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 |  This is a continuation of my blogging here at WdC |
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This will be a blog for my writing, maybe with (too much) personal thrown in. I am hoping it will be a little more interactive, with me answering questions, helping out and whatnot. If it falls this year (2024), then I may stop the whole blogging thing, but that's all a "wait and see" scenario. An index of topics can be found here: "Writing Blog No.2 Index"  Feel free to comment and interact. |
| Quick News Quick one today: on the heels of Vinyl Cuts, I received an acceptance for a short story in a flash fiction anthology. Set for release in August (ish), it's a story with a Gothic feel and an odd twist at the end. In 2023 I had 2 whole stories published. Whoopee! I've already got two for 2024, so let's hope for a few more and make it a better year then last year! Oh, and if my incomplete records give me an idea, this year should see me get my 1000th formal rejection. Not counting the places I don't hear from, I think I'm sitting on around 950 at the moment. |
| Public Domain This is something that came up recently and I think I should have mentioned it in my fan fiction columns. What happens when a character enters public domain? First, to explain: a work falls into public domain 70 years after the author or creator has died, or 95 years after a film or piece of music was released. What this means is that the original characters become free to use in any way someone else sees fit. If another company has bought the rights to a character or film, and remakes it or re-imagines it, it becomes awkward, but the characters fall into public domain, though the events of the new work do not. If the new work retells the original, then whether the original work is in the public domain or not is still being tested in courts of law. Confusing? Yeah. So let me try to explain. Let’s say we have a character named Captain Quokka. He was invented by obscure Australian writer Frederick Fisher in 1934 in a series of books about the titular character’s adventures with the evil Penguins of Paraguay. Fisher died in 1953. This means that, as of January 1st, 2024, 70 years after his death, Captain Quokka and the Penguins of Paraguay all enter the public domain. Anyone can now use these characters. However, in 1967, the Dalt Wisney Corporation bought the rights to Captain Quokka and made an animated film. This film features the Captain in a long red cape and green mask, which was not in the original books, and Penguins of Paraguay are named Percy, Perry and Pushy, also not in the original books. These images have since become the depiction most people associate with these characters. This means the characters can appear in your story set in New York’s East Chicago District, but the Penguins cannot have those names, and the Captain cannot be wearing the garb he has become so associated with, as they were subsequently added and invented by someone else. You have access to the originals, not the extras added later by copyright holders. This can be seen in the recent shift of Winnie the Pooh to public domain. Nothing like the adventures written solely by Walt Disney can be used, just the things from Milne’s original books. That is why we got Winnie The Pooh: Blood And Honey. That is transgressive enough to not upset any subsequent copyright claims while still using the public domain characters. It is also why we can write stories about the Little Mermaid, so long as we do not include anything created purely for the Disney film – the character is in the public domain. Now, when it comes to real, historic people as characters, if they are dead and led a public life, they can be included in a story. Anyone can write about Pocahontas, for example, but if you include the things Disney made up (talking to the wind, being a teenager), they can get you because they invented those things for their story; however the relationship with John Smith was created after Pocahontas’ death (it never happened), so that is also public domain. Further, any historical event is fair game, so long as you do not steal alternate ideas from other works. If a person is alive, they are technically fair game, so long as you do not libel/slander them. However, some may be lawyer happy, so be careful. It is recommended you change names, but make things seem obvious who they really are. Or ask the person… as Ben Elton did with (then) Prince Charles in the book Chart Throb. Now, using public domain characters is a form of fan fiction, but it is one which is perfectly fine and, unlike other forms, actually sellable. I have sold stories about Tabu, for example. Hope that was not too confusing! |
| 5 Underrated or Overlooked Novels When people talk about the “best” books, or their favourites, often they are guided by peer pressure or by what they think should be the best books. Or if an author is the topic of discussion, the same old books are trotted out as supreme examples. This means that a lot of books are overlooked or forgotten about, and so here are 5 that I think should be tracked down and read because they are really good, despite being forgotten by nearly everyone. Now, some ground rules. These are stand-alone novels. They are not anthologies or collections of stories in other forms. They are also books not written by friends of mine or people I have come to know through writing, as that would be biased of me. Stephen King, I decided, was off-limits here as well. And these are books that whenever I bring them up get me blank stares (or the online equivalent), so I am assuming my impression of them as underrated or overlooked is pretty accurate. And with that… The Gospel According To Judas by Benjamin Iscariot by Jeffrey Archer Certainly never mentioned when people talk about Archer’s more well-known works – Kane And Abel, First Among Equals, etc – and often derided for its short length, Biblical passages and muddled religion (none of which I agree with), this is an interesting diversion for Archer and one that I found riveting. I read it over the course of a day and couldn’t put it down. Very interesting and plausible, and a fine story to boot. And, no, not my normal genre. Pig by Kenneth Cook One of my favourite books, and one of my very favourite Australian books ever, if not my favourite, Pig is a great horror yarn about a giant pig terrorising outback Australia. The countryside has never been described more menacingly. At about the same time the much better known (and inferior) Razorback came out as a book and film, and Pig was relegated to the background. But it shouldn’t be. It is a gripping, high adventure roller coaster ride and I love it. West Of Eden by Harry Harrison The first in a trilogy which is my personal favourite trilogy of all time (yes, above Lord of the Rings), the first in the series is undeniably the best. The science has been derided, and the whole concept has been poo-pooed, but there has not been a better dinosaurs and people living together book (Jurassic Park notwithstanding, but that is more human-created monsters, whereas this is different), nor has there been a better dinosaurs evolving intelligence book. The whole language constructed for the Yilane and the interactions with the people is amazing. Sure, some of the biotech developed by the Yilane is a little bit over the top, but the story is still riveting and exciting. Often lost amongst his lighter work (the Stainless Steel Rat books, etc), this is some wonderful science-fiction/fantasy. The Road To Mars by Eric Idle Known for his work with Monty Python’s Flying Circus and, latterly, associated musical extravaganzas, like most members of the Python crew his written work has suffered by comparison. But that’s really unfair when it comes to this work, a great piece about a robot who wants to be a stand-up comic, and I found it a fun ride. Sure, the female characters are a little weak (a comment made about a lot of Python product), and the ending is a little twee, but the ride is the thing and I enjoyed it, even if many others apparently (judging by online comments and critiques) did not. Uncle Gustav’s Ghosts by Colin Thiele For people of a certain age in Australia, Colin Thiele was THE man. His books were funny and yet populated with realistic characters going through adventures and experiences that were wonderful and yet that we, as children and young adults, could relate to. Storm Boy and Sun On The Stubble were almost required reading. But this was the book of his I enjoyed more than any other. I have it in hardback and read it so often I wore the paper jacket into nothing. The ghosts (that may or may not have been real) mixed with the comedy and the coming of age tale is done superbly. So give these a go – I promise you won’t be disappointed. Any books you think are under-rated or ignored? List them here in the comments or in the Newsfeed! |
| 5 Tips To Spark Creativity People don’t ask me many questions. In my current incarnation as a grumpy old man, I must turn people off, and they wince when they see me coming. Sure, my kids ask me questions – especially my son – but not many others do. Maybe it has something to do with me being a smart-arse and not everything having a simple yes/no answer. Possibly. Okay, yes it is. But one thing I do get questions on – especially from those who only know me from the online world – is writing. Surprise! And I received this PM a few years ago: “Steven I often feel like I want to write and I’ve got all these ideas bouncing around but I just can’t get them down on paper. Have you got any thing you can help me with to get my ideas into order? <person>” So, what I’m guessing, is not so much writer’s block as writer’s confusion. Someone once called it “writer’s impasse.” She wants something to help her get her thoughts into some sort of order so they come out on the page in a story or poem or essay or whatever it is she writes. So I got to thinking. Now these ideas could also be used to help conquer a minor bout of writer’s block as well as sorting the mental head-space. They could also be used as writing exercises, or as ways to clarify an idea that’s struggling to come out. They also make great writing exercises for classrooms, etc. NO! It is not a source of evil teaching... Honestly. They have worked for me in the past, so… Yeah. Whatevs.(Wow! What words! Well done, former teacher!) 1. Use a song This is one I know others use as well because I’ve appeared in five books which use this as the basis of the short stories within. The idea is, take a song with lyrics, listen to it, and see what sort of a story the song brings to your mind and then just write it down. The idea is: see the pictures in your head and then write what you see. It doesn’t have to relate to the song as it was written – the images and story can be literally anything. To give an example: the song ‘This Ole House’ by Shakin’ Stevens from 1981 or thereabouts. I was listening to this song in the car and, at some traffic lights, I had the weirdest image come to mind. I didn’t let it go, got home and wrote the story. What was it about? Zombies. One of my few zombie apocalypse stories, and it was based on a cheery, jaunty rock song. Of course. Let’s not ask how a writer’s mind works, hmm? Then again, don't you think of zombies when you hear Shakin' Stevens sing? 2. Write some dialogue Sit down somewhere public and listen to what people are saying. I mean, don’t look like you’re listening; pretend to read or write or something, because people get funny when you lean over their shoulder and take notes. Trust me on this one. Anyway, take a few of these snippets of dialogue and just write a conversation between two people. Just the words they say, no descriptors, no “he said” or “she said” dialogue tag type bits – just the spoken words. It’ll do one of three things – give you an idea for a script (theatre, movie, TV, radio, who cares), give you an idea for a more extensive story, or give you something to write to get your thoughts in focus. And you never know – you could even come up with an all-dialogue story. It won’t sell (and I’ve tried) but it’ll be something else for your imaginary writer’s portfolio. 3. Fill a page with words Throw the computer away – this is something you need to do by hand. No, I didn't mean that literally. Figuratively! Start with a pen(cil) and a blank piece of not lined paper. Now write words at random on the paper. In any direction, change fonts or writing styles. Nothing needs to make sense – it’s better if it doesn’t, really – and just fill the page with whatever you want. But they need to be words – real words, not made up words. They can be from any language, but they must be actual wordy words. Words are, after all, the writer’s main tool of the trade. Anyway, after you’ve filled a page with all sorts of random words, start again on a lined piece of paper, writing the words in lines, and see if the randomness has actually sparked something else, and this time if it wants to stop being random, let it. Now you’re writing a whatever it is you write. 4. Link the pictures Take any two pictures. They can be from anywhere, and it’s better if they’re randomly selected and don’t have anyone you know in them. What I recommend is putting about two dozen pictures cut out from magazines (or newspapers – they are still a thing, right?) or printed off the computer of different things – not just two dozen pictures of swimsuit models – into a large envelope, and then pick 2 at random. Don’t put any back, just pull two out and go for it. Now take these two pictures and try to write something, no matter how long or short, that links them together into one, coherent whole. To make it more challenging, go three pictures! 5. Dictionary roulette Place a dictionary in front of you. A real one, not one of those new-fangled electronic website ones. One made of paper with a cover and pages and that sort of thing. Next, close your eyes, then open the book at random and poke your finger down. Then open your eye and look at where your finger is. Whatever the word is of the entry you are touching, write it down. Then do it again. And again. And again, until you have five words. Now try and link them all in a writing of some description. It doesn’t have to be a novel, but even a paragraph or four lines of poetry or something like that – that’s all you need to do. Now, all of these can lead to something longer or they can just remain something small. But these little things could actually help break that mental impasse. Do you have any techniques that work for you? Put them in the comments below or the newsfeed! |
| 21 Of My Favourite Short Stories This is my second favourites list! You won’t find me doing this very often, but I have decided to give it a go. The reason I don’t is that tastes change and as soon as I write my favourite down I’m sure another is going to come along and replace it. I think the only favourite list I have put forth in the past that has not changed has been movies. [For those playing at home: 1 – Rollerball (the original, 1975); 2 – Excalibur (1981); 3 – Life Of Brian (1979).] So, anyway, here’s my list of my favourite short stories. At the moment. Short stories are sort of lost in the shuffle a lot of the time. People dismiss them as lightweight (I’ve read one critic who says if it’s short, how can you tell a real story?) or as something not to be taken seriously. As a writer most of whose published work has been short stories – and, I have to say, many (not all) fiction writers it seems start life as short story writers – I find this rather condescending and, well, angering. Getting a complete tale down in 5000 words is not easy. Really. So, in order of author, here are 21 of my favourite short stories. This list will, of course, show that my genre preferences. And like all lists of favourites, etc, this is completely subjective. Completely. There are no rights or wrongs (though, I guess, to modern day computer trolls, that is not true, but they tend to be morons anyway, so who cares?). ‘Mr. Big’ by Woody Allen A brilliant, funny short story parodying the Raymond Chandler noir type of story perfectly, looking for the missing person and being threatened by goons and having the femme fatale constantly involved. It is just funny from beginning to end, especially with everything the missing person was involved with. To say more would be to give it away… so I won’t. ‘Clean Sweep Ignatius’ by Jeffrey Archer The tale of a new Nigerian minister and his encounter with Swiss bankers hiding money secreted by his country-men is just the sort of short story that Archer does brilliantly – the one with the twist in the tale. His threats with the gun give the story a whole different complexion to the ending that is just really well-written. ‘How It Happened’ by Isaac Asimov Nowadays I reckon this would be considered flash fiction, but it doesn’t matter – in a sheer limited number of words Asimov tells exactly why the Bible story of the creation of the world is written as it is. Economics. ‘The Last Question’ by Isaac Asimov Asimov takes the question that is most asked by people and turns it into an all-encompassing, epoch-spanning story of the truth of the beginning of the universe. No consistent characters except the computer, but it doesn’t matter because Asimov holds it together brilliantly. ‘The Skull Of The Marquis De Sade’ by Robert Bloch A skull is the key component of this story, and it manages to terrify even as people are dying left, right and centre. An intriguing story idea well executed. ‘A Sound Of Thunder’ by Ray Bradbury A time travel story that takes the butterfly effect and twists it to be a thought-provoking and intriguing tale of wonder. To tell much more would be to give it all away, but it is a well-written story indeed. ‘The Thing In The Crypt’ by Lin Carter and L. Sprague de Camp Featuring Robert E. Howard’s most famous creation – Conan – this story sees the hero pursued by wolves after escaping captivity and falling into a tomb. Unlike some later stories not written by Howard himself, this lacks the super-hero qualities that denigrated Conan, and has a genuinely creepy edge to it. ‘Gig Marks’ by Ed Ferrera The tale of a professional wrestler whose past catches up with him is one of the best written stories of the past few years I have read. It is well-done and creepy, written by a man who knows the industry, and the final denouement is perfect. ‘Streets Of Ashkelon’ by Harry Harrison. In the story of John Garth and the Weskers, Harrison paints a sad story of cultural insensitivity and the dangers of religion being introduced where it is not wanted nor needed. The character of John Garth is one of the best written I have come across and his increasing sadness as he sees what happens around him until the end when the Weskers realise just what has happened to them is almost perfect. Just a wonderful tale. This is my very favourite short story. ‘By This Axe I Rule!’ by Robert E. Howard This story featuring King Kull is really no more than an anecdote about Kull claiming his right to the throne. But it is well-written and the template for nearly everything that came after it in fantasy fighting stories. ‘The Hills Of The Dead’ by Robert E. Howard A tale featuring Howard’s hero Solomon Kane, a Puritan warrior, in Africa with a witch-doctor friend (N’Longa, who features in a few Kane tales) and a bunch of zombie-vampire hybrids. My favourite of the Kane stories, because it doesn’t portray Kane as all-knowing and completely self-righteous (which happens often). ‘The Thing On The Roof’ by Robert E. Howard Howard is best known for his fantasy writing, but he was also a great horror writer. This story of the tale of a man who defiled a foreign temple and suffered for it is a strange tale but with an incredibly vivid ending. Surprisingly for his time, he did not use a lot of words to set up his tales, and this is the better for it. ‘Graveyard Shift’ by Stephen King This story of men on the graveyard shift looking in the basement for their rat problems and finding something that can only be described as evolution gone mad is gross and creepy and downright scary. One of the first short stories to give me nightmares, it still freaks me out today. ‘Survivor Type’ by Stephen King A shipwreck survivor story with the grossness slowly but inexorably turned up to 11. And it is all too plausible. Just gross and I couldn’t stop reading it. This one also gave me nightmares after I first read it. Such a simple story, but… Wow. ‘Word Processor Of The Gods’ by Stephen King An old theme done with that modern update and then twisted to be creepy and with an ending where you weren’t sure just what the outcome was going to be – a short story done in the perfect way. A really strong tale. ‘You Know They Got A Hell Of A Band’ by Stephen King Not that well-known, this story about the place… well, the title comes from a song, and that song gives away the whole plot of the story, but I don’t want to give anything else away because it’s one of those stories where it will give everything away even if I mention a little. But King’s personifications of the real people is spot-on. ‘The Rats In The Walls’ by H.P. Lovecraft I find a bit of Lovecraft a little awkward to read as he goes for hyperbole a little too often for my tastes. But this story, with its gradual build of terror and ambiguous ending is genuinely creepy and something that you can see in many works that followed by many other authors. ‘The Facts In The Case Of M. Valdemar’ by Edgar Allan Poe Not one of Poe’s better known stories, but, to me, one of his creepiest, and one of his best described. The dangers of hypnotism and life stasis – just creepy. ‘The Masque Of The Red Death’ by Edgar Allan Poe A lot of the opening is exposition, but in the story of the red death sweeping across a nation and the wealthy thinking they are immune only to have an uninvited guest at their ball is just the sort of eerie story-telling that makes Poe a must-read for all upcoming and experienced horror writers. So simple, and yet it becomes so much more. ‘The Judge’s House’ by Bram Stoker This story is considered a horror classic, and rightfully so. It is so well-written and the slow build of terror was rarely better done. And the ending was not anything I expected when I first read it. Sometimes those considered the best are the best. ‘The Model’ by me I was debating whether to put one of my own here, but decided to because, of all my published stories, this one feels most like one I didn’t write – it still gives me the creeps a little. An artist whose latest model takes over his mind so completely that he has no way out, with a nice little twist in the end that, I think, helps make it. This list is actually not complete. There are two stories I cannot find the titles of – one where a time traveller finds evidence of dinosaurs having evolved intelligence just before the comet wiped them out, and the other of a person who is telling the story from the point of view of being a ghost, following the person who thinks they killed him or her. But, still, 21 stories – it’d make an awesome anthology. A lot of horror, some fantasy, some science fiction, some comedy, some ‘other’ a lot of Howard and King – what more could you ask for from me? So, what are yours? Feel free to share in the comments below or Newsfeed. |
| My 5 Favourite Characters As I have mentioned in the past (right here, in fact: "20240131 A Change In Approach" }, it took me a while to get the hang of writing characters and putting character front and centre in a story, which led to more sales. So, I guess that begs the question: What makes the truly memorable characters come me alive and jump off the page into the reader’s reality?So, let’s get personal: what characters have really pulled me in when I’ve read? Now, I’m the first to admit that many of my own characters, especially in my earlier writing – particularly secondary ones, or any that seem to face a monster – are 2-dimensional at best. I have learnt the hard way to give my characters more than one trait, and I do try hard to give my characters a bit of “life” But I still have a way to go personally.. So, onto the meat of this – here are five characters that really came to life for me. And, yes, my preferred genres come out in full force in this. But – hey! – it’s what I read the most of, so of course it’s going to go that way. One last thing – these aren’t necessarily my favourite books or stories. I mean, I do enjoy them all, but that’s not the point. These are my favourite characters as written, presented here in no particular order. The Shark – Jaws by Peter Benchley The characterisation of the shark really made the book. Benchley avoided anthropomorphisation of the creature, and instead wrote of instincts and nature, making the shark such an object of sympathy that, by the end, I was actually hoping the shark would win. Not bad for the so-called villain of the piece! I should point out that I read this before seeing the movie; my father decided the film would be too scary for me, so one of my grandmothers got me the book instead. Arnold Cunningham – Christine by Stephen King The “big bad” of the book is, of course, Christine, the ’58 Plymouth Fury, and poor Arnie is the unwitting guy dragged along by it. But it is King’s description of his degeneration and gradual slide into the persona of LeBay, Christine’s original owner, coupled with brief glimpses of Arnie as he once was, that makes him such a well-formed and ultimately sympathetic character. This stands in contrast to the main character/narrator, who is bland, I think, on purpose to help the reader project themselves onto him. Arnie is a tragic figure, and it is his story that helps drive the horror. Colin Dobson – Stark by Ben Elton Elton’s comedy about the end of the world at man’s hand is sort of based around CD, though to say he is the driving force is a little disingenuous; after all, the bad guys win, don’t they? (Ahh, spoiler, or not?) This reluctant Englishman in Australia, fighting forces he cannot begin to understand, is very probably an author avatar, but maybe that’s why he is so well-formed and easy to relate to. No great super-heroics, just a man in a situation, maybe reacting like any of us would. Catherine Earnshaw – Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë Wuthering Heights is not only one of the very few so-called “classics” of literature that I really enjoy, but also the one that told me classics could be enjoyed. And the two reasons for that are the sense of desolation of the location – the Yorkshire moors – and the fact the characters are such an incredible bunch of people. And my favourite is Catherine. She’s only in the first half of the book (although her daughter is there later), but it is her who leaves such an impression on everyone else and it is her decisions that force the narrative. She’s over the top, she’s whining, but she’s strong and she is central (her ghost even starts the story!) and she is wonderfully realised. John Garth – ‘The Streets Of Ashkelon’ by Harry Harrison A short story, and my personal favourite, this tale of the corruption of innocence is held together by the atheist Garth and his relationship with the intelligent but innocent Weskers. This relationship is strained with the arrival of an over-zealous missionary, who proceeds to destroy the innocence of the world. For a short story, the world-weariness and sense of growing depression in Garth is developed really well. We feel his heart breaking, especially at the end when the Weskers realise what they have become. That final dénouement is heart-wrenching. So there you have it – my five favourite characters from writing. I just wish I could develop characters as strong as these… Feel free to sound off about your own favourites in the comments section below or on the newsfeed! |
| Spur Of The Moment Advice I was sitting in the library the other day (where I currently reside… or might as well reside) when a lady I have come to know – another regular – came up to ask if she could ask me something. “Sure,” I said. “I want to write. I feel like I want to write. But I don’t know where to start.” Now, this is something new. I have met people who want to write and have a couple of ideas, and people who want to write and have had a go but are stuck, but not someone who wants to give it a go “just because”. Now, I will say she is an avid reader, so that was not going to be an issue. If she didn’t read, then this would have been very different. And, despite my aversion to doing so, I gave her some advice. Advice? Helpful hints? Something. Anyway, I read her first piece last night and it was not too bad. She had done what I suggested and run with it. So, here is what I told her: Start with an idea. Just write whatever comes to your head. Start with a word. Turn that word into a sentence. Turn that sentence into a paragraph. Keep writing until you run out of something to say. Don’t think about how many words it is, just write. Then put it away for a week or so, go back to it and see if you can work on it some more. But where do I get that idea? That first thing to write about? This was a curious question, and I did have to think for a little while. But I didn’t think too long, and what came out was spur of the moment: Start with something that happened to you. Write about an incident from your life. Anything in your life. Does not have to be major, just an incident you remember clearly. Just describe what happened, how you felt, what the outcome was. That’s all. Then do it again with another life event. Maybe something you saw, something you were on the edge of. Once you’ve done that a few times, try exaggerating the events, or change the outcome to something you would have preferred happen, or it would have been funny if it happened. Now we’ve gone from memoir to fiction, and you’re writing. And, again, length does not matter. What do you do next? That is up to you. You are writing for an audience of one – yourself. First and foremost, that is the one person who has to be satisfied with what is written. Everyone else is a bonus – you are the main person you are writing for. You don’t have to show anyone, but if you do, show someone who is going to be supportive. Not sycophantic, but supportive. And don’t feel you have to show everything to someone. Some works will remain private and personal. It’s all fine. So long as you’re happy. And so long as you’re writing. This was advice I gave her over the course of a 60-minute conversation. What do you think? Was it any good? Serious questions, by the way. |
| Keeping It Real [on dialogue] Ahh, the joys of reading… Over the past 50-odd years, I have – quite surprisingly – done a lot of reading. Not all of it has been the trad published books; there is also a bit of self-publishing, some in my former life as a teacher, beta reading, reading to help people out, and, of course, here at WdC. Lots of reading, which in my current guise as a person of no fixed address does help pass the time. Now, I notice a lot of things when reading – can’t help it, not really – but there is something that I have been seeing more and more of. That is the dialogue people use when writing their tales. This has made me realise that there are 4 different sorts of dialogue writing: stilted, non-differentiated, phonetic and what I will call “correct”. Yes, I’m inventing terms here, but it’s my writing blog. Stilted dialogue is when people speak in a manner that is too formal for the setting. The people talk like they are reciting a serious capital-L Literature script, and it does not sound real. Formal exchanges and comments are the most common here: “I do not believe I would do that;” “Please could you procure for me some lemonade?” and, “Your shooting of my person pains me a great deal.” This occurs especially when a writer is relatively new and they have done one of those writing courses that tells them that all professional writing has to be professional and formal and the like, and also when a writer is trying too hard to be politically correct. The biggest issue, though, is that, of course, no-one speaks like this. Ever. Not even in Victorian England. Non-differentiated dialogue comes in two forms. The first is when the dialogue sounds like the writing around it. The way people speak is mirrored in the way the writer writes. While this can work in a first person story, so the narrator is going to talk in direct speech like they narrate the story, but it does not necessarily follow that everything should sound like that. This leads directly to the second, when all the people talking sound the same. Even if the way they speak is different from the writing around the direct speech, having them all use the same phrases, same words, some interjections makes them sound like they are the same character. It can seem like some well programmed robots are involved in the story, not people. This leads us on to the phonetic dialogue, which is the complete opposite to stilted dialogue. This is when what is written is exactly what is said by the people in said situation. When this happens, it is obvious that said writer has taken copious notes or has recorded with some sort of magic voice recording device thing and just transcribed everything on it to the page. That’s wonderful and incredibly authentic, but, really, listen to the way people really talk. It’s not in perfect sentences. It’s punctuated by a lot of pauses, ‘umm’s, ‘err’s, and grunts, and often – especially when two old friends are talking – unfinished sentences and ideas because they know already what’s going on. Authentic, yes, but it doesn’t help the reader. For example: “Yeah, well, so I was, umm, yeah, you know, with Dan and we, like, umm, went to the , uhh, shop.” Very true to life… and very hard to read. However, this does not mean your characters should tell one another things that they already should know. Not even an, “As you know…” conversation starter. That is lazy writing and movies do it all the time. Continuing with this, what’s worse is when people try to transcribe phonetically an accent, which takes a story going along in its own pace and brings it to a grinding and sudden halt as the reader tries to work out what the hell is going on. The following is an example I’ve ripped from a real, published story: “I a-canna d’ et; et’s a-tu ‘evveee.” I think that’s, “I can’t do it; it’s too heavy,” but you can see the point. An even worse example is when they combine these two with the verbalisations of teenagers from their own current time period, and that they are not a part of. It comes across as trying too hard and using a completely foreign language. “Like, I was, you know, rollin’, and we were, uhh, err, yeah, you know, lolin’ and…” [I can’t do any more… this is again from an actual book] just does not make sense on any level. So that leaves us with what I will call the “correct” way… which just means the way that makes the most sense to me as a reader and writer and teacher. This is a strange mixture of all three. What works in books is when people talk informally (except in situations where they would be required not to, talking to superiors and its variations being the most common), they add some slang terms from their own idiom / country / identity group, or some accent identifiers, and they have occasional pauses. In good written work, lots of the “err”-like interjections and blank passages of incomprehensible vernacular just do not exist. What this means is that dialogue in books, though based on reality, cannot be completely real if you want a reader to actually keep on reading your stuff. Anyway, that is one person’s opinion. And remember punctuation for direct speech! . (Notice the cheap plug for another blog entry?!). |
| My Favourite Book Scene Written works – much like movies – are made up of scenes. Some are short, some are long, but it requires all of these scenes put together as a whole to make a full coherent story, and a story that works. In that regard, it is often hard for people to pinpoint a certain scene as one they really enjoy because, taken out of the context of the whole story, it just does not work. But a good scene will stick with you for a long time. This is my very favourite scene ever. Not for what happens, but for how it is written. It occurs in the novel Pet Sematary by Stephen King (1983), and the scene is the one where Jud takes Louis to the “real” Pet Sematary at night for the first time, in order to bury the recently killed cat of Louis’ daughter. He had already described the regular Sematary earlier in the novel, but at night time, as written by King, it seems to take on almost a living personality. And it is menacing: “…The flash’s beams centered brightly on the jumbled heap of (bones) fallen trees and logs.” This when they approach a deadfall that blocks the path. The image of the trees looking like the defleshed bones of some huge creature suits the general atmosphere of impending doom and recent death. The words are so carefully chosen, it’s like a visual artist with an easel. The imagery further on: “…but after stepping over half a dozen tussocks, he looked down and saw that his feet, calves, knees, and lower thighs had disappeared into a groundfog that was perfectly smooth, perfectly white, and perfectly opaque. It was like moving through the world’s lightest drift of snow.” Something so beautiful in the midst of such death and horror. This juxtaposition seems to almost represent the two sides of death – the horror and the beauty. The actual description is not too detailed; like many good horror writers, King understands that the greatest horror is what you can come up with yourself, that the things left to the imagination can be worse than anything written (or shown on the screen in truly great horror films). But when King does describe, the turns of phrase he uses actually can add to the terror he is building on the page: “They were standing on a rocky, rubble-strewn plate of rock which slid out of the thin earth directly ahead like a dark tongue.” Not stuck out, but slid out. A tongue of rock. Images that add to the image of entering a mouth of hell. A real mouth, yet without saying it as such. It lets the reader know in a subtle way that this is where the really bad stuff is going to happen. The sense of place in this passage is eerie and also scene-setting for what comes very soon after, but it also leaves enough to the imagination to make it just that little bit worse for the reader. A scene of great power and creepiness. And, simply put, just great writing. My favourite scene. |
| Recognising (Personal) Stereotypes Stereotypes have a long history in the arts. Certain characteristics are used to portray certain countries, races, religions or lifestyles. While there may have once been a grain of truth in them – shown by the fact that we actually recognise them for what they represent – they are generally avoided, and in many cases are seen as negative and abusive and downright rude. Having said that, I have come to realise many writers still, in fact, use stereotypes. But these aren’t the normal sorts, oh no, no, no. These are stereotypes that are specific and personal to each writer. I came to this realisation when I was looking through some older works of a certain famous author and came to the conclusion that the father characters or fathers of characters of this man fall into one of two types – over-protective hover-parents, or abusive, obnoxious, nasty pieces of work. This inspired me, and another author’s various recurring heroes all have square jaws and are men of few words. Another author depicted all the main character women in her stories as only children or there is no mention of siblings at all. Same author also shows her single men as nasty, vicious, amoral predators. Walt Disney had a habit of killing off mothers in his classic tales. No mums, so we get step-mums, or struggling single dads, or just female characters who never even think about a female parent. And one final one has a dog in every longer story who is a loyal and constant companion. In some it’s brave, in some it’s just there, and in one it’s there at the start when the main character is having a happy childhood. There is an inevitable conclusion here, one that doesn’t take a psychology degree to work out – how we are exposed to certain peoples informs our writing about those peoples. For example, a person whose only contact with females was his mother, grandmother and school teachers may well have an authoritarian view of women that comes across in their characters. It could also be simpler than that – a non-smoker will have trouble writing a character that is a two pack a day man. It’s not impossible, of course… but it will take a lot of research to make sure these things are realistic. This made me take a bit of a look at my own writing, and, sure enough, they’re there. All the police characters are over-bearing, pompous and either corrupt, ineffective or bumbling. Even when they do manage to solve the case, it’s through some-one else’s efforts. Now I know a few policemen, and away from their jobs some of them are decent people. But it’s on the job when I am yet to meet one who has not been officious, rude and plain nasty. (Not fair. I have met three good ones.) My other stereotype comes from I know not where – a lot of the main characters, especially in first drafts, are whiny and pathetic males who can’t seem to be able to do anything right and bumble on through until they somehow do the right thing and everything turns out in the end. This one, though, I have been aware of for a while and I made a conscious effort not to let that caricature infiltrate my stories any longer. It is a habit I have broken. Likewise, all the heroine female characters had long hair and university degrees. This is one that still informs a lot of my writing, so I have to really work on avoiding it. So I guess the stereotypes are always going to be there, they’re just going to be more subtle, more personal and probably mean nothing to anyone apart from the author, and, really, is that a bad thing? |
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