A Goodreads user
asked
Bruce Beckham:
I have more questions for you. Where do you find your inspiration for characters? Are you a note taker during your idea gathering process? Do you, like Virginia Woolf and Dorothy Parker, keep a diary for personal reflections on your writing process?
Bruce Beckham
Aha - some good questions!
1. Inspiration for characters
Mainly people whom I have met and got to know something of! This way I have a good idea how they will act in most circumstances. Between the real person and the page they might switch shape, size, age, gender etc - but at the heart of each is a little spark of personality I can rely on for consistency.
I try to give characters names that are distinctive and perhaps that reflect their nature or profession (to help the reader identify them more easily). A simple example of this is DS Leyton in the 'DI Skelgill' series - he is a 'Cockney' and Leyton is a district of East London.
2. Notes during idea-gathering stage
No - I don't take notes in the beginning. I develop an overall idea for a novel in my head and start writing. I liken this to knitting a tartan scarf (not that I can knit) to a pattern I've seen in a shop. At any stage after commencement there is a neatly finished portion at the front, with a whole array of loose threads to be woven back in, and several untouched balls of varying colours yet to be incorporated!
I do have lots of ideas once I get moving, and sometimes discover a new and better ending halfway through! I record these on whatever is handy and incorporate them into the untidy tail of the scarf as soon as I reach my Mac.
3. Diary - personal reflections on writing
No - I don't keep a diary of this nature - partly due to time pressure - but I do think a lot about the subject while I'm occupied with routine tasks eg. taxiing kids around Edinburgh, loitering at the gym, waiting for the dog to return with the ball - and also while I'm reading - perhaps the best cue for comparison and learning.
1. Inspiration for characters
Mainly people whom I have met and got to know something of! This way I have a good idea how they will act in most circumstances. Between the real person and the page they might switch shape, size, age, gender etc - but at the heart of each is a little spark of personality I can rely on for consistency.
I try to give characters names that are distinctive and perhaps that reflect their nature or profession (to help the reader identify them more easily). A simple example of this is DS Leyton in the 'DI Skelgill' series - he is a 'Cockney' and Leyton is a district of East London.
2. Notes during idea-gathering stage
No - I don't take notes in the beginning. I develop an overall idea for a novel in my head and start writing. I liken this to knitting a tartan scarf (not that I can knit) to a pattern I've seen in a shop. At any stage after commencement there is a neatly finished portion at the front, with a whole array of loose threads to be woven back in, and several untouched balls of varying colours yet to be incorporated!
I do have lots of ideas once I get moving, and sometimes discover a new and better ending halfway through! I record these on whatever is handy and incorporate them into the untidy tail of the scarf as soon as I reach my Mac.
3. Diary - personal reflections on writing
No - I don't keep a diary of this nature - partly due to time pressure - but I do think a lot about the subject while I'm occupied with routine tasks eg. taxiing kids around Edinburgh, loitering at the gym, waiting for the dog to return with the ball - and also while I'm reading - perhaps the best cue for comparison and learning.
More Answered Questions
Ann
asked
Bruce Beckham:
Bruce: I just now saw your generous offer from 10-2-16 to download a free copy of your latest book, MURDER IN ADLAND. Alas, I have no KINDLE, or any other device with which to download your book, and prefer to read the hard/soft copy of a book. Will there be such a thing for this series?Ah, well, maybe when I get paid employment I can BUY a copy. Ta and cheers, Ann Freggens Flynt
Joanna
asked
Bruce Beckham:
Are you as addicted to fishing and fellwalking as Skelgill? Or is his knowledge of and passion for both from picking the brains of those who are? At any rate, many generations of my mother's paternal ancestors were from Clifton, Bolton and Penrith, so I'd always had the impression all of Cumbria was a vast wasteland. Thank you sooo much for changing that perception forever!
Italo Italophiles
asked
Bruce Beckham:
I sent a message with typos from Murder on the Lake to the pub. e-mail on your Amazon profile but never heard back. Here they are: 1- by the by the flames (repetition of "by the") 2- squints at a two clear (extra word unnecessary "a") 3- there is a surely a part of him (extra word unnecessary "a"). If you answer in a private message, this won't appear here, which is best. Cheers! ?
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Dec 08, 2014 06:17PM · flag
Dec 09, 2014 05:07AM · flag