Chip Lit

The day dawned, dull and drizzly, on the Chipping Norton Literary Festival last weekend. Armed with a brolly and and brand new, untouched notepad, I drove up to the beautiful Oxfordshire town to see what all the fuss was about.

I began my day with a panel discussion, chaired by Jane Wenham-Jones, on Contemporary Women's Fiction. Katie Fforde, Jill Mansell, Veronica Henry and Fiona Walker made up the table, and shared their thoughts, suggestions and tricks on how to make it as a writer in Contemporary Women's Fiction.

From there, I was 'thrust' into another world with the incomparable Julie Cohen's workshop on writing sex scenes, which (I'm very glad to tell you) actually covered writing sex scenes. You might think this is unsurprising, but after trekking down to the Bath Literature Festival while heavily pregnant only to discover that their workshop on writing sex scenes included only those authors unwilling to speak about sex (and some of whom don't even include it in their novels), I was pleasantly surprised. Julie didn't hold back, and I can definitely see why her other workshops are held in high regard. She was fab. My favourite bit was probably when she read two excerpts from her work - one from an erotica book about a woman sharing a special moment with a blue robot and the other from a women's fiction book that was slightly more intense and emotional. It's fantastic to see someone work succesfully in more than one genre.

Saturday ended with Emma Lee Potter's Freelance Writing session, which gave some good, solid advice for becoming a freelance writer. All you need is a great hook, a compelling subject, a convincing pitch, and a well-written article, preferably with photographs. Right. Good then.

On Sunday, I awoke a little reluctant to make the hour-long drive north, so I convinced my husband to drive up there and partake in a rather delicious bagel from Number 24 Cafe on the Chipping Norton High Street while I learnt about short story writing and unconventional novels.

Angela Huth- most famously the writer of Land Girls - gave a very interesting talk on writing short stories. Her career has spanned decades, hundreds of stories and dozens of publications, and she spoke persuasively about letting one's imagination go and writing about absolutely anything at all. Her key rules were to be concise, show character through behaviour, avoid adverbs, and stick to one mood. As she is someone who has been published by the New Yorker, I'm inclined to listen.

And finally, on to one of my favourite authors of all time, the one and only Jasper Fforde. His talk covered the strangeness of all his ideas leading to his wonderful books such as the Thursday Next series and the Nursery Crime Division series, and how to set yourself narrative challenges (eg, a man looks out the window in Surrey and sees a gorilla up his tree. Explain it all away). Loved it.

Chipping Norton, you've done yourself proud. For a first ever literary festival it was beautifully put together. The authors were fantastic, the volunteers helpful and the town simply lovely.

Where can I book my tickets for next year?

Felicia

two down....

Back in January I posted a blog setting out my writing resolutions for the year, now seems like a good time to review how I'm doing.

I have entered both the Crime Writers Association Debut Dagger Award and the Good Housekeeping "Get Your Novel Published" competition!  For the Debut Dagger I submitted the first chapter from "Death Penalty", a novel I have been working on since last October.  The opening scene was inspired by a workshop I did at the Cheltenham Literature Festival with Laura Wilson, who passed round photos of the food people had chosen for their last meal before facing the death penalty.  It got me thinking about the circumstances in which someone might choose a tub of Ben and Jerry's Phish Food for their last meal, and suddenly in my head was Emily, one of my main characters, with her tragic backstory....

For the Good Housekeeping competition I submitted the first chapter from "Crime and Prejudice", a rewriting of Pride and Prejudice with Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy as the detectives investigating the death of Mr Wickham!  I first started writing this some time ago and entered it for the Debut Dagger Award in 2011, but with different characters.  I then rewrote it bringing back the main characters from P&P, and submitted it to a couple of agents last year, but it was rejected.  Re-reading it, I decided I had tried to be too clever and make it read like a Jane Austen novel, which meant it was rather slow-paced for modern tastes.  So for GH, I rewrote it with a much faster pace and introducing not only the death of Wickham but a "locked room" mystery, and a jewel destined to be stolen....

So - two major resolutions achieved already!  Which makes me feel better about the fact that I haven't kept to my resolution to write every day.  I still think its the best way of keeping my writing at the forefront of my life, and I feel as if I am writing more often, so there is some progress. 

One thing I didn't really think about when I set my resolutions was focussing.  I'm now juggling 3 different crime novels, all of which have the potential to become a series.  and on holiday in Tunisia recently I got very excited about the idea of a novel looking at a group of holidaymakers, and the impact being on holiday has on relationships.  But there is a real danger I'll get to the end of the year having made some progress on lots of things but not a lot of progress on any one thing!  So I think my Tunisian idea has to be left on the shelf for now.  I'm pitching "Death Penalty" to some agents at the Bristol CrimeFest in May this year so I think I need to focus on getting a reasonable draft of that completed by then....

yes, that was one of my other resolutions!  I've booked the Bristol CrimeFest including the Pitch and Agent slots.  I still need to book for the Harrogate Crime Festival, though. 

and yes - not only have I made a breakthrough in now telling people that I am a writer, I'm beginning to feel more like a "proper" writer too!

till next time

Wendy x

   

Maybe I don't want to be a writer, maybe I want to be a dictator!

For Christmas last year my lovely husband gave me the rather practical gift of some software. Not the most romantic present, you might think, but as an IT consultant I spend my days working at a computer. Even on a good day, by the time I get the kids into bed and have some dinner the last thing I want to do is start typing again and my mouse clicking arm is beginning to show the worrying first signs of RSI. I had started scribbling the notes for my burgeoning novel into a book with a pencil, to avoid the dreaded computer, but the fact remains that at some point I'll have to find a way to share my work. Enter the Dragon…

The software he bought me recognises speech and converts it into electronic text. My first attempts produced some amusing results, for example:

Nicole this half a left-handed and there are and blinked hard.

 which was supposed to say:

Nicole gripped the edge of her chair and blinked hard.

Dragon Dictate builds up a profile of your voice, so the more you use it, the more accurate it gets. There are several training modules, set pieces of text that you read which it then uses as a benchmark to recognise your own text when you read it. It's not great at context, for example I write in the past tense so nearly all my verbs end in ED but it quite often writes "walk" when I said "walked". I'm getting better at speaking more clearly, and voicing my punctuation! 

One of the most useful features is that you can upload files of your existing writing, to help it recognise the vocabulary you use. This helps it to make more accurate guesses about what you're saying. For example, one of my characters is called Beth. The program repeatedly failed to recognise this word, however clearly I thought I was saying it. As soon as I had uploaded a couple of chapters about Beth the problem went away. 

Reading in the chapters I had hand written was really quick, but composing the story as I speak obviously takes longer. It's still quicker than typing for me though. In a typical one hour writing session I would get about 500 words done when typing. Now I'm dictating, the same hour seems to yield around 800 words. Maybe it's because I fuss less about how each paragraph hangs together, or spend less time cutting and pasting words around within a sentence. 

I will certainly have to spend more time proofreading the completed chapters, checking for the numerous small errors in recognition that the software still makes. For now, I'm happy to live with those as the improvement so far has been rapid. I may end up using it for everything, even tweets and e-mails (I am dictating this now)  though one disadvantage is that it's difficult to eat or drink at the same time. Even this could be interpreted as a good selling point,  as it will cut my tea and biscuit consumption dramatically!

Sara Boltman

And a year's perspiration......

Or three guesses for this years resolution!

It's not quite a month on from my Arvon foundation crime-writing course, but it feels a lot longer!  Somehow the intervention of Christmas and the new year has drained some of the inspiration I felt.  Maybe other people are good at making and keeping new year's resolutions but I find January a depressing month.  How can I change my life for the better when it's so cold and wet outside?!

I'd like to resolve this year that I'll finally get a novel published, but it's not something I can guarantee.  What I can do, though, is to maximise my chances.  So here are my own personal resolutions for making 2012 the year I become a published author. 

- I resolve to tell people that I am a writer.  For so many years I've used words such as "I'd like to be a writer...." But I do believe that my subconscious listens to what I say.  And I am much more likely to keep writing, keep submitting, keep smiling at the rejection letters when I know that I am already a writer.  I don't need permission from anyone to describe myself in this way!

- I resolve to write something every day.  Too often I'm tempted to wait until I have a decent chunk of time to write something, but even if it's only a few minutes, writing every day will keep my plot and characters at the forefront of my mind.  I know I'm much more likely to have that "eureka" moment when I'm washing up if I've been thinking about my characters that day.

- I resolve to enter at least three competitions this year: Debut Dagger (for unpublished crime writers), the Good Housekeeping competition which is open to all unpublished writers, and a short story competition.  And I will read the winning entries with a keen eye to see what I can learn from them.  I've entered the Debut Dagger the last couple of years and the winners all have something that makes them stand out.  Just need to translate that into my own work now.....

- I resolve to attend the two major crimewriting festivals in the UK, the Bristol CrimeFest in May and the Festival in Harrogate in July.  I honestly believe that to get published, I can't just sit at home crafting the perfect novel - I've got to get out and meet writers, readers - and hopefully agents.  And I'll have a perfectly prepared 30 second pitch for any agents I happen to meet - but no more than that.  And I'll try not to go too puppy-like and bouncy when talking to them.....

So that's my resolutions for becoming a published author in 2012.  I'd love to hear from others what steps you'll be taking towards your writing goals this year!      

Wendy

A week's inspiration.....

Written in early December from a remote farmhouse on Dartmoor....

It's 6 am and I'm sitting drinking tea from a mug with "The Big Sleep" on it, and writing this instead of following it's very sensible instructions.  But I'm so inspired I feel as if a dozen novels - or at least a dozen scenes from my current novel - will come pouring from my fingertips with ease.  There must be something in the water in this place, for after a few days I can feel that the quality of my writing has changed.  Those key scenes which I haven't previously even attempted to write don't seem so daunting, and while not perfect, what I'm writing has an integrity and authenticity and I know it's good.  Does that sound arrogant?  I hope not - don't all writers instinctively know when something we have produced is working?

"This place" is Totleigh Barton, the Arvon Foundation house on Dartmoor.  The house is fab - nooks and crannies for writing, wood-burning stove and long table for the evening meals, and a huge (and now lovely and warm!) barn where all aspects of writing are hotly debated.  We are immensely privileged to two amazing tutors this week: Frances Fyfield and Dreda Say Mitchell.  Both are enormously generous, to the group and on an individual level.  In the mornings we share writing exercises and talk about different aspects of writing a novel.  In the afternoons the tutors provided individual feedback.  To have someone of the stature of Frances Fyfield saying they enjoyed my writing leaves me walking on air for days!  And Dreda gave wonderful feedback on plotting that was like a light going on in the brain.

It's also fab to listen to what other people are writing.  I'm constantly amazed by the huge talent of unpublished writers, some of whom have been working away for years and may be on their fifth or sixth novel.  Some of the writers here have agents, one is self-published - and nearly everyone is producing work that I want to hear more of.  So far we've been sharing first pages and writing exercises: we've had kinky sex in Surrey, prostitutes in Milan and dead bodies everywhere from Trinidad to the Scottish mountains.  Friday night we all get to read something from our current work.  I can't wait.

So - yes, of course I'd recommend an Arvon course.  The opportunity to spend an entire week immersed in writing is in itself rare and valuable.  To do it in the company of supportive and insightful tutors and serious writers happy to debate plot problems over the washing up is possible unique.  The only problem with the course it it's length - if I could stay for six more weeks, I'm confident I'd have a stonking novel at the end of it!

Wendy

Writing for Children by Anne

All children have to learn to read. Give them a good book by an accomplished writer and they will be hooked... Or so we like to believe.

I am in the process of a very extensive rewrite of my first novel aimed at young adults (and still enjoying it) but I have a very active mind and I’m telling myself so many new stories. So, I decided that I would start a new story too. This time I would focus on the pre-teens. I teach ten year olds so my target market is readily available for constructive criticism and, oh boy, are they critical. Some have decided to write the story for me. They have great ideas whilst others keep prodding me with ‘What if....?’  ‘but why?’ ‘...can’t you say...?’

I’m listening and trying to take on what they are saying whilst staying true to the story and maintaining the voices.

As part of my quest to listen to them, today I decided to conduct an experiment. The Scholastic Book Fair is in school for the week. There are 4 large bookshelf cases loaded with the latest books for 3-12 year olds. I opened up all the cases and told them to imagine that they could buy any book that they would like. Before I let them loose on the shelves, I asked them to be conscious about HOW they chose their book. What did they look at first? What were their criteria for choosing a book? I even role-played the process. I perused the shelves carefully, picking out book after book. I analysed the cover, read the blurb, opened each one up and read the opening lines finishing off my charade by flicking through some pages reading random excerpts.

 It was their turn. They raced, pushing unceremoniously past one another to grab the book that they had been eyeing whilst I had been doing my one-man-show. Although the instruction was to refrain from holding on to a book until the five minute choosing session had ended, they knew what they wanted. The Top Gear book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, the Titanic Diary and D-day were gripped by determined hands. Without letting go, they filled in their quiz sheets and started to read. The result surprised me. Very few children opened any of the books whilst choosing. They made up their minds quickly. Looking at the results it is clear that they looked at the cover and read the title. If it was a series they knew and loved, that was enough to convince them. If it wasn’t, the cover picture was more important than anything else.

‘I have all the series and I treasure them.’ Diary of a Wimpy Kid – Cabin Fever Jeff Kinney

‘Because this one shouted at me.’ Titanic Ellen Emerson White

‘I liked it because the puppy looked sad.’ Dog Lost by Ingrid Lee

My favourite : ‘This one was authorised by my favourite author.’ Diary of a Wimpy Kid – Cabin Fever Jeff Kinney  

So...spend as much time as you like crafting and re-crafting that crucial opening sentence. If you haven’t got the cover right, you won’t sell the book.

Julie Cohen's Advanced Novel Writing Course

  

(Julie Cohen who is officially Ace).

Hi there and thanks for visiting the baby blog of the Ciren Writers.

It's my turn to write a post and I said I would do one about Julie Cohen's Advanced Novel Writing course held a couple of weekends ago in Reading.

Trouble is, how to pack 8 hours of BRILLIANT information, feedback and guidance into 500 words? Tricky. And I've already used up loads saying hello.

Anyway, as well as being a wonderful day (and I would advise anyone lucky enough to spot a Julie C course to sign up immediately) it got me thinking...

A couple of my writing friends said recently that they have stopped going on writing courses as they feel like frauds. They said they aren't really writing much at the moment and don't want to be the kind of people who Just Go On Courses and never actually finish any serious pieces of work themselves.

Well, I reckon it doesn't really matter if you do. Nobody ever advertises a writing course and says Small Print: We're going to check on you all in six months time and if you haven't at least churned out a novella, we'll tell everyone on Twitter that you're The Inflatable Boy and have let yourself down.

Exactly. Being an amateur writer and hoping to get published...or maybe even not...is a long enough road as it is. Going on courses and learning from talented, generous people who can inspire you even to write a paragraph more, is one of the best things of all. 

And spending a day with ten or so other people who just love to write and just hope to be alright at it and just want to have a go? Well, for me, that's one of the real bonuses of writing. Learning and listening and chatting about stuff.  And eating cake. Obviously.

So, even though Julie's course had me scrambling to open the laptop again as soon as I got home, for anyone who writes - or isn't at the moment and feels really guilty about it, I say, go on as many courses as you want. Hold your head up high and be a Serial Courser if you like.

Writing doesn't always have to be about achievement and worrying about agents and trying to get published. If it makes life a little bit more fun and a little less gloomy, then in the words of the lovely old farmer in Babe, that'll do. (Pig.)


Thanks for reading this and please visit again. We're not sure if we'll be any good at doing a writing blog but we're giving it a try!  Floss did the first post, I've now had a go and Anne will be doing the next post soon.

Bye for now
AJ
(Where Things Are Mostly Cheerful)

PS: Julie Cohen's new book Getting Away With It is available from Amazon and all good book shops now.  Read all about it and her other books here: http://www.julie-cohen.com/books/