Interview with Linda Acaster from Hornsea Writers.

Some of the motley crew making up Hornsea Writers.

As a member of this group of supportive and talented writers, I thought I'd pass on this interview with Linda, one of our founding members. It originally featured on the blog Rebeccah Writes and I reproduce it in full here with her blessing. The picture's from my own files, though.

Welcome to my interview with Linda Acaster from Hornsea Writers.
         
*****

Hello Linda.  Can you please tell us a bit about your writing group?

Hi Rebeccah, thanks for inviting us to participate. We’re based in a seaside town in East Yorkshire, but we pull our small membership from across the Riding because we aren’t your usual writing group. 

Ooh that sounds interesting.  

How are you different?

Hornsea Writers is a support group for professional writers. Among our membership we have a Crime Writers’ Association Debut Dagger winner who is also the current chair of the Authors’ Licensing & Collecting Society, two past winners of the Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writers’ Scheme, and winners of various national writing competitions. Individually we’ve written and had published/produced radio plays, a plethora of newspaper and magazine articles in the UK and overseas, how-to and academic books, short fiction in a variety of genres, and historical, fantasy, SF, crime and romance novels. The very last thing we do at our weekly meetings is write.

If you don't write, what do you do?

After gaining a drink at the bar – all writing groups should have access to a bar, even if it sells only tea – it’s a round-table news and hard copy information exchange to augment the closed Yahoogroup we maintain for fast exchanges of hyperlinks to anything pertinent to our business. To members, writing is a business; no one at Hornsea Writers carries the attitude that it’s a pleasant hobby. For most it’s a big part of our working day; for some there are deadlines implicit in publishers’ contracts.

The reason we turn up weekly – Christmas off for good behaviour – is for the detailed criticism of read aloud work-in-progress. This is where prospective new members wilt just listening to the measured but detailed exchanges, and why we are now an invitation-only group. We feel we’ve put off for life too many beginner writers, even when they’ve never read out a word of their own fiction.

What kind of feedback do you give each other?

No one says that’s nice or didn’t like that. Because individually we work with agents and publishers’ editors we evaluate our work through that level of filter: if the character does x and y there, why is he doing z further on? Why would that character think in those terms at that point? If no cast-iron answer is forthcoming the work is deconstructed across the table and suggestions offered. There are always suggestions for remedies or new routes when a possible problem is recognised. No member is ever left hanging, and it takes as long as it takes, so we might spend an entire evening on one person’s work. This is rare, but it can be beneficial at the opening of, say, a novel where a better starting point might be identified thus later saving hours, or even days of rewriting when cracks start appearing in the structure. The beauty of such a diverse group of individuals is that we each have our areas of expertise borne from experience. 

Do you have any advice for new writers?

Hornsea Writers’ tip: find a writing group that both supports your level of engagement and challenges your current expertise. Most of all we urge you to never stop writing.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

I used to be a creative writing tutor and still critique novels for a London agency. My Reading A Writer’s Mind: Exploring Short Fiction – First Thought to Finished Story does what it says on its e-cover, and it’ll soon be a paperback. Penny Grubb, our crime-writer, has distilled her university and conference teaching intoThe Writers’ Toolkit – A Handbook for Writers of Commercial Fiction. Making up the trilogy, April Taylor has condensed her librarian skills into the very useful Internet Research for Fiction Writers after continually having to explain the easiest way of gaining the research members needed. We embody the ‘write about what you know’.

Readers of Rebeccah Writes may well find of use the blog of SF/F writer Stuart Aken where, among other interesting content, he maintains a comprehensive and useful list of current writing competitions. 

Does your writing group have a website/blog/Twitter/Facebook? 

Hornsea Writers has no internet presence but has produced a group e-anthology of prize-winning short fiction, A Sackful of Shorts. Connect with members mentioned above at:

Linda Acaster: how-to, historical, supernatural thriller, fantasy and short fiction

http://lindaacaster.blogspot.com

Penny Grubb: crime, academic, how-to, short fiction

http://www.pennygrubb.com   http://www.alcs.co.uk/

April Taylor: how-to, alternative history (Tudor), short fiction

http://treasonsstratagemsspoils.blogspot.co.uk/

Stuart Aken: SF/F; literary, romance, horror, SF short fiction and a useful blog

http://stuartaken.blogspot.co.uk/ 

Thank you very much Linda.

Posted by Rebeccah Giltrow at 10:32 

To Linda's thanks, I'd like to add my own, Rebeccah. This was generous of you and all group members appreciate the opportunity for exposure.

In Aid of Inshore Rescue

A friend of mine, Rick Sumner, has produced a slim volume of comic verse to be sold to raise funds for the local inshore rescue service. This maritime service has done sterling work over the years since it was first introduced, rescuing people in difficulties in the seas around the East Yorkshire town of Hornsea. If you'd like to obtain a copy, but don't get as far as Hornsea, here's the contact link.

And, by way of a tempter, here's an example of the verse:

 A very small fellow once stated
That he wanted his legs elongated
But when his friend Jack
Stretched him out on a rack
He screamed 'STOP, being tall's over rated.'

Rick's Rescue Rhymes can be purchased for the enormous outlay of £1.00 from Hornsea Inshore Rescue, or by post, by contacting Rick using the link above. For that service, there will be a small postal service, but all money raised goes to this excellent cause.

Photos of East Riding

A short while ago, I took part in a contest aimed at finding photographs of the East Riding of Yorkshire that the local authority could use in publicising the area. The contest attracted a lot of interest and the 700+ pictures that are up for judging can be viewed here: http://www2.eastriding.gov.uk/leisure/events/capturing-the-east-riding/gallery/competition-entries/?album=4573
Judging takes place on Friday and I pity the judges having to select a winner from this collection; so many good shots.
It's good to know there are so many people with an eye for a picture who are living in the county.

I've included one of my own entries, just as a teaser, but if you visit the gallery, you'll see many different views of the area and its people.
Enjoy.

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Meiosis

Meiosis: noun - presenting a thing with underemphasis, especially with the aim of achieving a greater effect, understatement. For those who are interested, it’s also a form of cell division, but that’s not what this spot is about.

British satirical works often use understatement to hilarious effect.

An example of the meiosis in use: ‘They say Bill Gates, Donald Trump and J.K. Rowling are all worth a few bob.’

Picture: the parish church of Driffield, seen from just off Spellowgate.

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Ensure, insure or assure?

Ensure, insure or assure?

Ensure: verb - to make sure, safe, or certain; guarantee

Insure: verb - to obtain or provide insurance on or for; to make certain by taking necessary measures and precautions; to contract to give or take insurance, ensure

Assure: verb - to make safe from risks or against overthrow; insure; to give confidence to; to make sure or certain; convince; to inform positively; to make certain the coming or attainment of; guarantee; ensure

It is probably pedantic to be too concerned about the sometimes subtle difference between these three words that are often interchangeable. As is so often the case, it comes down to context. It would be unusual to use ‘assure’ in a financial context (though the industry often does this). And ‘ensure’ isn’t used in the financial context at all.

Probably, the best way to think of the general use of these terms is to think of ‘ensure’ in terms of a guarantee, ‘insure’ in the sense of ‘indemnify’, and ‘assure’ as a synonym of ‘comfort’ or ‘convince’.

So, we all ‘ensure’ the safety of our children, ‘insure’ our houses and cars against disasters and accidents, and ‘assure’ our friends and loved ones of our loyalty and love. Hope this helps.

Picture: Oxlands Dale, near Huggate, East Yorkshire.

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Different from or different than

Different from or different than: In British English, and its cousins, you can’t follow ‘different’ with ‘than’. Although people use both ‘to’ and ‘from’, the preferred use is ‘from’. Fowler, ‘English Usage’ doesn’t even mention ‘different than’, probably because he wasn’t aware of it at the time: it is definitely US usage. And, here in Britain, it’s generally considered unacceptable. Things are logically different from one another, and using ‘than’ after ‘different’ is regarded as a grammatical blunder.

‘The bikini Elle's wearing is different from the one worn by Corinne, but I think that Elle’s is better than hers.’

Picture: the North Sea at Bridlington, East Yorkshire.

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Laborious

Laborious; adjective – distinguished by or involving labour or exertion; entailing labour in construction or execution; not fluent; giving birth with difficulty; of labour - difficult.

‘The prisoners in the chain gang found the manual digging of drainage ditches a laborious task.’

‘The vicar’s sermon on moral decline in the modern age was so laborious that half of his congregation fell asleep before he’d finished.’

Writing: Not a Serious Word was Placed

Little Driffield, Horse Fair Lane.

Yesterday, as regulars will know, was dance class following the day at the office. No writing, but I did enjoy a documentary on TV about the background to the recent economic collapse. Today is now my long day at the office and I usually arrive home in no fit state to do more than respond to the emails that have flown in during the day.
But I had a couple of ideas in the night and placed them on one of my many notebooks placed strategically about the house for just that purpose. Tomorrow, I finish early and may even do some writing between the end of the office job and the weekly visit to my writing group. With luck!

Writing: Another 1500 Done

An early start again and 1500 words placed before breakfast. This section has a perceived threat become a reality and two of the characters planning their escape from the trap that is about to close around them. The other writing things I've done today include an update to the suggested Books page and a small update to the Writing Contests page, so if you like to pit your wits against the judges, have a look and see if any of the links takes you to a place you'd like to try for a prize. Some of these contests offer decent prizes with no entry fee as well. Also, I joined a poetry group on Facebook a while ago and today I posted my first piece of verse there. You'll find it at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_153270078024205&notif_t=group_activity  but you'll have to scroll down a good way because this is an active group and there are plenty of posts every day. One of the group thought my piece was 'brilliant', which is nice to know. I've had a few dozen emails in my 'pending' place and I dealt with all of those today as well. So, quite productive.
We took the car to town for groceries and to buy new mats for the car and a can of spray paint to touch up some of the body work before it rusts.
Our walk was just a short trek around the block to get the blood flowing after so much physical inactivity.
And I've just delivered Kate and her friend, Charlotte, to a party at a local pub. Another 18th birthday party; this one a themed 'Where's Wally?' do.
The remainder of the evening is for reading and gazing at the TV screen instead of the PC monitor. Recharging the batteries in readiness for tomorrow.

The picture is from a local walk, about 8 miles away, near a village called Huggate.

Anthology: A Sackful of Shorts

A Sackful of Shorts is an anthology of 13 diverse short stories from Hornsea Writers, a group of published authors from the East Riding of Yorkshire in England. They're a mixed bunch (I'm one of them) with many different books, stories, plays and articles to their names. Here's a little more information about the collection, the individual stories, and the writers themselves:

Karen Wolfe;  Squirrels - This story won the 2008 BBC Radio 4 Square Dog short story competition, and the Aesthetica Magazine literary prize in 2009.

Karen, writing since early childhood, is never without a headful of Book. Her first love is dogs, and she has, rather appropriately, won the BBC 4 'Square Dog' competition twice in succession, contributing to the American Wolfsongs anthology, and also winning the Aesthetica Magazine literary prize in 2008 and the Village Writers short story competition 2010 with Sparrowban. Her novel, Seers, was published in December 2008, with its sequel, Seers' Moon following in November 2009. She's currently writing Dogwatch, the second in a series of crime-novels (with dogs!) Contact Karen. Interview with Karen.

Avril Field-Taylor; The Gloves Are Off - This story was a prizewinner in 2008 in the Wellington competition.

Avril has been writing most of her adult life, whilst working as a librarian. Giving up work and moving to the east coast, she's found success in writing competitions as well as two published novels. In 2009, she won the Emerging Talent prize for Abbey Hill Literary. Her first book, Dearly Ransomed Soul features her 20th century detective, Georgia Pattison, professional singer and sleuth and Murder at Oakwood Grange is a tribute to Sherlock Holmes. Avril is now writing a series of crime fantasy novels set in an alternate Tudor history at Hampton Court Palace and hopes to see them in print soon. Avril's blog. Interview with Avril.

Stuart Aken; The Best Possible Time - This story won first prize in Writers' Forum Magazine Short Story competition and was published in the July/August issue of the magazine in 2007.

The story was adapted from the original opening chapter of Stuart Aken's novel, Breaking Faith, before changes to the book as it now appears both in ebook form with Smashwords and as a print edition; see his website for details. He runs this blog, tweets regularly on Twitter, and can be found amongst friends on Facebook, where you're welcome to join him.

Many of his short stories have been coontest prize-winners and 3 such have been published in UK national writers' magazine, Writers' Forum. He's also had a play broadcast on UK national radio; BBC Radio 4.

Linda Acaster; Shared With The Light - Linda's published work includes over seventy short stories in genres as diverse as women's, horror, crime, fantasy, mainstream and SF, published in UK, USA and Europe. Her paperback novels include three historicals and contemporary time-slip thriller, Torc of Moonlight, the first of a trilogy set in British university cities. She's also written travel features and opinion pieces for the UK press, and an abundance of articles on the techniques of writing fiction.

Two of her historical novels are available as ebooks, Hostage of the Heart and Beneath The Shining Mountains. Torc of Moonlight : Special Edition includes research features and an interview with the author.

Linda's blog. Interview with Linda.

Annie Wilkinson; Sidestepping King David - Annie was born into a northern mining family, which provided material for a quartet of novels, A Sovereign for a Song, Winning a Wife, No Price too High, and For King and Country. The novels are set in north east England, starting at the beginning of the twentieth century and ending after the Armistice. All the novels are published by Simon and Schuster and are available from Amazon UK , Fantastic Fiction  and Love Reading. A Sovereign for a Song won the Romantic Novelist Association's New Writers' Award in 2004.

Deborah Sutcliffe; Annals Of The Space Clinic (Extracts) - Deborah doesn't 'write' as such, but enjoys wordsmithing when the necessity arises, such as writing indignant letters to the papers, Council, Queen etc. In the case of the 'Annals' she wanted to explore our language and its wonderful spelling. A retired midwife, she believes her past probably explains the direction it took.

Madeleine McDonald; Sisters - This story was first broadcast on BBC Radio Newcastle in 1998

Madeleine left school with a shorthand-typing certificate and the intention of working her way round the world. Life had other plans and she got no further than where Alsace borders Switzerland and Germany. Living in France and cycling over the border to work in Switzerland, she coped with overlapping Germanic dialects. Later she worked as a freelance conference translator for international organisations, which took her to diplomatic capitals all over Europe.

She didn't start writing until her thirties, when she married an Englishman and moved to East Yorkshire. She's a regular newspaper columnist and has had short stories and humorous pieces broadcast on BBC radio, as well as poems published in anthologies. Her romance novel, Enchantment In Morocco, is available from Red Rose Publishing and Fictionwise. Madeleine's blog. Interview with Madeleine.

Penny Grubb - A Fine Kettle Of Fish - This story was shortlisted in an animal-themed competition in 2001 and first appeared in a UK anthology sponsored by the RSPCA in the same year.

Penny is a novelist, writing crime fiction including a series set in the UK featuring PI Annie Raymond. A writer all her life, she penned her first story at age 4 and won her first writing competition at age 9. In 2004 under the name Ellen Grubb she won the Crime Writers' Association's Debut Dagger for her novel, The Doll Makers. In 2010, her novel Like False Money was nominated for the CWA John Creasey Dagger. Her third novel, the Jawbone Gang, is published in May 2011. As well as being a writer, scientist and academic, Penny devotes much of her time protecting writers' rights. Since 2007 she's been Chair of the Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society which collects money due to writers for secondary use of their work, paying out millions of pounds to many thousands of writers every year. Penny's writing has been published in various contexts – novels, non-fiction books, textbooks, academic papers, articles and radio broadcasts. The story in this anthology is one of her rare excursions into short fiction. Contact Penny. Interview with Penny.

Wayne Scott Ross; A Day In The Bowl - This story is part of Wayne's most recent novella and was a prize winner in the prestigious 'New Writers' awards; 'The Black Alice Tales' being a humorous description of life on a Scottish deer estate, based in part on personal experience.

Wayne is a multi genre writer, covering both fact and fiction. L. Ron Hubbards Writers of the Future judges commended him on his novella entry, The Seeds of Legend, and he's had success in the Sci-fi or Fantasy section of the Plane Tree competition. He's currently looking for a publisher for the sci-fi short story anthology, Nastassia in the Rain. Recent novel projects include a contemporary thriller set on a small Scottish island, being a mix of lesbian love, drugs, murder and the shipping forecast.

A graduate engineer, engineering lecturer and consultant, with many years of senior industrial management experience behind him, he had published 'Continuous Improvements, a Step by Step Guide' by Management Books 2000. It has been extremely well received and is standard reading in a number of major British companies. A recently completed film screenplay, Time and Time Again was favourably received by agents, and garnered good reviews. He's also written articles for diverse publications.

Currently he's developing a range of city travel guides for children, each a stand alone adventure story set in the likes of York, Lincoln, Oxford and so on.

Rick Sumner; The Funeral - This story is from an audio tape, Kilby Welfare – Stories from a pit village, read by Paul Copley and Tony Capstick.

Rick, born in Manchester in the early thirties, worked for 11 years in coal mines in Lancashire and Yorkshire. He also made several trips as a deck hand on deep sea trawlers before eventually spending 17 years heading a community advice and support team in Manchester's inner city. Rick moved to Hornsea when he retired. He's had quite a number of short stories published in literary journals but his favourite achievement was the production of the audio tape, Kilby Welfare, Stories from a Pit Village. Copies of the tape can be obtained through Rick at his email address but it's possible the stories may soon be available on a CD.

Pippa Ireland; Men! They're All The Same - This prizewinning story was first published in Bonmarché magazine, winter 2005

Pippa, published poet and award-winning equestrian, made a big splash in the writing world when she organised La Scala Studios' first short story competition in 2010 as a feasibility study for her University course. The competition attracted almost £2000 in sponsorship, a record entry, and culminated in a prestigious prize presentation, following which two of the winning stories were accepted for publication in a national magazine. For her efforts, Pippa won an award for academic excellence and was offered the opportunity to organise the competition on an annual basis for La Scala Studios. Pippa is currently writing a novel, and has previously had poetry and short fiction published.

Mary P Stanley; Construction Over Water - This story was awarded third place in The New Writer Prose and Poetry competition, 2009

Mary is currently completing an MA in Creative Writing at the University of Hull, where she was awarded the Philip Larkin Prize for mixed-genre work in 2008. Her first published literary work, Construction Over Water; An Elegy For Wanda, appeared in The New Writer Collection, July/August 2010. She's previously worked in theatres across Canada as a member of Canadian Actors Equity Association and combines an interest in writing with a love for live theatre.

Len E. Wilx; James Sorts Things Out - Len E. Wilx was born in Yorkshire in 1973. Married to a real life 'James', she currently works full time developing packaging for class A drugs. She has two small children and enjoys food (especially chocolate!), racquet ball and holidays.

So, you can see we're a very mixed bunch. Professionalism, however, links us, along with our love of language and story-telling. We offer one another open, honest and constructive criticism and provide support, advice and practical help where needed. Our weekly gatherings are lively affairs, good-humoured in spite of the frank nature of our discussions. I've gained a huge amount of knowledge and experience by being a member of this group and was delighted to act as editor of this collection of excellent stories. I hope you'll be tempted to read the offering and follow that up by visiting the links to the authors. 

Face to Face

With increasing numbers of literary festivals offering chances to meet experienced writing practitioners, I thought I’d look at the value of such one to one events.

I’ve been writing for more years than I care to count, starting with illustrated articles for the photographic press in my late teens before moving on to fiction. In all that time, I’ve repeatedly heard how face to face meetings with acknowledged experts can be inspiring. Until last year, I believed this was all so much hype. However, as part of the Beverley Literature Festival, the organisers made such an opportunity available for the first five applicants, at a third the usual cost. This was an inexpensive chance on my doorstep, too good for a Yorkshireman to miss. One quick phone call and my place was secured.

The brief: to provide the first 3 chapters or 10,000 words of a novel. I’d been editing the first volume of a fantasy novel for some time. It was a large work; standing at 340,000 words at the time. I posted my sample and awaited my date with novelist, Kachi A. Ozumba. I confess to some concerns: would an African novelist understand the genre? Would we get on at all?

I hadn’t read any of Kachi’s work as I wanted to avoid forming an idea of him as a writer that might prejudice my opinion of his evaluation.

The venue, yards from where I earn crusts to feed my family, I knew well. ‘Knock hard’ the invitation suggested, ‘Kachi will be locked somewhere inside.’ He appeared almost at once, beamed a smile of welcome, introduced himself and shook my hand whilst ushering me into the small office of the museum, where his laptop gently hummed on a table.

Kachi understood how important it is to structure criticism in a constructive way. He offered me refreshment and opened his comments with, ‘I enjoyed “Skyfire” (the provisional title – now changed to A Seared Sky) and thought your opening chapter drew the reader straight into the story. So, his first statement had me open to whatever followed. It’s clever psychology to give a subject praise to begin with, as it removes barriers that otherwise might arise when negative comment follows. Already we were on the right footing.

He’d prepared a printed version of his comments, which he handed me to read. His laptop showed my chapters with his highlighted observations, which he later sent me by email. The evaluation opened with a paragraph showing he understood my theme and praising my efforts whilst pointing out areas needing further work. He’d broken this into three headings; characterisation, plot and setting.

He liked my characters in general and found them rounded. But he expressed doubts about a male protagonist, feeling repeated instances of his messianic stance portrayed him as a ‘one-dimensional saint’. I agreed, as soon as he pointed it out. I’ve a tendency to proselytise and Kachi had spotted this example of that flaw very quickly. Clearly I needed to make Aklon-Dji more human. First vital lesson.

On plot, he enjoyed the opening chapter; full of action and conflict, but felt the next two chapters trailed off into sermonising (there goes that proselytising again!). He pointed out that I had Aklon-Dji telling the reader much of what was already known, so that his conversation with another character was largely redundant. I realised I must re-examine the MS for repetition and unnecessary beating of the reader about the head with my message. Second vital lesson.

On settings, he found my created world convincing and rich in detail. But he found my use of invented terms a little distracting, quoting a single sentence containing three such words. Third vital lesson; drip-feed this type of detail to the reader.

Later, when I read his brilliant novel, The Shadow of a Smile, I found something similar. Perhaps Kachi’s familiarity with African names made him unaware how strange they might appear to a British reader. This illustrates a point worth remembering: some genres allow more flexibility. In fantasy, readers are used to absorbing unusual names in quantity, so my inclusion of these was actually less of a problem. But I still needed to introduce them one at a time.

Kachi made a good many comments on the MS, most too long and detailed to include here. Because his written observations were combined with the conversation we had over our prescribed half hour, they had more resonance. Errors and mistakes in my writing, which I had always been vaguely aware of, became blindingly clear. Suddenly, I knew where I was going wrong. It’s no exaggeration to say that the meeting with Kachi changed my writing fundamentally and for the better.

I’m very lucky in two aspects of my writing life. First: my wife has an eagle eye for detail and spots repetition, non sequiturs and anachronisms with frightening facility. She points out those errors I miss by being too close to the work. Second: I belong to a very supportive and experienced writing group. Hornsea Writers (fully subscribed, I’m afraid) has amongst its members; Penny Grubb, crime novelist, university lecturer and Chair of ALCS, Linda Acaster, novelist, short-story writer and professional writing coach, Karen Wolfe, novelist and prize-winning short story writer, Madeleine MacDonald, translator, journalist, novelist and frequent contributor to the Yorkshire Post,
Avril Field-Taylor, crime novelist and short story writer, and short story writer, poet and generally funny guy, Rick Sumner. They have all helped me over the years I’ve belonged to the group but, until I met and talked face to face with Kachi, I never fully knew where my deficiencies lay. And this is in spite of the fact that much of what he highlighted had been pointed out by my writing group.

 

Exactly why that meeting made so many aspects of my writing come together and fall into place, I can only speculate. Perhaps it was hearing these words of wisdom from a stranger who showed that he knew what he was talking about. Perhaps it was his friendly approach combined with a professional attitude. Or, and this is more likely, it was because I had paid to hear his advice. It’s a cliché, but none the less true, that we value most what we pay most to acquire. Whatever the cause, the effect was certainly to make me examine my writing more honestly. And it has resulted in substantial improvements. My first drafts now need fewer alterations and finished pieces are better constructed, free of preaching, tighter and better paced.

 

There are many ways in which aspiring writers can gather constructive criticism of their work. Peer groups, such as writers’ circles and on-line communities, can offer valuable insights into your work. But beware of potential jealousies; not all criticism from your peers will be as impartial as that I’ve had from my own group. Many competitions offer critiques as part of the entry fee or for an extra sum. These are very variable but I’ve found Writers’ Forum short story critiques invaluable, and those issued by Fish Publishing are very good.

The important thing to take from criticism is, of course, the views of a visitor to your created world, someone who sees your construction from outside and therefore has a neutral view. You can either accept such reflections in a positive light or reject them as the ramblings of the prejudiced and jealous. I know which way I lean.

As a result of the many instructive and specific suggestions Kachi made in his analysis, I’ve now turned an MS of 340,000 words, full of authorial intrusions and repetitions, into a fast-paced, page-turning 277,000 word novel, losing 18.5% of baggage along the way. The result is a much better and very readable book.

I don’t kid myself that the reductions and changes I’ve already made will allow ‘A Seared Sky’ to be published as it stands. We all know publishers never produce what the author originally submits. But I now have an MS I can present to agents with some confidence that it will go further.

I was doubtful about the value of face to face meetings before this experience. After meeting Kachi, I happily recommend anyone looking for that moment of revelation to take advantage of the many opportunities that literary festivals and conferences provide

Madeleine McDonald, author of ENCHANTMENT IN MOROCCO, reports on her non-writing life

Image by stuartaken via Flickr

Expect the unexpected. Or, why does this have to happen to me right now?

Yesterday, the wardrobe collapsed. As I yanked a jacket from its overstuffed interior, there was the sound of metal snapping, followed by creaks, and the entire structure folded itself neatly sideways like a short row of dominoes. Yesterday I shut the door on it all.

Today I face facts. Disasters must be dealt with, and never mind what else I have scheduled in life—like starting a new chapter. Kneeling, I wriggle my hands into the mass of trapped clothes and, one at a time, unhook the hangers and extricate each piece. Slow work, if I want to avoid damage.    

Garments pile up on the bed in the spare room, reminding me that I have far too many clothes. And I cannot resist trying some on. Unearthing a lovely tweed cape I bought years ago, I do a twirl in front of the mirror. Very now, very fashionable, until the wearer wants to access her handbag or open a door. I postpone the decision to throw it away by reminding myself to concentrate on the task in hand. Yet when I find that a much loved cardigan is minus a button, I waste time rummaging in the button box before giving up and slinging the cardigan on the pile for repair. Sometime. Some day when I am not promised to writing.

The simplest task proves to be dismantling and removing the empty structure. I will need to buy a new wardrobe but, for today, that’s enough time wasted.  Shutting the door on the sprawling mound in the spare room, I finally allow my heroine too to encounter the unexpected.

ENCHANTMENT IN MOROCCO is available as an e-book from Red Rose Publishing

My blog is at http://madeleinemcdonald.blogspot.com

 

Word of the Day is divorced from the post that precedes it and produced in response to a request from a follower to provide just such a service.

Word of the Day; melodrama – sensationally dramatic piece of fiction with elements crudely designed to appeal to the emotions and usually ending happily. ‘Jessica starred as the innocent maiden who, refusing to allow Baron Devillement to seduce her on the embankment, found herself tied to the rails as the evening express thundered down on her. Fortunately, handsome, dashing Cedric overcame his fear of string just in time to rescue her from this melodrama and entice her into a bit part in his new erotic revue.’

Interview with Penny Grubb, Author.

Picture by Weronika Dziok

Penny Grubb writes crime fiction, children’s fiction and academic text books. She is also current Chair of the very important author’s service, the ALCS – The Author’s Licensing and Collecting Society . A university lecturer and active union member, as well as wife and mother, it’s difficult to know how she finds the time to do everything she does. This is especially the case when you see just how good her writing is. Her most recently published novel in the crime genre, The Doll Makers, won the CWA Debut Dagger. The first in this series, Like False Money, has been nominated for the John Creasey (new blood) Dagger. These awards recognise the quality of this writer’s fiction. I’ve read, and enjoyed both books and can recommend them to all readers.

SA: What qualities do you need to be a successful writer?

PG: Mainly persistence, but you also need a thick skin because      

writers have a lot of criticism thrown at them, and need to learn to take it on the chin, especially the constructive criticism which can be invaluable.

SA: What is your working method?

PG: I plan and then I write.  It’s as simple as that.  Getting the words on the page is what writing is about and as obvious as it sounds, it can be one of the hardest things to do.

SA: What is the single biggest mistake made by beginners to writing?

PG: Thinking that you can judge your own work.  It’s something you learn to do, but even after years of practice, when you read your own work, especially if it’s recently written, your mind reads what you intended to write and not what a reader will take from it.

SA: How did you come to write this particular book?

PG:  The Doll Makers is part of a crime series about PI, Annie Raymond.  Her fractured childhood is hinted at in the earlier books – her mother was murdered, she never takes friends to meet her father – and I always intended that Annie would return to face her childhood demons. This is the book in which she does so.

SA: If you have a favourite character in your novel, why that particular one?

PG: I have a soft spot for Annie’s Aunt Marian.  Because she’s over 70 and never had what the world at large terms a ‘proper job’, no one takes her seriously, including Annie, and yet she has valuable experience and insights to offer.  As a society, we don’t value age and experience anywhere near enough.

SA: How can people buy your book(s)?

PG: People from my local area, East Yorkshire, will find my books for sale in many of the local shops who are very supportive of local writers.  The books are also available from all the usual outlets, WH Smith, Waterstones, Amazon and so on.  They can also be bought direct from the publisher at http://www.halebooks.com/display.asp?K=9780709089810&pge=hale&sf5=lcode&st5=not+67351&st1=Penny+Grubb&sf1=contributor&sf2=title_index&sf3=identifier&sf4=keyword&m=1&dc=2 or via my website at www.pennygrubb.com

SA: To what extent are grammar and spelling important to a writer?

PG: In one way, very important, and in another, not much. Very important because accuracy of spelling and grammar comes from a love of words and language and a deep understanding of the pictures that can be woven from clever use of words.  But a great story can shine through a lack of formal knowledge of the niceties of spelling and grammar.  And a lot of rules that used to be taught as immutable are really no more than matters of personal preference – a split infinitive won’t wreck a good story, a preposition at the end of a sentence won’t end the world.

SA: How much revision of your MS do you do before you send it off?

PG: Huge amounts, but not so much as I used to.  I now do more preparation and planning before I start to write.  I used to rewrite books from scratch, sometimes several times, before I was happy with them.  Nowadays, I put time into planning and get the manuscript more or less right first time.

SA: Where and when is your novel set and why did you make these specific choices?

PG: The novel is set in the present day in London and Argyll.  London is where Annie goes to make her fortune at the end of the previous novel (The Jawbone Gang).  Argyll is where she was brought up, the home turf she escaped from as soon as she could, but that she is now forced to revisit.

SA: To what extent do you think genre is useful in the publishing world?

PG: These days it’s hugely important.  Publishers live and die by it, and so writers have to take note too.  I know great books that couldn’t find publishers because they couldn't be pigeonholed into a commercial genre.  The distinctions are very fluid, but the concept of genre is enormously important in marketing and sales.

SA: What are your writing habits?

PG: I fit my writing around full-time paid employment in two different jobs, and it isn’t possible to develop the sort of routine I would have if I wrote full time. I have favourite places and times to write, but I don’t allow myself to make excuses if I can’t get to write where or when I want.  I want to write novels, so I have to fit the writing in around the other things I have to do.

SA: How do you know where to begin any given story?

PG: I usually don’t, although I often have an idea about a particular part of the action that will make a good compelling opening.  I write the back story for the novel, sometimes from decades before the main characters are born.  The back story then morphs into main story and somewhere along the way I see where each of the story lines needs to start.

SA: What sort of displacement activities keep you from actually writing?

PG: I use writing as a displacement activity to avoid housework.

SA: Do you have support, either from family and friends or a writing group?

PG: I am lucky to have very supportive family and friends.  I also belong to Hornsea Writers, which has to be one of the UK’s most successful writing support groups.

SA: Is presentation of the MS as important as most agents and publishers suggest?

PG: Yes.  Why enter the game with one hand tied behind your back? Agents and publishers have hundreds of manuscripts to go through.  Imagine an agent, tired at the end of the day, wanting to reduce the slush pile, maybe reading several dreadful, sleep-inducing offerings before coming to yours.  If yours is badly presented and doesn’t look professional, what are the chances of the great story that’s hiding in there making a dent on the already comatose reader.  Isn’t it more likely the manuscript will be tossed onto the reject pile without really being looked at? 

SA: How long does it normally take you to write a novel?

PG: I can do one long (80k to 100k) and one short (30k – 40k) novel in a year.

SA: What are your inspirations?

PG: Everything really. Things I read, things I hear, things I see.  The tiniest incident can spark a train of thought that becomes a character, a storyline or a whole plot.

SA: If there’s a single aspect to writing that really frustrates you, what is it?

PG: Having to stop when on a roll.  In the early morning, I often have to stop writing to go to work long before I’m ready to.  I hate that.

SA: Do you think writing is a natural gift or an acquired skill?

PG: Both.  There needs to be a natural story-telling ability, but there is a huge amount that can be learnt about the craft of writing.

 

SA: What are you writing now?

PG: I’m doing a children’s novel, but also thinking about the next in the Annie series, and my academic publisher has asked if I and my co-author would consider doing a third edition of a successful textbook that is now 7 years old.  It would be a huge undertaking, but we’re thinking about it.

SA: Is there any aspect of writing that you really enjoy?

PG: I love planning out a new novel. I also enjoy the actual writing, especially those moments when the words really flow.

SA: Do you have a website or a blog that readers can visit?

PG: My website is www.pennygrubb.com It has links to my blog and Twitter account.  My blog is at www.pennygrubb.blogspot.com

SA: Given unlimited resources, what would be your ideal writing environment?

PG: Given unlimited resources, I would do other things than change my writing environment.  As with so many things today, there is always pressure to change, to get the new version, to expand.  Mostly, it isn’t needed and doesn’t lead to any marked improvement.  My writing environment is just fine as it is.

SA: Where do you actually write?

PG: I have trained myself, perforce, not to be at all precious about where I write.  Sure I love to sit in my study at home and probably do most of my writing there, but I also take my laptop out into the garden or lounge in front of the TV with it.  My day jobs mean I travel a lot, so I also write on trains, in the car (not whilst driving) and sitting in hotel bedrooms at those desks that are never quite the right height.

Interview with Avril Field-Taylor

Avril Field-Taylor, writer, singer and librarian, has written more or less since she could form words. A lover of crime fiction, she is engaged in a series of novels about her singing sleuth, Georgia Pattison: the first is published as Dearly Ransomed Soul and is a very good read. The second is currently seeking a publisher and more are on the way. But, a fan of Conan Doyle’s famous detective, she has also published a Sherlock Holmes novel, Murder at Oakwood Grange. This is a great detective story and I thoroughly enjoyed it. At present, Avril is working on a Tudor detective story, set in an alternative historical background around the time of Henry VIII. A prize-winning short story writer, she lives and works on the coast of East Yorkshire, where she can take her beloved dog for a walk by the refreshing sea after a day spent bashing the keys or researching.

SA: What qualities do you need to be a successful writer?

AFT: Persistence. Determination. Belief that somebody, somewhere, sometime is going to want to publish what you’ve written. Never to be precious about your prose.

SA: What is your working method?

AFT: It’s a job. Begin at 8 or 8.30, break for lunch, knock off at 4. I do lots of research, know my last line and my first line. Write about five chapters and then write the end, go back and work towards it. The end usually gets trashed, but it gives a good sense of direction.

SA: How do you know where to begin any given story?

AFT: I don’t always. Sometimes, it will be a phrase that comes along with a mental picture of a scene. I might write it and it doesn’t gel. I keep going until there’s a sentence that is essentially in the middle of the action and the first line becomes clearer in my head.

SA: How long does it normally take you to write a novel?

AFT: Between 3 and 4 months, first draft.

SA: Do you have support either from family and friends or a writing group?

AFT: All three. My husband is a constant rock on whom I lean and, truth be told, without his encouragement, I couldn’t write. My close friends have complete belief in me and one, in particular, is my Ideal Reader – the one person I know and trust to tell me it’s rubbish if it is. The local writing group are all published authors, unfailingly supportive, but ruthlessly honest, something every writer needs.

SA: What are you writing now?

AFT: The sequel to “Duty of Evil”, my alternate history crime novel. It doesn’t have a title yet.

SA: Is there any aspect of writing that you really enjoy?

AFT: Yep! Plotting. The more convoluted and complicated the better and then ensuring that all the twisted strands can be put in their proper place, so that the story holds together in a coherent whole.

SA: Given unlimited resources, what would be your ideal writing environment?

AFT: In front of windows with a stunning view.

SA: Do you have a website or blog?

AFT: www.avrilfieldtaylor.co.uk. There is a link to the blog from there.

SA; Where do you actually write?

AFT: In my office and hopefully, soon, my writers’ cabin, The Word Shed.

You can get the books online from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, WH Smith, Waterstones, Book Depository, etc and to order from bookshops. Both are £6.99. Murder at Oakwood Grange - ISBN9781906558871. Dearly Ransomed Soul – ISBN9781849231336

Like False Money by Penny Grubb

Image by stuartaken via Flickr

Some crime novels are intriguing puzzles begging for solution, some are sensitive character studies describing the relationship of investigator to crime and perpetrator, and some are fast-paced action stories packed with incident and threat. Penny Grubb, in Like False Money, has blended all three in one fascinating novel.

The heroine, Annie, a woman with balls, takes on her first cases with few expectations, learning she has been employed more as nursemaid than private investigator. The complex web of relationships surrounding the agency weave through the story, forming obstacles that Annie could do without as her investigations reveal convolutions she only suspects at first. Penny lays plenty of traps for her heroine and for the reader, feeding the fascination. Only at the denouement does all become clear, exactly as it should in such fiction. But this is no Poirot-like disposition. Annie has to work out the twists and turns and make sense of the misinformation, lies, half-truths and tricks as she wrestles to save her life.

The victims, witnesses, clients, agency staff and police contacts are all very real people. Some you would meet on the streets of the city of Hull every day, some in the villages and on the coast of rural East Yorkshire, some you would hope never to meet face to face. The locations are as much members of the cast as the people in this story of self discovery, murder, deception and misunderstanding.

Penny supplies the reader with facts, theories and puzzles, slowly revealing the plot with clues for those clever enough to spot them. But the solutions to the interwoven mysteries are unexpected and, in the case of the murder, breathtaking and ultimately inevitable. The novel starts with gentle intrigues, in-fighting and political games played by those with hidden motives, but develops into a cliff-hanger, almost literally.

Contrasting the urban environment with the rural, Penny explores motives, sub-texts and ambitions to show that location need not be the formative influence it is often considered. Here, it is the people and their personalities that direct cause and effect, acting out their parts sometimes in spite of their whereabouts. This novel surprises, entertains, scares and satisfies in equal measure and I heartily recommend it.

 http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=penny+grubb&x=9&y=18  For Penny's books from Amazon.

http://pennygrubb.blogspot.com/  Penny's Blog.

http://www.pennygrubb.com/  Penny's website