Normal Service Will Resume...

...but at the moment I'm hidden away in a remote spot without access to the internet - yes, such places still exist and the breathtakingly lovely Helford Estuary in southernmost Cornwall is one of them. It's an inspiring place in which to think and dream and I shall be back at my desk next week refreshed and inspired and ready to rock some thoughts about writing.

See you then.

Tales from the River Bank # 1

I'm sitting overlooking an almost medieval mooring at the confluence of the rivers Saone and Doubs. I've spent the morning feeding the tiniest, new-hatched ducklings yesterday's bread, then some of today's because they were hungry. I've been hatching myself - themes and ideas for a new novel. I've also been reflecting on the book I've just finished reading - Before I Go to Sleep by SJ Watson, about a woman who loses her memory every time she goes to sleep. I become a bit like Zelig when I read a good book:in Woody Allen's movie, the hero morphes into anyone he becomes close to, taking on all their attributes. The vulnerability and dependence of Watson's heroine Christine had an eloquence which touched some nerve inside me.
Waking this morning, with pollen from the lime trees and the sound of the village's church bells drifting through the window, it took a moment to remember where -if not who - I was. But I do remember. And I remember that what makes a good book is a central character with whom you can identify intensely. So as we glide further south on the Saone, I shall bear that in mind as I plot and plan and think and dream...
PS No pix, sadly, as words don't do justice to the beauty, but I left the camera battery charging in our bedroom at home!

Expectation is All - Or is It??

It's weird how expectations influence your experience of something.  Last week I went to see the South Downs/Browning Version double bill at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London, partly because Nicholas Farrell, whom I hugely admire, received rave notices from all the critics.

I found his performance disappointing.  I felt that he was acting old, rather than being old; he seemed a little mannered and never quite inhabited the frail heart of the character he was playing.  (Anna Chancellor, on the other hand, was blazingly, unpleasantly brilliant).

Then last night I went to see Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, because I had loved the book, even though the kindest reviews of the film were mediocre.  It turned out to be perfect fodder for a wet Wednesday evening -- gently funny, well performed, unpretentious.

Expectation is a tricky thing to handle, for writers as well as everybody else.  You have to contend with your own expectations regarding the quality of your work and the likelihood of publication; if you have any kind of track record you have to deal with other people's expectations too.  Well handled, they can be a positive creative pressure, but if you are thinking too much about your performance and what others will make of it, you're likely to come undone. The writing is all, it is an end in itself.

As my recent cultural outings have demonstrated, preconceptions are there to be thwarted, so don't put yourself under too much stress when you're working -- that way, you'll give yourself the best chance of trouncing other people's expectations...

Why Characters Should (Sometimes) Keep Their Own Counsel

Still on the theme of creative spaces, or more particularly, how you can fashion spaces in stories which both you and the reader can use creatively, having glanced at characterisation yesterday, today's small and imperfectly formed thought concerns dialogue.  What people say to one another can be incredibly potent, but what they don't say (and why) can be equally fascinating.

As a starting point, think of all the reasons you might not tell somebody that you love them:

• Because you are not sure how they will respond.
• Because, more specifically, you are fearful of rejection.
• Because to speak out would give them too much power over you.
• Because you feel unworthy.
• Because it would be inappropriate -- perhaps you are married to somebody else.
• Because you assume they already know (but perhaps they don't).

 Even in this simple little list, some intriguing and potentially complex scenarios are emerging, so if you want to have a go at a writing exercise, why not try writing a piece that hinges on the significance of what is not said. It might lead you to examine all the different qualities that silence can have, or maybe you'll end up writing about regret, a major literary theme in its own right, but perhaps that's for another post...

What To Leave Out?

I think I've mentioned elsewhere in my blog (several times -- avoid repetition, Ed) that I'm interested in the gaps and spaces in a creative work; in what is alluded to, rather than what is spelt out.  This is particularly true when it comes to characterisation.

To write effectively about a character, you need to know as much as possible about them: their past, their inner life, their appearance, their proclivities, what irritates them, what unsettles them -- the list is endless, but it is ground you have to cover in order to be able to bring them to life on the page.

The million-dollar question is how to convey all the knowledge you have garnered.  Although there are many facts you need to know about your hero or heroine, you don't necessarily have to write them all down for your reader, as it would slow the action immeasurably and have them wandering off to put the kettle on (and find a better book to read).

Rather than swamp them with fast flowing torrents of information, occasionally it can be productive to leave them guessing about some things, to suggest significance without spelling it out too much.  To put this to the test, write yourself a list of a dozen or so important facts about your main character and then choose one that offers most scope for ambiguity, one that raises more questions than it answers.  Start writing about this and see where it leads you.  It's the ambivalent parts of human nature that are usually the most interesting.

Think how a door which is open a crack, rather than flung wide, inflames your curiosity:

Well at least it does mine....