Judith Cranswick's Blog
August 1, 2025
Born to Kill
An article about writing unlikeable characters in my monthly writing magazine set me thinking about my own villains. Having written three psychological suspense novels and fourteen travel mysteries, and killed off some twenty or so victims, I suppose I can claim to have some experience in writing murderers. That said, I can’t think of any one of them who I would describe as evil. One of the themes which always seems to creep into my books is how individuals are driven by circumstances – some even provoked – to take violent action.
On the whole, I have a great deal of empathy for my killers - most are weak individuals whose lives have been blighted by their victims. They see the deed as exacting some kind of justice for past wrongs often against their loved ones rather than themselves. Money, ambition, power and control and sex are often cited as the main motivations for fictional murder mysteries. I can think of only one of my characters driven to kill because of greed (Blood Flows South). They are the only significant character I’ve ever written that I never tried to get into their head – to feel their emotion. I did create a psychopath in the early days for one of my psychological suspense novels Watcher in the Shadows. I did spend time with him. I remember thinking about him as I was shopping in town one afternoon and caught sight of myself in one of the large plate glass windows in a shop walking as he would walk. I took a quick embarrassed look around but luckily the street was deserted, and I don’t think anyone saw me.
As my regular blog readers will already know, I am not a plotter. I never know my killer at the start of the novel. Apart from the established characters in my series, all the others develop as the book proceeds. If I make a decision too early, the intended killer can turn round and flatly refuse to do the deed. (If that sounds ridiculous to the non-writer, I can assure you that I am far from the only crime writer who has made that claim.) Besides, it’s much more fun to create four or five suspects and make the final decision in the last few chapters.
Far, far more unlikeable are my victims. They are the only characters I think about in detail at the start. They are all self-obsessed who ruthlessly ride roughshod over all and sundry. A few may have one or two redeeming characteristics, but no reader feels much sympathy when they meet their end. The only ‘innocent victim’ that I have written that I can think of was the geisha who Harry finds stabbed in Undercover Geisha. As a writer, I find the victims are much more fun to write than the majority of secondary characters. I’m not quite sure what that says about me, but let’s not go there. Though it does mean that it takes several chapters to establish their personalities before I can bump them off.
The established patten in crime novels is to have ruthless male killers and hapless female victims. Though I have my fair share of male murderers, by far the majority are women and I probably have a great many more victims who are male than female.
On the whole, I have a great deal of empathy for my killers - most are weak individuals whose lives have been blighted by their victims. They see the deed as exacting some kind of justice for past wrongs often against their loved ones rather than themselves. Money, ambition, power and control and sex are often cited as the main motivations for fictional murder mysteries. I can think of only one of my characters driven to kill because of greed (Blood Flows South). They are the only significant character I’ve ever written that I never tried to get into their head – to feel their emotion. I did create a psychopath in the early days for one of my psychological suspense novels Watcher in the Shadows. I did spend time with him. I remember thinking about him as I was shopping in town one afternoon and caught sight of myself in one of the large plate glass windows in a shop walking as he would walk. I took a quick embarrassed look around but luckily the street was deserted, and I don’t think anyone saw me.
As my regular blog readers will already know, I am not a plotter. I never know my killer at the start of the novel. Apart from the established characters in my series, all the others develop as the book proceeds. If I make a decision too early, the intended killer can turn round and flatly refuse to do the deed. (If that sounds ridiculous to the non-writer, I can assure you that I am far from the only crime writer who has made that claim.) Besides, it’s much more fun to create four or five suspects and make the final decision in the last few chapters.
Far, far more unlikeable are my victims. They are the only characters I think about in detail at the start. They are all self-obsessed who ruthlessly ride roughshod over all and sundry. A few may have one or two redeeming characteristics, but no reader feels much sympathy when they meet their end. The only ‘innocent victim’ that I have written that I can think of was the geisha who Harry finds stabbed in Undercover Geisha. As a writer, I find the victims are much more fun to write than the majority of secondary characters. I’m not quite sure what that says about me, but let’s not go there. Though it does mean that it takes several chapters to establish their personalities before I can bump them off.
The established patten in crime novels is to have ruthless male killers and hapless female victims. Though I have my fair share of male murderers, by far the majority are women and I probably have a great many more victims who are male than female.
October 5, 2016
Two Nations Divided by a Common Language
One of the great advantages of eBook publishing is that even a first time novelist can now access a global market without difficulty. EBooks are just as easy to download in America, Canada and Australia as they are here in Britain. However, this has definite consequences which we writers need to bear in mind. Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw and Winston Churchill have all commented on the confusion that arises in the differences in our use of language on either side of the Atlantic.
As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, my first few novels were published as print books only. It never occurred to me that they would ever reach a worldwide audience. I was writing for a British audience. Even now, I suppose I still do, but it is something I am very aware of as I edit my first draft. After all, I have more downloads of my books when they are on free promotion in America than in Britain and my American sales are rising steadily.
We Brits tend to be aware of Americanisms because of the vast amount of American films and television programmes that we watch. For that reason we probably have less difficult reading novels by American writers that the other way round. So it follows that we British writers need to ensure that our American readers are not confused by words with which they are not so familiar.
Things are changing. These days, on both sides of the Atlantic, we are aware of common differences in word use such as pavement/side walk; car boot/trunk; car number plate/licence plate; rubbish/trash and so on. Nonetheless, we British writers need to ensure that our use of words and expressions are clear from their context.
PantsTwenty five years ago my husband went on a business trip to San Diego. He was taken aback when he went to pay his hotel bill and was presented with an eye-watering laundry bill for a few shirts and underwear. When he came to examine it, he realised that in filling in the form, he had ticked seven pairs of pants. These days, the pants/trousers confusion probably wouldn’t have occurred.
I suppose I became aware of the problems that can arise relatively early in my writing career. Soon after the publication of my first novel, I went on a river cruise on the Danube. Making the most of the opportunity, I put a copy of my book in the ship’s library. There were several Americans among my fellow passengers. One day, I was approached by a very distraught American saying he was very surprised at my use of swear words in my book. That took me by surprise. I write cosies, that is books with no gratuitous violence or swearing. True my psychological suspense novels are more edgy than the mysteries, but I could think of nothing that he could find so offensive in All in the Mind. He opened the book and pointed to the offending word. He wouldn’t even say it. My character had just come into the house laden with heavy carrier bags of shopping and tripped over a grip left near the door. This sent her careering across the corridor into the wall injuring her elbow. I doubt in real life that she would have said, ‘Oh dear.’ What I had her say was ‘Shit.’ The English passengers around me found the American’s scandalised reaction very funny and began to laugh. One of them tried to explain that in England the word is quite mild as expletives go. I’m not sure he was ever convinced. His objection may have been personal rather than typically American, nonetheless, it has made me very wary about the language I use. What are deemed offensive words by one nation may seem mild to the other. I now have an American beta reader who helps keep me on the straight and narrow.
Some writers may believe that such things do not matter. But my advice is ignore the problem at your peril. A British writer friend of mine received the following one star review – ‘Full of British slang and confusing terms to us Americans. Not sure how you wind the lead to put a Hoover in a cupboard (what is that?) and “lounge cum kitchen” really sounds unappetizing, unless you’re in a brothel.’ It did not help that this was the first review for his book on Amazon.com.
Out of interest, Wikipedia has a Glossary of British terms not widely used in the United States which some British writers might find useful.
acronymsOne of the biggest problems I have as a reader is with acronyms. They are bad enough anyway, but those related specifically to American organisations often leave me confused In the book by an American writer that I’m currently reading, I’ve had to look up several but though I’ve Googled “ORI” and “ICE”, I am still none the wiser. As far as I can determine from the context, they are both related to official bodies dealing with pharmaceuticals. The problem works both ways. I’m very conscious of them in my own writing. For example, in the novel I’m currently writing, it would sound totally unnatural for my characters to constantly refer to the Irish Republican Army rather that the IRA. One solution is to write the name out in full the first time and use the acronym thereafter. But that is not as easy or natural as it sounds. Will they remember 100 pages later? More often than not, I end up writing the name in full in square brackets after the acronym as in PIRA [Provisional Irish Republican Army] and the CIRA [Continuity Irish Republican Army]. It seems rather clumsy, but I can’t think of a better way of doing it. Does anyone have any suggestions?
And I haven’t even begun to mentioned the differences in spelling! That’s a whole issue on it’s own.
As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, my first few novels were published as print books only. It never occurred to me that they would ever reach a worldwide audience. I was writing for a British audience. Even now, I suppose I still do, but it is something I am very aware of as I edit my first draft. After all, I have more downloads of my books when they are on free promotion in America than in Britain and my American sales are rising steadily.
We Brits tend to be aware of Americanisms because of the vast amount of American films and television programmes that we watch. For that reason we probably have less difficult reading novels by American writers that the other way round. So it follows that we British writers need to ensure that our American readers are not confused by words with which they are not so familiar.
Things are changing. These days, on both sides of the Atlantic, we are aware of common differences in word use such as pavement/side walk; car boot/trunk; car number plate/licence plate; rubbish/trash and so on. Nonetheless, we British writers need to ensure that our use of words and expressions are clear from their context.
PantsTwenty five years ago my husband went on a business trip to San Diego. He was taken aback when he went to pay his hotel bill and was presented with an eye-watering laundry bill for a few shirts and underwear. When he came to examine it, he realised that in filling in the form, he had ticked seven pairs of pants. These days, the pants/trousers confusion probably wouldn’t have occurred.
I suppose I became aware of the problems that can arise relatively early in my writing career. Soon after the publication of my first novel, I went on a river cruise on the Danube. Making the most of the opportunity, I put a copy of my book in the ship’s library. There were several Americans among my fellow passengers. One day, I was approached by a very distraught American saying he was very surprised at my use of swear words in my book. That took me by surprise. I write cosies, that is books with no gratuitous violence or swearing. True my psychological suspense novels are more edgy than the mysteries, but I could think of nothing that he could find so offensive in All in the Mind. He opened the book and pointed to the offending word. He wouldn’t even say it. My character had just come into the house laden with heavy carrier bags of shopping and tripped over a grip left near the door. This sent her careering across the corridor into the wall injuring her elbow. I doubt in real life that she would have said, ‘Oh dear.’ What I had her say was ‘Shit.’ The English passengers around me found the American’s scandalised reaction very funny and began to laugh. One of them tried to explain that in England the word is quite mild as expletives go. I’m not sure he was ever convinced. His objection may have been personal rather than typically American, nonetheless, it has made me very wary about the language I use. What are deemed offensive words by one nation may seem mild to the other. I now have an American beta reader who helps keep me on the straight and narrow.
Some writers may believe that such things do not matter. But my advice is ignore the problem at your peril. A British writer friend of mine received the following one star review – ‘Full of British slang and confusing terms to us Americans. Not sure how you wind the lead to put a Hoover in a cupboard (what is that?) and “lounge cum kitchen” really sounds unappetizing, unless you’re in a brothel.’ It did not help that this was the first review for his book on Amazon.com.
Out of interest, Wikipedia has a Glossary of British terms not widely used in the United States which some British writers might find useful.
acronymsOne of the biggest problems I have as a reader is with acronyms. They are bad enough anyway, but those related specifically to American organisations often leave me confused In the book by an American writer that I’m currently reading, I’ve had to look up several but though I’ve Googled “ORI” and “ICE”, I am still none the wiser. As far as I can determine from the context, they are both related to official bodies dealing with pharmaceuticals. The problem works both ways. I’m very conscious of them in my own writing. For example, in the novel I’m currently writing, it would sound totally unnatural for my characters to constantly refer to the Irish Republican Army rather that the IRA. One solution is to write the name out in full the first time and use the acronym thereafter. But that is not as easy or natural as it sounds. Will they remember 100 pages later? More often than not, I end up writing the name in full in square brackets after the acronym as in PIRA [Provisional Irish Republican Army] and the CIRA [Continuity Irish Republican Army]. It seems rather clumsy, but I can’t think of a better way of doing it. Does anyone have any suggestions?
And I haven’t even begun to mentioned the differences in spelling! That’s a whole issue on it’s own.
July 11, 2016
The Novelist and Depression – Dealing with the Downside
We fiction writers are sensitive people – we live on our emotions. We create characters and, if we want to make them to be real for our readers, we see the world through their eyes. We put our protagonist through all kinds of misery. One problem after another. If we didn’t there would be no story. The more we experience our character’s pain, the better the writing will be. We train ourselves to feel the grief, the despair, the anguish. Is it any wonder that we fall victim to a certain level of despondency when life hands us a bad deal? Life is never fair. I like to claim that I’m a glass half full person, trying to see the best side and count my many blessings, but there are times when I don’t succeed.
At some point, most fiction writers feel that life is stacked against them. We are faced with so many knocks – rejections from agents and publishing houses, bad reviews or simply periods when the writing is just not going well. These all conspire to make us doubt our abilities. The resulting state of self-pity and lack of confidence may not be clinical depression, but, if we let it fester, it soon leads to an overwhelming feeling of failure. We might even be tempted to give up writing altogether.
THE REJECTIONS
The number of writers who have been accepted by an agent or publisher on their first enquiry are very few. We all know the stories of famous writers some of whom were turned down over fifty times or more. J K Rowling, Steven King and John le Carré were all rejected time after time. It took Agatha Christie five years before she was accepted, and her book sales are now in excess of $2 billion. Only William Shakespeare has sold more. Beatrix Potter never did find a publisher and decided to self-publish Peter Rabbit. A book which surely must rate as one of the best known and loved children’s stories of all time.
Many writers may be quite philosophical about receiving rejection letters or emails. We all know such things should not be taken personally, but for most of us, that doesn’t heal the hurt. The quote I love best is from the great Science Fiction writer, Isaac Asimov – ‘Rejections slips, or form letters, however tactfully phrased, are lacerations of the soul, if not quite inventions of the devil.’
When I first started writing, the thud of that heavy envelope dropping through the letter box often came so soon after the precious manuscript had been sent away that there could barely have been time to pull it out and put it straight into the return envelope. It didn’t even get as far as the slush pile on the agent’s desk. Nowadays, email makes things cheaper, but the frustration is still there. When it wings back almost straight away, one could be forgiven for asking if anyone had actually bothered open the attachment? Either that or it disappears into the ether never to be seen or heard of again!
You can only take so much rejection. Is it any wonder that so many of today’s writers bypass the system and decide to selfpublish? After all, there is no longer a stigma to being an indie writer.
THE REVIEW FROM HELL
If our books are going to find new readers, we need good reviews. We learn to accept constructive criticism right at the start of our careers, but some reviews are downright vindictive.
These are some of the one* reviews I found on Amazon –
‘Not my kind of book’ – so why bother to download it?
‘Give me time to read it’ – why rate it if you haven’t read it?
‘Rubbish – didn’t read beyond the first page’ – so how do you know?
Virtually all of us have experienced a bad review at some point, whether you are well-known bestselling author or one the many struggling writers. It goes with the territory. The odd poor one* or two* is no problem if the average rating is well above the four* ranking. When it can do real damage is when a book first comes out. That happened with one of my books and to several writer friends. The misery it causes bites deeply. It can take a very long time to get over the hurdle.
WRITERS’ BLOCK
There are many things that can stop us writing. Illness, other commitments and, sometimes, not knowing where to go next – the dreaded writers’ block.
If you’ve read my recent blogs, you’ll know that my writing had to take a back seat for much of the last year and for six months, I wasn’t able to look at it all. I’d abandoned ‘Blood Hits the Wall’ very much at its final stages, so when I got back, it wasn’t so much getting back into writing mode as to getting the book ready for publication. The launch was a few days ago, I will no longer have an excuse. I will have to pick myself up and get on with the next Fiona Mason.
The trouble is, I have to confess that I haven’t yet worked up the enthusiasm. Normally I can’t wait to get started on a new book. Ideas tumble over one another. First comes the country together with a plot for Fiona and one for Peter Montgomery-Jones, then the other passengers begin to take shape.
I can’t say I’m depressed about it, but it certainly doesn’t add to my sense of wellbeing. Nor does it bode well for the future.
THE ENDING
When we fall into that ‘slough of despond’, we need to remind ourselves that we always give our readers a happy ending. The murderer is discovered, the heroine gets her man, the goal is reached and the future for our protagonist looks bright.
We’ve been here before and things work out right in the end. There is no reason why the next book should be any less successful than the previous ones.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
I know I’m not alone in my self-doubt. What are the things that get you down? What helps you get over it?
At some point, most fiction writers feel that life is stacked against them. We are faced with so many knocks – rejections from agents and publishing houses, bad reviews or simply periods when the writing is just not going well. These all conspire to make us doubt our abilities. The resulting state of self-pity and lack of confidence may not be clinical depression, but, if we let it fester, it soon leads to an overwhelming feeling of failure. We might even be tempted to give up writing altogether.
THE REJECTIONS
The number of writers who have been accepted by an agent or publisher on their first enquiry are very few. We all know the stories of famous writers some of whom were turned down over fifty times or more. J K Rowling, Steven King and John le Carré were all rejected time after time. It took Agatha Christie five years before she was accepted, and her book sales are now in excess of $2 billion. Only William Shakespeare has sold more. Beatrix Potter never did find a publisher and decided to self-publish Peter Rabbit. A book which surely must rate as one of the best known and loved children’s stories of all time.
Many writers may be quite philosophical about receiving rejection letters or emails. We all know such things should not be taken personally, but for most of us, that doesn’t heal the hurt. The quote I love best is from the great Science Fiction writer, Isaac Asimov – ‘Rejections slips, or form letters, however tactfully phrased, are lacerations of the soul, if not quite inventions of the devil.’
When I first started writing, the thud of that heavy envelope dropping through the letter box often came so soon after the precious manuscript had been sent away that there could barely have been time to pull it out and put it straight into the return envelope. It didn’t even get as far as the slush pile on the agent’s desk. Nowadays, email makes things cheaper, but the frustration is still there. When it wings back almost straight away, one could be forgiven for asking if anyone had actually bothered open the attachment? Either that or it disappears into the ether never to be seen or heard of again!
You can only take so much rejection. Is it any wonder that so many of today’s writers bypass the system and decide to selfpublish? After all, there is no longer a stigma to being an indie writer.
THE REVIEW FROM HELL
If our books are going to find new readers, we need good reviews. We learn to accept constructive criticism right at the start of our careers, but some reviews are downright vindictive.
These are some of the one* reviews I found on Amazon –
‘Not my kind of book’ – so why bother to download it?
‘Give me time to read it’ – why rate it if you haven’t read it?
‘Rubbish – didn’t read beyond the first page’ – so how do you know?
Virtually all of us have experienced a bad review at some point, whether you are well-known bestselling author or one the many struggling writers. It goes with the territory. The odd poor one* or two* is no problem if the average rating is well above the four* ranking. When it can do real damage is when a book first comes out. That happened with one of my books and to several writer friends. The misery it causes bites deeply. It can take a very long time to get over the hurdle.
WRITERS’ BLOCK
There are many things that can stop us writing. Illness, other commitments and, sometimes, not knowing where to go next – the dreaded writers’ block.
If you’ve read my recent blogs, you’ll know that my writing had to take a back seat for much of the last year and for six months, I wasn’t able to look at it all. I’d abandoned ‘Blood Hits the Wall’ very much at its final stages, so when I got back, it wasn’t so much getting back into writing mode as to getting the book ready for publication. The launch was a few days ago, I will no longer have an excuse. I will have to pick myself up and get on with the next Fiona Mason.
The trouble is, I have to confess that I haven’t yet worked up the enthusiasm. Normally I can’t wait to get started on a new book. Ideas tumble over one another. First comes the country together with a plot for Fiona and one for Peter Montgomery-Jones, then the other passengers begin to take shape.
I can’t say I’m depressed about it, but it certainly doesn’t add to my sense of wellbeing. Nor does it bode well for the future.
THE ENDING
When we fall into that ‘slough of despond’, we need to remind ourselves that we always give our readers a happy ending. The murderer is discovered, the heroine gets her man, the goal is reached and the future for our protagonist looks bright.
We’ve been here before and things work out right in the end. There is no reason why the next book should be any less successful than the previous ones.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
I know I’m not alone in my self-doubt. What are the things that get you down? What helps you get over it?
March 4, 2016
Has the EBook Changed the Way We Write?
Novel writing has always evolved. I’m not talking about changes in fashion – the prevalence of Science Fiction in the 1960s, the rise of the Fantasy Novel, the misery memoirs, the Vampire novel and the Dystopian novel. Each decade popular fiction embraces a new genre. My belief is that today’s writers are adapting their writing style to ensure that their novels meet the changing requirements of the eBook. For many novelists, especially indie writers, eBook sales far outweigh physical book sales and an increasing number of novels are only ever published in eBook form. Writers cannot afford to ignore the demands of the eBook.
Format
The most obvious difference between the book and the eBook is the way it fits on the page. Fewer words can be fitted onto the eBook page and it needs more white space to make it easy on the eye. So paragraphs have to become shorter. Even scene and chapters breaks come more frequently. It’s also a fact that novels have become much shorter. Check the number of pages of novels published this year compared with ten years ago. Many recent books are padded out at the end with the opening chapters of another novel so do compare like with like.
Style
You could argue that these changes are the result of the changes in readers’ habits. The idea of leisurely curling up with a good book and a cup of coffee (or glass of wine) has been replaced by snatched moments with the eBook while travelling to and from work. As writers, we have always needed to ensure we hold our readers’ attention but the distractions of reading in a public place have exacerbated this requirement. Today’s novels are pacier than they’ve ever been. Whether consciously or unconsciously our writing styles adapt. Even if we only use eReaders on holiday, writers are readers and we cannot help but be influenced by the books we love to read. If there is a trend, we will inevitably be steered towards it – knowingly or unknowingly. I confess it has crept up on me. I’m in the final throws of publishing 'Blood Hits the Wall' and it was only when I downloaded it onto my Kindle to see how it looked on the page that I realised. Yes – some paragraphs do fill the page. The ‘rules’ of paragraphing means that I can’t just chop them in half. It will take a rethink and a rewrite. Overlong descriptions stand out and need to be amended accordingly. Would I have bothered for the paperback? There would have been no need.
Covers
My first four novels were published in book form before the eBook boom. I spent a long time sorting out what I wanted for my covers. I visited bookstores and libraries studying which covers were eye-catching at a distance as well as in the hand. Two of them were part of a series. Naturally, I wanted to continue the look and the style of the earlier novels, but do they work as tiny thumbprints on that all-important Amazon page? In all honesty, no. For a start, the titles are too small. I just haven’t got round to changing them. Part of that reluctance is because I like my old covers but, more importantly, I can’t think of a suitable alternative. Many writers are now adopting different covers for their eBooks when they produce their early novels in electronic form. I wonder if they change the internal format too – dividing long paragraphs into two and so on. I know I have – even if I haven’t changed the cover. I wonder if anyone has made significant differences between the book and the eBook versions of their novels. Does anyone know? Have you done it?
End padding.
Today’s eBooks, especially from indie authors always end with a request for a review. Not something we would ever thought of doing with a physical book. And how about those opening chapters of the next in the series that I mentioned earlier? Personally I find them annoying. With a physical book, I can always tell how near the end I am. EBooks can be deceiving with their ‘time to end’ or percentage read. Just when I’m settling down to read the last 10%, the novel ends and I’m not ready! There may be as many as three chapters of another novel. I know the theory – they help to encourage the reader to buy the next in the series – but does anyone bother? If I start a book, I want to finish. If I like the book I’ve just read, I may well decide to buy another. Reading the start of another is not going to change that decision. Besides, even if I do choose to download another by the same author, I will want to read something by another author before I reading it, however good the first was.
What else?
Does the fact that eBook market is now much more global than ever influence our choice of vocabulary? I am conscious of not using some words my American readers might find puzzling or obscure. Though my novels can be classed as cosy because they don’t contain bad language, I am conscious of the fact that some swear words that might be deemed mild by British standards, are not considered such in America. I’ve not heard or read of anyone else mentioning this phenomena. Is it only me? There are probably several other subtle changes that I’ve missed. Perhaps you’ve never thought about these things until now. I would dearly love to hear your views.
See blog on my website - www.judithcranswick.co.uk
Format
The most obvious difference between the book and the eBook is the way it fits on the page. Fewer words can be fitted onto the eBook page and it needs more white space to make it easy on the eye. So paragraphs have to become shorter. Even scene and chapters breaks come more frequently. It’s also a fact that novels have become much shorter. Check the number of pages of novels published this year compared with ten years ago. Many recent books are padded out at the end with the opening chapters of another novel so do compare like with like.
Style
You could argue that these changes are the result of the changes in readers’ habits. The idea of leisurely curling up with a good book and a cup of coffee (or glass of wine) has been replaced by snatched moments with the eBook while travelling to and from work. As writers, we have always needed to ensure we hold our readers’ attention but the distractions of reading in a public place have exacerbated this requirement. Today’s novels are pacier than they’ve ever been. Whether consciously or unconsciously our writing styles adapt. Even if we only use eReaders on holiday, writers are readers and we cannot help but be influenced by the books we love to read. If there is a trend, we will inevitably be steered towards it – knowingly or unknowingly. I confess it has crept up on me. I’m in the final throws of publishing 'Blood Hits the Wall' and it was only when I downloaded it onto my Kindle to see how it looked on the page that I realised. Yes – some paragraphs do fill the page. The ‘rules’ of paragraphing means that I can’t just chop them in half. It will take a rethink and a rewrite. Overlong descriptions stand out and need to be amended accordingly. Would I have bothered for the paperback? There would have been no need.
Covers
My first four novels were published in book form before the eBook boom. I spent a long time sorting out what I wanted for my covers. I visited bookstores and libraries studying which covers were eye-catching at a distance as well as in the hand. Two of them were part of a series. Naturally, I wanted to continue the look and the style of the earlier novels, but do they work as tiny thumbprints on that all-important Amazon page? In all honesty, no. For a start, the titles are too small. I just haven’t got round to changing them. Part of that reluctance is because I like my old covers but, more importantly, I can’t think of a suitable alternative. Many writers are now adopting different covers for their eBooks when they produce their early novels in electronic form. I wonder if they change the internal format too – dividing long paragraphs into two and so on. I know I have – even if I haven’t changed the cover. I wonder if anyone has made significant differences between the book and the eBook versions of their novels. Does anyone know? Have you done it?
End padding.
Today’s eBooks, especially from indie authors always end with a request for a review. Not something we would ever thought of doing with a physical book. And how about those opening chapters of the next in the series that I mentioned earlier? Personally I find them annoying. With a physical book, I can always tell how near the end I am. EBooks can be deceiving with their ‘time to end’ or percentage read. Just when I’m settling down to read the last 10%, the novel ends and I’m not ready! There may be as many as three chapters of another novel. I know the theory – they help to encourage the reader to buy the next in the series – but does anyone bother? If I start a book, I want to finish. If I like the book I’ve just read, I may well decide to buy another. Reading the start of another is not going to change that decision. Besides, even if I do choose to download another by the same author, I will want to read something by another author before I reading it, however good the first was.
What else?
Does the fact that eBook market is now much more global than ever influence our choice of vocabulary? I am conscious of not using some words my American readers might find puzzling or obscure. Though my novels can be classed as cosy because they don’t contain bad language, I am conscious of the fact that some swear words that might be deemed mild by British standards, are not considered such in America. I’ve not heard or read of anyone else mentioning this phenomena. Is it only me? There are probably several other subtle changes that I’ve missed. Perhaps you’ve never thought about these things until now. I would dearly love to hear your views.
See blog on my website - www.judithcranswick.co.uk
November 1, 2015
What Does Your Fiction Say About You?
Readers often identify the main protagonist in a novel with the author, especially if it is a series character.
I’m guilty of that myself. One of my favourite writers is Zoe Sharp. Her main character, ex-Special Forces Charlie Fox appears in the first novel Killer Instinct teaching self-defence but in the later novels she works as a bodyguard. Ever since I first met Zoe, as I read the novels I can’t help picturing Charlie as Zoe. The two have much in common. Charlie is a gun-toting maverick always jumping on her powerful motor bike. Amongst her hobbies Zoe cites “fast cars (and faster motorbikes) and target shooting.” I’m not sure about the maverick bit, but she and her husband did build their own house in the Lake District. At one of her talks, she mentioned that in the process she managed she cut off the top of her finger. When her husband rushed over she put out a hand to stop him with the command, ‘Let me see how the blood drips.’ The things people do for their art! If you’ve never read a Zoe Sharp novel try Roadkill and you’ll see what I mean about bikes!
It’s a well-known claim that the first novel of a great many writers is autobiographical. Up to a point, it’s easy to see why. The protagonist tends to react to situations in the same way that the author would. The character tends to have the same interests, to share similar experiences and use the same vocabulary. It’s inevitable. We write what we know.
Thinking about the main character in my novels, Sarah, in my first published novel All in the Mind and I, undoubtedly share a great deal; our strong faith for one. The things that are important to her are to me and although I was not a college principal, I was a head teacher with first-hand experience of difficult faculty and governor meetings. To a much lesser extent than Sarah, I too know the struggle of trying to make my mark in a male dominated environment. The problem that I faced was that my readers assumed it was considerably more autobiographical than it was. I was constantly having to explain that Nathan was nothing like my husband and that I was very happily married, I get on very well with my two brothers and that my parents had nothing in common with Sarah’s.
To a greater or lesser extent, all writers pepper their novels with things they have experienced. As you might expect, I have spent a holiday, more often than not as a coach tour, covering the same territory as in each of my Fiona Mason Mysteries. It’s impossible to write convincingly about areas I’ve never visited. The same goes for the Galapagos Islands and the Amazon Eco lodge in A Death too Far. However, it’s the little things that happen on those holidays that find their way into the novels that help to add a touch of realism. For example on our coach trip to the Rhine Valley that forms the setting for Blood in the Wine, like one of my characters, I did slip down the last two steps of the fire escape stairs and rick my ankle. As I was writing the book, I realised that the incident would be an excellent way of achieving something that I needed to happen later in the plot. Those of you who have read the book will know what I’m talking about. There is a danger of attempting to include all sorts of minor if interesting occurrences but, as all writers know, nothing can be included that is not relevant to the plot.
Writers are often castigated for the views held by their characters particularly those of the protagonist as though they express the views of the author her- or himself. However illogical, the instinct of the reader is marry the two. In these days of social media when there are pictures of the writer on their Facebook page, website and blog etc, one can see why. If a main character is the same sex and similar age, the reader tends to picture the author as they read. I do it myself.
As we write, we see the situation through the eyes of our character – that’s what makes good writing – but how much do we as writers identify with our creations? Are we conscious of it as we write? To what extent does it affect us as writers? It was while I was writing Watcher in the Shadows that one day when I was walking down the High Street in Old Town, I caught sight of myself in the plate-glass window of a shop I was passing. I was walking like my psychopathic Watcher! I glanced guiltily around but I don’t think anyone else had noticed!
If not like us, are our characters people we would like to be? Do they achieve things, have experiences we aspire to? More importantly, do we ever let our protagonist do something we would never do not because we haven’t the courage but because it would go against the things we hold dear?
If I’m honest, in my case, the answer is probably, no.
For an illustrated version of this post, see my website - www.judithcranswick.co.uk
I’m guilty of that myself. One of my favourite writers is Zoe Sharp. Her main character, ex-Special Forces Charlie Fox appears in the first novel Killer Instinct teaching self-defence but in the later novels she works as a bodyguard. Ever since I first met Zoe, as I read the novels I can’t help picturing Charlie as Zoe. The two have much in common. Charlie is a gun-toting maverick always jumping on her powerful motor bike. Amongst her hobbies Zoe cites “fast cars (and faster motorbikes) and target shooting.” I’m not sure about the maverick bit, but she and her husband did build their own house in the Lake District. At one of her talks, she mentioned that in the process she managed she cut off the top of her finger. When her husband rushed over she put out a hand to stop him with the command, ‘Let me see how the blood drips.’ The things people do for their art! If you’ve never read a Zoe Sharp novel try Roadkill and you’ll see what I mean about bikes!
It’s a well-known claim that the first novel of a great many writers is autobiographical. Up to a point, it’s easy to see why. The protagonist tends to react to situations in the same way that the author would. The character tends to have the same interests, to share similar experiences and use the same vocabulary. It’s inevitable. We write what we know.
Thinking about the main character in my novels, Sarah, in my first published novel All in the Mind and I, undoubtedly share a great deal; our strong faith for one. The things that are important to her are to me and although I was not a college principal, I was a head teacher with first-hand experience of difficult faculty and governor meetings. To a much lesser extent than Sarah, I too know the struggle of trying to make my mark in a male dominated environment. The problem that I faced was that my readers assumed it was considerably more autobiographical than it was. I was constantly having to explain that Nathan was nothing like my husband and that I was very happily married, I get on very well with my two brothers and that my parents had nothing in common with Sarah’s.
To a greater or lesser extent, all writers pepper their novels with things they have experienced. As you might expect, I have spent a holiday, more often than not as a coach tour, covering the same territory as in each of my Fiona Mason Mysteries. It’s impossible to write convincingly about areas I’ve never visited. The same goes for the Galapagos Islands and the Amazon Eco lodge in A Death too Far. However, it’s the little things that happen on those holidays that find their way into the novels that help to add a touch of realism. For example on our coach trip to the Rhine Valley that forms the setting for Blood in the Wine, like one of my characters, I did slip down the last two steps of the fire escape stairs and rick my ankle. As I was writing the book, I realised that the incident would be an excellent way of achieving something that I needed to happen later in the plot. Those of you who have read the book will know what I’m talking about. There is a danger of attempting to include all sorts of minor if interesting occurrences but, as all writers know, nothing can be included that is not relevant to the plot.
Writers are often castigated for the views held by their characters particularly those of the protagonist as though they express the views of the author her- or himself. However illogical, the instinct of the reader is marry the two. In these days of social media when there are pictures of the writer on their Facebook page, website and blog etc, one can see why. If a main character is the same sex and similar age, the reader tends to picture the author as they read. I do it myself.
As we write, we see the situation through the eyes of our character – that’s what makes good writing – but how much do we as writers identify with our creations? Are we conscious of it as we write? To what extent does it affect us as writers? It was while I was writing Watcher in the Shadows that one day when I was walking down the High Street in Old Town, I caught sight of myself in the plate-glass window of a shop I was passing. I was walking like my psychopathic Watcher! I glanced guiltily around but I don’t think anyone else had noticed!
If not like us, are our characters people we would like to be? Do they achieve things, have experiences we aspire to? More importantly, do we ever let our protagonist do something we would never do not because we haven’t the courage but because it would go against the things we hold dear?
If I’m honest, in my case, the answer is probably, no.
For an illustrated version of this post, see my website - www.judithcranswick.co.uk
October 17, 2015
A Thirst For Research
Creating a novel involves a great deal more than sitting at the keyboard and typing away. There is always a vast amount of research. If you slipup putting a well-known building in the wrong place, a flower blooming in the wrong season or describe a journey that could not be done in so short a time, you will lose all credibility. Lose that, and you lose your reader.
Research is more than a quick Google. We all know that research can become time consuming but, like the majority of writers, it’s something I do enjoy.
The Setting
It’s no surprise that many writers set their novels in environments with which they are familiar. Ex-jockey Dick Francis wrote about the world of horse racing, Tess Gerritsen trained as worked as a doctor providing the background to her medical thrillers and John Grisham’sexperience of working in a law office flavour his legal thrillers.
For many of us, researching the setting can take some time. My Fiona Mason Mysteries have a tour manager for a coach company as the main character and I have spoken to countless tour managers over the years, spent a day at a coach company checking details and was allowed to attend an interview and training day for a leading coach tour company.
Those who choose to write police procedurals but who have never worked in the police force need to do extensive research. Graham Hurley spent several weeks working with detectives in Portsmouth for his crime novels featuring DI Joe Faraday. All of us crime novelists need a pet policeman. Luckily for me, my brother was in the CID and ran the murder room. I may not write police procedurals, but I have attended talks on crime scene investigation. It’s what we crime writers do.
By the same token, those who write historical crime must steep themselves in their chosen past and those like me who chose to set each of their novels in a foreign country need to spend considerable amounts of time getting to know the area they are writing about. What better excuse can there be for a holiday?
Consulting the Experts
Each novel takes you into new territories and the need to talk to experts in the field. For example, with ‘A Death Too Far’, I needed to speak to a coroner’s officer, a tropical plant expert, a forensic archaeologist, a fire officer and interview someone who’d had a serious house fire. Writing ‘Blood and Chocolate’ I found someone who worked for NATO in Brussels and was familiar with the British Embassy in Brussels.
You meet people by chance. I now have a finger-print expert, a gun expert and yesterday I met someone who worked for a private investigation company whom I can consult as and when. On a cruise holiday some years ago, we had dinner with an anaesthetist and his wife who had been his scrub nurse – the same relationship as my character and her deceased husband. I didn’t have specific questions that needed answering but it was an excellent opportunity to get greater insight into a world unfamiliar to me.
Killing can be trickyBack in April 2014, I wrote a blog entitled, ‘Killing Can Be a Tricky Business’ about the need for research into things such as poisons and toxicology, guns and methods of killing. Many household objects may be labelled poisonous but how much is needed? How can it be administered? Does it taste or smell? How long does it take to work? Is death instant or does it take months. What access does your murderer have poisons?
The popularity of television programmes such as ‘CSI’ and ‘Waking the Dead’ means that the general public are now familiar with the use of DNA profiling, blood splatter patterns, gunshot residue and the like in crime detection. I have several books on forensics on my shelves and have completed three courses and attended several lectures on the subject over the years.
Yesterday I was at the Culham Science near Abingdon for a U3A study day on forensic science. It was an excellent day and although I had no specific questions related to my current writing that needed answering, the opportunity to learn more was one too good to miss.
Being a writer means that you never waste opportunities. Our local hospital holds open days and there is always the possibility that time spent in the x-ray and scanning department may come in useful.
A Writer’s Perspective.
As all writers will tell you, our characters are shaped by the events that happen to them in the novel, but are we shaped by the fact that we have become writers?
Despite the fact that I wrote my first novel many years ago when my children were toddlers (it now lies lost at the back of a drawer somewhere), I am not a career novelist. When my youngest started school and I went back to teaching fulltime and there was no longer time for writing. My first book wasn’t published until I retired. Perhaps that’s why I notice how being a writer has moulded me in different ways.
I look at things differently. I’m a much keener observer of all sorts of details than I ever was. The way sunlight sparkles on water, the sounds and smells of the busy street, the eeriness of that same street when it’s deserted in late evening.
I don’t take characters from real life but nonethess I find myself looking at people and thinking, ‘that hairstyle is perfect for character A,’ or ‘that chap’s chinstrap beard is just what I need for so-and-so’.
Yesterday at the forensic study day, I seemed to be the only one furiously making notes. Understandable I suppose but it made me aware of how I’m always scribbling away. Our holiday last month was a cruise to the Adriatic and Aegean – a holiday, not a research trip or one where I was lecturing. Nonetheless, during the port talks, I was making notes. (I’m a newly qualified port lecturer.) When we went out on trips, I was making notes. It’s become second nature!
Can you tell a writer? Do we behave differently from other folk? I wonder.
Research is more than a quick Google. We all know that research can become time consuming but, like the majority of writers, it’s something I do enjoy.
The Setting
It’s no surprise that many writers set their novels in environments with which they are familiar. Ex-jockey Dick Francis wrote about the world of horse racing, Tess Gerritsen trained as worked as a doctor providing the background to her medical thrillers and John Grisham’sexperience of working in a law office flavour his legal thrillers.
For many of us, researching the setting can take some time. My Fiona Mason Mysteries have a tour manager for a coach company as the main character and I have spoken to countless tour managers over the years, spent a day at a coach company checking details and was allowed to attend an interview and training day for a leading coach tour company.
Those who choose to write police procedurals but who have never worked in the police force need to do extensive research. Graham Hurley spent several weeks working with detectives in Portsmouth for his crime novels featuring DI Joe Faraday. All of us crime novelists need a pet policeman. Luckily for me, my brother was in the CID and ran the murder room. I may not write police procedurals, but I have attended talks on crime scene investigation. It’s what we crime writers do.
By the same token, those who write historical crime must steep themselves in their chosen past and those like me who chose to set each of their novels in a foreign country need to spend considerable amounts of time getting to know the area they are writing about. What better excuse can there be for a holiday?
Consulting the Experts
Each novel takes you into new territories and the need to talk to experts in the field. For example, with ‘A Death Too Far’, I needed to speak to a coroner’s officer, a tropical plant expert, a forensic archaeologist, a fire officer and interview someone who’d had a serious house fire. Writing ‘Blood and Chocolate’ I found someone who worked for NATO in Brussels and was familiar with the British Embassy in Brussels.
You meet people by chance. I now have a finger-print expert, a gun expert and yesterday I met someone who worked for a private investigation company whom I can consult as and when. On a cruise holiday some years ago, we had dinner with an anaesthetist and his wife who had been his scrub nurse – the same relationship as my character and her deceased husband. I didn’t have specific questions that needed answering but it was an excellent opportunity to get greater insight into a world unfamiliar to me.
Killing can be trickyBack in April 2014, I wrote a blog entitled, ‘Killing Can Be a Tricky Business’ about the need for research into things such as poisons and toxicology, guns and methods of killing. Many household objects may be labelled poisonous but how much is needed? How can it be administered? Does it taste or smell? How long does it take to work? Is death instant or does it take months. What access does your murderer have poisons?
The popularity of television programmes such as ‘CSI’ and ‘Waking the Dead’ means that the general public are now familiar with the use of DNA profiling, blood splatter patterns, gunshot residue and the like in crime detection. I have several books on forensics on my shelves and have completed three courses and attended several lectures on the subject over the years.
Yesterday I was at the Culham Science near Abingdon for a U3A study day on forensic science. It was an excellent day and although I had no specific questions related to my current writing that needed answering, the opportunity to learn more was one too good to miss.
Being a writer means that you never waste opportunities. Our local hospital holds open days and there is always the possibility that time spent in the x-ray and scanning department may come in useful.
A Writer’s Perspective.
As all writers will tell you, our characters are shaped by the events that happen to them in the novel, but are we shaped by the fact that we have become writers?
Despite the fact that I wrote my first novel many years ago when my children were toddlers (it now lies lost at the back of a drawer somewhere), I am not a career novelist. When my youngest started school and I went back to teaching fulltime and there was no longer time for writing. My first book wasn’t published until I retired. Perhaps that’s why I notice how being a writer has moulded me in different ways.
I look at things differently. I’m a much keener observer of all sorts of details than I ever was. The way sunlight sparkles on water, the sounds and smells of the busy street, the eeriness of that same street when it’s deserted in late evening.
I don’t take characters from real life but nonethess I find myself looking at people and thinking, ‘that hairstyle is perfect for character A,’ or ‘that chap’s chinstrap beard is just what I need for so-and-so’.
Yesterday at the forensic study day, I seemed to be the only one furiously making notes. Understandable I suppose but it made me aware of how I’m always scribbling away. Our holiday last month was a cruise to the Adriatic and Aegean – a holiday, not a research trip or one where I was lecturing. Nonetheless, during the port talks, I was making notes. (I’m a newly qualified port lecturer.) When we went out on trips, I was making notes. It’s become second nature!
Can you tell a writer? Do we behave differently from other folk? I wonder.
September 7, 2015
Writing Strategies
The end is in sight!
I find it difficult to believe that only a month ago I was languishing just beyond that halfway point, some 45,000 words into the novel. It was like wading through treacle. The ideas wouldn’t come and every sentence was an effort. The writing simply refused to flow. My ‘soggy middle’ blues were the worst I’ve ever experienced – or so it seemed at the time. It had taken me six months to reach that point, but it was the two-month long break that followed that I blamed for my sorry state as those who read my last blog will know. From the responses I received after it was posted, I know that my experience is far from unique.
Looking back, I realise that break was no bad thing. Distance can make the heart grow fonder because, after a few tentative steps, I’m now racing to the finish.
To Plot or Not to Plot
One thing I’ve learnt over the years is that no two writers write their novels in the same way. The biggest differences are between the meticulous plotters who plan to nth degree taking months to write 40,000 word summaries with details of each chapter and scene and those who see writing as a journey – writers who start with a sentence or two and see where it leads them. Talking to many of my writer friends, it appears most of us fall somewhere in between these two extremes.
Presumably, the plotters don’t experience the soggy middle problem.
By nature, I like to start with a scene and write to discover what happens. That’s how I write my stand alone psychological suspense novels. Any attempt to plot is delayed until I get well in to the story and even then, it may be little more than an idea of the ending.
However, when writing a series, I do have the benefit of knowing my protagonist – tour manager Fiona Mason even if she does surprise me at times. I also have a clear idea of her West Indian driver, Winston. Finding a plot that will provide a valid excuse to bring in the enigmatic MI6 chief Peter Montgomery-Jones gets harder with each novel. He’s an example of one of those minor characters who take over and, in his case, demanded to come back in all the other novels in the series. The plot also has to be related to the country in which the book is set. Nonetheless, apart from a general idea of what the novel is about – even my initial choice of murderer can change – plotting is not for me even if it means the misery of the soggy middle.
From Start to Finish
Most of us prefer to start at the beginning and write in sequence to the end. We may know that certain sections will need to be drastically rewritten and leave the odd gap that we will have to come back to, but we plough on.
P.D. James famously wrote scenes and whole chapters out of sequence, but then she was a great plotter. It’s a method that many plotters adopt. Even those who do not plot in detail, may choose to write the final chapter early on so that they know exactly where they are heading.
I belong in the first camp, but with each novel – I’m now writing my 9th – I find myself having to flit back to an earlier point to include a vital scene to make sense of the plot before I can carry on. It does mean I have to keep a careful track of what I’ve written so far (more of that in next month’s blog).
First Draft
The perceived wisdom is that one should get the first draft written and worry about perfecting it at a later date. It’s the advice given to new writers who are tempted to spend so long revising their opening chapter that the rest of the novel never gets written.
For non-plotters, the first re-write can take almost as long as the first draft. Characters may change and develop as the novel progresses. Whole sections are no longer relevant and others need adding to explain later developments. I frequently need to move events earlier or later to make the plot hang together. Presumably, the plotters have far less work to do on this front.
The Rewrites
Not everyone leaves the rewriting until the first draft is finish. I’ve met more than one writer who perfects each chapter as they go along and once done, leave it at that. Once the final chapter is done, that’s it! No need to go back. Impossible for the non- or part-planner.
Each rewrite has a different purpose. Never attempt to perfect everything in one go. The first is concerned only with plot – a logical sequence of events moving to credible conclusion. To this end, I prefer to set aside a day or two read through the whole thing from start to finish making note of inconsistencies. Attempting to rewrite at this stage means that it can be weeks from start to finish, too long to test that essential smooth flow of plot. The second major rewrite is likely to be solely devoted to character – I work through each of the main half dozen characters at a time. Only at the very end worry about proofing.
As I said at the beginning, I am now in sprinting distance of the finishing line. BUT. There is always a but, isn’t there? There are a few scenes I need to add to make the plot more logical so I’m holding off that final showdown until they are written. I may even take a look at each of my chief suspects so there are no niggling distractions before that run down that final straight. Nothing to mar the sense of achievement when I reach the tape.
That does not mean that ‘Blood Hits the Wall’ will be ready for publication anytime soon. Once the first four or five redrafts are done, I will need to find some beta readers (any offers gratefully received) which I know will lead to even more rewrites.
However, it might be time to start thinking about where Fiona Mason is going to take her next tour. I feel another holiday coming on!!! Any suggestions?
See my website - www.judithcranswick.co.uk
I find it difficult to believe that only a month ago I was languishing just beyond that halfway point, some 45,000 words into the novel. It was like wading through treacle. The ideas wouldn’t come and every sentence was an effort. The writing simply refused to flow. My ‘soggy middle’ blues were the worst I’ve ever experienced – or so it seemed at the time. It had taken me six months to reach that point, but it was the two-month long break that followed that I blamed for my sorry state as those who read my last blog will know. From the responses I received after it was posted, I know that my experience is far from unique.
Looking back, I realise that break was no bad thing. Distance can make the heart grow fonder because, after a few tentative steps, I’m now racing to the finish.
To Plot or Not to Plot
One thing I’ve learnt over the years is that no two writers write their novels in the same way. The biggest differences are between the meticulous plotters who plan to nth degree taking months to write 40,000 word summaries with details of each chapter and scene and those who see writing as a journey – writers who start with a sentence or two and see where it leads them. Talking to many of my writer friends, it appears most of us fall somewhere in between these two extremes.
Presumably, the plotters don’t experience the soggy middle problem.
By nature, I like to start with a scene and write to discover what happens. That’s how I write my stand alone psychological suspense novels. Any attempt to plot is delayed until I get well in to the story and even then, it may be little more than an idea of the ending.
However, when writing a series, I do have the benefit of knowing my protagonist – tour manager Fiona Mason even if she does surprise me at times. I also have a clear idea of her West Indian driver, Winston. Finding a plot that will provide a valid excuse to bring in the enigmatic MI6 chief Peter Montgomery-Jones gets harder with each novel. He’s an example of one of those minor characters who take over and, in his case, demanded to come back in all the other novels in the series. The plot also has to be related to the country in which the book is set. Nonetheless, apart from a general idea of what the novel is about – even my initial choice of murderer can change – plotting is not for me even if it means the misery of the soggy middle.
From Start to Finish
Most of us prefer to start at the beginning and write in sequence to the end. We may know that certain sections will need to be drastically rewritten and leave the odd gap that we will have to come back to, but we plough on.
P.D. James famously wrote scenes and whole chapters out of sequence, but then she was a great plotter. It’s a method that many plotters adopt. Even those who do not plot in detail, may choose to write the final chapter early on so that they know exactly where they are heading.
I belong in the first camp, but with each novel – I’m now writing my 9th – I find myself having to flit back to an earlier point to include a vital scene to make sense of the plot before I can carry on. It does mean I have to keep a careful track of what I’ve written so far (more of that in next month’s blog).
First Draft
The perceived wisdom is that one should get the first draft written and worry about perfecting it at a later date. It’s the advice given to new writers who are tempted to spend so long revising their opening chapter that the rest of the novel never gets written.
For non-plotters, the first re-write can take almost as long as the first draft. Characters may change and develop as the novel progresses. Whole sections are no longer relevant and others need adding to explain later developments. I frequently need to move events earlier or later to make the plot hang together. Presumably, the plotters have far less work to do on this front.
The Rewrites
Not everyone leaves the rewriting until the first draft is finish. I’ve met more than one writer who perfects each chapter as they go along and once done, leave it at that. Once the final chapter is done, that’s it! No need to go back. Impossible for the non- or part-planner.
Each rewrite has a different purpose. Never attempt to perfect everything in one go. The first is concerned only with plot – a logical sequence of events moving to credible conclusion. To this end, I prefer to set aside a day or two read through the whole thing from start to finish making note of inconsistencies. Attempting to rewrite at this stage means that it can be weeks from start to finish, too long to test that essential smooth flow of plot. The second major rewrite is likely to be solely devoted to character – I work through each of the main half dozen characters at a time. Only at the very end worry about proofing.
As I said at the beginning, I am now in sprinting distance of the finishing line. BUT. There is always a but, isn’t there? There are a few scenes I need to add to make the plot more logical so I’m holding off that final showdown until they are written. I may even take a look at each of my chief suspects so there are no niggling distractions before that run down that final straight. Nothing to mar the sense of achievement when I reach the tape.
That does not mean that ‘Blood Hits the Wall’ will be ready for publication anytime soon. Once the first four or five redrafts are done, I will need to find some beta readers (any offers gratefully received) which I know will lead to even more rewrites.
However, it might be time to start thinking about where Fiona Mason is going to take her next tour. I feel another holiday coming on!!! Any suggestions?
See my website - www.judithcranswick.co.uk
August 4, 2015
When Life Gets in the Way…
We’ve all experienced it – the novel progresses reasonably well then life gets in the way and things grind to a halt. It may be a holiday, an illness, a family crisis or a major upheaval such as a house move. It’s not just our time but our whole preoccupation that’s focussed elsewhere. It’s bad enough trying to get back into the writing routine after a relatively short break but when things stretch out into weeks and months the greater the effort needed to find the enthusiasm to get back to work. That’s what it is – work – hard work and suddenly we find more and more excuses to hold us back.
The situation is compounded if the break happens around the time of the ‘soggy middle’ – the mid-point crisis when our enthusiasm for the novel has already begun to waver. That point when you have great doubts about the whole enterprise. The characters lack depth, the plot is going nowhere, the spark has gone and the language laboured and uninspired. The daily word count drops dramatically. Writing is no longer a joy. It reaches the point at which, to quote George Orwell – ‘writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout with some painful illness.’
However much I enjoy the writing even when things are going well, I like many others, find getting started each day isn’t easy. Is it’s any wonder that I find good excuses to do other things?
I have to confess that it’s been well over two months since I’ve even looked at the novel in progress! First came the trip to Japan. Our holidays are always full-on affairs – no sitting by the pool for us. We’re on the go from morning till night. What with the preparations and the sorting out when we get back – washing and catching up on all the things that I would have done while I was away – this can easily stretch to an extra week. This time it took a few days to get back into the swing of things and I’ll admit I did manage a couple of weeks of half-hearted writing before my course. There was a bit of preparation before the training days but, combined with time out for the research and putting together the presentation for the final stage, it’s been just over two months during which the latest novel didn’t get a look-in! Still the course is now done and dusted and I can add Destinations and Port Lecturer to my Cruise Lecture Repertoire. As you may have read on some of my previous blogs, I enjoy talking about writing and the writer’s life on board ship and as travel is the inspiration for my novels, the opportunity to increase my scope and spend more time cruising was one I couldn’t turn down.
Just to throw another spanner in the works – we’re having our kitchen refitted! My study has now become the temporary kitchen! That’s a whole other saga – let’s just say there was a two and a half week delay. One thing after another.
However, I’ve now run out of excuses so it’s back to ‘Blood Hits the Wall’ – not with a great deal of enthusiasm, I might add.
Now the good news! I wrote the above three days ago and now I’ve started things have gone exceptionally well! The ideas are flowing, as are the words. Obviously, subconsciously my brain has been mulling over the plot and getting me out of all those little holes I’d written myself into. I can’t say there haven’t been problems – just when I get into full flow, the workman comes through and asks for the electricity to be switched off which means closing down all my PC files. I tend to work with several open for reference. I can’t write on my laptop.
The moral is – don’t despair. Yes, it’s good to write everyday, but the sky won’t fall in if you have a forced break. Sometimes it even helps to think about something else entirely for a while. Keep telling yourself, it’s happened to you before (if you are writing your first novel – believe me it will happen with the next, and the next and the next) and you still ended up with a good product. Have faith. You are a writer.
Please tell me, it’s not just me! What are your experiences?
www.judithcranswick.co.uk
The situation is compounded if the break happens around the time of the ‘soggy middle’ – the mid-point crisis when our enthusiasm for the novel has already begun to waver. That point when you have great doubts about the whole enterprise. The characters lack depth, the plot is going nowhere, the spark has gone and the language laboured and uninspired. The daily word count drops dramatically. Writing is no longer a joy. It reaches the point at which, to quote George Orwell – ‘writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout with some painful illness.’
However much I enjoy the writing even when things are going well, I like many others, find getting started each day isn’t easy. Is it’s any wonder that I find good excuses to do other things?
I have to confess that it’s been well over two months since I’ve even looked at the novel in progress! First came the trip to Japan. Our holidays are always full-on affairs – no sitting by the pool for us. We’re on the go from morning till night. What with the preparations and the sorting out when we get back – washing and catching up on all the things that I would have done while I was away – this can easily stretch to an extra week. This time it took a few days to get back into the swing of things and I’ll admit I did manage a couple of weeks of half-hearted writing before my course. There was a bit of preparation before the training days but, combined with time out for the research and putting together the presentation for the final stage, it’s been just over two months during which the latest novel didn’t get a look-in! Still the course is now done and dusted and I can add Destinations and Port Lecturer to my Cruise Lecture Repertoire. As you may have read on some of my previous blogs, I enjoy talking about writing and the writer’s life on board ship and as travel is the inspiration for my novels, the opportunity to increase my scope and spend more time cruising was one I couldn’t turn down.
Just to throw another spanner in the works – we’re having our kitchen refitted! My study has now become the temporary kitchen! That’s a whole other saga – let’s just say there was a two and a half week delay. One thing after another.
However, I’ve now run out of excuses so it’s back to ‘Blood Hits the Wall’ – not with a great deal of enthusiasm, I might add.
Now the good news! I wrote the above three days ago and now I’ve started things have gone exceptionally well! The ideas are flowing, as are the words. Obviously, subconsciously my brain has been mulling over the plot and getting me out of all those little holes I’d written myself into. I can’t say there haven’t been problems – just when I get into full flow, the workman comes through and asks for the electricity to be switched off which means closing down all my PC files. I tend to work with several open for reference. I can’t write on my laptop.
The moral is – don’t despair. Yes, it’s good to write everyday, but the sky won’t fall in if you have a forced break. Sometimes it even helps to think about something else entirely for a while. Keep telling yourself, it’s happened to you before (if you are writing your first novel – believe me it will happen with the next, and the next and the next) and you still ended up with a good product. Have faith. You are a writer.
Please tell me, it’s not just me! What are your experiences?
www.judithcranswick.co.uk
July 25, 2015
Top tips for PowerPoint Presentations
Many of the societies and local social groups who are looking for outside speakers now have the facilities to show PowerPoint presentations, which means that their members now expect something visual. There are definite advantages for you as a speaker using PowerPoint so it’s well worth mastering the simple techniques involved.
Before looking at how to make the most of your slides remember the golden rule:-
Script First – Slides Later
The slides illustrate your presentation – they are NOT the presentation itself.
Begin planning your presentation by listing the main points you want to get across – probably no more than half a dozen. As you flesh out your script remember that like any good story, it should have a beginning, middle, and an end. Only then, think how best to illustrate the points you are making and don’t be tempted to draw out sections simply because you can find more pictures to illustrate them.
When it comes to the selection and design of your slides, I’m going to add another rule:-
Think about the person on the back row
Now to my top tips:-
1 Keep it simple
Avoid clutter and avoid too many words or images on one slide. Keep the text to a minimum – a few bullet points – and avoid small print. Don’t have so many illustration slides that you click through quickly dizzying your audience.
2 Backgrounds
Even pictures look better on a coloured background. Cool colours such as blues and greens tend to work best. Strong, bright colours will stand out too much. Even the glare of a white background will strain the eyes after any length of time. A dark text on a light background is easiest to read.
(For illustration - see my blog post - www.judithcranswick.co.uk)
3 Text
A simple non-serif font generally works best. Be consistent throughout the presentation keeping to the same front throughout. Apart from headings, don’t centre the text. It is more difficult to read.
(For illustration - see my blog post - www.judithcranswick.co.uk)
If you put up a whole page of writing your audience will be distracted trying to read it instead of listening to you. Similarly, animate bullet points as you mention each one rather than displaying all of them at once.
4 Keep it visual
Use high quality images and avoid ‘cheesy’ cartoons and clip art unless you have a good reason for doing so.
5 Avoid flashy animations
Pictures or text that fly in or whirl around are not only hard on the eye they distract from what you are saying.
6 Learn how to use presenter view
If you use notes, have them written on your laptop in the notes section. As I said in my previous blog on advice for speakers, use bullet points rather than writing out your talk in full. Try to maintain eye-contact. Your audience wants to see your face, not the top of your head.
7 Important information goes at the top
Few locations have custom-built lecture facilities and the lower section of the screen is often obscured by the rows of people sitting in front. Avoid taking the text right to the bottom of the slide and label pictures at the top rather than below.
8 Adapt the presentation to your audience
How much prior knowledge does your audience have about your subject? It can be a fine line between being too ‘technical’ and patronising your audience. An older audience may also be unfamiliar with current jargon. It is not only the contents of your talk and the language you use that you need bear in mind. Older people may well have more difficultly appreciating contrast so pick your background and text colours accordingly.
9 Trial your presentation
Slides which look satisfactory on a small screen may appear washed out (backgrounds appear much paler) and low-resolution photographs may look pixelated on the projection screen. The level of ambient light in the room makes a considerable difference so if you are not familiar with the venue try to find out in advance how well the room blacks out and adjust your presentation accordingly.
10 Check your technology
Before your talk, make sure your laptop is fully charged and that you have leads to cope with every eventuality. It is worth checking when you make the last minute requirements exactly what they are providing for you. If you are using the club’s laptop, is the software compatible?
If you have any suggestions to add I’d love to hear from you.
Before looking at how to make the most of your slides remember the golden rule:-
Script First – Slides Later
The slides illustrate your presentation – they are NOT the presentation itself.
Begin planning your presentation by listing the main points you want to get across – probably no more than half a dozen. As you flesh out your script remember that like any good story, it should have a beginning, middle, and an end. Only then, think how best to illustrate the points you are making and don’t be tempted to draw out sections simply because you can find more pictures to illustrate them.
When it comes to the selection and design of your slides, I’m going to add another rule:-
Think about the person on the back row
Now to my top tips:-
1 Keep it simple
Avoid clutter and avoid too many words or images on one slide. Keep the text to a minimum – a few bullet points – and avoid small print. Don’t have so many illustration slides that you click through quickly dizzying your audience.
2 Backgrounds
Even pictures look better on a coloured background. Cool colours such as blues and greens tend to work best. Strong, bright colours will stand out too much. Even the glare of a white background will strain the eyes after any length of time. A dark text on a light background is easiest to read.
(For illustration - see my blog post - www.judithcranswick.co.uk)
3 Text
A simple non-serif font generally works best. Be consistent throughout the presentation keeping to the same front throughout. Apart from headings, don’t centre the text. It is more difficult to read.
(For illustration - see my blog post - www.judithcranswick.co.uk)
If you put up a whole page of writing your audience will be distracted trying to read it instead of listening to you. Similarly, animate bullet points as you mention each one rather than displaying all of them at once.
4 Keep it visual
Use high quality images and avoid ‘cheesy’ cartoons and clip art unless you have a good reason for doing so.
5 Avoid flashy animations
Pictures or text that fly in or whirl around are not only hard on the eye they distract from what you are saying.
6 Learn how to use presenter view
If you use notes, have them written on your laptop in the notes section. As I said in my previous blog on advice for speakers, use bullet points rather than writing out your talk in full. Try to maintain eye-contact. Your audience wants to see your face, not the top of your head.
7 Important information goes at the top
Few locations have custom-built lecture facilities and the lower section of the screen is often obscured by the rows of people sitting in front. Avoid taking the text right to the bottom of the slide and label pictures at the top rather than below.
8 Adapt the presentation to your audience
How much prior knowledge does your audience have about your subject? It can be a fine line between being too ‘technical’ and patronising your audience. An older audience may also be unfamiliar with current jargon. It is not only the contents of your talk and the language you use that you need bear in mind. Older people may well have more difficultly appreciating contrast so pick your background and text colours accordingly.
9 Trial your presentation
Slides which look satisfactory on a small screen may appear washed out (backgrounds appear much paler) and low-resolution photographs may look pixelated on the projection screen. The level of ambient light in the room makes a considerable difference so if you are not familiar with the venue try to find out in advance how well the room blacks out and adjust your presentation accordingly.
10 Check your technology
Before your talk, make sure your laptop is fully charged and that you have leads to cope with every eventuality. It is worth checking when you make the last minute requirements exactly what they are providing for you. If you are using the club’s laptop, is the software compatible?
If you have any suggestions to add I’d love to hear from you.
June 9, 2015
Top Tips for Speakers
We read a great deal about using social media to market ourselves as writers but giving talks to local groups is still an excellent way to engage with your potential readers. After all, no other marketing tool gives you a captive audience for a whole hour. Wow them, make them like you and they may even buy your books.
1. Preparation
*Content
Treat it like a piece of writing – what is it about? Is there a logical beginning, middle and end? Don’t let it wander all over the place.
*Gear it to your audience
If you are speaking to a book group who may well have read your book in advance, what you say will be very different from the way you present much the material to a more general audience. There may even be a subtle difference between a talk to an all-male audience at a Rotary or Probus meeting to the WI or Town’s Women’s Guild; or one to your local U3A and a Young Mums group.
*Notes
Bullet points are better that writing out every word. You need to look at your audience – they don’t want to see the top of your head – plus it’s all too easy to lose your place when you take your eye off the page.
It’s a good idea to highlight or underline key words.
*Timing
Most groups such as WIs, U3As, Rotary and Probus group like you to speak for ¾hr with ¼hr for questions. Here timing is not so crucial, but as a cruise lecturer, my PowerPoint presentations need to be as close to 45minutes as possible. Activities on board ship follow close on one another and even if there is nothing programmed for the lounge you are in immediately after, it can be disconcerting if swathes of your audience start disappearing in the last five minutes so as not to miss the start of something else because you’ve overrun your time.
*Dress
Respect your audience and dress smartly. Jackets and ties, gentlemen and ladies – avoid the navy blue suit. You will fade into the background. Wear something bright but simple – not garish and easy on the frills and jangly jewellery. On one of my cruises, I remember bemoaning the fact that I had to take 7 outfits, one for each of my talks, whereas my fellow male lecturers only needed to pack 7 different ties!
*Practice
Even experienced speakers need to practice aloud beforehand. Don’t be afraid to take a pause if you need to. Take a sip of water, readjust. Try recording yourself. Videoing your talk is even better because it might reveal any personal quirks such as talking with your hands. We all do that to some extent, but it can become distracting.
2. Before You Start Speaking
First impressions are everything so smile – stand tall – shoulders back – take a deep breath.
3. Engage Your Audience
Let your enthusiasm for your subject shine through. Remember you are talking with friends – not instructing students for an exam. If you’re nervous looking at a sea of faces, run your gaze slowly back and forth along the back wall just above their heads. To your audience, it will seem as if you are directly looking at them.
4. Be Yourself
Few of us are stand-up comedians and forcing jokes into your talk doesn’t do you any favours unless you can do it really well. Amusing anecdotes are fine, but keep them relevant to what you are talking about. Just keep smiling.
5. Train Your Voice
If you are nervous, there is a great temptation to gabble. Make a conscious effort to speak a little more slowly than usual, clearly enunciating your words. Another tendency when we are nervous is for our voices to get higher and higher. These days, speakers are almost always expected to use a microphone, but still pitch your voice to the people on the back row. That doesn’t mean shouting, it means letting your voice come from your diaphragm and not getting strangled in your throat. The tone of your voice will be deeper. This does take practice. Try reading a book out loud in the privacy of your home.
6. Book Readings
The vast majority of writers I’ve listened to, read from their books. It can be an excellent way of showing your talent. However, keep extracts short – never more than a page. Find a relatively short scene preferably one that ends with some sort of hook.
Nowadays, I tend to include far fewer readings and then only as an illustration of a point I’m making in the talk. On board ship, with a more general audience, I tend to give even less even though I may be giving as many as 7 or 8 talks.
7. Learn from Fellow Speakers
When listening to a good speaker, it’s easy to get carried away with what they are saying (the same thing happens to me when I read a novel in an attempt to analyse it rather than simply enjoy it) but try learning their techniques. What works, what doesn’t? Is it something you can do?
8. Market Yourself – Not Your Books
When I first started giving talks, I would put one of my bookmarks (which naturally has my website on the back) on every seat before my audience arrived. Nowadays, at the end of my talk, I invite my audience up to the table for a free bookmark where I just happen to have a few copies of my books (not a pile – you can have more in the car) which I sell at discounted prices. Never do a hard sell.
9. A Final Point
Enjoy. Love what you are talking about. Keep smiling. Next month I will be giving you my top tips for making your PowerPoint presentation the best it can be.
Do you have any top tips to pass on? What works for you?
1. Preparation
*Content
Treat it like a piece of writing – what is it about? Is there a logical beginning, middle and end? Don’t let it wander all over the place.
*Gear it to your audience
If you are speaking to a book group who may well have read your book in advance, what you say will be very different from the way you present much the material to a more general audience. There may even be a subtle difference between a talk to an all-male audience at a Rotary or Probus meeting to the WI or Town’s Women’s Guild; or one to your local U3A and a Young Mums group.
*Notes
Bullet points are better that writing out every word. You need to look at your audience – they don’t want to see the top of your head – plus it’s all too easy to lose your place when you take your eye off the page.
It’s a good idea to highlight or underline key words.
*Timing
Most groups such as WIs, U3As, Rotary and Probus group like you to speak for ¾hr with ¼hr for questions. Here timing is not so crucial, but as a cruise lecturer, my PowerPoint presentations need to be as close to 45minutes as possible. Activities on board ship follow close on one another and even if there is nothing programmed for the lounge you are in immediately after, it can be disconcerting if swathes of your audience start disappearing in the last five minutes so as not to miss the start of something else because you’ve overrun your time.
*Dress
Respect your audience and dress smartly. Jackets and ties, gentlemen and ladies – avoid the navy blue suit. You will fade into the background. Wear something bright but simple – not garish and easy on the frills and jangly jewellery. On one of my cruises, I remember bemoaning the fact that I had to take 7 outfits, one for each of my talks, whereas my fellow male lecturers only needed to pack 7 different ties!
*Practice
Even experienced speakers need to practice aloud beforehand. Don’t be afraid to take a pause if you need to. Take a sip of water, readjust. Try recording yourself. Videoing your talk is even better because it might reveal any personal quirks such as talking with your hands. We all do that to some extent, but it can become distracting.
2. Before You Start Speaking
First impressions are everything so smile – stand tall – shoulders back – take a deep breath.
3. Engage Your Audience
Let your enthusiasm for your subject shine through. Remember you are talking with friends – not instructing students for an exam. If you’re nervous looking at a sea of faces, run your gaze slowly back and forth along the back wall just above their heads. To your audience, it will seem as if you are directly looking at them.
4. Be Yourself
Few of us are stand-up comedians and forcing jokes into your talk doesn’t do you any favours unless you can do it really well. Amusing anecdotes are fine, but keep them relevant to what you are talking about. Just keep smiling.
5. Train Your Voice
If you are nervous, there is a great temptation to gabble. Make a conscious effort to speak a little more slowly than usual, clearly enunciating your words. Another tendency when we are nervous is for our voices to get higher and higher. These days, speakers are almost always expected to use a microphone, but still pitch your voice to the people on the back row. That doesn’t mean shouting, it means letting your voice come from your diaphragm and not getting strangled in your throat. The tone of your voice will be deeper. This does take practice. Try reading a book out loud in the privacy of your home.
6. Book Readings
The vast majority of writers I’ve listened to, read from their books. It can be an excellent way of showing your talent. However, keep extracts short – never more than a page. Find a relatively short scene preferably one that ends with some sort of hook.
Nowadays, I tend to include far fewer readings and then only as an illustration of a point I’m making in the talk. On board ship, with a more general audience, I tend to give even less even though I may be giving as many as 7 or 8 talks.
7. Learn from Fellow Speakers
When listening to a good speaker, it’s easy to get carried away with what they are saying (the same thing happens to me when I read a novel in an attempt to analyse it rather than simply enjoy it) but try learning their techniques. What works, what doesn’t? Is it something you can do?
8. Market Yourself – Not Your Books
When I first started giving talks, I would put one of my bookmarks (which naturally has my website on the back) on every seat before my audience arrived. Nowadays, at the end of my talk, I invite my audience up to the table for a free bookmark where I just happen to have a few copies of my books (not a pile – you can have more in the car) which I sell at discounted prices. Never do a hard sell.
9. A Final Point
Enjoy. Love what you are talking about. Keep smiling. Next month I will be giving you my top tips for making your PowerPoint presentation the best it can be.
Do you have any top tips to pass on? What works for you?
