pushingandshovingoneanother intheirhastetogetoutoftherain.Steelgreystormcloudsgatheredoverhead,meetingoneanotherheadoninpreparationforyetanotherdownpour.Itwasvery, verywet.(85words) Rewrite ItwasthethirdtimethisweekClairehasbeensoakedtotheskinonherwaytoworkandshe'dhadenough.Why,shewondered,didheavyrainbringouttheworst inpeople?Thewaytheypushedandshoved,itwasasthoughtheybelievedthey'ddissolveiftheygottoowet.Anxiously,Claireloweredherumbrellatopeerupat thesky.Moregreyclouds.Notahopeofabreakintheweather.(77words) Chapter6DatetheSlangExpressions 1.192030s. 2.196070s. 3.198090s.

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UsefulAddresses
BlakeFriedmann,Literary,TVandFilmAgency,3741GowerStreet,LondonWC1E6HH.Tel:(0171)6314331. TheBritishScienceFictionAssociationLtd,MembershipSecretary,PaulDillinger,1LongRowClose,Everdon,Daventry,NorthamptonshireNN113BE. ComedyWritersAssociationofGreatBritain,KenRock,61ParryRoad,WolverhamptonWV112PS.Tel:(01902)722729. CrimeWriters'Assocation,60DraytonRoad,KingsHeath,BirminghamB147LR. HeinemannEducationalPublishers,HalleyCourt,JordanHill,OxfordOX28EJ. NationalAssociationofWriters'Groups,TheArtsCentre,BiddickLane,Washington,Tyne&WearNE388AB.Tel:(0191)4169751. NationalUnionofJournalists,AcornHouse,314320Gray'sInnRoad,LondonWC1X8DP.Tel:(0171)2787916. NewPlaywrightsTrust,InterchangeStudios,DalbyStreet,LondonNW53NQ.Tel:(0171)2842818. RomanticNovelistsAssociation,ChairmanAngelaArney,43WiltonGardens,Shirley,SouthamptonSQ12QS. SocietyofAuthors,84DraytonGardens,LondonSW109SB.Tel:(0171)3736642. SocietyofWomenWriters&Journalists,110WhitehallRoad,Chingford,LondonE46DW.Tel:(0181)5290886. WomenWriters'Network,55BurlingtonLane,LondonW43ET.Tel:(0181)9940598. Workers'EducationalAssociation(WEA),LondonDistrict,44CrowndaleRoad,LondonNWl1TR.Tel:(0171)3878966. Writers'GuildofGreatBritain,430EdgwareRoad,LondonW21EH.Tel:(0171)732807456.

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FurtherReading
AslibDirectoryofInformationSourcesintheUK. 501Writers'QuestionsAnswered,NancySmith,Piatkus. ChambersTwentiethCenturyDictionary. CollinsElectronicEnglishDictionary&Thesaurus. DirectoryofWriters'Circles,availablefromOldacre,HordernsParkRoad,ChapelenleFrith,DerbyshireSK126SY. HowtoMakeMoneyWritingFiction,CaroleBlake,BoxtreeBooks. HowtoTurnYourHolidaysintoPopularFiction,KateNivison,Allison&Busby. HowtoWriteHorrorFiction,WilliamF.Nolan,Writer'sDigest. HowtoWriteStoriesforMagazines,DonnaBaker,Allison&Busby. ResearchforWriters,AnnHoffman,A&CBlack. Roget'sThesaurus,PenguinBooks. TheBloomsburyGuidetoGrammar,GordonJarvie. TheCraftofWritingArticles,GordonWells,Allison&Busby. TheHutchinsonConciseEncyclopedia,CenturyHutchinson. TheOxfordDictionaryofQuotations. TheWaytoWriteNovels,PaddyKitchen,ElmTreeBooks. TheWriter'sHandbook,Macmillan. WritersandArtistsYearbook,A&CBlack. WritingforMagazines,JillDick,A&CBlack. WritingforRadio,RosemaryHorstmann,A&CBlack. WritingStepbyStep,JeanSaunders,Allison&Busby. HowToBooksonSuccessfulWriting AwakeningtheWriterWithin,CathyBirch Copyright&LawforWriters,HelenShay. CreatingaTwistintheTale,AdleRamet. MakingMoneyfromWriting,CaroleBaldock. PublishingaBook,RobertSpicer. ResearchingforWriters,MarionField.

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StartingtoWrite,Marina&DeborahOliver. WritingaNonFictionBook,NormanToulson. WritingaPantomine,LesleyCookman. WritingaTextbook,PennyGrub&DanutaReah. WritingAboutTravel,Brian&EileenAnderson. Writing&PublishingPoetry,StephenWade. WritingandSellingaNovel,MarinaOliver. WritingEroticFiction,PamelaRochford. WritingFeatures&Interviews,ChristineHall(2nded.). WritingforPublication,ChrissMcCallum(4thed.). WritingforRadio,ShaunMacLoughlin. WritingforTelevision,WilliamSmethurst. WritingHistoricalFiction,MarinaOliver. WritingHumour,KenPearson. WritingReviews,CaroleBaldock. WritingRomanticFiction,MarinaOliver. WritingScienceFiction,Fantasy&Horror,ChristopherKenworthy. WritingShortStories&Articles,AdleRamet. Magazinesforwriters FreelanceMarketNews,SevendaleHouse,7DaleStreet,ManchesterM297WL. FreelanceWriting&Photography,ClarendonCourt,OverWallop,Stockbridge,HampshireSO208HU. TheNewWriter,POBox60,Cranbrook,KentTN172ZR. Writers'News,POBox4,Nairn,ScotlandIV124HU. WritingMagazine,POBox4,Nairn,ScotlandIV124HU.

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Index
A accent,76,77,79 agents,117,120121,124,127 alien,99 animals,20,108109 anthropomorphising,108 atmosphere,14,4649,5152,56,5859 autobiography,2325 B background,28,3341,4445,4748,52,58,63,6668,81,84,8687,8990,92,98,100101,108 C characterisation,31,33,35,40,41,44,55,70,76,94 children,101111 comics,104,106 competitions,22,114115 conflict,41,4344,70,75,81,86,109 copyright,124125 crime,24,52,64,92,9496 D detective,34,92,100 dialect,76 dialogue,14,35,58,7072,7476,7879,8687 E editors: approaching,123 lettersto,2021,30,125 educationalmarkets,106107 F flashback,6667,69 frontsheet,121122 G ghosts,8891,99 H historical,24,5254,56,8687,99 horror,8891,98,100,115 humour,28,80,99,103104,106,110 I ideas,1214,16,18,68,105 illustrations,23,110 InlandRevenue,125,127 interaction,42,48,59,64 K killing,37,69,73,88,93,95,98 L letters: chaseup,119,123 covering,121,122,123 toeditor,2021,30,125 locations,2526,28,46,48,5052,56,86 M manuscript: presentation,113,120121,123 submitting,120121,123

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unsolicited,107,121,125 maps,5052,56 media,13,19,24,40,92 motivation,2324,33,35,39 murder,15,69,9192,94,98,100 multiplesubmissions,123 N nonfiction: article,1314,1618,19,2123,2627,29,106,120121 book,16,116 column,19,21,111 O openings,21,23,28,46 originality,16 outline,18,9496,117118 P pace,4748,51,5859,61,6566,6869,78,106,128 picturebooks,110 planning,94,100 playwriting,114 plotting,51,66,6870,74,78,81,83,87,92,9495,100101,105,111,117 politicalcorrectness,33,107 publishing: self,116 vanity,25,115116 R readeridentification,14,16,40,54 realism,16,33,40,44,49,51,53,56,68,74,7778 recordkeeping,118,125127 redherrings,94,97 rejection,113,115,123 rewrite,12,52,62,74 romance,15,34,47,65,80,8286,95,98 research: background,15,25,29,5253,86,101 market,117,123125 S sciencefiction,52,98 selfassessment,123 sex,34,45,8485,87 slang,7779 slushpile,121 stereotyping,31,33,45 storyboard,95 stringer,21 suspense,65,70,80,8890,95 syndication,124125 synopsis,117,120 T travel: time,99 writing,26 twistinthetale,95,97 V vocabulary,6566,7273,79,102,105106,111