#WritersCoffeeClub 12/9. If you write novels, would you consider a short story?
I’ve done both. I’ve been unsuccessful selling my short stories & I wonder if this is because I feel more comfortable with the longer form? It’s odd because I was quite at home writing short articles (many of them 1200–1800 words) in my non-fiction career. Even won a few awards for them, most recently one under 1400 words.
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#WordWeavers 11/9. If you met your antagonist?
I think any conversation would be stilted, not least because Perriad would see me as the wrong gender. She’s not accustomed to dealing with men & is very suspicious of them.
If we could get past that I would be intrigued to know about her past, which is pretty opaque. She keeps rather to herself now; is there some painful history that makes her so insular?
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#WritersCoffeeClub 11/9. What's your top advice to an aspiring writer?
To paraphrase the great Ansel Adams (he was talking about photography’), “there are no rules for good writing, there is only good writing”.
The only real rules are spelling, grammar and punctuation. You need to master these before you can consider breaking them.
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#WritersCoffeeClub 10/9. What are your thoughts on em dashes?
Probably third on my list, after semi-colons and ellipses, but I like them, especially in dialogue. All these things help to get closer to the really rhythms of speech. But I groan when writers use em-dashes instead of inverted commas to denote direct speech. That’s just the ‘I’m doing this differently so I must be cleverer than you’ fallacy.
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#WordWeavers 10/9. Is writing dialogue easy for you? Why / why not?
As long as the characters are clear to me, it generally flows fairly smoothly. And if the characters aren’t clear I have a bigger problem to grapple with. There are exceptions,of course, but most of the time I enjoy writing dialogue, and finding the voice of non-POV characters.
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#WritersCoffeeClub 9/9. Ever abandoned a writing project?
I don’t like to say ‘abandoned’ but I have folders full of projects on hold. Some may be no more than a sketch or two, some are virtually complete and just don’t fit in with my present priorities in terms of publishing the Shattered Moon series. I have several short stories (SF and fantasy) that I just couldn’t sell so I might publish myself one day.
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#WordWeavers 8/9. describing surroundings.
I’m not always methodical about this, but my first thought is generally what will the POV character notice? I write in 3rd person limited so that’s always the test. Sometimes on rereads I’ll think what I have may be enough for the character but readers might want a little more and then have to figure out how to get that in while keeping it natural.
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#WritersCoffeeClub 8/9. Did you like to read as a child? Which books?
Avid reader from a very early age, but there’s no clearer memory than being given a copy of Swallows and Amazons to stop me dying of boredom at a wedding wen I was about nine. Imagination, adventure, and a vivid female lead; a setting that was both familiar and exotic; and as I saw later, writing that was crisp and clear.
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#WritersCoffeeClub 7/9. Share an image of a favourite book cover design. Not your own.
A favourite book, and when my first copy fell apart, I had to hunt out another of the same edition. It’s not to contemporary prescription for the genre but I’m sure I’m not the only one who yearns for variety and surprise in book covers. This time WITH picture!
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#WordWeavers 7/9. Why did your villain become a villain?
That word again. Villain. No, don’t like the Dick Dastardly vibe.
The antagonist of Books 1 & 3, Perriad, doesn’t seem like an antagonist at first. Jerya even feels she owes her a lot. But eventually Perriad’s plans, particularly for Railu, set them on a collision course. It’s this that precipitates Jerya’s departure, which Perriad will never forgive.
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#WordWeavers 6/9. When is detailed description necessary and when’s it better to skip?
As mentioned in the previous post, in limited POV, the key is what characters notice & what is important to them. On her first journey to the city, & arrival at the Dawnsingers’ College, Jerya observes closely because everything is new to her, & potentially scary. She tries to palliate that by trying to understand.
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#WordWeavers 5/9 (missed yesterday). How detailed are you when you describe your characters?
Mostly not very. I write in 3rd person limited so the key is what a POV character notices about others. Book 1 starts in Jerya’s voice & all we really learn is that she’s taller than most women in the village, & darker. We never really get much more than that. & she doesn’t think much about Rodal’s appearance either because he’s so familiar.
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#WritersCoffeeClub 6/9. Easter Eggs in your work? Give some examples?
I think this qualifies as an Easier Egg. In Book 3, not yet published, I introduce a new character. Several aspects of his appearance and character were drawn directly from a character in books that I loved as a child. Anyone familiar with the works of Arthur Ransome (from Winter Holiday onward) should spot the similarities.
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#WritersCoffeeClub 5/9. Do you have an intended audience for your writing?
I could burble on about the kind of readers I hope to attract, but I don’t think about that when I’m writing. I’ve done it in non-fiction but for fiction my approach is ‘write a book you’d want to read’. I think it helps avoid becoming formulaic.
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#WritersCoffeeClub 4/9. What's your beverage and snack of choice when writing?
Depends on time of day, but usually coffee in the morning and tea in the afternoon. Has to be decaf these days, but coffee still has to be good quality and made properly. #notinstant. I don’t usually do snacks, I eat quite enough at meal times, but I won’t refuse a nice bit of cake if it’s offered.
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#WordWeavers 4. Does your antagonist have a chance to become a better person?
Doesn’t everyone? Of course the chance is there, but does she see a need? She’s utterly convinced she’s doing the right thing in the interests of the Guild of Dawnsingers and the Sung Lands. Others may disagree, but clearly they are misguided.
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3. MC POV: You realise that you are a book character. What do you do?
Jerya: first, I’ll read the draffing books. Then I’ll go looking for the author and ask him (if he really is a he) and ask him, possibly politely, possibly not, how he dares presume to know what is in my head.
(Author’s note: I know because you keep telling me. If you’d just let me sleep…)
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#WritersCoffeeClub 3. Is there one piece of well-known writing advice you ignore?
Just one? There are lots. But perhaps not ‘ignore’ so much as ‘apply sparingly’.
But my all time favourite bit of bad advice is the ‘rule of thirds’ in photography. I ignored it in my own practice and spent considerable effort deprogramming victims of the cult in my teaching. It always seemed highly apt that it spells ROT.
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#WritersCoffeeClub 2/9. Pantser or plotter?
Total pantser and proud of it, I think about how the story might shape up ahead, but things still change when I actually write it. Characters have minds of their own; they aren’t mere puppets in my hands.
The funny thing is that in my non-fiction career I’ve done many books that were tightly planned and templated, including guidebooks and photography manuals.
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#wordweavers 2/9 What could you change about your world to make it better for most?
If you’ve read Book 2, you’ll know that slavery is practised in the Five Principalities. It’s deeply rooted, but, coming from the outside, Jerya and Railu see very clearly what an abomination it is. They’d love to end it, but powerless as they are, where do they even start?
From an author’s POV, it’s grim, but it gives lots to work with.
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