Category Archives: Writing

My Writing Process – Juliette Quenin

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I was born in France but I travelled and lived in many countries as a child and as a teenager. I always had two certainties in life. One was that I wanted to be a creative, artistic person and the other one was that I wanted to live in London. I have now fulfilled both those dreams so I am a happy person. I have tried my hand at different creative mediums. I studied acting in Paris, I sang Opera for a few years and I have done a cinema school. As such I directed a couple of short films and worked on other fellow students’ short films. But writing has always been a constant passion of mine and since in London (nearly 12 years now), I have dedicated myself to playwriting.

What you have written past and present?

Over a period of 10 years I have written 8 full length plays. The Beauty of the Cactus Flower talks about the difficulties of being a woman in this age and time. Dear Wallis is about a teenager revolting against an abusive alcoholic mother. My play Sugar talks about the strong bond in between a grandmother and a granddaughter and the healing power of baking. 430 King’s Road, An Urban Odyssey tells the story of the punk movement’s birth, narrated as a Greek Tragedy. Little Wing exposes the difficult relationship between two brothers carrying the burden of a past accident. Womb’s talks about the demolition of buildings and key historic buildings in the Soho Conservation area and the impact this has on the local residents. Catsville tackles the problem of animal hoarding and loss. And my last play is still a work in progress, so I won’t be talking about it today.

What are you promoting now?

I have decided to self-produce and direct one of my plays. Little Wing, the story of the two brothers, is going to be on stage at the Jack Studio Theatre in London from the 7th of April till the 18th of April 2020. I have produced and directed short films and readings before, but this is a very different adventure and I am very excited about it. Hopefully this will be the beginning of a new modus operandi: Part time playwright/part time director.

Do you plan or just write?

Years ago, I used to just write. Not anymore. I miss this very spontaneous way of working because it can produce beautiful and poetic writing but I have noticed that in terms of storyline I would get stuck, sometimes finding myself in a cul-de-sac. I wanted to take my writing to the next level, so I started planning. Now, as far as I am concerned, the work is less spontaneous but much more structured and of course playwriting is about structure, structure and more structure.

What about word count?

For me as a playwright, it is more about number of pages. I know that when I hit the 70 pages mark (knowing that a page of dialogue is more or less 1 minute and half on stage) I have a play that is about 1 hour and 30 minutes long, so then I can relax, before starting a new draft.

How do you do your structure?

The play and the subject matter command it really. My plays are rarely about big dramatic situations and twists, so I am not worrying too much about the climax for instance. Of course there is always a climax, but mine tend to be quite subtle. I tend to favor two act plays. They work well for me. I’ve learned through the years that a scene did not need to be of a certain caliber and length, that it’s all about balance and rhythm. I have studied music for many years and I love the idea that my plays are like scores. 

What do you find hard about writing?

Endings! It’s always hard to finish a piece. It’s like a little death and I don’t like that. Also, the time in between two plays is a difficult one for me. I get crippled with doubts, I become a bit crazy. Will I ever be able to put pen on paper again? I have a few coping mechanisms now but it’s still difficult. One thing I don’t have, fingers crossed, is the famous writer’s block.

What do you love about writing?

The craft. It puts me in a zone like nothing else does. Nothing makes me happier than a well-produced page of dialogue. I love this wordsmith business. I fancy myself as a lacemaker, only it’s with words and sentences. Beautifully written pieces can move me to tears (more that the content of the play itself actually). For that reason, I am a big fan of Jean Cocteau, J. M. Barrie,  Edmond Rostand and William Shakespeare for instance. I recently reread Hamlet. Everything, absolutely everything you need to know about plays and playwriting is in there. And if I dare say, everything you need to know about life!

Advice for other writers?

Do the 1%, which is present yourself to the page consistently and preferably at the same time of the day, and the universe will do the 99% left, which is inspiration, willingness and the courage to push forward. Drink lots of water, exercise (I’m not very good at that myself) because sitting hours in front of the computer can be hard on the body. If it’s a first draft, don’t indulge in endless rewriting (that’s a tough one). And don’t give up! My production company is called Five Minutes Before the Miracle (short for Don’t give up five minutes before the miracle!) which is a constant reminder that one needs to be perseverant in life. That’s the key.

 

SISTER SCRIBES: KIRSTEN HESKETH WRITING ON THE RUN

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I’m writing this a service station halfway up the M6 – en route to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where I am singing on Saturday with the Rock Choir. (I know!)

To be fair, this particular writing session was prompted and necessitated by the email I received when I pulled into Sandbach services and turned my phone back on. Had I remembered that my latest Sister Scribe missive was due like now …?

But I got me to thinking about how I love writing out and about. I do a lot of it. Part of this is due to sharing a home with teens and a newly retired husband. I love them all to distraction – but without the luxury of my own dedicated writing lair, distraction is often the operative word. It can be really hard to concentrate on my WIP when the children are on holiday and demanding my attention and hubbie wants to involve me in his plans. Far easier to decamp to a convenient coffee shop and give myself over totally to my project.

Sister Scribes write cafe-style

And what a buzz it is. I love it all – being amongst – but not with – people who demand and expect nothing of me, the background chatter, people watching, coffee and CAKE. Best of all, I find, is writing in a café with other writers. That really is the crème de la crème. For me, this happens most often during the school holidays – not just because it is when I need most to escape – but because so many of my writing buddies are teachers. We have our favourite venue – Coppa Club in Sonning – and our favourite table; the big round one in the corner with ample plugs for everyone. This particular table is in hot demand – and we used to amuse ourselves with elaborate plots for how we might secure it (you could tell what genre we were writing by our suggestions!) Then we worked out we could just book it in advance!

I asked a couple of my fellow writers what they most like about these writing sessions. For writer and poet Becci Fearnley, author of Octopus Medicine, it is all about the support. ‘I would probably get more writing done at home,’ she admits, ‘but discussing my progress, sharing in triumph and failure and even just the quiet company of people who understand you are all very much needed in the life of a writer. Writing can be a lonely business and we all need allies.’ Claire Dyer, author of The Last Day and The Perfect Affair agrees, although for her, the background noise can be an issue. (Note to cafes; sometimes the ‘background’ music can be very insistent). ‘I do enjoy the camaraderie of writing with others,’ she says. ‘There’s something collegiate and nurturing about it – and the coffee and breakfasts are scrummy.’

I think that’s it. Writing in cafes with other writers nourishes body, soul and our creative output. More than once, a brief discussion on something I didn’t even really know I was struggling with has been magically solved by a ‘chance’ comment, a plot hole closed or a character developed. Sometimes we muse that advances are being eroded and waistlines expanded, but – hey – everyone knows that you have to suffer for your art, don’t they?

And today, once skinny latte and a toasted sandwich later, my article is complete, and I am ready to hit the motorway again. I’ll proof it in another service station somewhere south of Glasgow and then hit the road for the final push to Edinburgh.

My Writing Process – Sue Kittow

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I’m Sue Kittow, a Cornish author, freelance journalist, researcher and copywriter, been living in Falmouth for 25 years.

I have written five books on Cornish walks – Discover Cornwall, Walks in the Footsteps of Cornish Writers, Walks in the Footsteps of Poldark, Walks in the Footsteps of Daphne du Maurier and Walks in the Footsteps of Rosamunde Pilcher. I am also writing a novel set in Cornwall but don’t have an agent or publisher for that – yet!

As a freelance journalist I have interviewed many authors including Bill Bryson, Ian Rankin, Lionel Shriver and Rosamunde Pilcher. I have also written for Daily Mail, Cornwall Today, Writers’ Forum, Woman’s Weekly, Classic Boat and many other magazines.

I am currently promoting Walks in the Footsteps of Rosamunde Pilcher, published by Sigma Press August 2019.

Walks books need a lot of research and planning so my writing is quite structured – I write lots of notes for research then incorporate that into the walks as I transcribe them. It’s lovely playing the tape back and listening to the conversations we had, the birds and sea and whatever else going on. When I’m writing fiction it’s very different – I plot a lot and make notes on that but the writing itself is very free – I love the excitement of a first draft. Editing I find much harder.

As these are books on walks, a lot of planning and research goes into each one. My publishers like a geographical spread of walks around Cornwall, so I have to start off with ideas and make sure the walks are all over the county, not just focused on a few areas. Then research them, walk them, take photographs, transcribe them – it’s a lot of work!

My contract stipulates 35-45,000 words but that’s quite a loose guide.

The structure for each chapter is roughly the same so I’m used to it now – Introduction (about author, character, location), The Walk, incorporating more research as relevant, Factbox, Content, Photographs, Summing up.

The hard bit is always the editing, then the proofing and checking the maps. And self belief.

I love the physical part of writing – actually putting the words on the page and then transmitting the idea of the place – capturing the sounds, the sea, the birds, the trees etc, so that the reader can come on this walk with me while they read it.

Advice for other writers – find your voice. Read lots. Be realistic. Study agents and publishers carefully, see what’s happening online but don’t compare yourself to others – social media is full of people sharing their Amazon rankings, reviews etc. For every good review there is a not so good one (don’t read reviews!). Make sure your work is as good as it can be before you send it out – get advice from people you trust and listen to what they say. Good criticism can only improve your work. Persevere. This is a lonely business, so network with other writers. And write because you love it.

 

SISTER SCRIBES: JANE CABLE CATCHES UP WITH TAKE FOUR WRITERS’ LUCY AND ANGELA

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Carrying on with our catch up with last year’s Take Four Writers, today it’s the turn of Lucy Coleman and Angela Petch.

Lucy:

This year has flown by and I can’t believe it’s August already – eight months since the last of Jane Cable’s series: ‘Take Four Writers’. As we all catch up, I suspect the main theme running through our updates will be that there are never enough hours in the day. But a writer’s life is never dull, and we are blessed!

Writing as Lucy Coleman, by the end of 2019 I will have had two new books out this year with Aria Fiction, the second of which is ‘Magic Under the Mistletoe’ due out on 5 September. Set in the hamlet of Porthkerry, near Cardiff, it begins in a snowstorm. It was inspired by the heavy snowfall in December 2017, which turned much of the UK into a winter wonderland.

A new publishing contract with Boldwood Books will see the first of six novels published over the next two years, beginning with the release of ‘A Springtime to Remember’ in December 2019. The story is set in Versailles, a place that is very dear to my heart.

I’ve also recently returned to blogging and my monthly feature ‘The Happiness Factor’ covers tips on motivation and generally surviving the ups and downs of a busy life. Also fun things – interior design tips, home spa pampering, the aesthetics of your workspace if you work from home, and my best buys. A treat doesn’t need to break the bank, but it can lift the spirits.

I don’t ‘endorse’ products, but share things I’ve purchased which make me smile, or have helped me. One of my best buys recently was a back brace I wear when typing, which has taken away my spells of backache!

If you get a moment, do drop by my website https://linnbhalton.co.uk/the-happiness-factor-blog/ and check it out.

Angela:

The Tuscan Secret was published by Bookouture on June 26th, after rigorous editing. At first I panicked at the structural changes suggested. I had written this book originally in 2012 and had to reacquaint myself with the story. But then I settled and began to enjoy the challenge. Today my editor told me it has sold just shy of 10,000. I could never have imagined that figure as a self-published author. (There’s also been a knock-on sales increase of my other books).

This week I sent my first draft to my editor of the second commissioned Tuscan novel, and the editorial roundabout will again whir into action. Hopefully, what I learned from the first round will ease the process.

Downsides:

  • I’m at least half a stone heavier from spending many hours sitting in front of my laptop.
  • I am developing bad posture.
  • My hubby says my head’s in another world half the time. (It is!)

Positives:

  • I’m loving what I’m doing. There was never enough time to concentrate on my writing before. It’s fun to live in a “what-if” world.
  • I have made great new friends in the writing community.
  • I’m gaining self-belief.
  • Far from being escapist, I firmly believe that writing helps me connect more with the world.

We all know that very few authors make a mint. It would be great to have more pennies and pounds in my bank account… but money is not the only measure of happiness. Connecting with readers (even with those who give less than shining reviews) makes all those hours of being hunched over my writing; all those hours of my head feeling it’s going to burst, my eyes squinty and itching — all worth it. Hand on heart.

 

SISTER SCRIBES: JANE CABLE CATCHES UP WITH TAKE FOUR WRITERS’ JACKIE AND CLAIRE

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Everyone loved our Take Four Writers’ articles last year so I thought it would be really interesting to catch up with them. Writers lives have ups and downs, and in 2018 we shared them all. Here’s what Jackie Baldwin and Claire Dyer have been up to since – news from Lucy and Angela tomorrow.

Jackie:

Hello everyone,

This year, a big thrill has been seeing copies of ‘Perfect Dead’ in The Works shops. It never gets old going seeing my book in the wild. I stroll past ‘casually’ whilst giving it an intense stare.

2019 has been dominated by writing my third DI Farrell book, ‘Avenge the Dead.’ This is the first time I’ve had a book published with the title I originally chose! I finished the first draft in seven months this time so I’m getting quicker with each book. The plot revolves around the Criminal Bar in Dumfries where I used to practice as a solicitor so I’m drawing on personal experience in some respects but the plot and characters are wholly fictional. Honestly!

In addition to writing and the day job I’m also in the process of moving closer to Edinburgh. We’ve found a house but it needs quite a bit doing to it so trying to organise all that has been a challenge. Hopefully, we’ll be installed before my first grandchild arrives in October!

I’ve completed my structural edit for Avenge the Dead. This is probably the stage that I most enjoy where you can fix errant plot lines and even insert new characters or subplots if the mood takes you. Currently I’m working on the Line Edit which is a complete nightmare. For example, you mention the word out three times on one page and need to change two of them.

Recently, I’ve realised that writing books is a lot like having babies. You have your baby and fall madly in love, forgetting the pain. You think it would be a great idea to have another baby. You get into the labour ward and yell, ‘WHAT was I thinking?’ And repeat…

Claire:

It’s a well-known fact that the writing life is not a simple one, and it’s easy to lose hope and/or struggle with doubt and this year I’ve been battling with both these things!

However, with the help of my amazing writer support network I am back on track. I have completed a rewrite, edited another novel and started a new one.

I’ve also celebrated my son’s wedding, am working on the draft manuscript of a poetry collection due for publication in 2021 and am planning a holiday to the ever-wonderful Kalkan in Turkey.

I also have my husband’s wise words to fall back on when things get tough. He’s not a writer, and has learnt from living with one that he has to tread carefully, and part of this is to remind me gently now and again that it all depends on the lens.

Yes, writing and getting published is a challenge, BUT I have had three novels and two poetry books published, with another on the way; I have a wonderful group of writer friends, I curate a monthly poetry night in Reading and I spend my days doing what I love. Moreover, my son’s wedding went well (see picture) and I still have writer-hope; it’s small and fragile but, using the right lens I can see it sitting next to my laptop, its bright eyes shining.

 

SISTER SCRIBES: KITTY WILSON IN PRAISE OF CRITIQUES

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I’ve recently returned from the Romantic Novelists Association (RNA) conference where I briefly had to speak to the NWS members. It was terrifying (terrifying!) but did make me think it was worth sharing details of the scheme that helped me, alongside many others, become published.

The NWS is a New Writers Scheme run by the RNA and encourages unpublished writers to join local meetings and make friends with the more experienced. It’s how I began to meet other authors, including the Sister Scribes, and as we are always saying writers need writer friends – I should tattoo this on my forehead and be done, I say it so often – and joining the RNA is a great way to meet them.

More than that, and why I initially joined, is its critique scheme. For the price of membership (considerably less than you’d pay for an assessment anywhere else) you are entitled to a critique of your full manuscript (partials are accepted if you haven’t got as far as writing The End yet).

It was the first opportunity I had to have my writing read by someone who knew the industry inside out (i.e. not my mother and close friends) and who could be completely honest about what they thought – the reader remains anonymous so they can be truthful without worrying that you’re going to launch at them at the Winter Party and either cover them in kisses or rip their eyes out whilst spitting ‘so, you didn’t like my heroine?’

The critique is usually divided into areas like plot, pace, voice, dialogue so you can see immediately which are your areas of strength and which ones need work. It doesn’t matter if you’ve written a zillion books, every writer needs a little help and an objective eye (otherwise we wouldn’t need editors), so if you expect a critique that says ‘oh my goodness, this is the best thing ever written in the history of the world’ then you may be bound for disappointment. If you want someone to gently point out what needs work to make your book even better then you’re in luck.

Being me, I found it really hard initially to hear the positive, whereas the things I needed to work on seared into my soul, fluttering under my eyelids as I’d try to sleep. It was at this point I decided to colour code my critique – if you have read my other posts you know I need no excuse to break out the felt-tips – and then I could see there was easily as much green (yay, this was great) as there was orange (this needs work).

What I didn’t know was how this technique would feed into my edits when I was eventually published and I use the orange and green method for these. So not only did joining the RNA get me friends and recommend friendly publishers and agents, it taught me how to react to suggestions about my work in a positive way, which meant that when my structural edits arrive, my meltdowns don’t last too long…or at least only as long as it takes me to unzip my pencil case. Thus not only did it improve my writing pre-publication, it also gave me tools which I have used habitually since becoming published.

So, if you are writing and as yet unpublished and if your manuscript has a romantic element then I cannot recommend the RNA’s New Writers Scheme enough. I’m going to pop a link below and hope to see you at a meeting soon. Good luck on your path to publication.

All love, Kitty x

 

https://romanticnovelistsassociation.org/membership/#link_tab-1517250016637-2-10

 

My Writing Process – Damaris Young

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damaris young, author, the switching hourI was an avid reader growing up. I would try and copy my favourite stories, filling notebooks with fantastical worlds much like Alice’s wonderland. As my confidence grew, I started writing stories of my own, often to entertain my four younger brothers and sisters. When I moved to Bristol as an adult, I continued writing stories, eventually studying on the Bath Spa Writing for Young People MA, where I wrote my debut children’s novel, The Switching Hour. 

The Switching Hour is my first published book, but I have been writing stories ever since I can remember. I have so many half-written novels hidden away in my desk draw and on long-lost USB sticks!

What you are promoting now?

My debut The Switching Hour, a fantasy story aimed at young readers, is being published by Scholastic on the 1st August. It is about a girl called Amaya who lives with her grandmother, her small brother Kaleb and her pet goat in a land suffering a terrible drought. Every night, the doors must be locked after twilight, the Switching Hour, because the drought has awoken Badeko, a creature that snatches people away to eat their dreams. Three days later, the memory that they existed is gone from those that knew them, and those that are left are afflicted with The Sorrow Sickness – a grief which consumes a person without them knowing why. When Kaleb is taken by Badeko, Amaya must journey into the terrifying forest to find her brother before she forgets him.

The Bookseller has reviewed it as being ‘Highly atmospheric and genuinely spine-tingling, the power of family and female friendships shine in this assured debut’ which was wonderfully encouraging as The Switching Hour makes it’s way into the world for the first time.

A bit about your process of writing. 

I allow the seed of the story to grow by indulging in all the different ways the plot could go, no matter how ridiculous! I spend time thinking about the characters, how they talk and think and what they want most in the world. Once I have an outline for the story, I do lots of research. For The Switching Hour, I looked into what life would be like living through an extreme weather phenomenon, as well as being inspired by my experience growing up in central and southern Africa. I also had to do a lot of research into goat behaviour as my main character has a pet goat who is very much a part of the story!
Do you plan or just write?

I get the first draft down by furiously writing, without looking back on what’s been written. Once I have the first draft written down, I put it to one side and start from scratch all over again. This may sound quite discouraging, but for me the first draft is for getting a sense of the characters, testing out the plot and immersing myself into the story. The subsequent drafts are where the planning really starts and the manuscript begins to take shape. 

What about word count?

The Switching Hour is aimed at 8-12-year-old readers, so the general word count is expected to be around 50,000 words. I’m a ferocious editor of my own work so I do find it a struggle to keep my word count up!

What about structure?

I structure my story around the key narrative points, the exposition, the inciting incident, the peak and the resolution. When you’re writing for children it is especially important that you get to the inciting incident as soon as possible, to really capture the readers attention. In The Switching Hour, the inciting incident is when Amaya’s younger brother is taken by the Badeko and she must journey into the forest to find him. If you can create intrigue from the very first page all the better! I will always rewrite my opening chapters last, which may seem strange, but it helps to understand how the story ends in order to know where the best place is for it to begin. 
What do you find hard about writing?

Self-discipline. I write from home, sitting on my sofa with my two dogs snoring next to me and I’m easily distracted by social media, emails and even the washing up when I’m in the middle of a tricky chapter! It’s important to take time away from your laptop and just allow your mind to mull over the story, letting the character take up space in your head (and heart) but there’s no getting out of the fact that you have to just sit down and WRITE! 
What do you love about writing? 

I love getting swept away by writing, when I’m immersed in the story and I’m creating something that I really care about. I also love the way that my characters can surprise me by acting in ways that I hadn’t anticipated. Amaya in The Switching Hour was initially boisterous and outgoing (something I thought I wanted her to be) but I soon found out Amaya was actually a younger version of me, someone who felt unsure of herself and sometimes alone, yet fiercely protective of those she loved.

Advice for other writers. 

Believe in yourself and your writing. It’s all very well taking courses, reading books about writing and going on writing retreats (all things that will help you improve!) but if you don’t believe in your ability it will show on the page, so be your own biggest supporter! Another piece of advice would be; don’t follow trends. The publishing process can be slow and so by the time you have written the story about the latest trend, the publishing world will have most likely moved on. Write what you enjoy and aim to write it as best you can. And most importantly, just keep writing!

The Switching Hour is available here. 

@ScholasticUK  | youtube.com/ScholasticFilmsUK  | facebook.com/ScholasticUK  | instagram.com/scholastic_UK

SISTER SCRIBES: CASS GRAFTON ON HOW 200 YEAR OLD SISTER SCRIBES HELPED FIND A CHARACTER

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Writers have various ways of defining the characters in their books. When one of your characters is, or was, a real person, however, surely it’s so much easier?

Well, that depends on whether you’re sensible and choose someone about whom there is a wealth of fact available, along with authenticated portraits or photographs. If you’re not sensible, and I’m sure you can tell where this is going, it’s not quite so easy.

I co-write with my friend, Ada Bright, and because we have to ensure we’re imagining our characters with the same face and figure, we usually turn to the great Oracle that is Google Images for their appearance. This works brilliantly, unless your character is Jane Austen.

There are a few portraits that claim to be of Jane, but only one showing her face is authenticated. It’s a small pencil and watercolour drawing by her sister, Cassandra, and said by one of Jane’s nieces to be ‘hideously unlike’, whilst others claimed ‘perhaps it gave some idea of the truth’. Faint praise indeed.

Needless to say, as the only authenticated image, it has been widely used, mainly in an increasingly prettified form over the years, most recently on the new ten-pound note.

We were left, therefore, with written accounts of Jane Austen’s appearance. These vary in the eyes of the source, but there are some common similarities: she was tall and slender, her brunette hair was long but cut short around the face to form curls, as was the fashion at the time, and she had hazel eyes, full cheeks and a clear complexion.

This helps our imagined physical manifestation of Jane. But what about her personality?

One of her brothers, Frank, then Admiral Francis Austen, wrote of her in 1852:

‘She was cheerful, not easily irritated, a little shy with strangers. Her natural reserve was sometimes misinterpreted as haughtiness. She was kind and funny, never failing to excite “the mirth and hilarity of the party”.’

Letters, therefore, became our best source. Jane and her beloved elder sister, Cassandra were incredibly close. Even as a child, their mother claimed that ‘if Cassandra were going to have her head cut off, Jane would insist on sharing her fate’.

Jane and Cassandra enjoyed a healthy correspondence when apart. Although we can ‘hear’ Jane’s voice through the characters of her novels, in her correspondence she is very much herself: open and honest, her wit to the fore, and clearly set upon entertaining her sister even as she wrote about mundane things such as the weather, the neighbours and the price of bread, including:

‘Next week I shall begin operations on my hat, on which you know my principal hopes of happiness depend.’ (1798)

‘I do not want people to be very agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them a great deal.’ (1798)

‘I will not say that your mulberry trees are dead but I am afraid they are not alive.’ (1811)

‘He has but one fault, which time will, I trust, entirely remove – it is that his morning coat is a great deal too light.’ (1796)

‘She looks remarkably well (legacies are very wholesome diet)…’ (1808)

Although Cassandra destroyed many of Jane’s letters shortly before her own death, we are grateful to her for passing so many on to family members. It is thanks to her that we were able to develop Jane’s character, and we hope we did her wit and zest for life justice in our books.

 

Sources: Jane Austen’s Letters (4th Edition – 2011), collected and edited by Deirdre le Faye; A Memoir of Jane Austen, by James Edward Austen-Leigh (1870)