Archive for October, 2008

October 11, 2008

No, sadly, not that film but…

I’m doing some research at the moment into filmmaking – no, I’m not changing career, it’s for my current wip. I keep bribing a friend with dinner to tell me about his experiences as an extra which is great fun. He’s worked on The Forsyte Saga, Sons & Lovers and Life on Mars among others and is always queueing up at catering vans next to famous actors – but not having a clue who they are until afterwards!

Last week I had a visit from an old friend, Paul Dolmen, a journalist, who is also a talented new screenwriter and filmmaker. I’m trying to get some insight into the work and mindset of directors and producers and he’ s taking me to a Young Filmmakers evening next week. I can’t wait. It’s fascinating to talk about writing for different media. Here’s his site if you want to have a look at ways of getting into screenwriting.

Here’s a still from his current film-in-progress – The Last Human.

Sometimes, this job is a whole lot of fun – makes up spending most of life hunched over a keyboard.

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October 9, 2008

Update: Julie’s started a discussion on ‘voice’ over on her blog so post here or pop over and say hello.

This is probably breaking her copyright (sorry) but Julie makes an excellent point here:

I’ve written enough now to know I’m a competent writer even when I suck. My crappy first drafts actually read okay on a page-by-page level, because I can put words together in a way that makes sense, I have a very good grasp of sentence structure, scene structure and grammar, and I’ve got a voice that’s easy to read. However, though voice and raw writing skill can get me through a page, they can’t sustain a whole book. Voice will never make up for weak characterisation, lack of conflict, stupid plots, meandering narration, lazy storytelling, and a tendency to put really lame jokes everywhere. This is why I revise so hard.

I could barely manage the competent part when I first started writing. My first novel, Decent Exposure, may have made it to publication first time, but believe me, it went through so many drafts you wouldn’t believe – I rewrote every line over and over until I thought it sounded right. if I could get it back now, I’d probably rewrite it again (and I’d like to revisit Will, I must admit).

Like Julie, I feel I’ve got those basic skills now but there are still all the other issues to take care of. I feel that I have just about passed my driving test, in the technical sense. Now I can handle the car safely but I want to drive faster, more stylishly and tackle trickier courses, push things further. Without crashing of course.

That may be why there are three ‘stories’ in my current wip and three points of view. I’m in new territory and wrestling with the steering wheel!

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October 8, 2008

First, two recent searches in my web stats:

Simon le Bon ‘Gobsmacked’

Richard Armitage arse

I think the latter may refer to a different RA.

Anyway, I have been thinking a lot about writing ‘voice’, what it is and how to hold true to it when you feel like writing like someone else. Like Jane Austen or Dan Brown.

I asked Julie Cohen to answer but feel free to join in!

Update: Julie’s started a discussion on ‘voice’ over on her blog so post here or pop over and say hello.

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October 7, 2008

Third post in one day. Ok. Pain in bum followed by blog piece followed by my ed accepting the revisions I sent off yesterday. Storm, calm and sun in one day. I need to lie down.

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October 7, 2008

So in a twist of fate, I’m blogging over on Writer’s Choice at Normblog today. Now, I was thrilled but also gobsmacked when I was invited to blog on Normblog. Norm is Sir Norman Geras, the ‘renowned left wing academic’.

Some of the other posts are about Beethoven, the Deepening Crisis in Zimbabwe and Germaine Greer, Janis Joplin and freedom. And my contribution?

Phillipa Ashley on writing and reading romance.

I am off to hide in a deep dark hole for the rest of the week.

You know, with my double whammy of nonexistent self-esteem this morning, I don’t believe I ever got over getting into Oxford by mistake. I took my daughter back to uni at the weekend and the sight of the Freshers arriving had my stomach turning again. My daughter is confident, happy and very much at home. Unlike me. I was only just 18, had never been away from home, was self conscious about my strong regional accent and arrived at this Hogwarts-esque stately home type college, completely terrified and utterly homesick. But I stuck it out and now I dearly love the place. I suppose that ought to be a lesson to me…

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