Wednesday 25 November 2015

Getting the dialogue right

Dialogue is crucial because good dialogue can make a story, bad dialogue can wreck it. So how do you get it right when your characters open their mouth? Well, how about this for a start?

* A lot of the time, we do not speak in correct sentences/we often use short sharp phrases/we interrupt each other/we assume a lot about each other. If that is how people speak then it is how characters must speak in stories

* Keep your dialogue crisp - we can tell a lot about a person in a short snap of conversation

* Dialogue must take the story on (the exception is small talk when the story needs it)

* Do not pack dialogue with extraneous information unless it is necessary to reflect on the character, showing that they are a wordy person with a scatterbrain mind

* Make sure every line does its job - a bit of information, we learn something about the character, it creates a mood etc. If you find yourself writing dialogue to fill space, cut it out!

 

John Dean

Monday 23 November 2015

First crime fiction students enrol


The first students have started work on my online Crime Fiction Course.
The online course, which runs in eight parts and can begin at a time and date to suit the student, will help writers to improve their technique and improve their chances of being successful, either in competitions or admissions to publishers.
When they enrol, students will be offered ongoing one-to-one feedback on their work, be it short stories or novels.
There is no official certificate of qualification at the end of the course, which features:
• Personal attention
• Exercises and practical work
• Discussions by email
• Because the tutor is on line, you can do the work at time and pace that suits you
Themes to be included are:
An examination of where ideas come from - what triggers ideas in writers?
Once you have the idea, how do you develop it? The course will look at the art of  plotting
How can you use places and landscapes to aid your story telling?
How do you pick characters to do the job? What are their functions in storytelling? This will include a look at creating villains
How conflict can be used to develop stories that assume a life of their own
That all important start to your story - how do you grab the reader right from the off?
Writing with pace - how do you produce a narrative that keeps your reader turning the page?
Pulling it all together - how to produce the finished piece of work.
Editing - how to make those changes that make all the difference.
Pitching to publishers and agents
The course costs £75. For further details you can contact me at deangriss@btinternet.com
 
John Dean

Friday 20 November 2015

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


Wednesday 18 November 2015

Giving characters a job to do


Fiction writers employ a variety of characters while weaving their tales and it is useful to understand the role they play.
Beyond the standard definitions of protagonist (the main character) and antagonist (the main character or force that opposes the protagonist) there are four basic character types (the Americans claim seven but that’s over-egging things in my view):
Dynamic/Round Character - a well-drawn, rounded character which changes during the course of a story or novel. Sometimes a dynamic character is called a developing character. Example: Ebenezer Scrooge, in A Christmas Carol by Dickens. Miser to generous man.
Foil - a character that is used to enhance another character through contrast. Cinderella’s grace and beauty as opposed to her nasty, self-centered stepsisters is one clear illustration.
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. The confidante does not need to be a person. Could be a place, an inner voice.
They do overlap in some way - a flat character could be a foil as well and you could not have a character that is both static and dynamic.
The terms are useful for understanding a character and his place within the story. But, in the end, it is not about how a character can be named and classified.
I do not believe writing should be hide-bound by theory. Nevertheless, as a writer, it’s all about understanding the job characters do. It is also about recognising characters who do not do a job.
Example: in a recent novel, I had a climactic scene in a hospital but it was too long and loose because I had two characters who did not have a job - they provided information already supplied by others, created an atmosphere already created. They were in the way - taking them out gave the scene real pace and drama.
 
John Dean

Tuesday 17 November 2015

Picking the right title


Recent weeks have seen me talking to a few writers about titles. Why? Well, 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.
 
John Dean

Friday 13 November 2015

Learning from the best


Came across an article on the excellent Guardian website, in which writers explained their approach to the job. Here are one or two of the quotes; be interested to see what other people think about their own process: Taken together, they add up to a template for writers.

AL Kennedy: “Sitting alone in a room for hours while essentially talking in your head about people you made up earlier and then writing it down for no one you know does have many aspects which are not inherently fulfilling. Then again, making something out of nothing, overturning the laws of time and space, building something for strangers just because you think they might like it and hours of absence from self – that’s fantastic. And then it’s over, which is even better. I'm with RLStevenson – having written – that's the good bit.”

Hari Kunzru: “I get great pleasure from writing, but not always, or even usually. Writing a novel is largely an exercise in psychological discipline – trying to balance your project on your chin while negotiating a minefield of depression and freak-out. … But when you're in the zone, spinning words like plates, there's a deep sense of satisfaction and, yes, enjoyment…”

John Banville: “The struggle of writing is fraught with a specialised form of anguish, the anguish of knowing one will never get it right, that one will always fail, and that all one can hope to do is ‘fail better’, as Beckett recommends. The pleasure of writing is in the preparation, not the execution, and certainly not in the thing executed.”

Joyce Carol Oates: “Most writers find first drafts painfully difficult, like climbing a steep stairs, the end of which isn't in sight. Only just persevere! Eventually, you will get where you are gong, or so you hope. And when you get there, you will not ask why? – the relief you feel is but a brief breathing spell, before beginning again with another inspiration, another draft, another steep climb.”

Geoff Dyer: “When I was young, I thought that the fun part of writing would be the "creative" bit, making stuff up and inventing things. The older I've got, the less fun this has become. I dread it. The part I enjoy is the re-writing. Increasingly, I enjoy the dullest, most clerical stages of the process. Having said that, there always comes a point, after I've amassed enough material and can start knocking it into shape, when I begin looking forward to working on something.”

Julie Myerson: “writing gives me such enormous pleasure, and I'm a much happier (and therefore nicer) person when I'm doing it. There's a place in my head that I go to when I write and it's so rich and unexpected – and scary sometimes – but never ever dull. …It is a joyous thing. I feel very lucky to be paid to do it, but even if I'd never been published, I think I'd still be writing. I love being read, but the person I'm really always writing for is me.”


John Dean

Thursday 12 November 2015

Writing good science fiction

I grew up on sci-fi, particularly the works of Andre Norton with a bit of Isaac Asimov thrown in (although Andre Norton was always my favourite). Since then, I have keep an eye on the sci-fi world and have, on occasion, taught on the subject as well.

My take (based on my observations and what other writers say) to create good sci-fi includes:

* 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.

* 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.

* Be visual - you can see what is happening, make sure we can as well.

* Awe and wonder is all very well but what is also needed is a command of writing: a hatful of bug-headed aliens does not negate the need for skilful writing.

So what makes for bad science fiction? Well, 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.

I would add:

* Don’t try to re-create popular sci-fi stories - we do not need another Star Wars. You can be more original than that!

* Make your aliens alien - be original, it’s not enough to give them a pointy head. Think it through, make them realistic.

*  No, it wasn’t a dream - keep loyal to the genre, no one waking up to discover they were in bed all the time.

John Dean
I am getting plenty of interest in my Crime Fiction Course. The online course, which runs in eight parts and can begin at a time and date to suit the student, will help writers to improve their technique and improve their chances of being successful, either in competitions or admissions to publishers.

When they enroll, students will be offered ongoing one-to-one feedback on their work, be it short stories or novels.

There is no official certificate of qualification at the end of the course, which will be led by myself and features:

• Personal attention

• Exercises and practical work

• Discussions by email

• Because the tutor is on line, you can do the work at time and pace that suits you

Themes to be included are:
An examination of where ideas come from - what triggers ideas in writers?

Once you have the idea, how do you develop it? The course will look at the art of  plotting

How can you use places and landscapes to aid your story telling?

How do you pick characters to do the job? What are their functions in storytelling? This will include a look at creating villains

How conflict can be used to develop stories that assume a life of their own

That all important start to your story - how do you grab the reader right from the off?

Writing with pace - how do you produce a narrative that keeps your reader turning the page?

Pulling it all together - how to produce the finished piece of work.

Editing - how to make those changes that make all the difference.

Pitching to publishers and agents

The course costs £75. For further details you can contact me at deangriss@btinternet.com

John Dean

Wednesday 11 November 2015

Chance to nominate your favourite crime writer

The UK-based Crime Writers’ Association has asked book lovers across the nation to nominate their favourite crime authors for the 2016 Dagger In The Library award.
This literary prize is a unique part of the Dagger Awards because the nominations are made by crime readers and are in celebration of an author’s entire body of work, not just one individual book.
The CWA continues to be inspired by readers, who flock to libraries to devour crime books. The Dagger In The Library was introduced to give them a voice in the Dagger Awards, which endeavour to showcase the best of the best in the genre.
To nominate readers should go to
http://cwadaggers.co.uk/cwa-daggers/nominate-dagger-in-the-library/
where after completing their ballot, they will be automatically entered into a prize draw to win £200 in National Book Tokens.  Not only that, but they will also be asked to nominate their favourite library and the library that receives the most votes will be awarded some great CWA Dagger prizes
too.
The CWA believes that with funding cuts threatening the future of our libraries it’s even more important than ever to support them and celebrate the service they provide communities.

Monday 9 November 2015

Now that sounds familiar

The use of words is something dear to all our hearts. They are, after all, our tools and we should polish them with the care taken by an artisan when polishing a chisel.
I came across a web page published by the Now York Times saying that the titles of every British book published in English in and around the 19th Century — 1,681,161 of them — were electronically scoured for key words and phrases that might offer fresh insight into the minds of the Victorians.
The article reckoned that among words cropping up regularly were  “God” “love,” “work,” “science” and “industrial”.
Makes you wonder which words we use a lot or maybe too often. I do know there are some words I use too often in my writing - murmured, chuckled to name but two - and my favourite poet Barry MacSweeney, with whom I used to work on an evening newspaper, had a thing about the word ‘argent’. And I know another writer who slips the word ‘obsidian’ into every piece she ever produced.

John Dean

Creative writing course to run

Keen to be a writer? Then this could be your big chance

Creative writing tutor John Dean is taking bookings for the Spring 2016 term of his popular courses at the Friends’ Meeting House in Skinnergate, Darlington.
The adult learning courses deal with all aspects of creative writing, focusing primarily on prose, including short stories, novels and other forms of writing as well as occasional forays into the world of stage, theatre and radio.
Each course is different and deals with everything from characterisation to plotting, creating strong sense of place to how to edit. Each session runs between 7 and 9pm.  
John said: “The courses have proved very popular over the years and many class members have enjoyed success with their writing, breaking into print and winning competitions.
“It’s not all about getting into print, though. Many of the students attend out of the sheer pleasure of writing. From experienced authors to beginners, these courses help people to explore their creativity.”
The courses start:
Spring Term 2016 (10 weeks)
Tuesday
First session Jan 12
Half term no class Feb 16
Final session March 22
 
Wednesday
First session Jan 13
Half term no class Feb 17
Final session March 23
Fee £46 (Concessions £37)
 
More information is available from John on 01325 463813 or email deangriss@btinternet.com
 

Tuesday 3 November 2015

Writing in second person

Very occasionally you come across an author telling their story through a second person viewpoint.
We are all familiar with first person (I have had a really good day) and third person (she had had a really good day) but many writers will be unaware about second person.
In short, in second person point of view, the narrator tells the story using ‘you‘ as in ‘You pick up the phone because you feel scared‘. Footballers, those great bastions of language, tend to use it quite a lot (‘In games like this, you go out on the field and leap like a salmon sandwich and nod the ball into the old onion bag.’) If that’s not a mixed metaphor.
So which one to choose? Well, often the first-person narrative is used as a way to directly convey deeply internal, otherwise unspoken, thoughts. It allows story to directly revolve round one person and can allow the character to be further developed through his/her own style in telling the story. That style is often chatty and informal, always deeply personal.
There are drawbacks: in third person you can tell the reader what is round the corner to create tension; you can’t do that in first person because the character simply does not know. That is third person’s biggest advantage; the way it allows the narrator to be all-seeing. And yes, it can also be used to delve deep into the character’s mind but many writers feel happier doing that with first person.
So where does second person fit in? Well, it is rarely used but, as shown in the story submitted overnight, can be very effective in that it directly challenges the reader to step into the story by use of the word’ you’. If they feel so challenged then that will make the story so much more real.

John Dean

Detail, detail, detail


Back in my student days, I studied the works of the 17th/18th Century English writer Jane Austen and recall one scholar praising the way she worked like a fine artist painting on porcelain.

I know what he meant. I have always believed that what differentiates good writing from less effective writing is detail; a look here, a colour there, an observation, a vivid phrase, they all lift the story of the page.

How do you do it? Well, for a start:

* Create details about character. Ask questions about your character. What does your character look like? How does he walk or talk? Does she part her hair? What kind of clothes does he wear? What nasty habits etc? And which facts are relevant? What matters, what does not?

* Create details about your settings. What does your character's living room look like? Is it messy or is it tidy? Are there paintings on the wall etc etc? Create details that bring the settings to life. A story comes alive when the reader can see, smell, taste, hear, and touch the world you’ve created. But if it does not matter that a certain painting is on the wall, don’t mention it.

* Observe and recount - tell the reader what a character is doing, what the weather is doing, if it’s getting dark.

Writing may have changed dramatically since Jane Austen’s day but details made the story then and, used judiciously, they do now.

John Dean

The rules of dialogue

I am thoroughly enjoying a novel at the moment. Its sense of place and people has drawn me into the narrative and you can see why the writer is so celebrated. Venerated, even. Except, for the dialogue, which is stilted and clunky.
It got me thinking about the rules of dialogue. Dialogue is crucial to the success of any story. Good dialogue can make a story, bad dialogue can wreck it, so it is worth bearing in mind some of these rules of conversation and reflecting them in the dialogue that you write. If people talk that way in real life then so they should in your work.
* A lot of the time, we do not speak in correct sentences/we often use short sharp phrases.
* Keep your dialogue crisp - we can tell a lot about a person in a short snap of conversation.
* We interrupt a lot.
* We assume a lot. Not ‘Your brother has been murdered.’
‘What, my brother Brian?’
‘Yes, that’s him. Your only brother. The younger one.’ Keep it realistic.
* Dialogue must take the story on. Only write small talk if you need to, ie showing how tedious a person can be. If you don’t need it, don’t write it. Make sure each word does a job.
* Do not pack dialogue with extraneous information. Dont write like this:
‘I saw William, although everyone calls him Bill, my neighbour of ten years in Acacia Avenue, in Darlington, and observed that he was his normal glum self, to which we - that is my wife, Edith, and I - have grown accustomed in the weeks since his wife left him for a younger man and filed for divorce. I assumed that the darkness which seems to have assailed him since then has not lifted. If you need to slot in that information, find a way of doing it more subtly: ie Saw Bill this morning. His usual gloomy self. The divorce really has knocked him backwards.
 
John Dean

Monday 2 November 2015

Celebrating your successes

A reminder that we have set out to celebrate the achievements of the world’s aspiring writers.
Inscribe Media wants to celebrate success. We will mention as many success stories as we can as part of our blog at www.inscribemedia.co.uk and on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/inscribemedia/?fref=ts
Simply email us the details at deangriss@btinternet.com