Back to Creative Writing School, by Bridget Whelan, Reviewed.

A writing manual that sets out to encourage and inspire, but that also gives the reader tools to use, examples to learn from, and exercises that will help embed the lessons. As a writer of some experience, I generally don’t gravitate toward books on basic technique. I’m pleased I made this one an exception.

Concise, witty, informed and accessible, this is a book that guides would-be writers through the skill sets and pitfalls of creative writing. Bridget Whelan’s writing style is inviting and friendly without straying into the uncomfortable intimacy that a casual approach can sometimes involve. She presents her lessons in small chunks of entertainingly written advice gleaned from experience of writing and of teaching writing students. And she provides exercises that are well thought out and manageable whilst retaining a challenging element designed to make the reader really consider what it is they are being asked to do.

Set out in 3 ‘Terms’, each split into 10 ‘Lessons’, the text takes the reader through those elements of creative writing that most matter. Whilst each subject and topic is dealt with seriously, the writing style allows her sense of humour to come through and engage the reader in a way that makes the whole easily managed.

I particularly liked her sections on humour: in fact parts of it had me laughing out loud. Her sections on horror give a real feel for the genre. The selected samples used to illustrate certain points are always clear and pertinent, showing the best, or the worst, of writing style.

This is a book that will gently and surely lead the would-be writer through the process of approaching and creating imaginative writing. I thoroughly recommend what is an enjoyable, encouraging and inspiring read. And, now, if you don’t mind, I’ll end this review so I can get on with some of the stories that are currently fighting for my attention, having been inspired by this book!

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• Breaking news! BACK TO CREATIVE WRITING SCHOOL is out on Amazon

#NaNoWriMo Day 3 progress = 12456 words so far

Image via WikipediaBusy day. 3 writing sessions. Before breakfast, I was up and at the keyboard, with fingers flying. A break for food and a short trip to the shops with my wife; well, I needed some fresh air a rest fro my fingers.
After lunch, another session; still running well, but a touch of back ache from sitting so long in one position, so I had a break and did a bit of exercise to get the blood flowing.
After the evening meal, a third session that took me to a total of 5,900 words for the day. I suppose that seems a lot. But I've set myself a challenge beyond the NaNoWriMo one of 50,000 by the end of the month. I want to have something that's actually the length of a proper novel, so I've set my target at 120,000 words for the month. That's an average of 4,000 a day. I work all day Mondays & Tuesdays, and half a day on Wednesdays, so I won't manage so many words on those days. That means I need to put in more work on the other 4 days, if I'm to reach the target. And I am determined to do that. So far, I've reached the target for day 3. Hopefully, I'll be able to continue tomorrow at the same rate.
Wish me luck - I'll need it!

La Scala Studios Short Story Competition 2011

Pippa Ireland presenting prize in 2010 to E Headland

I took part in this contest last year, and won a prize. The judges are well-selected for this contest and the prizes are many and varied. If you enjoy writing contest, I’d advise a go at this one SA.

Following the success of last year's competition, La Scala Studios is pleased to launch another short story competition this year. Entry is open to all, with special prize sections for Pony Club and Riding Club members, Yorkshire residents and racing themed stories. This is a competition designed to encourage creativity, especially in the young. We are grateful to all those sponsors from last year who have come on board again this year to generously support this important competition, and we welcome the new sponsors that have pledged their support this year. Also, we are delighted that Jefferies Saddlery have taken over as the major sponsor which includes the choice of one of their superb saddles for the winner of the first prize in the equestrian section. Moreover, we are also pleased to announce that the judges will once again include Penny Grubb, the award winning author, and John Fairley of Channel Four Racing. So all you need to do is get writing!

PRIZES FOR OPEN SECTION

1st Prize:£200

2nd Prize:£100

3rd Prize:£50

PRIZES FOR EQUESTRIAN SECTION[/size

1st Prize - A brand new saddle of the winner's choice from the Jefferies Saddlery range

2nd Prize - A brand new English leather bridle from Jeffries Saddlery

3rd Prize - A pass to the Bramham International Horse Trials 2012

Runners up prizes in the major sections include: Insurance vouchers, a polo lesson, a specialist equine infrared treatment, saddlery shop vouchers, a gift pack from renowned artist Susan Alison

Yorkshire residents:

1st Prize - A day bout at the Great Yorkshire Show 2012 plus a signed copy of The Jawbone Gang

Runner up - A day out at Beverley Races  (last year, I won this prize and had a very interesting day out to a venue I wouldn’t normally have visited  SA).

Best entry from a Pony Club and Riding Club member each wins a high quality plastic moulded hay

Best entry from a Yorkshire Pony Club member wins an equine infrared treatment

BEST RACING THEMED STORY PRIZE:

A VIP day out at the races at any of the following racecourses: Doncaster, Folkestone, Lingfield Park, Royal Windsor, Southwell, Worcester or Wolverhampton on a date of the winner's choice (excluding Doncaster's St Ledger Festival, Lingfield's Sportingbet Winter Derby, or Totesport Derby Trial). The prize includes a 3-course lunch or dinner with a bottle of champagne in one of Arena's premiere viewing restaurants, with a table for the day, racecards, premiere badges and car parking. The winner's party will be offered a visit to the paddock with a racecourse executive, and a mini behind the scenes tour of the weighing room and pre-parade room, where they might get to chat with the jockeys.

For more writing contests click this link.

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!

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Wad

Image via Wikipedia

Wad: noun - a small bundle of soft, loose, material used as a plug, pad, or to keep things apart; plug of paper or cloth to keep the powder and shot in position in a gun; something rolled tightly, a bankroll; a lot of something, especially money; a mass, a heap; bun, cake, sandwich: verb - place a wad in a gun, plug a hole with a wad; to force soft, or fibrous material into a small space; to form into a wad.

'The kidnapper forced open her mouth and stuffed a wad of bank notes in to keep her silent.'

'Jane formed a plug from discarded clothing and used it to wad the hole in the dyke, thereby saving the city from a disastrous flood.'

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Dabble

Image via Wikipedia

Dabble: verb - moisten or soil by sprinkling, splashing, or dipping into water or other liquid; move, splash

Hands or feet in water, move the feet, hands, etc., in shallow water, paddle; work at something in a desultory manner; meddle, interfere.

'Under the burning sun, Georgina and Cindy dabbled their feet in the fountain to bring some relief from the heat wave that all but consumed the city.'

'David dabbled his handkerchief in the river to wash away the blood after murdering his wife's lover.'

Stuart's Word Spot: Fab

Image via Wikipedia

Stuart's Word Spot is divorced from other posts in this blog and produced in response to a request from a follower to provide just such a service.

Fab: noun – a plant for making microchips: verb – (from fabricate) to make microchips: adjective – (abbreviated form of fabulous) wonderful, very good.

'Down at the fab in Silicon Valley they were turning out chips like there was no tomorrow.'

'Once the plant was up and running, the Korean manufacturer was able to fab chips at a rate of three trillion a second.'

'Brigitte Bardot looked absolutely fab as she strutted the red carpet to the award celebration.'

Stuart's Word Spot: Dab

Image via Wikipedia

Stuart's Word Spot is divorced from other posts in this blog and produced in response to a request from a follower to provide just such a service.

Dab: noun – a gentle tap with something soft, a sight blow, a small flatfish living in coastal waters, an adept (in plural form; dabs – fingerprints): verb – to pat, press without rubbing, apply paint or other substance in this way.

'He felt the dab of spirit-cooled cotton wool on his bicep just before he fainted as the needle entered his arm.'

'The pointillist painter was seen to dab, dab, dab at the canvass as his brush constructed an image consisting of thousands of individually hued spots.'

Where Do Fictional Characters Come From?

Image by andyi via Flickr

Fiction writing is utterly dependent on the characters that carry the story, but where do they come from? Mine usually develop initially from gender, age, sexuality and physical type, according to the basic needs of the story outline I carry in my head. At this stage, I usually know only that I need x number of men and women to carry through the plot, such as it is.

The next stage, as the amorphous strands of the story start to cohere, is to find an image resembling the imagined character. I have a file of pictures, gathered during a lifetime of writing, holding a few thousand images of both genders. From this I can usually find a picture that fits my character well enough for the next part of the process.

For this, I use a preformed table in Word, which asks me various questions about the physical attributes of the character: eye, hair and skin colour, age, weight, height, etc. It also has open spaces for such aspects as political, religious, social and relational qualities. I write a short biography and ask some questions of the character and then name the file with the character's chosen moniker and place it in the folder that will eventually contain the story itself.

Because I generally write fiction driven by my characters, I tend to gather my participating people (and animals, where required) together first. Only when I have the cast assembled does the story start to properly develop.

My characters are never identifiable as individuals I know. But I do always use characteristics of associates, both close and distant. And all my characters, good, bad and neutral, contain something of myself, of course.

So, my question for you is this: How do you go about character development and selection? Please place a comment and we can open a discussion here to inform, educate and enlighten all.

Thank you.

A Shameless Plug for my Own Book

Image by stuartaken via Flickr

Here are some reviews of Breaking Faith, my self-published novel. I hope they might tempt you into buying the book. But, if you want a flavour of it first, visit my website www.stuartaken.co.uk and use the BookBuzzr widget to read the first 30 pages or go to the ‘Novels’ page and read the first 2 chapters, all for free. You can then buy it through amazon or any of a number of other booksellers.

By S. D. Mace "Shirley Mace" (High Bentham)
After several years of not having the time or making time to read novels I could not believe how determined this book was to make me read it and was surprised how quickly I read it and how much I enjoyed reading it. 

"Breaking Faith" is about a young naive, innocent girl, set in the summer of 1976, it details Faith's journey from one of isolation, deprivation and abuse where she is bullied by Heacham, acting as his skivvy and financial support and also nursemaid to her brain damaged sister, to enlightenment and self-knowledge in which she slowly falls in love with Leighton and overcomes all the obstacles that are put in her way. Writing from alternating perspectives (Faith and Leighton) adds detail, richness, interest and understanding of the characters. A shocking but captivating story that is definitely worth reading.

By  Mr. P. F. Field (UK)
"Breaking Faith" is the story of Faith, ignorant, naive and completely overshadowed by the sadistic bully Heacham. Faith struggles to nurse her brain-damaged younger sister, skivvy for Heacham and be the family's total financial support. 

Awakening comes as she gets a job with Leighton, the local glamour photographer and she falls in love with him, despite the terrifying threats from Leighton's assistant, the disgusting Mervyn.
I read this book in one sitting, unwilling to put it down, immersed in the Yorkshire of the sweltering summer of 1976 and Faith's journey from darkness to self-knowledge. Her sometimes frightening honesty wash all hypocrisy away, for she is a girl who sees things as they are and tells it the way it is. The book is written from the alternating perspective of Faith and Leighton, giving the reader a greater understanding of their interactions with each other and those around them. The characters are drawn with a fine brush, especially Faith's mother and father. The denouement is sudden, violent and completely satisfying.

By Michelle Mccabe (Gateshead, North East England)
I thought this was a really original story with an intriguing hero and an even more intriguing eponymous heroine. I also felt an intense dislike for some of the other characters meaning Stuart Aken's characterisations were really well done and the denouement tied all of the plots up to a surprising conclusion. Switching the first person narrative from one to the other and looking at the same events from both sets of eyes was a wonderful means of seeing the reasoning behind both of their actions. The story compelled me to read and read and read (a habit that, with an eight year old son, I confess, I have lost recently). 

I would recommend it to anyone and look forward to reading Stuart's next novel!

A triumph of good over evil and an enthralling read

Posted April 13, 2009, 1:37 PM EST Barnes and noble, by Retreiver470:

"Breaking Faith" is the story of Faith, ignorant, naive and completely overshadowed by the sadistic bully Heacham. Faith struggles to nurse her brain-damaged younger sister, skivvy for Heacham and be the family's total financial support. Awakening comes as she gets a job with Leighton, the local glamour photographer and she falls in love with him, despite the terrifying threats from Leighton's assistant, the disgusting Mervyn. I read this book in one sitting, unwilling to put it down, immersed in the Yorkshire of the sweltering English summer of 1976 and Faith's journey from darkness to self-knowledge. Her sometimes frightening honesty wash all hypocrisy away, for she is a girl who sees things as they are and tells it the way it is. The book is written from the alternating perspective of Faith and Leighton, giving the reader a greater understanding of their interactions with each other and those around them. The characters are drawn with a fine brush, especially Faith's mother and father. The denouement is sudden, violent and completely satisfying.

A compelling human story

Review by AJ Field

I have read some of Stuart Aken’s earlier work and he always writes with an immediacy that goes straight to the heart. “Breaking Faith” is the story of one girl’s journey from horrific abuse and bullying, through emotional turmoil, to finding love. But, of course, Aken doesn’t make it easy for her. This is no girl meets boy moonlight and roses book. It is, in parts, deeply disturbing, especially the character of Heacham and his treatment of Faith and her brain-damaged sister. Richness comes from the alternating perspectives of the two main characters, Faith and Leighton. Faith is a girl who sees things as they are and tells it like it is. The way Aken writes his characters pulls your emotions from one to the other. And over all of this is another character, the Yorkshire Dales in the searing summer of 1976. It pervades the action of the book, mirroring the lives of the characters in its landscape. The story builds to a wholly satisfying climax that is sudden and violent, but fitting. It is a book I shall read again.

Karen Wolfe

This is a story of triumphant human spirit. Heroine Faith's rite of passage from horrific neglect and abuse to fulfilment and true love is an inspiring one. Stuart Aken's novel, set in the summer of 1976, simmers with heat, lust, decadence and sexuality, all of which Faith transcends to become her own woman. I loved the Yorkshire Dales setting, and I was rooting for Faith all the way to her well-deserved happy ending. Stuart Aken is indeed a writer to watch.

Word of the Day: joy – delight, vivid pleasure, happiness; ‘Returned from the battlefields of Flanders, he was filled with joy as he approached his beloved wife.’

Synopsis complete

After much discussion at my writing group, I've finally come up with a synopsis I feel confident (well, fairly) about sending off to agents. Now it's the dreaded letter to go with it. A start, having researched those UK agents who just might be interested and learned what their requirements are. But I think this will be every bit as taxing as the synopsis. Meanwhile, I'm doing that last edit of the chapters; checking the spelling of character and place names for consistency and that sort of thing.
Updated my website as well this evening. Now 270 links to other sites of interest to writers.