Friday 27 June 2014
May winners to be announced
We will announce the winner of the May Global Short Story Competition on Thursday July 10. Plenty of time to enter the June one at www.inscribemedia.co.uk
Bookj Review - A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
Barbara is a keen and perceptive observer of the human condition and a past winner of the Global Short Story Competition.
This book is packed with her observations on life in Croatia. Shortly after the new millennium began, Barbara and her husband Denis left Australia’s Sunshine Coast for the picturesque village of Račišće on the small island of Korcula.
After seven years, the couple no longer live in Račišće, and this book explains why they chose to move on, and also offers the reader a cautionary tale of what to expect in any so-called Paradise.
It chronicles their struggles with local politics and local conflicts before eventually deciding, regretfully, to leave.
It’s an enjoyable read, packed with anecdotes and insights, but in the end it shows that Paradise is not all it’s cracked up to be.
Barbara is a member of the New Zealand Society of Authors and you can order her latest work through The Book Depository or amazon.com.
More information is available at:
http://www.bookdepository.com/Wolf-Sheeps-Clothing-Barbara-Unkovic/9781849638906
Or
http://www.amazon.com/Wolf-Sheeps-Clothing-Barbara-Unkovic/dp/184963890X/ref=la_B00581QM1C_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397577005&sr=1-5
John Dean
Getting the balance right in dialogue
Dialogue is art form and over-writing can easily ruin a story so it is worth bearing in mind that less is often more.
But we also have to steer the reader a little. For example
“Good morning, Fred,” I said as I walked past.
“What’s good about it?” he grunted and ambled down the street.
Suddenly, with one two line exchange, we can start to build up a picture of Fred:
He is grumpy
He is rude
He is curt
He is pessimistic
He rejects friendship
Or is he? Perhaps this needs more. That’s where the writer’s skill come in, to guide the reader towards better understanding, perhaps adding in extra dialogue or putting in some body language to make it clearer, while not overdoing it.
John Dean
But we also have to steer the reader a little. For example
“Good morning, Fred,” I said as I walked past.
“What’s good about it?” he grunted and ambled down the street.
Suddenly, with one two line exchange, we can start to build up a picture of Fred:
He is grumpy
He is rude
He is curt
He is pessimistic
He rejects friendship
Or is he? Perhaps this needs more. That’s where the writer’s skill come in, to guide the reader towards better understanding, perhaps adding in extra dialogue or putting in some body language to make it clearer, while not overdoing it.
John Dean
Short story competition has four days to run
The June Global Short Story Competition has four days to run.
Begun more than six years ago, the competition runs every month with a £100 first prize and a £25 prize for highly commended writers.
The competition, which is approaching £11,000 in prize money handed out, has had entries from more than 50 countries over the years.
Each month’s competition is judged by Fiona Cooper, an author in North-East England, where the competition’s organisers Inscribe Media are also based. The competition can be entered at www.inscribemedia.co.uk
John Dean
Begun more than six years ago, the competition runs every month with a £100 first prize and a £25 prize for highly commended writers.
The competition, which is approaching £11,000 in prize money handed out, has had entries from more than 50 countries over the years.
Each month’s competition is judged by Fiona Cooper, an author in North-East England, where the competition’s organisers Inscribe Media are also based. The competition can be entered at www.inscribemedia.co.uk
John Dean
Thursday 26 June 2014
Creating characters
Characters can make or break a story. You can create the finest landscapes, the greatest stories, the most remarkable writing but you cannot make your stories live unless you have characters.
This came to mind with some entries into this month’s Global Short Story Competition. Here’s some thoughts on how those writers got it right.
They described their physical characteristics but picked only the salient information
They made the reader visualise the person by thinking about the small things which make them stand out, make them live.
They captured their demeanour.
They described their views, their emotions, they type of character.
They did not pack the information in all at once, rather revealing the character as the story progressed.
They made sure the main characters are strong enough to carry the story on their shoulders.
And they made sure we care about them - not necessarily like but care.
Above all, their characters were REAL.
Still time to enter at www.inscribemedia.co.uk
John Dean
This came to mind with some entries into this month’s Global Short Story Competition. Here’s some thoughts on how those writers got it right.
They described their physical characteristics but picked only the salient information
They made the reader visualise the person by thinking about the small things which make them stand out, make them live.
They captured their demeanour.
They described their views, their emotions, they type of character.
They did not pack the information in all at once, rather revealing the character as the story progressed.
They made sure the main characters are strong enough to carry the story on their shoulders.
And they made sure we care about them - not necessarily like but care.
Above all, their characters were REAL.
Still time to enter at www.inscribemedia.co.uk
John Dean
Wednesday 25 June 2014
Have you created a cardboard cut-out?
My teaching of writers is based around the idea of engaging the reader and much of that comes from creating compelling main characters.
Most leading characters tend to be a Dynamic Character (sometimes called Round or Developing), a character who changes during the course of a story or novel.
I always think it helps to see how much you know about your character - you may not use all the information but it informs your writing, especially when it comes to changing them as the story progresses.
Here’s your starter for ten
1 Where does your character live?
2 How old is your character?
3 Have you got the right name for him/her?
4 What does your character look like?
5 What kind of childhood did he or she have?
6 What does your character do for a living?
7 What does your character do as a hobby
8 How does your character deal with conflict and change?
9 Who else is in your character's life?
10 What is your character's goal or motivation in this story?
Struggle with any of them and there’s more work to be done in developing them. Struggle with them all and congratulations, you have created a cardboard cut-out!
John Dean
Most leading characters tend to be a Dynamic Character (sometimes called Round or Developing), a character who changes during the course of a story or novel.
I always think it helps to see how much you know about your character - you may not use all the information but it informs your writing, especially when it comes to changing them as the story progresses.
Here’s your starter for ten
1 Where does your character live?
2 How old is your character?
3 Have you got the right name for him/her?
4 What does your character look like?
5 What kind of childhood did he or she have?
6 What does your character do for a living?
7 What does your character do as a hobby
8 How does your character deal with conflict and change?
9 Who else is in your character's life?
10 What is your character's goal or motivation in this story?
Struggle with any of them and there’s more work to be done in developing them. Struggle with them all and congratulations, you have created a cardboard cut-out!
John Dean
Mixing reality and fiction
When you talk to writers, one of the subjects that evokes some of the most passionate debate is the blurring between reality and fiction.
There are those writers who argue that stories come out of real life experiences, that the writer has gone through tough times therefore they are able to best tell the story.
This may be true to a degree. When I was writing my first novels as a teenager, I tended to write about aliens and war zones and my father’s constant mantra was ‘write about what you know’. They were wise words - wise words now, wise words then - but the problem was that I did not know anything. I was a schoolboy, what could I know?
Now, aged fifty something, I know so much. Too much in many ways. I know what deep personal loss feels like, know what it is like to be diagnosed with illnesses, know what it is like to see loved ones suffer, know what it is like to be made redundant by employers. To me, it is inevitable that those experiences inform my writing.
Others, however, recoil from that approach, arguing that that the key is in the word ‘fiction‘, that stories should come entirely out of imagination. These writers - and let me say from the outset that there are no rights and wrongs here - say they do not wish to draw from personal experience but would rather let their imagination run riot.
I suspect one of their reasons for the standpoint is that if you are writing about real events, things you experienced yourself, it is difficult to make the transition to fiction. To illustrate a point, I taught a writer who was penning a short story based on a house in which she once lived. She was really struggling and when I asked her why, she said: “Because the house I knew had four levels but that does feel right for the story.” My response was to suggest she chop a floor off the house because this was a fictionalised account. She did and it worked.
By all means keep it real but remember it’s your story when all is said and done!
John Dean
There are those writers who argue that stories come out of real life experiences, that the writer has gone through tough times therefore they are able to best tell the story.
This may be true to a degree. When I was writing my first novels as a teenager, I tended to write about aliens and war zones and my father’s constant mantra was ‘write about what you know’. They were wise words - wise words now, wise words then - but the problem was that I did not know anything. I was a schoolboy, what could I know?
Now, aged fifty something, I know so much. Too much in many ways. I know what deep personal loss feels like, know what it is like to be diagnosed with illnesses, know what it is like to see loved ones suffer, know what it is like to be made redundant by employers. To me, it is inevitable that those experiences inform my writing.
Others, however, recoil from that approach, arguing that that the key is in the word ‘fiction‘, that stories should come entirely out of imagination. These writers - and let me say from the outset that there are no rights and wrongs here - say they do not wish to draw from personal experience but would rather let their imagination run riot.
I suspect one of their reasons for the standpoint is that if you are writing about real events, things you experienced yourself, it is difficult to make the transition to fiction. To illustrate a point, I taught a writer who was penning a short story based on a house in which she once lived. She was really struggling and when I asked her why, she said: “Because the house I knew had four levels but that does feel right for the story.” My response was to suggest she chop a floor off the house because this was a fictionalised account. She did and it worked.
By all means keep it real but remember it’s your story when all is said and done!
John Dean
The importance of editing
Last night I was chatting to my class about editing. As you may know, I have always said that I write fast and edit slow, by which I mean that I hurl words onto the page then spent most of the time working and reworking them.
For example, there was a scene, in which there was a death in a place containing thirty people. It was a deliberately confused scene and my detectives interviewed several witnesses to try to ascertain what had happened. Three characters pointlessly repeated each other so the first two characters had their lines cut and it also became clear that the newly-created one really was not needed at all so I deleted her. The result? Added pace and zip.
That’s where editing comes in its own.
John Dean
For example, there was a scene, in which there was a death in a place containing thirty people. It was a deliberately confused scene and my detectives interviewed several witnesses to try to ascertain what had happened. Three characters pointlessly repeated each other so the first two characters had their lines cut and it also became clear that the newly-created one really was not needed at all so I deleted her. The result? Added pace and zip.
That’s where editing comes in its own.
John Dean
Tight and bright
We had a story entered into the Global Short Story Competition overnight that was 413 words long. Short given the length of many entries, yes, but it had everything and if that’s all it needs to tell the story then that’s all it needs. That’s the first lesson of writing, make every word justify its place.
You can enter at www.inscribemedia.co.uk
John Dean
You can enter at www.inscribemedia.co.uk
John Dean
Tuesday 24 June 2014
PItfalls
Have been talking recently to one or two writers about the challenges of getting published. It can be a dispiriting business so perhaps this will help. There’s a terrific survey that came out some time ago about the mistakes that aspiring writers make when approaching literary agents.
Based on responses from more than 50 agents, it included the following no-nos when submitting manuscripts to agents (and publishers, I would suggest):
* Saying ‘Go to my website for a sample of my work”
* Talking about the book’s sequel
* Pitching more than one book at a time
* Writing a submission that lacks confidence
* Writing a submission that is over-confident or pompous
* Sending a submission that has clearly not been proof-read
* Queries addressed to "Dear Agent" (or anything similar)
* Vague letters.
* E-mailed submissions with more than one agent listed in the "To" field
* Submissions that have no clue what the agent represents, or that have no clue what the agent's submission guidelines are.
Avoid these pitfalls and at least you give yourself an edge. One I would add relates to the covering letter. Do try to avoid the words ‘my mum read this and she reckons it’s the finest novel she has ever read’ or something similar. That’s a good way to get your manuscript heading its way bin-wards!
John Dean
Based on responses from more than 50 agents, it included the following no-nos when submitting manuscripts to agents (and publishers, I would suggest):
* Saying ‘Go to my website for a sample of my work”
* Talking about the book’s sequel
* Pitching more than one book at a time
* Writing a submission that lacks confidence
* Writing a submission that is over-confident or pompous
* Sending a submission that has clearly not been proof-read
* Queries addressed to "Dear Agent" (or anything similar)
* Vague letters.
* E-mailed submissions with more than one agent listed in the "To" field
* Submissions that have no clue what the agent represents, or that have no clue what the agent's submission guidelines are.
Avoid these pitfalls and at least you give yourself an edge. One I would add relates to the covering letter. Do try to avoid the words ‘my mum read this and she reckons it’s the finest novel she has ever read’ or something similar. That’s a good way to get your manuscript heading its way bin-wards!
John Dean
Putting your characters through the mill
The Global Short Story Competition had an entry yesterday that reminded me of a recent conversation with a writer who said: “I do not like making horrible things happen to my characters.“
The story entry in question really put the character through the mill; like your characters or not, conflict is central in writing. Why? Because stories need things to happen and it is through seeing characters in conflict that we see them at their truest.
You can develop a character through conflict: the meek little parlour maid becomes the towering heroine of the story.
In addition, conflict can evoke a strong reaction in a reader and make for good drama - and if that is happening then writing is easier.
Still time to enter this month‘s Global Short Story Competition at www.inscribemedia.co.uk
John Dean
The story entry in question really put the character through the mill; like your characters or not, conflict is central in writing. Why? Because stories need things to happen and it is through seeing characters in conflict that we see them at their truest.
You can develop a character through conflict: the meek little parlour maid becomes the towering heroine of the story.
In addition, conflict can evoke a strong reaction in a reader and make for good drama - and if that is happening then writing is easier.
Still time to enter this month‘s Global Short Story Competition at www.inscribemedia.co.uk
John Dean
Writing flash fiction
As you know, we run free flash fiction competitions. Flash fiction, as I am sure you all know, is very short writing: some stories can be as short as six words, even less.
I know that flash fiction is not for everyone but I believe it does have applications if you are writing short stories because of the way it concentrates the mind.
It might be that you are tempted to spend two or three paragraphs describing a place or a person. That could well be fine but how much better in a short story if you can do it in a single line? Why so much better? Because it leaves you those other paragraphs to take your story on.
I am one of those writers with split opinions about flash fiction. I like the idea of novels - after all, I do write them - in which writers have the time and space to develop their themes, where you can devote half a page to describing something if the story requires it, but I can also see the advantage of an economical way of writing as promoted by the supporters of flash fiction.
Even though my novels run to 65-000-70,000 words, I have increasingly embraced the idea of economy, taking out words, lines, paragraphs, sections, extraneous material, all in the interest of creating a sense of pace and focus.
You can enter our latest free flash fiction competition at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Inscribemedia/183385438479538
John Dean
I know that flash fiction is not for everyone but I believe it does have applications if you are writing short stories because of the way it concentrates the mind.
It might be that you are tempted to spend two or three paragraphs describing a place or a person. That could well be fine but how much better in a short story if you can do it in a single line? Why so much better? Because it leaves you those other paragraphs to take your story on.
I am one of those writers with split opinions about flash fiction. I like the idea of novels - after all, I do write them - in which writers have the time and space to develop their themes, where you can devote half a page to describing something if the story requires it, but I can also see the advantage of an economical way of writing as promoted by the supporters of flash fiction.
Even though my novels run to 65-000-70,000 words, I have increasingly embraced the idea of economy, taking out words, lines, paragraphs, sections, extraneous material, all in the interest of creating a sense of pace and focus.
You can enter our latest free flash fiction competition at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Inscribemedia/183385438479538
John Dean
Friday 20 June 2014
What's wrong with Fred?
Dialogue is art form and over-writing can easily ruin a story so it is worth bearing in mind that we can tell a lot about a person in a short snap of conversation. And less is often more.
But we also have to steer the reader a little if it will aid understanding of the story and avoid unnecessary confusion.
For example
“Good morning, Fred,” I said as I walked past.
“What’s good about it?” he grunted and ambled down the street.
Suddenly, with one two line exchange, we can start to build up a picture of Fred:
He is grumpy
He is rude
He is curt
He is pessimistic
He rejects friendship
Or is he? Perhaps this needs more. In fact, he is depressed for a reason, he is ill, something horrible has happened to him that we do not know about, or perhaps he’s perfectly happy but is just like that.
That’s where the writer’s skill come in, needed to guide the reader towards better understanding, perhaps adding in extra dialogue or putting in some body language to make it clearer, while not overdoing it. It’s all about thinking like a reader.
John Dean
But we also have to steer the reader a little if it will aid understanding of the story and avoid unnecessary confusion.
For example
“Good morning, Fred,” I said as I walked past.
“What’s good about it?” he grunted and ambled down the street.
Suddenly, with one two line exchange, we can start to build up a picture of Fred:
He is grumpy
He is rude
He is curt
He is pessimistic
He rejects friendship
Or is he? Perhaps this needs more. In fact, he is depressed for a reason, he is ill, something horrible has happened to him that we do not know about, or perhaps he’s perfectly happy but is just like that.
That’s where the writer’s skill come in, needed to guide the reader towards better understanding, perhaps adding in extra dialogue or putting in some body language to make it clearer, while not overdoing it. It’s all about thinking like a reader.
John Dean
What'swrong with Fred?
Dialogue is art form and over-writing can easily ruin a story so it is worth bearing in mind that we can tell a lot about a person in a short snap of conversation. And less is often more.
But we also have to steer the reader a little if it will aid understanding of the story and avoid unnecessary confusion.
For example
“Good morning, Fred,” I said as I walked past.
“What’s good about it?” he grunted and ambled down the street.
Suddenly, with one two line exchange, we can start to build up a picture of Fred:
He is grumpy
He is rude
He is curt
He is pessimistic
He rejects friendship
Or is he? Perhaps this needs more. In fact, he is depressed for a reason, he is ill, something horrible has happened to him that we do not know about, or perhaps he’s perfectly happy but is just like that.
That’s where the writer’s skill come in, needed to guide the reader towards better understanding, perhaps adding in extra dialogue or putting in some body language to make it clearer, while not overdoing it. It’s all about thinking like a reader.
John Dean
But we also have to steer the reader a little if it will aid understanding of the story and avoid unnecessary confusion.
For example
“Good morning, Fred,” I said as I walked past.
“What’s good about it?” he grunted and ambled down the street.
Suddenly, with one two line exchange, we can start to build up a picture of Fred:
He is grumpy
He is rude
He is curt
He is pessimistic
He rejects friendship
Or is he? Perhaps this needs more. In fact, he is depressed for a reason, he is ill, something horrible has happened to him that we do not know about, or perhaps he’s perfectly happy but is just like that.
That’s where the writer’s skill come in, needed to guide the reader towards better understanding, perhaps adding in extra dialogue or putting in some body language to make it clearer, while not overdoing it. It’s all about thinking like a reader.
John Dean
Stuck for an idea?
Stuck for an idea for a story? Well here’s a useful way to get yourself going. Go somewhere quiet, a park on a rainy morning, a riverbank, a street at night, wherever. Clear your mind, let it roam wherever it wishes. Think of the place as a stage and see who emerges from the wings.
Jot down fragments, thoughts, images, words. Why? Because thoughts that flash into your mind at any given time tend to disappear as quickly as they formed.
Focus on your person. Jot down half a dozen details about them. Just fragments. Could be way they move, dress, speak, think or the way they make you feel.
Doesn’t always work but it does more often that not and it’s amazing where the exercise will take you.
John Dean
Thursday 19 June 2014
Success for Paul
We are delighted that former Global Short Story Competition winner Paul Freeman has a story in the 2014 CWA anthology. This is what the review in Publishers Weekly had to say about Guilty Parties and his story:
http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-7278-8387-2
This is from the Severn House site: http://www.severnhouse.com/book/Guilty+Parties/8352
John Dean
http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-7278-8387-2
This is from the Severn House site: http://www.severnhouse.com/book/Guilty+Parties/8352
John Dean
Tuesday 17 June 2014
Endings in fiction
I write a lot of blogs about the importance of strong beginnings to stories and was going to write another one when a terrific first line featured in one of the stories in a recent Global Short Story Competition. Then I read to the end and the final line was great as well.
Which got me thinking about endings.
There is no single method of ending a story. Many writers don’t know how their story will end as they write the story so the ending emerges as the story is revealed on the page. Other writers know how the story will end before they begin so they can focus on the resolution as they write. There is no right or wrong approach. Short stories or novels can end in many ways. Here are a few common ways in which writers conclude their fictional stories:
Twist Ending Sometimes the writer concludes the story with a twist ending. Readers are lead to believe that a story will end in a particular way then it ends in a different way.
Resolving Action Sometimes the story ends with some final action that brings an end to the conflict, complete finality.
Ambiguous ending The story ends but the reader is left wondering what will happen next.
Above all, avoid the tendency to summarise. Let the reader work it out.
Let the reader discover it themselves.
Plenty of time to enter at www.inscribemedia.co.uk
John Dean
Which got me thinking about endings.
There is no single method of ending a story. Many writers don’t know how their story will end as they write the story so the ending emerges as the story is revealed on the page. Other writers know how the story will end before they begin so they can focus on the resolution as they write. There is no right or wrong approach. Short stories or novels can end in many ways. Here are a few common ways in which writers conclude their fictional stories:
Twist Ending Sometimes the writer concludes the story with a twist ending. Readers are lead to believe that a story will end in a particular way then it ends in a different way.
Resolving Action Sometimes the story ends with some final action that brings an end to the conflict, complete finality.
Ambiguous ending The story ends but the reader is left wondering what will happen next.
Above all, avoid the tendency to summarise. Let the reader work it out.
Let the reader discover it themselves.
Plenty of time to enter at www.inscribemedia.co.uk
John Dean
Opening lines in fiction
The cardinal rule of opening lines is that they should possess most of the individual elements that make up the story as a whole. An opening line should have a distinctive voice, a point of view, a rudimentary plot and some hint of characterisation. By the end of the first paragraph, we should also know the setting and conflict, unless there is a particular reason to withhold this information.
Resist the urge to start too early: You might be tempted to begin your narrative before the action actually starts, such as when a character wakes up to what will eventually be a challenging or dramatic day. Far better to begin when something is happening.
The question You could start with something that begs a question. Why is this happening etc? This will keep the reader reading
John Dean
Resist the urge to start too early: You might be tempted to begin your narrative before the action actually starts, such as when a character wakes up to what will eventually be a challenging or dramatic day. Far better to begin when something is happening.
The question You could start with something that begs a question. Why is this happening etc? This will keep the reader reading
John Dean
How to plan a short story
If you are thinking of writing a short story, pick a strong idea that can work over short period. Sounds obvious but it is amazing how many short story ideas are really novels in disguise.
I suggest you:
* Create a plot skeleton A plot outline will help you choose a complication and the steps to resolve it
* Flesh out your plot Fleshing out your plot with colourful characters and a vivid setting will enhance your story and grab your readers’ attention. Be sure to spend time on the little details and stay focused; nothing is worse than a good plot idea that grows ever more chaotic because it is overwritten or poorly planned
* Plan your story in short episodes (little chapters)
* Keep the story moving
* End your story at a natural stopping place After the climax, wrap up the story as quickly as possible. Don't be tempted to drag it out; your readers won’t like it and your plot and characters will suffer. Remember, the end of the story will be the freshest thing in readers’ minds once they put the book down.
John Dean
I suggest you:
* Create a plot skeleton A plot outline will help you choose a complication and the steps to resolve it
* Flesh out your plot Fleshing out your plot with colourful characters and a vivid setting will enhance your story and grab your readers’ attention. Be sure to spend time on the little details and stay focused; nothing is worse than a good plot idea that grows ever more chaotic because it is overwritten or poorly planned
* Plan your story in short episodes (little chapters)
* Keep the story moving
* End your story at a natural stopping place After the climax, wrap up the story as quickly as possible. Don't be tempted to drag it out; your readers won’t like it and your plot and characters will suffer. Remember, the end of the story will be the freshest thing in readers’ minds once they put the book down.
John Dean
Writing science fiction
Although we are not a specialist science fiction competition, we do get the odd sci-fi entry so what makes good science fiction? Here are some thoughts:
* The best science fiction writers create fantastic worlds but write about them as if they were completely normal. You need to do so as well.
* Make sure the reader is able to suspend disbelief. The plot and events need to be believable.
* Base your ideas on good science - that is what makes the best sci-work, it could happen. If a story comes over as impossible, you are moving into fantasy rather than sci-fi.
* You have to explain more as the reader needs more help to see your weird and wonderful world.
* Science fiction must evoke a sense of wonder in the reader. They must want to be in that remarkable world, to meet aliens, to travel in time and space
* Awe and wonder is all very well but what is also needed is a command of writing: bug-headed aliens does not negate the need for skilful writing
What makes bad science fiction?
1 The great Science Fiction editor John W Campbell said that a science fiction writer should never put beings into a story that are so far superior to Man that we cannot understand their motives, we cannot overcome their will or we cannot meet them face to face in a fair fight. It’s a rule that stands true today
Also:
2 Don’t try to re-create popular sci-fi stories. You can be more original than that!
3 Make your aliens alien but also make them realistic
4 No, it wasn’t a dream - no one waking up to discover they were in bed all the time!
Plenty of time to enter the latest Global Short Story Competition at www.inscribemedia.co.uk
John Dean
* The best science fiction writers create fantastic worlds but write about them as if they were completely normal. You need to do so as well.
* Make sure the reader is able to suspend disbelief. The plot and events need to be believable.
* Base your ideas on good science - that is what makes the best sci-work, it could happen. If a story comes over as impossible, you are moving into fantasy rather than sci-fi.
* You have to explain more as the reader needs more help to see your weird and wonderful world.
* Science fiction must evoke a sense of wonder in the reader. They must want to be in that remarkable world, to meet aliens, to travel in time and space
* Awe and wonder is all very well but what is also needed is a command of writing: bug-headed aliens does not negate the need for skilful writing
What makes bad science fiction?
1 The great Science Fiction editor John W Campbell said that a science fiction writer should never put beings into a story that are so far superior to Man that we cannot understand their motives, we cannot overcome their will or we cannot meet them face to face in a fair fight. It’s a rule that stands true today
Also:
2 Don’t try to re-create popular sci-fi stories. You can be more original than that!
3 Make your aliens alien but also make them realistic
4 No, it wasn’t a dream - no one waking up to discover they were in bed all the time!
Plenty of time to enter the latest Global Short Story Competition at www.inscribemedia.co.uk
John Dean
Thursday 12 June 2014
Our latest newsletter
Hi
Welcome to the latest newsletter from the team behind the Global Short Story Competition.
Honours go to writers from the United States and New Zealand
Judge Fiona Cooper selected her winners for the April Global Short Story Competition and writers from the United States and New Zealand have taken the honours.
The £100 first place prize goes to Martin McCaw, of Washington, United States, for Burly‘s Ride, of which Fiona says: “This is a well constructed story and a very enjoyable read. The writer creates scene and character with ease - and with echoes of John Steinbeck - and includes humour and pathos, while remaining pacey and, while the ending is happy ever after, it feels real and with a nice quirky twist. Well done. “
Our highly commended runner up is Jeff Taylor, of Hamilton, New Zealand, who wins £25 for Bad Skin Day. Fiona says: “Although any story including acne sounds quite yucky, somehow this story has an appeal and evokes both sympathy and humour. It’s a bit like going into the head of the stars of the television show Embarrassing Bodies and Ronnie is someone you can’t help but like. Neatly done while avoiding cliche, this writer shows great talent and skill.”
The writers on the shortlist were:
Paul Freeman, United Arab Emirates
Edward Sergeant
Dedwydd S H Jones, Bedford, England
Ananth Raghavalu, Trichy, Tamil Nadhu, India
Honours go to UK writers
Judge Fiona Cooper selected her winners for the March Global Short Story Competition and writers from Wales and England have taken the honours.
The £100 first place prize goes to Minute by Simon Mapp, of Wrexham, Wales, of which Fiona says: “This story grabbed me on first reading and stayed with me. It is haunting and quirky and the style absolutely reflects the content. It is hard to convey shock in a story and this writer goes beyond many in expressing the numbness after a tragedy coming completely out of the blue. Wonderful.”
Our highly commended £25 runner up is Alex Reece Abbott, of York, England, for Scratching the matchbox, of which Fiona says: “The imagery and emotion in this story run parallel, along the wildfire uncertainty of old age and love ripped apart by illness but managing to hand in there. The title is superb and apt, and this writer has managed to make the reader feel the helplessness of the situation while retaining a wonderfully dignified hope. Well done.”
The writers on the shortlist were:
Joao Cerqueria, Viana do Castelo, Minho, Portugal
Andy Charman, Woking, Surrey, England
Lynne King, Haywards Heath, England
Wayne Kelly
James McPherson, Glasgow, Scotland
Winning stories are posted on www.inscribemedia.co.uk Well done to our successful writers. You can enter the competition at the same address.
Free flash fiction competition result announced
The team behind The Global Short Story Competition has judged its recent free flash fiction competition. The challenge to writers for this one was to produce a story with a beginning, middle and end in no more than 100 words. The £50 prize has gone to Weedy Gonzalex for:
It was a dark and story might
Him.
Her.
Toothpaste cap left off.
Arguments.
Counter-arguments.
Recriminations.
Counter-recriminations.
Frosty words.
Icier silences.
Separation.
Lawyers
Divorce.
Coldplay CD: He wanted.
Madonna CD: She wanted.
Queen CD, Greatest Hits, slightly scratched: Neither wanted.
Fido the dog: Both wanted. What to do, what to do?
And they all lived unhappily ever after.
Even Fido.
(His bone had ended up in the bin along with the Queen CD, Greatest Hits, slightly scratched.)
Special mention to Yet Another by Jasdeep Kaur and The Perfection of Imperfection by Asharika Jaward
Free flash fiction competition launched
The team behind The Global Short Story Competition has launched its latest free flash fiction competition.
The challenge to writers is to produce a story capturing ‘one of the best things in life’ in no more than 100 words.
The deadline is September 1, 2014. Prize £50 and you can enter at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Inscribemedia/183385438479538 The team at Inscribe Media, who run the competition, will judge it.
Free stuff
There’s loads of free hints on writing at our blog at www.inscribemedia.co.uk and you can also check out our free writers’ toolbox, which can be downloaded off the home page at http://www.inscribemedia.co.uk/
You can check out our Facebook page with its news, views and free competitions at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Inscribemedia/183385438479538
Mentoring and courses
For information on our online writing courses and mentoring packages at http://www.inscribemedia.co.uk/writing-courses---bespoke-mentoring.html
Nurturing new talent through our e-books
A reminder that, as part of our efforts to support and showcase new writing talent worldwide, we have published seven e-books
Lost Souls by Roger Barnes When young women start to go missing in Africa, an International Strike Force is assembled to rescue them.
Harry’s Torment by Michael Beck Set in the fictional east coast port of Thirlston and centred on investigators tackling the heroin trade.
Previously published were:
Cyber Rules by Myra King. The novel by Australian writer Myra tells the story of a farmer’s wife in isolated rural Australia. Caught up on the addictive side of the Internet, she holds a secret which may prove to be deadly.
Global Shorts - an anthology of short stories taken from the early years of the Global Short Competition.
Vegemite Whiskers - a selection of some of the finest writing from Australian authors who have entered the Global Short Story Competition.
White Gold by Roger Barnes A thriller by Roger Barnes taking the reader into a world of intrigue and danger set amid the poachers of Africa.
Haghir the Dragon Finder by John Dean, a comic fantasy for older children. Haghir
and his hopeless comrades are dragon slayers seeking a new challenge.
All the titles can be obtained by keying their titles into the search field of the Kindle shop at www.amazon.co.uk Australian readers will have to purchase via Amazon US at www.amazon.com
* If you don’t have a Kindle, there is a free Kindle reading app for your PC at
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771
* You can find more about the books on our website. You can also check out our ebooks on Pinterest at http://gb.pinterest.com/inscribemedia/
.
Contacting us
You can contact us as deangriss@btinternet.com
Thank you for all your support
John Dean
Wednesday 11 June 2014
Creating foil characters in fiction
The ‘foil’ character is an important part of writing - they make the characteristics and personality of the protagonist stand out.
The foil character’s personality serves as a contrast to the main character (they are named after the medieval practice of placing a metal foil around a gemstone to make it shine brighter).
So how do you create one? Well, think about your protagonist's physical and personality traits then remember that foils often have opposite personalities and physical features.
Write down your protagonist's background. The foil can share similarities in these areas or they have completely different circumstances.
Give the foil a clear role - sidekick (think Doctor Watson and Sherlock Holmes), relative, best friend, enemy, then put the two characters together and let them bounce off each other
John Dean
The foil character’s personality serves as a contrast to the main character (they are named after the medieval practice of placing a metal foil around a gemstone to make it shine brighter).
So how do you create one? Well, think about your protagonist's physical and personality traits then remember that foils often have opposite personalities and physical features.
Write down your protagonist's background. The foil can share similarities in these areas or they have completely different circumstances.
Give the foil a clear role - sidekick (think Doctor Watson and Sherlock Holmes), relative, best friend, enemy, then put the two characters together and let them bounce off each other
John Dean
Are you writing a page turner?
Here’s a few questions for you as you aim to make your work a page turner.
Does your story have a strong idea and does that idea work in the vehicle you have chosen?
Does it have sense of people?
Does it have sense of place?
Is it boring?
Does it have pace or are there areas when it is slow?
Have you given the reader enough information?
Is it too long? Yes, the story was fine but could it have been told in less words? Would it lose anything for a few cuts?
Tough questions, the questions which take it from a decent story to one that sings.
John Dean
Does your story have a strong idea and does that idea work in the vehicle you have chosen?
Does it have sense of people?
Does it have sense of place?
Is it boring?
Does it have pace or are there areas when it is slow?
Have you given the reader enough information?
Is it too long? Yes, the story was fine but could it have been told in less words? Would it lose anything for a few cuts?
Tough questions, the questions which take it from a decent story to one that sings.
John Dean
It's what we do
The Global Short Story Competition is into its seventh year and in that time the monthly competition has handed over £11,000 in prize money to writers from all over the world.
We established the competition to give a voice to writers seeking to bring their work o a wider audience and we are doing that on a regular basis.
We communicate with writers on a daily basis and are often inspired by the work they submit to the competition, We have had some brilliant winners, some of which can be enjoyed at our website www.inscribemedia.co.uk
However, to survive we rely on income from entry fees, which is why we are appealing to you to spread the word among your networks. The competition can be entered at www.inscribemedia.co.uk.
But why support us? Well, here’s what we do:
Free stuff There’s loads of free hints on writing at our blog at www.inscribemedia.co.uk and you can also check out our free writers’ toolbox, which can be downloaded off the home page at http://www.inscribemedia.co.uk/
Facebook You can check out our Facebook page with its news, views and free competitions at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Inscribemedia/183385438479538
Mentoring and courses For information on our online writing courses and mentoring packages at http://www.inscribemedia.co.uk/writing-courses---bespoke-mentoring.html
Nurturing new talent through our e-books
As part of our efforts to support and showcase new writing talent worldwide, we have published seven e-books
Lost Souls by Roger Barnes When young women start to go missing in Africa, an International Strike Force is assembled to rescue them.
Harry’s Torment by Michael Beck Set in the fictional east coast port of Thirlston and centred on investigators tackling the heroin trade.
Previously published were:
Cyber Rules by Myra King. The novel by Australian writer Myra tells the story of a farmer’s wife in isolated rural Australia. Caught up on the addictive side of the Internet, she holds a secret which may prove to be deadly.
Global Shorts - an anthology of short stories taken from the early years of the Global Short Competition.
Vegemite Whiskers - a selection of some of the finest writing from Australian authors who have entered the Global Short Story Competition.
White Gold by Roger Barnes A thriller by Roger Barnes taking the reader into a world of intrigue and danger set amid the poachers of Africa.
Haghir the Dragon Finder by John Dean, a comic fantasy for older children. Haghir
and his hopeless comrades are dragon slayers seeking a new challenge.
All the titles can be obtained by keying their titles into the search field of the Kindle shop at www.amazon.co.uk Australian readers will have to purchase via Amazon US at www.amazon.com
* If you don’t have a Kindle, there is a free Kindle reading app for your PC at
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771
John Dean
We established the competition to give a voice to writers seeking to bring their work o a wider audience and we are doing that on a regular basis.
We communicate with writers on a daily basis and are often inspired by the work they submit to the competition, We have had some brilliant winners, some of which can be enjoyed at our website www.inscribemedia.co.uk
However, to survive we rely on income from entry fees, which is why we are appealing to you to spread the word among your networks. The competition can be entered at www.inscribemedia.co.uk.
But why support us? Well, here’s what we do:
Free stuff There’s loads of free hints on writing at our blog at www.inscribemedia.co.uk and you can also check out our free writers’ toolbox, which can be downloaded off the home page at http://www.inscribemedia.co.uk/
Facebook You can check out our Facebook page with its news, views and free competitions at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Inscribemedia/183385438479538
Mentoring and courses For information on our online writing courses and mentoring packages at http://www.inscribemedia.co.uk/writing-courses---bespoke-mentoring.html
Nurturing new talent through our e-books
As part of our efforts to support and showcase new writing talent worldwide, we have published seven e-books
Lost Souls by Roger Barnes When young women start to go missing in Africa, an International Strike Force is assembled to rescue them.
Harry’s Torment by Michael Beck Set in the fictional east coast port of Thirlston and centred on investigators tackling the heroin trade.
Previously published were:
Cyber Rules by Myra King. The novel by Australian writer Myra tells the story of a farmer’s wife in isolated rural Australia. Caught up on the addictive side of the Internet, she holds a secret which may prove to be deadly.
Global Shorts - an anthology of short stories taken from the early years of the Global Short Competition.
Vegemite Whiskers - a selection of some of the finest writing from Australian authors who have entered the Global Short Story Competition.
White Gold by Roger Barnes A thriller by Roger Barnes taking the reader into a world of intrigue and danger set amid the poachers of Africa.
Haghir the Dragon Finder by John Dean, a comic fantasy for older children. Haghir
and his hopeless comrades are dragon slayers seeking a new challenge.
All the titles can be obtained by keying their titles into the search field of the Kindle shop at www.amazon.co.uk Australian readers will have to purchase via Amazon US at www.amazon.com
* If you don’t have a Kindle, there is a free Kindle reading app for your PC at
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771
John Dean
Flash fiction competition winners announced
The team behind The Global Short Story Competition has judged its recent free flash fiction competition. The challenge to writers for this one was to produce a story with a beginning, middle and end in no more than 100 words. The £50 prize has gone to Weedy Gonzalez for:
It was a dark and story might
Him.
Her.
Toothpaste cap left off.
Arguments.
Counter-arguments.
Recriminations.
Counter-recriminations.
Frosty words.
Icier silences.
Separation.
Lawyers
Divorce.
Coldplay CD: He wanted.
Madonna CD: She wanted.
Queen CD, Greatest Hits, slightly scratched: Neither wanted.
Fido the dog: Both wanted. What to do, what to do?
And they all lived unhappily ever after.
Even Fido.
(His bone had ended up in the bin along with the Queen CD, Greatest Hits, slightly scratched.)
Special mention to Yet Another by Jasdeep Kaur and The Perfection of Imperfection by Asharika Jaward
You can enter the latest flash fiction comp at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Inscribemedia/183385438479538
John Dean
It was a dark and story might
Him.
Her.
Toothpaste cap left off.
Arguments.
Counter-arguments.
Recriminations.
Counter-recriminations.
Frosty words.
Icier silences.
Separation.
Lawyers
Divorce.
Coldplay CD: He wanted.
Madonna CD: She wanted.
Queen CD, Greatest Hits, slightly scratched: Neither wanted.
Fido the dog: Both wanted. What to do, what to do?
And they all lived unhappily ever after.
Even Fido.
(His bone had ended up in the bin along with the Queen CD, Greatest Hits, slightly scratched.)
Special mention to Yet Another by Jasdeep Kaur and The Perfection of Imperfection by Asharika Jaward
You can enter the latest flash fiction comp at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Inscribemedia/183385438479538
John Dean
April winnersannounced
Judge Fiona Cooper has selected her winners for the April Global Short Story Competition and writers from the United States and New Zealand have taken the honours.
The £100 first place prize goes to Martin McCaw, of Washington, United States, for Burly‘s Ride, of which Fiona says: “This is a well constructed story and a very enjoyable read. The writer creates scene and character with ease - and with echoes of John Steinbeck - and includes humour and pathos, while remaining pacey and, while the ending is happy ever after, it feels real and with a nice quirky twist. Well done. “
Our highly commended runner up is Jeff Taylor, of Hamilton, New Zealand, who wins £25 for Bad Skin Day. Fiona says: “Although any story including acne sounds quite yucky, somehow this story has an appeal and evokes both sympathy and humour. It’s a bit like going into the head of the stars of the television show Embarrassing Bodies and Ronnie is someone you can’t help but like. Neatly done while avoiding cliche, this writer shows great talent and skill.”
The writers on the shortlist are:
Paul Freeman, United Arab Emirates
Edward Sergeant
Dedwydd S H Jones, Bedford, England
Ananth Raghavalu, Trichy, Tamil Nadhu, India
Winning stories will be posted on www.inscribemedia.co.uk Well done to our successful writers. You can enter the June competition at the same address.
The £100 first place prize goes to Martin McCaw, of Washington, United States, for Burly‘s Ride, of which Fiona says: “This is a well constructed story and a very enjoyable read. The writer creates scene and character with ease - and with echoes of John Steinbeck - and includes humour and pathos, while remaining pacey and, while the ending is happy ever after, it feels real and with a nice quirky twist. Well done. “
Our highly commended runner up is Jeff Taylor, of Hamilton, New Zealand, who wins £25 for Bad Skin Day. Fiona says: “Although any story including acne sounds quite yucky, somehow this story has an appeal and evokes both sympathy and humour. It’s a bit like going into the head of the stars of the television show Embarrassing Bodies and Ronnie is someone you can’t help but like. Neatly done while avoiding cliche, this writer shows great talent and skill.”
The writers on the shortlist are:
Paul Freeman, United Arab Emirates
Edward Sergeant
Dedwydd S H Jones, Bedford, England
Ananth Raghavalu, Trichy, Tamil Nadhu, India
Winning stories will be posted on www.inscribemedia.co.uk Well done to our successful writers. You can enter the June competition at the same address.
Tuesday 10 June 2014
Sense of place in fiction
We receive Global Short Story Competition entries from all over the world and this allows me, from time to time, to return to a theme which greatly interests me.
I have always believed that writers must respond strongly to landscapes. While acknowledging that authors come into stories from different angles - characters, concepts, ideas - I do believe that place has to be a major trigger. The major tri8gger for some.
I am sure that writers in scenic areas are inspired to create stories by the fabulous landscape and the extremes of weather, for example.
As a writer based in Northern England, I am inspired by the North Pennines and the stunning Lake District, which brought forth my character Jack Harris, who has featured in three of my novels.
Plenty of time to enter the June competition by going to www.inscribemedia.co.uk
John Dean
Drawing on the lessons of flash fiction
Tomorrow (June 11) we announce the winner of our latest free flash fiction competition. As a writer, I am becoming very interested in the idea of flash fiction and the way it can help writers specialising in other formats.
Flash fiction, as I am sure you all know, is very short writing: some stories can be as short as six words, even less.
I know that flash fiction is not for everyone but I believe it does have applications if you are writing short stories because of the way it concentrates the mind.
It might be that you are tempted to spend two or three paragraphs describing a place or a person. That could well be fine but how much better in a short story if you can do it in a single line? Why so much better? Because it leaves you those other paragraphs to take your story on.
I am one of those writers with split opinions about flash fiction. I like the idea of novels - after all, I do write them - in which writers have the time and space to develop their themes, where you can devote half a page to describing something if the story requires it, but I can also see the advantage of an economical way of writing as promoted by the supporters of flash fiction.
Even though my novels run to 65-000-70,000 words, I have increasingly embraced the idea of economy, taking out words, lines, paragraphs, sections, extraneous material, all in the interest of creating a sense of pace and focus.
You can enter our latest free flash fiction competition at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Inscribemedia/183385438479538
John Dean
Flash fiction, as I am sure you all know, is very short writing: some stories can be as short as six words, even less.
I know that flash fiction is not for everyone but I believe it does have applications if you are writing short stories because of the way it concentrates the mind.
It might be that you are tempted to spend two or three paragraphs describing a place or a person. That could well be fine but how much better in a short story if you can do it in a single line? Why so much better? Because it leaves you those other paragraphs to take your story on.
I am one of those writers with split opinions about flash fiction. I like the idea of novels - after all, I do write them - in which writers have the time and space to develop their themes, where you can devote half a page to describing something if the story requires it, but I can also see the advantage of an economical way of writing as promoted by the supporters of flash fiction.
Even though my novels run to 65-000-70,000 words, I have increasingly embraced the idea of economy, taking out words, lines, paragraphs, sections, extraneous material, all in the interest of creating a sense of pace and focus.
You can enter our latest free flash fiction competition at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Inscribemedia/183385438479538
John Dean
Monday 9 June 2014
The rules of the short story
I do a lot of teaching on the theme of short stories. Here’s some of the things I advise:
* Pick a strong idea that can work over short period - something that would not work as a novel. Best American Short Stories series editor Katrina Kenison wrote: ”A novel requires a real blueprint from the author, whereas a short story has a lot more room for spontaneity, and a whole story can arise from an image or a line or a character."
* The start - make it compelling just like with anything else, grab the reader
* Middle - develop the story but remember that you have limited space so pace
is crucial as is tight writing. Write in a series of short episodes
* Resist the temptation to pack too much in - concentrate on one story
* Restrict number of main characters, two, three tops
* The ending - Traditional short stories had a twist. Many still do although there is a trend towards stories that just stop. I prefer the twist and so, I think, do most readers.
John Dean
* Pick a strong idea that can work over short period - something that would not work as a novel. Best American Short Stories series editor Katrina Kenison wrote: ”A novel requires a real blueprint from the author, whereas a short story has a lot more room for spontaneity, and a whole story can arise from an image or a line or a character."
* The start - make it compelling just like with anything else, grab the reader
* Middle - develop the story but remember that you have limited space so pace
is crucial as is tight writing. Write in a series of short episodes
* Resist the temptation to pack too much in - concentrate on one story
* Restrict number of main characters, two, three tops
* The ending - Traditional short stories had a twist. Many still do although there is a trend towards stories that just stop. I prefer the twist and so, I think, do most readers.
John Dean
Tips on getting published
Getting published is tough but you can give yourself a better chance if you do the proper preparation. Here are some thoughts:
Send them what they want Most publishers have certain requirements for work that is being submitted. For example, some want to receive a sample chapter and a brief synopsis of the plot, others prefer a full manuscript. Before you send a manuscript, it is a good idea to find out what is required. The best publication for obtaining this information, certainly for UK writers, is the Writers’ and Artists‘ Yearbook.
Preparing your manuscript to send to a publisher Prepare your submission according to the publisher’s requirements. Details are important, so make sure your work is professionally presented and has been proof-read. The manuscript should be double spaced, with generous margins, and printed on one side of the paper only. The pages should be numbered. It is usually best not to bind or staple the manuscript: use a fastening that will allow the publisher to photocopy the manuscript easily if they wish.
Sending your manuscript to a publisher
Accompany your manuscript with a brief covering letter, not to ‘sell‘ your manuscript, but to provide some brief details. You might wish to give a little bit of background about yourself, and a description of the plot. It may be worthwhile mentioning your publishing history. For example, if you have won a short story competition (like ours!) or had short stories published in magazines this will be relevant. But keep the covering letter factual. None of this ‘my mum read it and laughed like a drain’!
Include a stamped self-addressed envelope for the return of your manuscript.
Hearing back from publishers
Publishers receive many manuscripts: it is not surprising then that it can take some time to hear back. Many publishers will send you a brief note when they receive your manuscript – often a pre-printed card – to say they have received the manuscript and to give you an indication of how long it will be before you hear from them. Most will take at least a month or two to look at your manuscript and some will take longer.
Good luck!
John Dean
Send them what they want Most publishers have certain requirements for work that is being submitted. For example, some want to receive a sample chapter and a brief synopsis of the plot, others prefer a full manuscript. Before you send a manuscript, it is a good idea to find out what is required. The best publication for obtaining this information, certainly for UK writers, is the Writers’ and Artists‘ Yearbook.
Preparing your manuscript to send to a publisher Prepare your submission according to the publisher’s requirements. Details are important, so make sure your work is professionally presented and has been proof-read. The manuscript should be double spaced, with generous margins, and printed on one side of the paper only. The pages should be numbered. It is usually best not to bind or staple the manuscript: use a fastening that will allow the publisher to photocopy the manuscript easily if they wish.
Sending your manuscript to a publisher
Accompany your manuscript with a brief covering letter, not to ‘sell‘ your manuscript, but to provide some brief details. You might wish to give a little bit of background about yourself, and a description of the plot. It may be worthwhile mentioning your publishing history. For example, if you have won a short story competition (like ours!) or had short stories published in magazines this will be relevant. But keep the covering letter factual. None of this ‘my mum read it and laughed like a drain’!
Include a stamped self-addressed envelope for the return of your manuscript.
Hearing back from publishers
Publishers receive many manuscripts: it is not surprising then that it can take some time to hear back. Many publishers will send you a brief note when they receive your manuscript – often a pre-printed card – to say they have received the manuscript and to give you an indication of how long it will be before you hear from them. Most will take at least a month or two to look at your manuscript and some will take longer.
Good luck!
John Dean
Sparking creativity through characters
Characters spark creativity and the ones that really do the job for writers are the Dynamic Character, a character which changes during the course of a story or novel (sometimes a dynamic character is called a developing character), and a Round Character, a well developed character who demonstrates varied and sometimes contradictory traits. Round characters are usually dynamic (change in some way over the course of a story).
Other character types you may use include:
Foil - a character that is used to enhance another character through contrast.
Static (or flat or stock) Character – a character that remains primarily the same throughout a story or novel. Ie the villain
Confidante- someone in whom the central character confides, thus revealing the main character’s personality, thoughts, and intentions.
They do overlap in some way - a flat character could be a foil as well - but you could not have a character that is both static and dynamic.
The terms are useful for understanding a character and his/her place within the story but, in the end, it is not about how a character can be named and classified. As a writer, it’s all about understanding the characters as you create and bring life to them for the reader.
John Dean
Other character types you may use include:
Foil - a character that is used to enhance another character through contrast.
Static (or flat or stock) Character – a character that remains primarily the same throughout a story or novel. Ie the villain
Confidante- someone in whom the central character confides, thus revealing the main character’s personality, thoughts, and intentions.
They do overlap in some way - a flat character could be a foil as well - but you could not have a character that is both static and dynamic.
The terms are useful for understanding a character and his/her place within the story but, in the end, it is not about how a character can be named and classified. As a writer, it’s all about understanding the characters as you create and bring life to them for the reader.
John Dean
Friday 6 June 2014
The journey writers take
I am interested in the journeys writers take to their chosen way of life. My passion for writing stretches back to my childhood. I was fortunate that I had parents and teachers who encouraged me to write and during my teenage years I knocked out novel after novel on a battered old typewriter. Sorry, that should be rubbish novel after novel.
I always wanted to be a writer but the novels were continually rejected and gradually my career as a newspaper journalist took over. I still kept writing but a newspaperman’s life is a demanding one and over the years the amount of fiction I wrote reduced (and no jokes about everything that goes in a newspaper being fiction, please!).
By the time I had reached my forties I had all but given up. Like most other writers, I could have papered the living room wall with rejection slips. By 2003, I was working as a freelance journalist, having spent the best part of twenty years in newspapers, much of it as a crime specialist.
One morning, I read an article about a Midlands journalist who had had a crime novel accepted by Hale. As it happened, like all authors, I had a novel lying round, the clichéd box under the bed. It was my only crime novel so I dusted it off (literally) and sent it away.
Thankfully, it did not come back and A Flicker in the Night was published in 2005 by Hale. I will forever be grateful to Hale for giving me the opportunity to finally achieve my dream. Eleven other novels followed with the twelfth, A Breach of Trust, due out in six months.
I still run my own busy freelance agency, and run the Global Short Story Competition as well, but I try to find time to work on my fiction writing every day.
I find it an absorbing pastime. I am aware that I am learning all the time, a mindset that I think all authors have, a sense that what you have written may be ok but it could be so much better.
So what’s your story? You can tell us on our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Inscribemedia/183385438479538
John Dean
Wednesday 4 June 2014
Picking the right title
Recent weeks have seen us receive a number of stories entered in the Global Short Story Competition) with terrific titles, which set me thinking. Yes, the story has to be good but a title, like a good opening line, can do a lot of work for the author when it comes to hooking the reader.
For me, it goes deeper. In my mind, the title has to be right for me to feel comfortable with the writing process.
So what does a good title need? Well, I would say some of the below would be a good start. A good title should/could:
* Be easy to remember. Yes, I know there have been successful books and stories with long titles but how many can you name? Go for no more than five words and even then you are pushing it (look at best-selling books and you will not see that many more than three). There are exceptions, I know. The Spy who Came in from the Cold springs to mind but for every long title that sticks in the memory there‘s an awful lot are lost.
* Be appropriate to what you are writing. I learned this lesson from my publisher, Robert Hale. I wrote a novel which I wanted to call Ghosts, which they asked to be changed because it made it sound like a ghost story, which it wasn’t. It ended up called The Long Dead, which I think works much better. Interestingly, during the writing, the title had not felt right anyway. The Long Dead did.
* Pose questions. Something that makes you wonder. Taking The Long Dead as an example, who are long dead? Why are they long dead? How did they die? If they are long dead, why do we care now?
* Maybe go for a name of a person - think Harry Potter - and maybe make it a possessive title - think Angela’s Ashes. Or maybe a place. Think Northanger Abbey. Or a thing - Diamonds are Forever.
* Maybe pick a line from the work itself such as They Shoot Horses, Don't They? And yes, it is long but it’s easily remembered.
As with everything in writing, there are no golden rules other than if it works, do it.
You can enter at www.inscribemedia.co.uk
John Dean
For me, it goes deeper. In my mind, the title has to be right for me to feel comfortable with the writing process.
So what does a good title need? Well, I would say some of the below would be a good start. A good title should/could:
* Be easy to remember. Yes, I know there have been successful books and stories with long titles but how many can you name? Go for no more than five words and even then you are pushing it (look at best-selling books and you will not see that many more than three). There are exceptions, I know. The Spy who Came in from the Cold springs to mind but for every long title that sticks in the memory there‘s an awful lot are lost.
* Be appropriate to what you are writing. I learned this lesson from my publisher, Robert Hale. I wrote a novel which I wanted to call Ghosts, which they asked to be changed because it made it sound like a ghost story, which it wasn’t. It ended up called The Long Dead, which I think works much better. Interestingly, during the writing, the title had not felt right anyway. The Long Dead did.
* Pose questions. Something that makes you wonder. Taking The Long Dead as an example, who are long dead? Why are they long dead? How did they die? If they are long dead, why do we care now?
* Maybe go for a name of a person - think Harry Potter - and maybe make it a possessive title - think Angela’s Ashes. Or maybe a place. Think Northanger Abbey. Or a thing - Diamonds are Forever.
* Maybe pick a line from the work itself such as They Shoot Horses, Don't They? And yes, it is long but it’s easily remembered.
As with everything in writing, there are no golden rules other than if it works, do it.
You can enter at www.inscribemedia.co.uk
John Dean
Writing for the theatre
I am dealing with writing for the theatre in a course which I am tutoring. Here are some thoughts.
The power of words is crucial when writing for theatre, as is a technical understanding of the staging process.
Writers need to do the following:
Think where the person was before entering the stage and where he/she goes to eg if he/she has come in from the cold remember to write cold references of actions (stamping feet etc )
The writer needs to consider what the characters are doing as well as saying - a walk across a stage can take a long time as can a passage of speech. Find something for them do, making tea, putting the kettle on etc. It gives the scene more movement and avoids problems for actors who feel all they can do is stand like a plank and spout their lines.
Think how long words take to say and how they will play in an audience. An intimate aside in a small room can fall flat in a large theatre.
Comedy needs to big and bold, drama can be more subtle and considered (the actor can be more introspective, address the audience, reveal much about what they are thinking)
Dialogue is crucial. The actor will make much of the business etc up themselves but they need guidance and that comes from the words.
A recap of dialogue rules:
A lot of the time, we do not speak in correct sentences/We often use short sharp phrases
We assume the listener knows a lot about us
Dialogue can impart information but we try to make that information interesting, lacing it with humour, personal interpretation etc
We can tell a lot about a person in a short snap of conversation - a few words of dialogue can say a lot about a character.
Dialogue needs to be crisp (and humour needs to hit the gag and move on, good comedy relies on timing and pace)
Needs to be in character
Must take the story on
Be not packed with extraneous information.
If you need to slot in information, find a way of doing it subtly
John Dean
The power of words is crucial when writing for theatre, as is a technical understanding of the staging process.
Writers need to do the following:
Think where the person was before entering the stage and where he/she goes to eg if he/she has come in from the cold remember to write cold references of actions (stamping feet etc )
The writer needs to consider what the characters are doing as well as saying - a walk across a stage can take a long time as can a passage of speech. Find something for them do, making tea, putting the kettle on etc. It gives the scene more movement and avoids problems for actors who feel all they can do is stand like a plank and spout their lines.
Think how long words take to say and how they will play in an audience. An intimate aside in a small room can fall flat in a large theatre.
Comedy needs to big and bold, drama can be more subtle and considered (the actor can be more introspective, address the audience, reveal much about what they are thinking)
Dialogue is crucial. The actor will make much of the business etc up themselves but they need guidance and that comes from the words.
A recap of dialogue rules:
A lot of the time, we do not speak in correct sentences/We often use short sharp phrases
We assume the listener knows a lot about us
Dialogue can impart information but we try to make that information interesting, lacing it with humour, personal interpretation etc
We can tell a lot about a person in a short snap of conversation - a few words of dialogue can say a lot about a character.
Dialogue needs to be crisp (and humour needs to hit the gag and move on, good comedy relies on timing and pace)
Needs to be in character
Must take the story on
Be not packed with extraneous information.
If you need to slot in information, find a way of doing it subtly
John Dean
Tight writing
All writing is about every word doing its job but that becomes an even more pronounced skill when you are writing something short, like a poem or a story.
We do receive entries which are not 2,000 words long but 200 words instead - and that is an art form in itself.
The length means that the writers had to make every word do its job and discard every word, every thought, every element of the story that slowed it down. Those stories were stripped to their basics.
Did they lose anything for that? Not really. They may have left the reader to work out a lot, think through what they were being told and where it was happening, but many of them remained powerful pieces of writing for all that.
So when people send in requests asking how long their story should be, we always remind them that our top limit is 2,000 words (for ease of reading by our judge) but as to the bottom limit? Well, it is how many words you need to tell the story. That’s the true of storytelling and always will be
John Dean
We do receive entries which are not 2,000 words long but 200 words instead - and that is an art form in itself.
The length means that the writers had to make every word do its job and discard every word, every thought, every element of the story that slowed it down. Those stories were stripped to their basics.
Did they lose anything for that? Not really. They may have left the reader to work out a lot, think through what they were being told and where it was happening, but many of them remained powerful pieces of writing for all that.
So when people send in requests asking how long their story should be, we always remind them that our top limit is 2,000 words (for ease of reading by our judge) but as to the bottom limit? Well, it is how many words you need to tell the story. That’s the true of storytelling and always will be
John Dean
Online writing workshops
A reminder that, in addition to the various free things we do, one of the paid-for services we offer is one supporting writers.
Why should you hire a professional writing mentor, though? Isn’t it enough to attend a class/workshop or a writing group? Or ask a friend or relative to comment?
Well, it depends what you want and need and bespoke mentoring from Inscribe Media can help some writers, providing the experience and expertise to -
• understand your work
• nurture you and your writing
• let you retain control of your ideas and your writing
* provide expert, specific advice about what is working and what isn’t.
We focus on major issues, such as how your story hangs together, what your characters are doing or could be doing, what is hurting your story’s momentum, what story elements are not pulling their weight.
We identify the differences between good and great and point out your writing strengths, so you become confident about what not to change.
We also give suggestions and help you establish good processes and writing goals and suggest markets for your work.
If long-term mentoring does not appeal, we run short writing courses as well.
You can find out more at http://www.inscribemedia.co.uk/writing-courses---bespoke-mentoring.html
You can also access our free downloadable writing guide at www.inscribemedia.co,uk and find loads of free tips on our blog here.
John Dean
Why should you hire a professional writing mentor, though? Isn’t it enough to attend a class/workshop or a writing group? Or ask a friend or relative to comment?
Well, it depends what you want and need and bespoke mentoring from Inscribe Media can help some writers, providing the experience and expertise to -
• understand your work
• nurture you and your writing
• let you retain control of your ideas and your writing
* provide expert, specific advice about what is working and what isn’t.
We focus on major issues, such as how your story hangs together, what your characters are doing or could be doing, what is hurting your story’s momentum, what story elements are not pulling their weight.
We identify the differences between good and great and point out your writing strengths, so you become confident about what not to change.
We also give suggestions and help you establish good processes and writing goals and suggest markets for your work.
If long-term mentoring does not appeal, we run short writing courses as well.
You can find out more at http://www.inscribemedia.co.uk/writing-courses---bespoke-mentoring.html
You can also access our free downloadable writing guide at www.inscribemedia.co,uk and find loads of free tips on our blog here.
John Dean
Writing novels
While teaching last night, we got onto the subject of novels and is it worth taking all that time and effort on them? I would suggest you start by asking some key questions:
1 Why do you want to write it - does the story work better, does it sustain a novel?
2 Can you really do it? This is a long slog.
3. You have to sustain a story over many pages so you need a decent idea.
4 Can you sell it? Has it been done before? Is your idea a new one or are you able to re-tell an old story in a new and fresh way?
5 Who will tell your story? Third person - can see everything all the times - or first person - allows for a certain informality but restricted to what happens around them?
If you decide to go ahead, my advice is always:
1 Write a detailed synopsis first: map out your story.
2 Novels can work with one single story but the best ones tends to have sub-plots involving other characters
3 The same rules of writing apply as with short stories - yes, you have more space to play with but the writing still needs to be tight and controlled even though a novel allows you the scope to develop themes and people. The best writing is simple and uncluttered
4 You need a strong sense of place and strong characters, which goes back to my belief that there are three points to the writing triangle - story, sense of place, sense of people. Get them right and the rest flows from it
5 As the story develops, there has to be a pace, a sense of things happening, so the reader does not get chance to become bored.
John Dean
1 Why do you want to write it - does the story work better, does it sustain a novel?
2 Can you really do it? This is a long slog.
3. You have to sustain a story over many pages so you need a decent idea.
4 Can you sell it? Has it been done before? Is your idea a new one or are you able to re-tell an old story in a new and fresh way?
5 Who will tell your story? Third person - can see everything all the times - or first person - allows for a certain informality but restricted to what happens around them?
If you decide to go ahead, my advice is always:
1 Write a detailed synopsis first: map out your story.
2 Novels can work with one single story but the best ones tends to have sub-plots involving other characters
3 The same rules of writing apply as with short stories - yes, you have more space to play with but the writing still needs to be tight and controlled even though a novel allows you the scope to develop themes and people. The best writing is simple and uncluttered
4 You need a strong sense of place and strong characters, which goes back to my belief that there are three points to the writing triangle - story, sense of place, sense of people. Get them right and the rest flows from it
5 As the story develops, there has to be a pace, a sense of things happening, so the reader does not get chance to become bored.
John Dean
Tuesday 3 June 2014
Stuck for an idea for a story? Well here’s a useful way to get yourself going. Go somewhere quiet, a park on a rainy morning, a riverbank, a street at night, wherever. Clear your mind, let it roam wherever it wishes. Think of the place as a stage and see who emerges from the wings.
Jot down fragments, thoughts, images, words. Why? Because thoughts that flash into your mind at any given time tend to disappear as quickly as they formed.
Focus on your person. Jot down half a dozen details about them. Just fragments. Could be way they move, dress, speak, think or the way they make you feel.
Doesn’t always work but it does more often that not and it’s amazing where the exercise will take you.
John Dean
Jot down fragments, thoughts, images, words. Why? Because thoughts that flash into your mind at any given time tend to disappear as quickly as they formed.
Focus on your person. Jot down half a dozen details about them. Just fragments. Could be way they move, dress, speak, think or the way they make you feel.
Doesn’t always work but it does more often that not and it’s amazing where the exercise will take you.
John Dean
The six types of conflict in fiction
I teach a lot about the role of conflict in fiction, which is vital because stories need things to happen and that usually comes out of conflict.
It is through seeing characters in conflict that we see them at their truest, when their guard is down, when they are fighting something. You can also develop a character through conflict: the meek little parlour maid suddenly becomes the towering heroine of the story Conflict also takes the story on: a school is to be closed, two friends fall out, a community is torn apart by an event. In addition, conflict can evoke a strong reaction in a reader and make for good drama.
It is said that there are seven types of conflict; personally, I would narrow it down to six:
Person vs. Self A person’s struggle with his or her own prejudices or doubts or character flaws
Person vs. Person The struggle with other people
Person vs. Society When the protagonist’s conflict extends to confronting institutions, traditions, or laws
Person vs. Nature The protagonist is pitted against nature (think Moby Dick).
Person vs. Supernatural - be it monsters or deities!
Person vs. Technology - maybe the machines will take over one day.
John Dean
It is through seeing characters in conflict that we see them at their truest, when their guard is down, when they are fighting something. You can also develop a character through conflict: the meek little parlour maid suddenly becomes the towering heroine of the story Conflict also takes the story on: a school is to be closed, two friends fall out, a community is torn apart by an event. In addition, conflict can evoke a strong reaction in a reader and make for good drama.
It is said that there are seven types of conflict; personally, I would narrow it down to six:
Person vs. Self A person’s struggle with his or her own prejudices or doubts or character flaws
Person vs. Person The struggle with other people
Person vs. Society When the protagonist’s conflict extends to confronting institutions, traditions, or laws
Person vs. Nature The protagonist is pitted against nature (think Moby Dick).
Person vs. Supernatural - be it monsters or deities!
Person vs. Technology - maybe the machines will take over one day.
John Dean
Monday 2 June 2014
Unlocking creativity
I do a lot of teaching about unlocking creativity and came across these quotes which I thought might interest.
Anne Lamott “The first draft is the child’s draft, where you let it all pour out and then let it romp all over the place, knowing that no one is going to see it and that you can shape it later. You just let this childlike part of you channel whatever voices and visions come through and onto the page. Just get it all down on paper, because there may be something great in those six crazy pages that you would never have gotten to by more rational, grown-up means. There may be something in the very last line of the very last paragraph on page six that you just love, that is so beautiful or wild that you now know what you’re supposed to be writing about, more or less, or in what direction you might go – but there was no way to get to this without first getting through the first five and a half pages.”
Annie Dillard “When you write, you lay out a line of words. The line of words is a miner’s pick, a wood carver’s gouge, a surgeon’s probe. You wield it, and it digs a path you follow. Soon you find yourself deep in new territory. Is it a dead end, or have you located the real subject? You will know tomorrow, or this time next year. A work in progress quickly becomes feral. It reverts to a wild state overnight. . . it is a lion growing in strength. You must visit it every day and reassert your mastery over it.”
William Stafford “Every day I get up and look out the window, and something occurs to me.”
Neal Bowers “ My first creative writing teacher had a colourful metaphor of grabbing the tail of a wild hog as it runs by and letting it drag you through the thicket. Back when I first heard it, that metaphor didn’t help much. These days, though, I often look back at those unplanned and unpredictable trails my writing makes through the brush, with me hanging on, and I think of Malcolm’s wild hog.”
James Patterson “I’m always pretending that I’m sitting across from somebody. I’m telling them a story, and I don’t want them to get up until it’s finished.”
My way of unlocking creativity is to keep asking what if? Follow than down the line and the ideas will pour out.
What works for you? You can offer your suggestions for unlocking creativity via our Facebook page at
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Inscribemedia/183385438479538
John Dean
Anne Lamott “The first draft is the child’s draft, where you let it all pour out and then let it romp all over the place, knowing that no one is going to see it and that you can shape it later. You just let this childlike part of you channel whatever voices and visions come through and onto the page. Just get it all down on paper, because there may be something great in those six crazy pages that you would never have gotten to by more rational, grown-up means. There may be something in the very last line of the very last paragraph on page six that you just love, that is so beautiful or wild that you now know what you’re supposed to be writing about, more or less, or in what direction you might go – but there was no way to get to this without first getting through the first five and a half pages.”
Annie Dillard “When you write, you lay out a line of words. The line of words is a miner’s pick, a wood carver’s gouge, a surgeon’s probe. You wield it, and it digs a path you follow. Soon you find yourself deep in new territory. Is it a dead end, or have you located the real subject? You will know tomorrow, or this time next year. A work in progress quickly becomes feral. It reverts to a wild state overnight. . . it is a lion growing in strength. You must visit it every day and reassert your mastery over it.”
William Stafford “Every day I get up and look out the window, and something occurs to me.”
Neal Bowers “ My first creative writing teacher had a colourful metaphor of grabbing the tail of a wild hog as it runs by and letting it drag you through the thicket. Back when I first heard it, that metaphor didn’t help much. These days, though, I often look back at those unplanned and unpredictable trails my writing makes through the brush, with me hanging on, and I think of Malcolm’s wild hog.”
James Patterson “I’m always pretending that I’m sitting across from somebody. I’m telling them a story, and I don’t want them to get up until it’s finished.”
My way of unlocking creativity is to keep asking what if? Follow than down the line and the ideas will pour out.
What works for you? You can offer your suggestions for unlocking creativity via our Facebook page at
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Inscribemedia/183385438479538
John Dean
New short story competition launched
The June Global Short Story Competition has been launched.
Begun more than six years ago, the competition runs every month with a £100 first prize and a £25 prize for highly commended writers.
The competition, which is approaching £11,000 in prize money handed out, has had entries from more than 50 countries over the years.
Each month’s competition is judged by Fiona Cooper, an author in North-East England, where the competition’s organisers Inscribe Media are also based. The competition can be entered at www.inscribemedia.co.uk
* There is still time to enter Inscribe Media’s latest free flash fiction competition at its Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Inscribemedia/183385438479538 or accessed through www.inscribemedia.co.uk
Begun more than six years ago, the competition runs every month with a £100 first prize and a £25 prize for highly commended writers.
The competition, which is approaching £11,000 in prize money handed out, has had entries from more than 50 countries over the years.
Each month’s competition is judged by Fiona Cooper, an author in North-East England, where the competition’s organisers Inscribe Media are also based. The competition can be entered at www.inscribemedia.co.uk
* There is still time to enter Inscribe Media’s latest free flash fiction competition at its Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Inscribemedia/183385438479538 or accessed through www.inscribemedia.co.uk
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