Things are rarely black and white -- it is in that ambiguous, messy, grey area that most of us live and where interesting fiction is often kindled. If you are aiming for clarity in your writing: the well-realised character, the taut plot, not to mention crisp, new-minted prose, try not to exclude a little bit of healthy ambivalence from your work.
We are complex beings and our behaviour frequently lands us in complicated situations. Your heroine may love somebody but not be in love with them; she may be passionately committed to her work, but hate her boss. It is within these areas of ambivalence that tension grows and tension is an extremely handy tool to have in your writing armoury.
There is a wonderful phrase - I think it was said by the inestimable Adam Phillips (see my earlier post) but I've got a head like a sieve so I may be wrong - which encapsulates this and may prove a fertile starting point for a story: "This heap of half broken things they call togetherness." Go for grey and see where it takes you -- my hunch is that you will arrive in an interesting space full of creative uncertainty.
SMALL PRESSES
Black Gate is a magazine offering adventures in fantasy literature. They have an informative website with an interesting writing blog that you may find helpful.
Founded in 1971, Blackstaff Press is Northern Ireland's leading publisher of quality Irish books (more than seven hundred and fifty to date), supported by Arts Council og Northern Ireland.
Bloodaxe Books has become rather mainstream since Peter Finch last compiled his list of small presses and little magazines. They are now a major publisher of poetry, with more than four hundred books by two hundred and fifty poets to their credit.
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