Friday Writing Experiment No. 1: A Novel In 1,500 Words

by Andrew | Leave a comment

Read ‘Growing Pains’ by Caryl Phillips.

Note how it mixes showing and telling, creating vivid little scenes that reveal so much through their details and their actions and gestures and also leading us through them with some confident narration, indirect speech and occasional direct speech. Also note how it is made up of ten self-contained sections of roughly equal length, spaced out through time at (mostly) equal intervals. Observe how these sections are stitched together to create a larger narrative: storytelling. There’s a whole novel’s worth of narrative content here.

Your challenge: create a story of your own in 1,500 words, consisting of ten sections of about 150 words each.

Guidelines: Show + tell = tell us a story; concrete and specific images; no transitions and none of that linear quality that can get tedious (And then … And then … And then). Think of snapshots through time. And most of all, don’t be boring.

Some variations: You can go a little longer (Phillips’s story is in fact about 1,750 words), but not too much – the purpose of the exercise is economy. You might have a different magic number of sections (e.g., twelve sections for twelve months). You could shuffle the order of the sections around (print them out, a page a section, and jumble up the pages), and see where you arrive. You might want to play around with sections whose lengths vary more. And why not mix in other genres? E.g., sections made solely of poetry, a photograph, a newspaper headline, or some item of found material.

You could also expand this into a novel. If you are writing a novel, in fact, you could try this out with the fabric of your novel in order to give yourself some fresh perspectives; this can be a great exercise in revision as it enables you to wrap your arms around the whole story (most arms can just about manage 1,500 words at a time). See what arises, see what you flush out.

Deadline: Midnight on Sunday (or midnight that follows 48 hours after you read this).

Once you are finished, share your writing with a writing partner or beta reader – ideally one who’s also done the same exercise.

And if you know of short stories that follow a similar episodic format, let me know – it’s always useful to have models as departure points.

Round-up, 13 September 2012: Dictionaries, Otters, Pitching, And Why The Wire Is Not Dickens

by Andrew | Leave a comment

An excellent piece in Salon on why The Wire is not like Dickens. A common weakness in many manuscripts is that they’ve overdosed on showing rather than telling, with the result that they read like madcap episodes of Dr Who: everything is foreground action. Laura Miller states the case for the particular form of storytelling that is the novel, and points out how stories are told differently on screen. (Should you be writing a screenplay instead?) Some great insights.

Why dictionaries are not wiktionaries, from the Guardian.

Also from the Guardian: Top Ten Literary Otters.

And a fun book trailer (for Where’d You Go, Bernadette, by Maria Semple), which illustrates the challenges of getting the pitch for your book right. 

Follow-up From The Writers’ Workshop Festival of Writing: Some Resources

by Andrew | 3 Comments

On Sunday I returned from my first visit to the Writers’ Workshop Festival of Writing in York feeling inspired, energised, and very happy (and a little hoarse – my voice did last out till the encore of ‘The Edge of Glory’ at Lady Gaga’s concert in Twickenham, mind).

I taught a mini-course on creativity, and spoke on a panel on fantasy and science fiction. I also did a spiel on my pet topic of the moment – the four elements of writing; this was the first time I’d done a presentation on this subject to such a large group, rather than use in active teaching, and I can see places to tweak or flesh out in this format in future. But hey, I guess the whole idea of this approach is to dig deeper.

I also did over thirty one-on-one book doctor sessions, and throughout the weekend met many other wonderful writers and had all sorts of unexpected encounters and conversations. Some smart, funny, colourful, well-lived people.

I came away very impressed by the organisation, charm, and resourcefulness of the good people of the Writers’ Workshop. Harry Bingham really knows how to put a team together. The work they are doing so passionately empowers writers to understand more about publishing and to create writing that stands a better chance of finding its way into the hands of readers.

I was sorry not to have chance to sit in on some of the other workshops, especially the one on self-publishing (David Gaughran’s Let’s Get Digital contains excellent advice, and I’m planning to put some of it into practice with some short stories of my own very shortly).

Here are some of the materials I mentioned in various contexts over the weekend, as well as useful links on related subjects. (Some of these might be discussed again or more fully as separate blog posts later on.)

Style

My big recommendation for writers keen to brush up on style: Constance Hale’s Sin and Syntax. Here are her site and her blog, and here are some of her essays at the New York Times.

Ray Bradbury, ‘Zen in the Art of Writing’

His mantras:

WORK
RELAXATION
DON’T THINK

(Why does so much of the best writing advice come from genre writers? ‘Discuss.’)

The four elements of Carolyn Forché

Listen again to Carolyn Forché’s sensational piece ‘The Colonel’, which I used in the workshop on creativity and the four elements. Then read it again, and work out how it’s done.

(Every time I read/listen to this, it offers new stuff. This might want to make you give up writing. I mean, how can anything be done better than that?! However, it reminds me of something that I heard Zadie Smith say at a reading last week; talking of her great and deep admiration, nay awe, for Virginia Woolf, she said we have to write not from Envy but from Love.

Yes: write from Love. Think of your Virginia, and write for her. Or him.)

Voice

In the mini-course, we did an exercise based on Joe Brainard’s ‘I Remember’. (And here is the book. It’s such a pretty little edition.)

In talking about voice, I mentioned Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads monologues as well as his memoirs Telling Tales and Untold Stories. We also discussed point of view with reference to Zoe Heller’s Notes on a Scandal and Sarah Waters’s Fingersmith. In conversation later, I also recommended George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones for his use of multiple POVs (yes, it can be done).

More than anything else: trust your natural speaking voice. Finding your voice is a myth; you have one already. This insight is something I gained from the great friend I first met when she was my brilliant teacher at Naropa University’s Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics – Bobbie Louise Hawkins. Her Selected Prose is now available from Kindle, and for more info read this announcement from the Allen Ginsberg Project (make sure to watch the video of her reading to see those ideas about the voice in action – plus there is some fun stuff on Proust around 4:50, hahaha).

Naropa

While we’re there, here are links on Naropa University and its Summer Writing Program.

Using episodic forms, and working within constraints

Some of the books mentioned by myself and others in (and outside) class included:

Nigel Slater, Toast
Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat Pray Love
Helen Fielding, Bridget Jones’s Diary
David Nicholls, One Day
Christos Tsiolkas, The Slap (ignore the haters)
David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas

Lunes

More info on the poetic form the lune, plus here’s a piece by Jack Collom on teaching various forms of poetry (scroll down about halfway for lunes).

Remember: concrete imagery, specific words. And a 3/5/3 word scheme trains you in economy.

Perfecting your elevator pitch

Excellent advice on pitching from American writer and former agent Nathan Bransford (an all-round excellent site). Creating a good pitch is not only a commercial necessity; editorially it can help you boil your work down to its very essence. Measure everything against it.

Nonfiction

A super book for writers of memoir is Natalie Goldberg’s Old Friend From Far Away.

And you might like to see my own blog on How To Write A Nonfiction Book Proposal.

Revising and drafting

As I said, I’m not a great believer in tight outlining myself, though some people are, and to great effect. Explore this for yourself. I do think it’s good to have a rough plan mapped out at the very least, e.g., what happens in Act 1, Act 2, and Act 3, and also to know where you’re heading; have an ending or even a last line to work towards, and if you are writing in a linear manner know roughly what’s going to come in the next few chapters ahoy.

(Though too now it occurs to me that some writers write in patchwork. Just be a good stitcher.)

But I like to think about Terry Pratchett’s comment that the first draft is just the writer telling him/herself the story; a first draft can, in many ways, be regarded as a form of planning, or of exploring your narrative content. (If anyone tracks that Pratchett comment down to its original source/quote, please let me know … I’ve seen it paraphrased in many places.)

And do read Anne Lamott’s ‘Shitty First Drafts’, found in full in her inspirational Bird By Bird.

Fantasy and science fiction

Many useful resources, including details of conventions (which are very important places for genre writers – network, network, befriend) can be found at:

British Fantasy Society (including FantasyCon)
BFSA
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (tons of good stuff, including a great information centre for writers – though remember US practices are occasionally different)

Flash fiction

Submit yours to Colorado-based Fast Forward (well, next year, maybe). Yes, it comes in print format.

Further reading

Books on the craft, if you’re the geeky type:

Ursula Le Guin, Steering the Craft (the essentials beautifully explained)
Stephen King, On Writing
Alice LaPlante, The Making of a Story
John Gardner, The Art of Fiction
Ronald Tobias, 20 Master Plots
Harry Bingham, How to Write

And there are many more suggestions on the Resources page on my site.

And now …

The summer’s over. The Festival is finished, we waved our flags in the victory parade for the Olympics and the Paralympics, Lady Gaga’s been and gone. It’s sunny, but you can feel that crisp bite in the air as the breezes of the coming autumn tinkle the neighbour’s windchimes. The dark nights are on their way.

No better time for writing. 

How To Write A Nonfiction Book Proposal

by Andrew | Leave a comment

Content

A good nonfiction book proposal will contain:

* a good title (and probably an effective subtitle too – consider your genre).

* an overview of the work: two or three snappy paragraphs (maybe more, but probably under a page) that capture the essence of the book and how it might be distinctive or unique.

* a synopsis, probably in the form of a breakdown of the book chapter by chapter – good chapter titles will help, along with pithy summaries of each chapter’s content (probably just a few lines for each one) and a sense of how it might put forward something new or interesting to carry the story or the argument further along.

* a description of the market/readership, including the demographics of likely readers.

* a comparison with similar or competing works, which includes a sense of how this book might complement others and/or be different, or better (though avoid bragging or slagging off). Do the work: visit a library or bookshop, chat with booksellers, look up titles on Amazon, gather information about what’s already out there with a mind to showing how you are doing something different (or similar). You might also consider how you can adapt models or structures in other genres for your own content or field. This will not only show your authority on writing in this area, but also bring some editorial clarity and focus to your intention.

* biographical information, profile and platform, showing why you are the person to write this book. Explain how you are qualified, and give a sense of your likely capacity to promote and sell the book. Such material includes:
~ experience relevant to the subject of the book and a sense of your reputation in the area of the book’s content.
~ previous publications, either books or articles, and especially ones related to this subject (if expanding a successful article into a book-length treatment, it is likely that a copy of the original article will be included).
~ uses of social media: facts and figures on how you’re reaching potential readers via blogging, Twitter, and other avenues (though don’t worry too much about this if you’re, e.g., not an active Tweeter: just be irresistible some other way …).
~ reviews for previous works (either extracts from reviews or copies of entire reviews gathered together tidily).
~ endorsements from names in the field or anyone else you can approach for a blurb or a testimonial, or even to write a foreword.

* credible possibilities for publicity, promotion, and sales, e.g., ranging from specific media contacts and sales outlets where you are known, to public events and anniversaries related to the book’s content, to relevant opportunities for rights sales (e.g., translation, audio, digital).

* perhaps most importantly, a sample of writing, e.g., a couple of representative chapters of your best and most sparkling prose – it can make sense to include an introduction, as well as a sample chapter or two from the body of the work. Yes, when it comes to writing the book the introduction is often written last, when you know more fully what you’re introducing, so for the purpose of a proposal simply introduce your subject, perhaps establishing any personal connections; you might even wish to adapt this into an intelligent introduction to your synopsis – to you – rather than the sort of introduction you’ll have in the book.

* manuscript status and book format: likely word count and delivery date, plus an indication of possible design and production needs, e.g., number of photographs, artwork, maps.

Length and format of proposals

Proposals vary in length – some are a hundred pages long, while some books are sold for great sums on a couple of pages or just an idea, though these tend to be for well-established names in a field. It’s a good idea to aim for five to ten pages for the proposal itself (in addition to the sample material), and maybe up to fifteen or twenty pages if there’s more to say. Beyond that, you might start to seem long-winded.

The proposal itself can be single-spaced, especially if it’s broken up with lots of headings, but sample material should be double- or 1.5-spaced, as the final manuscript would be. I have a preference for serif faces such as Times or Georgia over sans serif faces such as Arial. (The idea: make it easy to read. Agents and editors get strained eyes.)

Sending out your proposal

Research where to send your material. Feel confident that your book will sit easily alongside other titles in the agent’s portfolio or on the publisher’s list. Your research on competing books might help with this. Use industry guides such as this year’s Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook (UK) or Writer’s Market (US). Find out who represents or edits similar writers, e.g., by looking at the acknowledgements sections in similar books, or simply by Googling ‘Who is the agent for XX YY?’. Attend conventions or festivals where you can network, meet possible interested parties, and develop a stronger instinct for what will make your book succeed.

Tailor your proposal according to specific guidelines given by the agents or publishers you select (e.g., some might want to see more sample material than others). Also follow any preferences for how to submit. Some agents and editors want hard copies, while others prefer emailed attachments.

And finally

None of the above is set in stone. There are no right answers, other than those you create for yourself and your idea, and each field has different requirements, so understand what they are. Use your common sense.

Be prepared for your writing to evolve; you don’t necessarily have to treat your original proposal as a hard and fast outline for your book. Some chapters may be merged or dropped, and other material may be added as your research takes you down new and exciting avenues. 

Editors know that books may shape up differently in the writing, but they will expect the author to deliver on a book’s promise. Any significant changes should be discussed with your editor, who will have signed up your book based on particular expectations. Be sure they are not disappointed.

Most of all, be passionate yet professional. Enthuse about your subject, know what you’re talking about, and convey that you are a writer whom an editor will want to work with, and whose writing will excite readers.

And then be that writer. 

Jamaica Kincaid: On Writing

by Andrew | Leave a comment

All of these declarations of what writing ought to be, which I had myself — though, thank god I had never committed them to paper — I think are nonsense. You write what you write, and then either it holds up or it doesn’t hold up. There are no rules or particular sensibilities. I don’t believe in that at all anymore.

— Jamaica Kincaid

This is probably the most basic of my principles in teaching. I even add it to the syllabus as an epigraph sometimes. No rules, never say never; just write, maybe using creative spurs, and then see what holds up, what works*, which often involves (when we’re ready) trying the writing out on good readers. And perhaps we can see if greater and deeper understanding of usage and convention (no rules!) will help us write even better, will help us grow our writing instinct.

* Yes, it’s about doing the work. See Ray Bradbury’s first mantra in ‘Zen in the Art of Writing’.