Golden memories can bring inspiration

When a writer gets that first inspiration for a book, it either manifests as a plot point – a what if? – situation or a character who has something to say.

For me, early music soprano, Georgia Pattison was born out of my memories of singing with Worcester Festival Choral Society in the 70s and early 80s, a time I regard as golden.

It was a time when, as a member of the chorus and in Three Choirs Festivals, I mixed with household names like Paul Tortelier, Sir Charles Groves, Janet Baker and Lennox Berkeley. I sang in the 1981 Three Choirs Festival, when 5 months pregnant. To the whole of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the ‘bump’ became Earnshaw because my husband was a Yorkshireman.

‘How’s Earnshaw today?’

‘He wasn’t keen on the trumpets in the Berlioz, but apart from that…’

We will gloss over the fact that ‘he’ turned out to be ‘she’.

From those memories, the Georgia Pattison Mysteries came into being. It has become something of a fashion for writers to write an annual Christmas novella or short story for their series character and it is popular with readers.

So it isn’t surprising that my contemporary detective, early-music soprano, Georgia Pattison is once more making a festive appearance. This year, she is thrown into the midst of a school nativity play, with all its joys and disasters. As you might guess, she discovers that peace and goodwill to all men does not apply to murderers.

If you would like to read more about this year’s Christmas novella, While Shepherds Watched, click here: https://authorapriltaylor.blogspot.com/

You can buy While Shepherds Watched here : mybook.to/Shepherds

You can find out more about April Taylor and her books here: https://amzn.to/34zf90n

You can contact April Taylor:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/britwriterapriltaylor/ and Twitter: https://twitter.com/authAprilTaylor

The Bookless Book Launch

All was planned. What could be better than to launch my first book in the village where the novel is set? A table was booked at the local pre-Christmas Craft Fair and flyers printed ready to hand out. The only problem – my books did not arrive in time from the printers.

Downhearted? Yes, but I attended the Fair anyway, only to arrive in torrential rain. Even the local dogs did not want a walk. I was shown to my table – a small one tucked in the far corner. Oh dear. I dripped my way across and there I waited for the Fair to open, my two proof copies on display looking as sad as I felt.

The event was a slow starter. A lot of folk came only for a morning coffee and a chat with friends. Many overlooked my table altogether, moving swiftly between the more colourful stalls. A few were enticed by the front cover and the title Witch-bottles and Windlestraws. I persevered. 

‘Do you like historical novels?’ I asked as they passed by. If they answered ‘yes’, then I would add, ‘Well – this one is set here, in Reighton, in the early 1700s.’ Then they were hooked. I took orders for ten books and, very trustingly, the purchasers paid in advance. All was not lost.

I did deliver the books a couple of weeks later and so met the buyers twice as they asked for their copies to be signed. Now I have good contacts in the village and they are helping with my research for the next novel in the series. 

The moral of this tale? No books, no problem!

Joy Stonehouse


Copies of Witch-bottles and Windlestraws are available as a paperback or ebook from Amazon.

Going backwards to come forwards

We are constantly told we must keep moving forwards. The word I wanted to use in that first sentence was relentlessly because it seems that some people see nothing good about looking back and are completely focussed on surging ahead.


But looking back is not the same as wanting to turn back time, which can indeed be harmful, especially to the emotions. In other words, it is sometimes beneficial to look back to see how far you have come or to judge how far you still have to travel. Or to assess if the way you did something then still has any relevance to how you do that thing now.

Two weeds recently flew into the garden of my life. The first is a sudden increase in pain from arthritis, especially in my hands. One thumb, in particular, will probably need surgery in the not too distant future. The other weed is that, for the past two years, my writing had almost stalled and died.

When things like these happen, you begin to reassess what you do and how you do it. The arthritis I can do nothing about except go through what the medics advise and see how it all turns out. The writing, though, that I could sort out, but first I had to work out what my problems were and how to address them.


I love writing. I love telling stories and I was not and am not prepared to let anything stop that unless it is beyond my control. Besides which, I had a full-length book and the Georgia Pattison Christmas novella, While Shepherds Watched, to get written and launched before Christmas, so something major had to happen.

If you want to find out what I decided, read my blog. You can find it here: https://authorapriltaylor.blogspot.com

You can read more about April Taylor here:

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Book Launch: 'Witch-bottles and Windlestraws' by Joy Stonehouse

When I started to delve into my family's history I never envisaged the ensuing research would lead to a book, or four. The first launches today.

Witch-bottles and Windlestraws brings to life the inhabitants of Reighton in Filey Bay, 1703-1709. Parish records revealed a close-knit community of large families - the vicar lived in a small vicarage with his wife, son and eight daughters. Researching further, I found an abundance of material for an imaginative reconstruction. How could I not commit it to paper?

The book - fictionalised fact - focuses on the Jordan family of yeoman farmers, and I chose the period because they were one of the dominant families at that time. They were also ancestors of mine on my mother's side, and I soon became totally absorbed in piecing together their lives.

The book opens in November 1703 when The Great Storm is set to hit. The people of Reighton have a wedding to celebrate, and are unaware of the impending devastation that will affect their lives. Courtships, betrayal, unrequited love and an inexplicable death are woven into a tapestry of early 18th Century life and customs, and the ever-challenging weather. 

Available as a paperback and Kindle ebook

Feeding the Creative Soul – but not with Stars!

In a previous post I said I would return to the star system beloved of review sites. Online review sites almost always insist on every book being categorised in the range of 5* (best book in the world) to 1* (worst book in the world).

I have a problem with that. If I was to put my mind to a genuine categorisation of every book I read, then on the whole each would be different. If compelled to stick with 1 to 5, then I want to be able to give stars for lots of different reasons: how good a read was it, how involved did I become, was the characterisation believable, was I lost in the fictional world, did the facts stand up, was the background research meticulous and objective, how was the opening page, did it grab me from the first sentence… I could go on. And what a waste of time!

I also have a problem with allocating stars to a book that did nothing for me. Do I say ‘Bored rigid from start to finish. 1*’? That doesn’t seem fair if what bored me was that it was a historical novel and I wasn’t in the mood for a historical novel because I’d just finished a sci-fi book. If I knew the period well and could say, ‘Bored rigid by anachronisms and lack of research,’ or if it was non-fiction and I could say, ‘Bored by lack of accuracy and out of date research,’ that wouldn’t be so bad. At least those are valid objective reasons.

But who am I to put off other readers with my 1* when it’s based on a subjective judgement?

The other thing I won’t do is review a book I haven’t read, and that takes care of the examples above because I wouldn’t have finished a single one of those books. Why would I be ‘bored rigid from start to finish’ of any book? I don’t go out of my way to seek out boring experiences.

Despite all this, I still rather treasure an early review that appeared on Like False Money, which is now published as part of the Falling into Crime trilogy.

“Really enjoyed the book but it came badly packaged – 2*” 

I review books that I have enjoyed and with very few exceptions, I give them all their stars because I rarely have an objective reason not to.

Feeding the Creative Soul – Book Reviews

Writers need reviews; they need feedback from readers, they want word about their books to spread and what better way than by word of mouth via a review? 

But of course writers are readers too. Reading feeds creativity and so does reviewing. There’s something about thinking in depth about a good book that can spark ideas almost from nowhere. Many of the best reviewers are also successful and prolific writers. Indeed, writers more than most should be conscientious about reviewing what they read.

As a writer I know that all too well. Do I live by it? I’d love to say an unequivocal yes, but I can’t. One reason is time. If I’m going to review a book, I want to write something about it, not just tick a random number of stars*. I tend to ‘stack’ my reviews, save them up until I get into a proper review mood and then catch up the backlog. It doesn’t always work. Sometimes I leave it just a bit too long and as I sit down to put pen to paper I realise that I don’t remember enough about the book to say anything coherent, so it has to return to my read-again pile and hope that I’ll catch it next time round.

I’m just in the middle of a bit of a review frenzy at present. Not expecting to clear the entire backlog, but HERE is a recent one.

*more on the tiresome star system in a later post.

Feeding the Creative Soul - LitFests

LitFests are ostensibly for readers, but writers are readers too. We just view information from a different slant, which comes in handy when the creative well is coughing up an intermittent flow.

The 2019 Festival of Words brought a multitude of writers to libraries around the East Riding of Yorkshire, some well known, others trying to carve themselves a household name. It is this latter group which often proves the more rewarding. For a start, they tend not to be swamped by adoring fans, and they remember how it was to struggle and are therefore more open to answering a question or having a quick chat.

As with all enterprises, to gain the most from a LitFest go prepared. Make time to read one of the authors’ previous works. This in itself can spark our own writing: the pacing used in a passage of description, the way a confrontation is handled. It also widens our pool of genres and sub-genres.

Discussion panels on a fixed subject can prove eye-opening, as happened during the Gothic Thrillers event. Not only did I leave with new authors to read, but with a marketing angle I hadn’t previously considered.

Linda Acaster

What to do first. Sometimes a problem for a writer

Some people reading this will laugh, because - hey - we're writers, aren't we? Organised to within an inch of a plot and we work through each book in an orderly fashion, right?

Wrong. Absolutely wrong.

Some people write in several genres and have to change their mindset for each. For someone like me, who writes crime because it is my first love, it is nice to swing the changes occasionally. So, at the moment, in between sorting out our new house, I am (allegedly) re-writing the first in my historical crime series, the Gideon Rooke Chronicles, Loyalty in Conflict. However, I also have a contemporary detective, Georgia Pattison, an early-music soprano. She is currently standing in front of me, hands on hips and with her foot tapping in impatience because I have not yet started her Christmas adventure and time is running short. I have the new title, While Shepherds Watched and, that's about all.

And let us not forget the standalones. The Angel Killer was my first and I have a third of another written, set in 1953, involving an ex-SOE operative. I dare not even start on Sherlock Holmes. Yes, there, too, I have another two plots involving cases mentioned by Watson in the Sherlock Holmes stories.

Why? Because, for me, a constant diet of the same thing leads to mental stagnation, rather like a real diet can sometimes lead to frustration because your body becomes used to what you eat all the time and decides not to lose weight.

If you would like to read the blog, click here: https://authorapriltaylor.blogspot.com

To find out more about me and my books:  Twitter  Amazon UK  Amazon USA YouTube

Hornsea Writers at FantastiCon 2019

This year’s fantasy, sci-fi and gaming convention featured the works of several Hornsea Writers. 

Author Stuart Aken’s fantasy and sci-fi trilogies were on offer, as were Penny Grubb’s crime novels. Popular at the Fantastic Books Store were also the charity anthologies, several of which feature stories by Stuart, Penny, Linda Acaster, Madeleine McDonald, April Taylor and Elaine Hemingway, notably Dreaming of Steam, 666, The Dummies’ Guide to Serial Killing and The Forge: Fire and Ice.

For more detail see the illustrated account on Stuart’s blog.

Distaff The All Female Science Fiction Anthology

While some of the Hornsea Writer’s Group were making the most of Fantasticon over in Cleethorpes, I’d caught the ferry to the World Science Fiction Convention in Dublin to celebrate the publication of Distaff: A Science Fiction Anthology by Female Authors.  

Much of Science Fiction is written by women. Yet, despite advances in recent years, the market is still male dominated. Rosie Oliver, the award nominated editor of Distaff, brought together all new tales for Distaff. As well as featuring only female authors, the collection has been edited and designed by women.

The title of the anthology is taken from the name given to the staff used to wind wool about for spinning before the invention of the spinning wheel. The word then became associated with general women's work. My contribution, My Little Mecha, is one of the nine short stories to feature in the anthology. I also designed the cover. You can read more about that here.

Distaff is already receiving excellent reviews. You can read more about Distaff, the Belfast launch (including Holly Blue of Dorset’s outstanding book launch nibbles) and the reviews here.

Shellie Horst writes science fiction and fantasy. You can follow her on Twitter @millymollymo and find out more on her website www.millymollymo.com  

Writer's Growth

It's National Writing Day on 26th June. A day of inspiring events across the country, and plenty of support via social media for new writers.

I’m the newest member of Hornsea Writers (and I suspect the youngest but shhh, don’t tell the others.) They know the ‘ropes’ of this gig, and we all agree that writing is a never-ending learning curve. Writing is peppered with ambitions, dreams and plenty of naysayers to frustrate you along the way. Knowing where you are, where you’re going and what you’re trying to achieve is important if you’re goal orientated. It’s fair to say there’s a goal for any writer: The End.

Re-attending the biannual Newcastle Writing Conference this year reinforced just how much I had grown since I started out on this path. The last time I attended was 2013, I was working on a manuscript and 3 years into a 6 year degree. Bah-ha shiny hopeful me, looking for opportunities, eager to learn and thought I had it all in the bag.

Stop laughing.

Six years after my first visit to Newcastle Writing Conference, the manuscript is complete and another in the final stages. I’ve several stories out in the world. I know there’ll be more. I’m still eager (does that ever go away?) but I’m wiser. I’m aware that I’ll never know it all, yet I’m more confident in my abilities and my strengths.

The Writing Conference had changed too. Gone were the studious tones of Newcastle University. In their place was the professional, creative warmth of hope and positivity. Inspiration mixed with empowerment all day.

Tony Walsh really kicked things off with a passionate performance of poetry that inspired everyone in the room. Other writers discovered how to deal with promotion, or the importance of small presses. I was reminded of things I knew but had lost in the mass of things to do. Some gained their first positive comments or full requests and I shared their stunned joy.

These events can be overwhelming for some people. Social anxiety gets the best of us. That little demon that screeches outrage ‘How dare you believe in yourself.’ gets in the way a lot too. Finding the time, finding the money, finding someone to look after the commitments you have the ‘audacity’ to abandon while you indulge in this little dream. Yes. I’m very good at finding excuses too.

Excuses don’t write anything.

What struck me most was how I could see how I’d developed as an author. I knew why I was there and why I love running the Welcome Event at Edge-Lit as well as the irregular Humber SFF meets: To enable others.

So...are we there yet? No. Yes. Maybe. What do you mean by ‘there’? My ‘there’ was to gain knowledge – so yes.

What did I come away with this time? Clarity, a plan. One that started with my week at a grant funded Arvon retreat, but needed more thought. I didn’t go with impossible expectations. I know where I want to be. The conference gave me the connections, tools and more importantly for me right now the thinking space to figure it out. Hornsea Writers Group plays a part in that thinking space too. It was one of the pieces I needed to achieve a goal. Now it’s all about doing the work. More on that soon…

My advice for anyone on this journey?

Know the place you want to reach. Tailor your time to help you get there. Research and reach out. There will always be rejections to spoil things, so make time for fun too.

Get involved with National Writing Day on the 26th June. Go to a local event. Oh. Don’t forget to write. It doesn’t work without words.

Shellie


Shellie Horst writes science fiction and fantasy. You can follow her on Twitter @millymollymo and find out more on her website www.millymollymo.com

Finding Story Ideas

Authors are regularly asked about where they get their ideas from. I've heard fans ask it many times at Humber SFF. The answer is more often than not an complex tale that comes back to "I was doing something other than writing."

Many writing workshops and guides offer grids or photographs to get your creativity flowing, but writers looking for story prompts will find plenty on a visit Ferens Art Gallery in Hull to explore the Is This Planet Earth? exhibition, open until July 28th.

The speculative fiction genres are often misunderstood, but there is nothing to fear in the fabulous art curated by Angela Kingston. Stop for refreshments in the cafe while you're there.


The Future Fire published my review of Is This Planet Earth? and you can read it here. Or experience the exhibition in person for free at Ferens Gallery. 

Under a June Sun

Although the writers in this group blog about life, the universe and everything under the sun, a glance back to June two years ago shows four of them passing on tips both practical and philosophical for better living and crisper writing.

Stuart Aken takes a sideways look at English words and their many nuances. In this particular blog he appropriately explores the word ‘ambiguous’. Click here to read more.

Penny Grubb, in a prescient article (given the recent axing of a human bear-baiting TV programme) unpacks a quote from a famous writer and finds more than meets the eye. Click here to read more.

Linda Acaster reaching the climax of a marathon writing expedition as she writes ‘the end’ on her Torc of Moonlight trilogy, explores the many facets of editing. Click here to read more.

April Taylor takes herself to task as exhaustion sees her sleep for a significant proportion of a much anticipated holiday. Click here to read more.

Revisiting earlier books

I find it a salutary experience to reread a book that I wrote and published years ago. Things that I would now write differently leap off the page: a sag in this part of the plot, a clumsy bit of speech here, something that would be better reordered there; things I’ve never worried about unduly because there’s nothing to be done.

Or so I thought...

Then plans were proposed to reissue my first three novels as a trilogy in a single book. I wasn’t given much time to tinker, but I immediately got out the toolkit and raised the bonnet to spruce up all three. It was a satisfying experience though oddly like going back in time.

It’s due out later this year.

Writing fiction: the long and the short of it

Explore the nuts and bolts behind the (hopefully) smooth finished product that is the published novel or short story

• by delving into the mind of the short story writer, analysed in this book by Hornsea Writer, Linda Acaster:

Reading A Writer's Mind

• or by lifting the bonnet (or the hood – depending which side of the Atlantic you are) on the full-length commercial novel and seeing how the component pieces fit together in this book co-authored by Hornsea Writer, Penny Grubb:

How to be a Fantastic Writer

Meet more than writers at this holiday extravaganza

The annual extravaganza that is FantastiCon is scheduled for the full weekend of the 17th and 18th August in Cleethorpes at the space-age leisure centre. The focus is on a weekend packed with family activities around games, virtual reality, NERF wars, drone racing, a Mariokart tournament, an aqua assault course... and some Hornsea Writers too.

The event is used as a launch pad for new publications and previous years have seen the launch of sci-fi trilogies from Stuart Aken, crime drama from Penny Grubb and charity anthologies that have included several group members including Elaine Hemingway, Madeleine McDonald, April Taylor and Penny Grubb who all appeared in Dreaming of Steam; Linda Acaster and Stuart Aken in horror anthology 666; Stuart Aken was also invited to contribute to the fantasy and sci-fi collections, Fusion and Synthesis. Penny Grubb was featured in The Dummies’Guide to Serial Killing that was launched last year.

Several Hornsea Writers are regulars at FantastiCon. If you come along and can find a moment between activities and games, please drop by the bookstore and say hello.

CLICK HERE to learn more. 

Last Chance Saloon

Crossroads are funny things. There are all kinds of dire supernatural aspects of them in our literature. It has also become part of our language. 'I've come to a crossroads and need to work out where I'm going.' Or someone telling another person they have come to a crossroads and now is make or break.

I read an article about scammers in the self-publishing world of Amazon and Kindle Unlimited a couple of days ago. Horrified does not adequately express my reaction. Here I have been, straining every last muscle to write as perfect a book as I can, while cheats and scammers are making easy money and I make none.

So, I took myself off for a long walk and decided I had come to a crossroads, too. About my life and, more importantly, about my writing.

Read it here: https://authorapriltaylor.blogspot.com

You can read more about April Taylor here:

 Twitter  Amazon UK  Amazon USA YouTube

Members Useful Self-Help Books

In the last of the short series on the wealth of information offered by members, here's a round-up of their useful self-help titles.

April Taylor was a chartered information professional in a previous life, and she's put her experiences to good use.

 Internet Research for Writers 

This short guide is intended to help solve the problems encountered by novelists researching on the Net. It includes sections on where to search, how to search, evaluating information found, staying safe and within copyright, using images, and a whole host more.

Cutting Through The Academic Crap: An Informal Guide to Writing Your Dissertation 

This is one of those no-nonsense guides which does what it says on the cover. It explains terminology used by tutors, the format and appearance of the finished dissertation, how to manipulate software and the likely problems the software will throw up. There is also advice on how to manage your project and your time. Nineteen 4* and 5* reviews can't be wrong.

 

 

Stuart Aken also brings his personal experience to bear, but in a very different context.

M.E. and Me - Chronic Fatigue: My Recovery After 10 Years 

Stuart charts his journey, and recovery, giving hope to other sufferers of CFS/ME. There's plenty of practical advice, and a useful list of hyperlinks in the ebook. It is also available as a paperback. A portion of the profits goes to the charity "Action for ME" which he considers was instrumental in pointing him in the right direction. The reviews from other suffers speak for themselves.

Penny Grubb may have been awarded a Dagger from the Crime Writers' Assocation but, wearing her non-dastardly hat, Dr Penny Grubb is a scientist and university lecturer, hence her book titles.

How To Be A Fantastic Writer

Where’s the best place for a novel to start? How do you tell? How to lift a scene that seems to drag? The included toolkits lead through it all to give the components needed for every stage of writing a novel. 

Preparing For Higher Education Study

Having been a part of academia since the 1980s, Penny has helped a vast number of students new to higher education study. Today, a higher proportion come not from sixth forms or after a gap year, but at an older age having worked in industry and with family commitments in tow.

The book, split into easy to negotiate sections, sets out what's needed, and how to upgrade necessary skills sets. It also contains a detailed study of a once notorious case of skewed thinking and manipulative writing that began with Mr J and his green fur coat.

Software Maintenance: Concepts and Practice

An academic best-seller in use in universities around the world. Published in two editions, it has the dubious distinction of appearing on a list of ‘Most pirated books’, which, sadly, means an updated 3rd edition will not be published.

The 2nd edition contains a detailed case study of the once notorious Therac-25 software bugs that visited death and injury on many people over several years.



 
Linda Acaster brings us back to writing creatively with an in-depth view borne of explaining concepts during several years facilitating a teaching course.

Reading A Writer's Mind: Exploring Short Fiction - First Thought To Finished Story

The book is distinguished from many in its field by reproducing ten of the author's short stories, in various genres, and explaining the rationale behind the choices made during the writing of each. Exercises, in the writing of full pieces of fiction, are included.


I'm sure you'll agree, what an interesting lot we are!

How a random thought can give birth to a series. And there's music, too!

Many writers will tell you tales of how long their first book was in the making. Let's face it, writing anything between 70-120k words is not undertaken lightly, if occasionally wantonly, depending on the genre into which your magnum opus falls.

My first book began as a 'what-if?' idea during the inaugural concert of the 1978 Three Choirs Festival in Worcester. Sandra Browne was singing the part of The Angel in Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius. I was part of the chorus, this was my first Three Choirs and inclusion was by invitation only.

The Dream is a fairly regular fixture of Three Choirs and, being by local boy made good, Edward Elgar, it is very special. So special as far as Worcester is concerned that The Elgar Memorial Window is situated close to the pillar Elgar used to lean on to hear the final organ voluntary on Sunday mornings - being a Catholic, he didn't worship in the cathedral.

And this brings us to a very sticky point among musicians and music lovers. Should the 'G' of Gerontius be hard or soft. I know from my reading that Elgar himself always used the hard 'G'. Further research confirms that the hard 'G' was favoured by Vaughan Williams and Adrian Boult among other notable musicians. Hard 'G' it is, then.

But I digress. The book that was eventually, after a gestation period of 30 years, published by Legend Press in 2008, is Dearly Ransomed Soul and provides the first outing for Georgia Pattison. I used the what-if? idea, although for the digital version published in 2016, I changed the identity of the killer, just to add a bit of spice for the reader. 

The full version of how my nosy early-music soprano came into being is here: https://authorapriltaylor.blogspot.com

You can find out more about April Taylor here:

 Twitter  Amazon UK  Amazon USA YouTube

#Writing and #Editing Tips

Members of Hornsea Writers hold a wealth of information on their individual websites. Last week we turned a spotlight on Stuart Aken and his Resources page which, among other goodies, holds a constantly updated Competitions List.

This week we highlight a wealth of blogposts - 32 in all - from Linda Acaster. Thankfully, she's created an Index Page for easy navigation. Within it can be found:

• 16 posts on Writing Prompts, including discussions on each aspect;
•   3 posts on Research: Is it always necessary? Using a "bible", and using character sheets for continuity purposes;
•   8 posts on what to look for during different types of Edits, including Structural, Content, Line edits and the use of beta readers;
•   5 posts on writers' mis-uses which can seriously annoy a reader - Don't Mess With The Reader - including Openings, Sense of Place, Categories of Characters, Seeding Information, and Plagiarism.

As well as her Historical, Fantasy and Horror novels, Linda Acaster also has Reading A Writer's Mind: Exploring Short Fiction - First Thought To Finished Story  which, as might be guessed, does what it says on its cover. Jump to HERE for the buy links and to read an excerpt.

Creative #Writing #Contests Submissions Feb-Oct 2019

Members of Hornsea Writers hold a wealth of information on their individual websites. 

Multi-genre writer Stuart Aken is prolific in his reach, from sharing his love of photography to his inquisitive nature. He runs a series on Discovering The Write Word, currently at #57, and where else could you find lists of 6,500+ female, male, and non-gender names from around the globe? Check out his Resources page.

His list of on-going competitions for writers encompasses everything from poetry to flash fiction to short stories to novellas and novels. Those free to enter are handily marked in red. The list is currently seven pages in length, so there will be something to catch everyone's eye. Check out the list HERE or follow the link from his Resources page.

Blood Red Dust is the first of his Generation Mars trilogy. Read about it HERE.

Never seeing the sun again?

Most of the new publications that spring up on this blog are works of fiction, but not all. In amongst the science-fiction, the historical drama, the fantasy, the horror and the crime, a few non-fiction works creep in.

The latest is from Hornsea Writer, Penny Grubb, who is an academic currently working at Hull University’s Faculty of Health Sciences. Her textbook, Preparing for Higher Education Study, does what it says on the tin, like all textbooks should.

If it were a book about scuba diving, you would read it to avoid becoming disorientated in deep water and never seeing the sun again. To unpack that metaphor, CLICK HERE for a more detailed blog on the subject.

An Unexpected Tribute!

Delight can be infrequent in these troubled times, so Stuart Aken was both surprised and, yes, delighted, when he received a notice from his publisher, Fantastic Books Publishing, the other day. Attached was a link to a video produced by a professional in the TV industry. Ramon Marett from Adiq had wanted to try his hand at a book promotion video and decided to use Aken’s ‘Generation Mars’ series for the project.

The author posted it on his website, and you can see the result via this link.

Videos are a popular source of information for many potential readers, so he’s spread this one everywhere he can to get maximum benefit. He says it’s also had the effect of galvanising him into trying something similar for his other books! Watch this space.

Building A Believable World

Writers spend a great deal of time developing their characters to make them feel real to the reader. Interviewing and mapping out their life choices to define them. With all that effort the environment these characters live in in is an afterthought.

But we all live in that world, right? We all know a car from a bus. We all know what we mean when we say “I’m going out for a coffee.”  But we’ll turn the channel or put the book aside because what we know to be real isn’t how the writer has shown it.

Placing your reader is vital. The story won’t work if you confuse them. It’s more imperative when you’re dealing with the fantastical, the dystopian and technological. You’re dealing with things your reader hasn’t encountered. So how do you get them to visualise what’s in your head?

Writing a long-winded description isn't the key. Tolkien may well be regarded as the start of Western Fantasy but readers don’t have the patience for paragraphs of exposition and information anymore, they want action, plot, intrigue. Don’t put them to sleep at the cost of your story.

Decide what is important about a story’s world.

Readers are amazingly clever people, they’re really good at filling in blanks. If the planet has two moons but much of the rest looks like Malta you have a starting point.  

Ask questions.

Like you’d interrogate your character, interrogate your towns and cities. Why is there a world on the back of this turtle? (Warning. Some questions lead you in circles.) What happens if there’s no fuel, what are the implications?

Research.

I’ve never been off planet but that didn’t stop me writing about another world in When The Skies Open. I’ve not been inside a mountain, but when I wrote The Blacksmith’s Arms I found articles and books that would give me the information I needed to imagine how it might be.

Beware.

Just as too much worldbuilding can kill your pace not enough will cause confusion. Because readers paste over the gaps of description and add their own they will be lost if your worldbuilding has flaws.

Ed McDonald, author of Fantasy Series The Raven’s Mark, summed up the delicate balance of worldbuilding in a recent Tweet.

All the effort helps you too. The more time you spend exploring your world the more real it will become and the easier it is to imagine.

 

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For writers wanting to go deeper into worldbuilding join Shellie Horst at East Riding Theatre in Beverley on 2^nd Feb 2019. Tickets and more information on her Sci-fi and Fantasy Worldbuilding Day School is available here.