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About the journey of writing and what I'm learning along the way.
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76. Adopting a Pen Name


I have had a break from writing for a few months while I work on other projects. During that time I have made some important decisions concerning my work.

The first, as anyone who follows this blog will have noticed, is that I have changed my name. In fact, I have adopted the pen name of Nick Travers. Why? Because I am job hunting at the moment and I’m wary that a potential employer will not take me seriously if they also see I write. Who is Nick Travers? Just a character I once used.

Secondly, I believe I have taken the first Mervyn Bright book, Helium3, as far as I can without either an agent or editor. It is therefore time to move on and devote serious time to the second book.

Thirdly, inspired by the experience of author Paulo Coelho, who has found that online pirate versions of his books actually increase sales because they spread awareness of his name, I have decided that while I am searching for an agent I will self publish Helium3 and offer it as a free download. This will give me (or at least Nick Travers) valuable experience in online marketing. Helium3 is self-published through Lulu.com in the name of Nick Travers. Printed versions are also available through Lulu.com at cost price.

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77. The Book Thief





I finished this book a while ago now, but I never blogged about it. What a great read.

What I really liked about this author’s technique is the way he pre-empts action in the choice of words used in his prose before the action happens. So where someone is about to die the few paragraphs before will use descriptive words associated with death. Where someone is happy the descriptive words used reflect this emotion. This is a technique I’m going to try and use occasionally.

The other thing this author does is tell you who dies right at the begining of the book. This makes writing the ending much more of a challenge, but even though you know what happens he still manages to write it in such a way as to make it chocking.

The Book Thief – Highly recommended.

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78. Adopting a Pen Name - Nick travers


I have had a break from writing for a few months while I work on other projects. During that time I have made some important decisions concerning my work.

The first, as anyone who follows this blog will have noticed, is that I have changed my name. In fact, I have adopted the pen name of Nick Travers. Why? Because I am job hunting at the moment and I’m wary that a potential employer will not take me seriously if they also see I write. Who is Nick Travers? Just a character I once used.

Secondly, I believe I have taken the first Mervyn Bright book, Helium3, as far as I can without either an agent or editor. It is therefore time to move on and devote serious time to the second book.

Thirdly, inspired by the experience of author Paulo Coelho, who has found that online pirate versions of his books actually increase sales because they spread awareness of his name, I have decided that while I am searching for an agent I will self publish Helium3 and offer it as a free download. This will give me (or at least Nick Travers) valuable experience in online marketing. Helium3 is self-published through Lulu.com in the name of Nick Travers. Printed versions are also available through Lulu.com at cost price.

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79. Review of The Book Thief - Nick Travers On Writing


I finished this book a while ago now, but I never blogged about it. What a great read.

What I really liked about this author’s technique is the way he pre-empts action in the choice of words used in his prose before the action happens. So where someone is about to die the few paragraphs before will use descriptive words associated with death. Where someone is happy the descriptive words used reflect this emotion. This is a technique I’m going to try and use occasionally.

The other thing this author does is tell you who dies right at the begining of the book. This makes writing the ending much more of a challenge, but even though you know what happens he still manages to write it in such a way as to make it chocking.

The Book Thief – Highly recommended.

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80. New Year, new villain


Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about antagonists. Russell T Davies, who writes the current Dr Who scripts, says that your hero is only as good as your villain. So, the question has to be asked, how good is my villain or antagonist? Answer: not good enough, yet. This is partly why I have not yet completed the scene brief of The Ark of Knowledge. I need to flesh out and really understand the characters of the antagonists before I can complete the basic story. I’m currently stuck two thirds of the way through the story and cannot see how the plot gets from the middle to the climax. It is the closest I have ever come to writer’s block. I feel sure the answer lies in understanding the antagonists. Also in fleshing out the thematic significance of the story (what, deep down, the story is really all about).

I don’t do New Years’ resolutions. But New Year is a good time to assess the past year and set aims for the year ahead. In terms of the second Mervyn Bright novel, the aim is to complete the scene brief, extended scene brief, and first draft For the first book, assuming I do not win either of the competitions, the aim is to find an agent. As the competition results are not due until the end of March I have plenty of time to concentrate on my plot and villain issues.

Happy New Year. Love the photo.

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81. New Year, new villain


Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about antagonists. Russell T Davies, who writes the current Dr Who scripts, says that your hero is only as good as your villain. So, the question has to be asked, how good is my villain or antagonist? Answer: not good enough, yet. This is partly why I have not yet completed the scene brief of The Ark of Knowledge. I need to flesh out and really understand the characters of the antagonists before I can complete the basic story. I’m currently stuck two thirds of the way through the story and cannot see how the plot gets from the middle to the climax. It is the closest I have ever come to writer’s block. I feel sure the answer lies in understanding the antagonists. Also in fleshing out the thematic significance of the story (what, deep down, the story is really all about).

I don’t do New Years’ resolutions. But New Year is a good time to assess the past year and set aims for the year ahead. In terms of the second Mervyn Bright novel, the aim is to complete the scene brief, extended scene brief, and first draft For the first book, assuming I do not win either of the competitions, the aim is to find an agent. As the competition results are not due until the end of March I have plenty of time to concentrate on my plot and villain issues.

Happy New Year. Love the photo.

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82. Why don’t we love science fiction?


This article in the times got me all riled yesterday. As you will see from the comments, I blame the writers, but Daryl Lim quite rightly turns the focus on the literary world as well. The basic question here is what is science fiction? If your answer is that it’s fiction which addresses scientific issues in order to teach us something about the human condition, then you have fallen into the literary snobbery that has made the genre the pariah it is today.

Bryan Appleyard talks about authors who do not want their novels labelled as science fiction, you know, that isle tucked away at the back of the bookshop where all the titles have black spines. I’m one of those authors – I write adventure stories in a space setting. How is that not science fiction, you ask. Because it doesn’t fit the definition above. On the other hand, if your definition is fiction that starts with the question ‘What if …,’ then I most definitely do write science fiction. An increasing number of authors are choosing to call this speculative fiction to distinguish it from sci-fi. Why?

The issue quite simply is who will read it, how it is marketed, and where it will appear on the bookshelves. Science fiction is read almost exclusively by established sci-fi fans (virtually all male). Most readers would not be see dead in that isle of the bookshop.

The majority of sci-fi books are high concept: the story focuses on the ideas and the consequences for human kind in general rather than on the characters and how they are changed by the story. In fact, these sci-fi story beats are so established that you can’t get your story published unless it fits within the established pattern. This is why sci-fi is a genre on its own and why I don’t write in that genre. Producing another genre in a sci-fi setting is almost impossible in the adult market unless it very well written and cleverly done – The Time Travellers Wife is a superb, and rare, example.

In the youth market, however, there is a lot more freedom from the constraints of genre, which is one of the reasons I write for the youth market. Here I am free to indulge my imagination and produce sci-fi, I mean speculative, adventure stories with the emphasis on character.

So have we fallen out of love with science fiction? No, actually, science fiction is alive and well and a huge sections of the general public have an insatiable appetite for it– in cinemas and on TV. Why the difference? Because the film makers know that to make money they have to create character centred stories that entertain. The science fiction book genre flounders because it has forgotten how to engage with an audience. A constraint from which I expect it will never recover.

So what is the future then? My hope is that children will discover a love of science fiction through youth fiction, which will encourage publishers to invent a new category of adult speculative fiction which is not bound by the rigorous constraints of the sci-fi genre. All that is required to break the mould is a sci-fi version of Harry Potter. Mervyn Bright perhaps? I can but dream.

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83. Why don’t we love science fiction?


This article in the times got me all riled yesterday. As you will see from the comments, I blame the writers, but Daryl Lim quite rightly turns the focus on the literary world as well. The basic question here is what is science fiction? If your answer is that it’s fiction which addresses scientific issues in order to teach us something about the human condition, then you have fallen into the literary snobbery that has made the genre the pariah it is today.

Bryan Appleyard talks about authors who do not want their novels labelled as science fiction, you know, that isle tucked away at the back of the bookshop where all the titles have black spines. I’m one of those authors – I write adventure stories in a space setting. How is that not science fiction, you ask. Because it doesn’t fit the definition above. On the other hand, if your definition is fiction that starts with the question ‘What if …,’ then I most definitely do write science fiction. An increasing number of authors are choosing to call this speculative fiction to distinguish it from sci-fi. Why?

The issue quite simply is who will read it, how it is marketed, and where it will appear on the bookshelves. Science fiction is read almost exclusively by established sci-fi fans (virtually all male). Most readers would not be see dead in that isle of the bookshop.

The majority of sci-fi books are high concept: the story focuses on the ideas and the consequences for human kind in general rather than on the characters and how they are changed by the story. In fact, these sci-fi story beats are so established that you can’t get your story published unless it fits within the established pattern. This is why sci-fi is a genre on its own and why I don’t write in that genre. Producing another genre in a sci-fi setting is almost impossible in the adult market unless it very well written and cleverly done – The Time Travellers Wife is a superb, and rare, example.

In the youth market, however, there is a lot more freedom from the constraints of genre, which is one of the reasons I write for the youth market. Here I am free to indulge my imagination and produce sci-fi, I mean speculative, adventure stories with the emphasis on character.

So have we fallen out of love with science fiction? No, actually, science fiction is alive and well and a huge sections of the general public have an insatiable appetite for it– in cinemas and on TV. Why the difference? Because the film makers know that to make money they have to create character centred stories that entertain. The science fiction book genre flounders because it has forgotten how to engage with an audience. A constraint from which I expect it will never recover.

So what is the future then? My hope is that children will discover a love of science fiction through youth fiction, which will encourage publishers to invent a new category of adult speculative fiction which is not bound by the rigorous constraints of the sci-fi genre. All that is required to break the mould is a sci-fi version of Harry Potter. Mervyn Bright perhaps? I can but dream.

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84. The defining nature of story


Several things define human beings for what they are: self awareness, the ability to visualise the future, selfless sacrifice, and story. There is something fundamentally human about the need to tell, hear, and participate in stories. Even something as simple as gossip has an underlying structure: a beginning, a middle and an end, dialogue, a hero and a villain, participation, and the perceived distinction between right and wrong.

“And can you believe what she did next …”
“No – the cheek of it.”
“Well, I wasn’t going to stand for that so I said …”

I’ve been thinking a lot about the structure of story over the last few days because I’m currently planning the story for my second book. I had so many problems refining the story for the first book that this time I’m planning the story out on an excel spread sheet. I require each of the story elements, main story, sub-plots, and character developments (including the villains), to have a complete story arch.

Ha, you thought a story had only a beginning, middle, and end? Well it does and I guess the basic structure was laid down millions of years ago around the very first camp fires, but a novel is slightly different. Because of its greater length and complexity a novel has to pass through a more complete and complex story pattern. I don’t know if this is something we learn as we grow up or feel instinctively, but no novel is going to succeed if is only a story. I use an eight point story arc:

• Stasis
• Trigger
• Quest
• Surprise
• Critical Choice
• Climax
• Reversal
• Resolution

In addition, I require the main story to hit each of 12 story beats specific to the genre I’m writing in. These are the 12 I use for an adventure story (each genre has its own unique story beats):

• The main character faces a strong moral dilemma in achieving a goal.
• The antagonist poses opposition, both morally and physically to the goal.
• The main character confronts the major complication, but proceeds into the story.
• The story moves into a new world, and the main character makes an achievement.
• The antagonist takes control of the story, sets the counter-plot in motion.
• The main character moves forward, believing himself to be victorious, but finds the antagonist to be equal and opposing.
• The main character restates the goal, with renewed conviction, but experiences his first setback.
• The antagonist spins the counter-plot forward, and achieves momentum against the main character.
• The protagonist experiences defeat at the hand of the antagonist, and loses his moral strength.
• The protagonist loses the will to achieve his goal, but resuscitates his motivation and moral strength.
• The protagonist restates his goal and summons up his moral courage. The antagonist restates his mission to destroy the protagonist, as well as his motivation and courage.
• The protagonist and antagonist prepare for confrontation, but the protagonist experiences an epiphany of moral courage that gives him what it takes to defeat the antagonist. understanding his life with renewed meaning and understanding.

Each of the sub-plots also has to satisfy the story beats of its own genre. I’m not a romance writer and I would have to research the appropriate story beats, but I guess that if I had a romance sub-plot I would have a list that looks something like this:

• Boy meets girl.
• Girl rejects boy, but boy persists.
• Girl grows to like boy.
• Boy does something to distance girl.
• Boy and girl are reconciled.
• Boy and girl are split up despite their love.
• Boy and girl fight against the odds to be reunited but fail.
• Boy and girl finally overcome the odds and are reunited.

John Truby (see writer’s store expert articles) believes a successful film script should be an amalgamation of three genre’s and hit a total of 22 story beats. I’m not so formulaic as Truby, but I do believe that each story line and character development needs to be a complete story in its own right to be satisfying to the reader and that the overall story needs to meet the reader’s genre expectations.

So until I have sorted the story I'm not even going to write the first draft.

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85. The defining nature of story


Several things define human beings for what they are: self awareness, the ability to visualise the future, selfless sacrifice, and story. There is something fundamentally human about the need to tell, hear, and participate in stories. Even something as simple as gossip has an underlying structure: a beginning, a middle and an end, dialogue, a hero and a villain, participation, and the perceived distinction between right and wrong.

“And can you believe what she did next …”
“No – the cheek of it.”
“Well, I wasn’t going to stand for that so I said …”

I’ve been thinking a lot about the structure of story over the last few days because I’m currently planning the story for my second book. I had so many problems refining the story for the first book that this time I’m planning the story out on an excel spread sheet. I require each of the story elements, main story, sub-plots, and character developments (including the villains), to have a complete story arch.

Ha, you thought a story had only a beginning, middle, and end? Well it does and I guess the basic structure was laid down millions of years ago around the very first camp fires, but a novel is slightly different. Because of its greater length and complexity a novel has to pass through a more complete and complex story pattern. I don’t know if this is something we learn as we grow up or feel instinctively, but no novel is going to succeed if is only a story. I use an eight point story arc:

• Stasis
• Trigger
• Quest
• Surprise
• Critical Choice
• Climax
• Reversal
• Resolution

In addition, I require the main story to hit each of 12 story beats specific to the genre I’m writing in. These are the 12 I use for an adventure story (each genre has its own unique story beats):

• The main character faces a strong moral dilemma in achieving a goal.
• The antagonist poses opposition, both morally and physically to the goal.
• The main character confronts the major complication, but proceeds into the story.
• The story moves into a new world, and the main character makes an achievement.
• The antagonist takes control of the story, sets the counter-plot in motion.
• The main character moves forward, believing himself to be victorious, but finds the antagonist to be equal and opposing.
• The main character restates the goal, with renewed conviction, but experiences his first setback.
• The antagonist spins the counter-plot forward, and achieves momentum against the main character.
• The protagonist experiences defeat at the hand of the antagonist, and loses his moral strength.
• The protagonist loses the will to achieve his goal, but resuscitates his motivation and moral strength.
• The protagonist restates his goal and summons up his moral courage. The antagonist restates his mission to destroy the protagonist, as well as his motivation and courage.
• The protagonist and antagonist prepare for confrontation, but the protagonist experiences an epiphany of moral courage that gives him what it takes to defeat the antagonist. understanding his life with renewed meaning and understanding.

Each of the sub-plots also has to satisfy the story beats of its own genre. I’m not a romance writer and I would have to research the appropriate story beats, but I guess that if I had a romance sub-plot I would have a list that looks something like this:

• Boy meets girl.
• Girl rejects boy, but boy persists.
• Girl grows to like boy.
• Boy does something to distance girl.
• Boy and girl are reconciled.
• Boy and girl are split up despite their love.
• Boy and girl fight against the odds to be reunited but fail.
• Boy and girl finally overcome the odds and are reunited.

John Truby (see writer’s store expert articles) believes a successful film script should be an amalgamation of three genre’s and hit a total of 22 story beats. I’m not so formulaic as Truby, but I do believe that each story line and character development needs to be a complete story in its own right to be satisfying to the reader and that the overall story needs to meet the reader’s genre expectations.

So until I have sorted the story I'm not even going to write the first draft.

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86. The Golden Compass



Came across this trailer for the Golden Compass today.




The trailer offered the code for inserting it into your own blog, so I thought I would give it a go. I read the Golden Compass a few years ago. While I was impressed by the scope of the story and the detail of the world, it left me feeling claustrophobic. Much like Court of the Air, I had to keep turning the pages to find out what happens, but I was not inspired to read the next book. Something about the book, maybe the story or the writing style, gave me a sense of oppressiveness, and I hate it when a book does that to me. You may enjoy it, however, so give it a go.

This idea of a victorian style world where airships are the main source of travel is almost becomming a genere in its own right: His Dark Materials, Traction cities, Cout of the Air, Skybreaker. If Mervyn does not fly perhaps I should join this trend

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87. The Golden Compass



Came across this trailer for the Golden Compass today.




The trailer offered the code for inserting it into your own blog, so I thought I would give it a go. I read the Golden Compass a few years ago. While I was impressed by the scope of the story and the detail of the world, it left me feeling claustrophobic. Much like Court of the Air, I had to keep turning the pages to find out what happens, but I was not inspired to read the next book. Something about the book, maybe the story or the writing style, gave me a sense of oppressiveness, and I hate it when a book does that to me. You may enjoy it, however, so give it a go.

This idea of a victorian style world where airships are the main source of travel is almost becomming a genere in its own right: His Dark Materials, Traction cities, Cout of the Air, Skybreaker. If Mervyn does not fly perhaps I should join this trend

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88. Skybreaker


Borrowed Skybreaker, by Kenneth Oppel, from the library and finished it in two days. I have never read any Kenneth Oppel before, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was written in the first person, present tense, much like Philip Reeves Traction stories – in fact it was very much in the same vain. The story was fast paced, well constructed and pulled me in straight away. Definitely a boy’s story. I would recommend it to any young tean who likes adventure stories.

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89. Skybreaker


Borrowed Skybreaker, by Kenneth Oppel, from the library and finished it in two days. I have never read any Kenneth Oppel before, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was written in the first person, present tense, much like Philip Reeves Traction stories – in fact it was very much in the same vain. The story was fast paced, well constructed and pulled me in straight away. Definitely a boy’s story. I would recommend it to any young tean who likes adventure stories.

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90. One Step Beyond





Now that the manuscript for Helium3 has been despatched to the Time/Chicken House novel competition, I can forget about it and move on to other projects. There is, of course, planning on the second Mervyn Bright novel to complete, but I also have a few other projects on the go.

Last week I watched a programme about genetic engineering. During the night I woke up with lots of ideas swirling round my head. I grabbed the notebook that always sits by my bed and pulled together a fishbone diagram taking genetic engineering to its extremes which gave me loads of material for short stories. I once read a book by Harry Harrison entitled One Step From Earth, which has always stayed with me. The book was a series of short stories taking the idea of teleporting to ultimate extremes, from invention, through methods of warfare, and ending up with the demise of mankind. I’m looking to create a similar progression of short stories based around genetic engineering of humans. I just need to give it some serious thought.

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91. One Step Beyond





Now that the manuscript for Helium3 has been despatched to the Time/Chicken House novel competition, I can forget about it and move on to other projects. There is, of course, planning on the second Mervyn Bright novel to complete, but I also have a few other projects on the go.

Last week I watched a programme about genetic engineering. During the night I woke up with lots of ideas swirling round my head. I grabbed the notebook that always sits by my bed and pulled together a fishbone diagram taking genetic engineering to its extremes which gave me loads of material for short stories. I once read a book by Harry Harrison entitled One Step From Earth, which has always stayed with me. The book was a series of short stories taking the idea of teleporting to ultimate extremes, from invention, through methods of warfare, and ending up with the demise of mankind. I’m looking to create a similar progression of short stories based around genetic engineering of humans. I just need to give it some serious thought.

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92. Another Competition


Today I received an email advising that a space has become available in the Amazon/Penguin (US) new writer’s competition. This means one of the 5000 people who originally entered has not produced their manuscript in time.

Odds of 1:5000 don’t sound too bad when you consider that the Times/Chickenhouse competition is liable to receive 10 – 20,000 entries. My real interest in the Amazon competition, however, is in being named as one of the 1000 semi-finalists: that’s a 1:4 chance. Technically, I would then be able to claim in my next submission letter that I was selected as a semi-finalist in the Penguin/Amazon New Writer’s competition. With any luck this could get me out of the slush pile (or discovery pile as Nathan Bransfield calls it – I like that description better) or a requested partial. It’s worth a go anyway. I now have 7 days for a final polish and to make that submission.

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93. Another Competition


Today I received an email advising that a space has become available in the Amazon/Penguin (US) new writer’s competition. This means one of the 5000 people who originally entered has not produced their manuscript in time.

Odds of 1:5000 don’t sound too bad when you consider that the Times/Chickenhouse competition is liable to receive 10 – 20,000 entries. My real interest in the Amazon competition, however, is in being named as one of the 1000 semi-finalists: that’s a 1:4 chance. Technically, I would then be able to claim in my next submission letter that I was selected as a semi-finalist in the Penguin/Amazon New Writer’s competition. With any luck this could get me out of the slush pile (or discovery pile as Nathan Bransfield calls it – I like that description better) or a requested partial. It’s worth a go anyway. I now have 7 days for a final polish and to make that submission.

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94. Competition Progress


I’m nearly finished editing the first book for the Times/Chickenhouse competition. The new first chapter is almost there and I’ve completed a new final chapter having changed Mervyn’s main motivation in the story. I have also changed the title to a snappy ‘Helium3’.

The main tasks left now are to re-write my synopsis, produce a plot plan, print the whole thing out on the ultra expensive, four-hole pre-punched paper I bought for the purpose, bind it all up, and post it. Then wait – until February.

If I don’t get anywhere in the competition I have decided I will send the new manuscript to every UK agent on my list and see if any bite. If they don’t I will send it to selected USA agents. If none of that works I will abandon the book because book two should be well on its way by then and I’m sure I can now do a better job than I did on book one.

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95. Competition Progress


I’m nearly finished editing the first book for the Times/Chickenhouse competition. The new first chapter is almost there and I’ve completed a new final chapter having changed Mervyn’s main motivation in the story. I have also changed the title to a snappy ‘Helium3’.

The main tasks left now are to re-write my synopsis, produce a plot plan, print the whole thing out on the ultra expensive, four-hole pre-punched paper I bought for the purpose, bind it all up, and post it. Then wait – until February.

If I don’t get anywhere in the competition I have decided I will send the new manuscript to every UK agent on my list and see if any bite. If they don’t I will send it to selected USA agents. If none of that works I will abandon the book because book two should be well on its way by then and I’m sure I can now do a better job than I did on book one.

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96. Scope and Pace


I’ve been thinking recently about the correct pace for a story. Stephen Hunt’s Court Of The Air got me thinking along these lines. I didn’t enjoy the story – Mr Hunt has a weird and sick imagination, and the setting kept crossing with an English reality so often that you were never quite sure where you were meant to be, but within three pages the story had sucked me in and I could not put the book down. I kept thinking, ‘I’m not enjoying this story, but I have to know what happens next.’ The story rushed along, twisting and turning, so fast that my mind didn’t have time to get bored.

I’ve just finished re-reading Frank Herbert’s Dune, one of my favourite stories. In terms of pace it is not dissimilar to Court Of the Air, but a much more enjoyable story. The story twists and turns and pulls you along every four or five pages. To do that a story needs a big scope and a lot of characters.

I bought this months Writing Magazine, because I’m still forced to be inactive. An article by Ken Follett discussed the difference between his first ten unpublished novels (that in itself is scary) and the eleventh which was published. He reckons that one of the major differences was pace. ‘There is quite a simple rule,’ he says, ‘which is that the story should turn every four to six pages. Once you have answered one question in the mind of the reader you need to be already asking another.’ That will take a lot of planning and a story with real scope – I’m not there yet, but I will be.

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97. Scope and Pace


I’ve been thinking recently about the correct pace for a story. Stephen Hunt’s Court Of The Air got me thinking along these lines. I didn’t enjoy the story – Mr Hunt has a weird and sick imagination, and the setting kept crossing with an English reality so often that you were never quite sure where you were meant to be, but within three pages the story had sucked me in and I could not put the book down. I kept thinking, ‘I’m not enjoying this story, but I have to know what happens next.’ The story rushed along, twisting and turning, so fast that my mind didn’t have time to get bored.

I’ve just finished re-reading Frank Herbert’s Dune, one of my favourite stories. In terms of pace it is not dissimilar to Court Of the Air, but a much more enjoyable story. The story twists and turns and pulls you along every four or five pages. To do that a story needs a big scope and a lot of characters.

I bought this months Writing Magazine, because I’m still forced to be inactive. An article by Ken Follett discussed the difference between his first ten unpublished novels (that in itself is scary) and the eleventh which was published. He reckons that one of the major differences was pace. ‘There is quite a simple rule,’ he says, ‘which is that the story should turn every four to six pages. Once you have answered one question in the mind of the reader you need to be already asking another.’ That will take a lot of planning and a story with real scope – I’m not there yet, but I will be.

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98. It has been a while

It is several months since my last post. Life has been both hectic and alarming. For the past three weeks I have been forced into inactivity. You would have thought that inactivity would be an ideal opportunity to write, but I have not felt like writing at all. Today is the first day I have felt like putting pen to paper.

Prior to the last three weeks I was reshaping the first Mervyn Bright book in preparation for entering it into the Times/Chickenhouse writing competition. The maximum word count is 80,000 words and my manuscript was 89,000. To reshape the novel and also apply the changes my friendly editor had suggested (see previous post) I reckoned I needed to lose 20,000 words (six chapters). This proved alarmingly easy and all six were lost from the front end of the book without really changing the main story.

I also decided to change one of the main drivers, remove a main character, and change Mervyn’s motivation for entering the Academy while I was at it. The Mage no longer features in Mervyn’s life – she just didn’t fit into the second book and I eventually decided the best way to resolve this issue was to remove her from the first book. This removed a main driver for the entire story which I have replaced by beefing up the rivalry between Rufus Dracon and Mervyn, which I think improves both characters. I have also introduced a conflict between Mervyn and his father which causes Mervyn to run away from home.

So where an I now? I have finished reshaping the manuscript. The main task facing me now is to write a new first chapter that shows the conflict with Mervyn’s dad, the first conflict with Rufus Dracon and how Mervyn wins his place at the Academy.

Today I feel like writing.

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99. It has been a while

It is several months since my last post. Life has been both hectic and alarming. For the past three weeks I have been forced into inactivity. You would have thought that inactivity would be an ideal opportunity to write, but I have not felt like writing at all. Today is the first day I have felt like putting pen to paper.

Prior to the last three weeks I was reshaping the first Mervyn Bright book in preparation for entering it into the Times/Chickenhouse writing competition. The maximum word count is 80,000 words and my manuscript was 89,000. To reshape the novel and also apply the changes my friendly editor had suggested (see previous post) I reckoned I needed to lose 20,000 words (six chapters). This proved alarmingly easy and all six were lost from the front end of the book without really changing the main story.

I also decided to change one of the main drivers, remove a main character, and change Mervyn’s motivation for entering the Academy while I was at it. The Mage no longer features in Mervyn’s life – she just didn’t fit into the second book and I eventually decided the best way to resolve this issue was to remove her from the first book. This removed a main driver for the entire story which I have replaced by beefing up the rivalry between Rufus Dracon and Mervyn, which I think improves both characters. I have also introduced a conflict between Mervyn and his father which causes Mervyn to run away from home.

So where an I now? I have finished reshaping the manuscript. The main task facing me now is to write a new first chapter that shows the conflict with Mervyn’s dad, the first conflict with Rufus Dracon and how Mervyn wins his place at the Academy.

Today I feel like writing.

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100. Positive Rejection

I’ve received a great rejection letter, for Marauders, from a senior editor at a well known publishing house. How can a rejection letter be ‘great’ you ask, surely only an acceptance is great? Actually, this one was pure gold and I went off to celebrate – let me explain:

This was a personalised letter stating she had read and enjoyed the sample chapters – this is absolute proof my submission made it out of the slush pile. And if I can get out of one slush pile I can get out of others. This puts Marauders in the top 10% of submissions – confirmation I’m doing something right and not completely wasting my time.

Amazingly, this editor took time out from her busy schedule to write a short critique of my sample chapters: what she thought was good and what she thought needed improving. The whole letter was only a few short paragraphs, but how often have you longed for feedback from a professional editor, and a senior one at that? She even took time to read this blog.

What the editor suggested for improvement I had already half suspected before I sent out the submissions, which is great, because it confirms my gut instinct was right and gives me a focus for the next edit/re-write. In this lonely writing business it is so easy to get led astray by all the hype and distrust your own instincts. Now I know my story telling instincts were right all along I will listen to them more intently.

Now I’m off to revisit my sample chapters and edit, edit, edit.

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