Work In Progress (Writing Process Blog Tour)

I was honoured to receive an unexpected DM from the decidedly talented Jacki Donnellan requesting permission to co-opt me for the current Writing Process Blog Tour as one of her three writers whose work she enjoys recently – especially given how much I enjoyed her recent Angry Hourglass winner "I Serve" and the incredibly powerful and moving "Cynthia".  Add to that her impressive record over at Flash! Friday and fact that her micro poetry has recently been distributed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (other publications aside) and I can only say thank you, given I’m well aware of the number of talented writers she could have chosen to feature – especially given I’m a relative newcomer to the flash fiction scene in real terms.

In appreciation of the opportunity afforded to me, on with the questions, before giving a nod to several great writers I’ve had the fortune to happen across during my time online…

What Am I Working On?

At the time of writing this entry I guess I’m currently juggling a number of projects and/or have more than one potential project bubbling away at the back of my subconscious, waiting to steal the forefront away from other current writing.  

In an average week there tends to be a steady mix of Twitter based micro poetry and flash fiction based prompts – or so I’ve found to date, this being only a ten odd month work in progress in terms of consistent writing for prompt/website/Twitter/whatever.  

Presently pending is my story “Dealbreaker”, a horror/mythology/urban legend mash up, which will feature in "In Creeps The Night" as of 30^th September 2014 – just in time for Halloween!  Alongside my own tale, a couple of other writers whose names will be/may be familiar are featuring.  I’m very much looking forward to reading the stories from them in due course!

I’m particularly looking forward to the opportunity to write for my writing group The Poised Pen's first Halloween based (and international) flash fiction competition (fellow “flash dogs”, do you have your ideas at the ready yet? ;)).  I also have four or so short chapters of a novelette length YA story in first draft format and the beginnings of something holding out for a darker steampunk premise – probably also likely to end up at novelette length unless it gets carried away with itself!  

Ideally I’m also aiming to head back into the world of music prompts via Mid-Week-Blues-Buster, now the competition’s recently returned from what was previously specified as an indefinite hiatus.  Given the opportunity, I quite enjoy the chance to write something slightly longer than two hundred or so words, as a bit of a change of pace.  Also – there can never be too many fictional words (or indeed worlds!) shared between writers, surely…

How Does My Work Differ From Others Of Its Genre?

As a couple of the writers who’ve posted on this topic before me have mentioned, I’m another writer (albeit fledgling seeking to spread my wings compared to a number of others I might care to mention!) who tends to play out ideas off the back of my reading matter and viewing experiences.  I suppose this explains why I’m prone to jump from a Milford style crossroads demon story to poetry prose on Atlantis, resulting in a mix of stories and poetry, as opposed to sticking completely to one particular medium/genre/sub-genre, given I’ll read anything ranging from Shakespeare to Stephen King and Neil Gaiman, depending on my mood.  Experience to date suggests that’s a habit which reproduces itself in my writing, to an extent.  

Having thought about it a little for the purposes of the blog post and with @TheShakes72's previous comment on Twitter about “imaginative takes” on prompts in mind, I guess it would be fair to say occasionally I consciously “subvert” prompts by writing for them at a tangent.  That’s probably me deliberately trying to stretch myself as a writer and make progress, given I always know there’s plenty for me to make as a relative newcomer to writing!

The very kind @DonnellanJacki tells me my writing is poetic, which might result from the musical “aspect” of my head.  Aside from a love of music in general terms, I used to be involved in an orchestra, meaning I tend to “hear” my story’s/poem's cadences in my head, dialogue included.  Occasionally, this means I can also “hear” the right fit for the patterns and the rhythm clicks into place.  Obviously, that’s on a good day!

Why Do I Write What I Write?

Partially because my fellow “Poised Penner” @zevonesque made reference to a number of flash fiction competitions at meetings a while back (alongside reading his own work), beginning with Flash! Friday and I followed up on the website links and have carried on writing flash fiction ever since… 

I liked the concept of writing “small scale” with a designated number of words and – to an extent – the immediacy that would demand with deadlines in mind as a way of getting back into writing, given I’d been scribbling bits of things down since a relatively early age but never really written regularly on an ongoing basis.  Given I’ve also been known historically to muse on how and why fiction works, I suspect my love for reading translates directly into seeking to work with words myself and – hopefully - establishing my own connections with fellow readers somewhere along the way.

Opportunity to practice writing aside (and hopefully improve too!), it’s given me the chance to frequent a number of great websites and become part of active, continuously supportive writing communities - Flash! Friday and Angry Hourglass being some of the first ones I came across.  (The corner of the internet frequented by my fellow “Flash Dogs”, particularly – you know who you are, all of you -  seems to be going from strength to strength over the recent weeks!)  I’ve also posted reasonably regularly at Mid-Week-Blues-Buster and Office Mango's "Horror Bites" challenges, as well as for @Angela_Goff's VisDare photo prompt and previously at Trifecta and Race The Date.

I guess I like trying to maintain an eclectic mix in terms of the types of prompts I’m writing for at any given time and the type of story they are likely to inspire, because it forces me to write beyond the boundaries of my “default”, which tends to be spec fic – something I read (and thus reproduce in writing terms) regularly.   

How Does My Writing Process Work?

I actually wrote a “How I Write” drabble about this fairly recently for the The Poised Pen's third anthology "Half Baked".  In essence, it depends on the prompt and how it “speaks” to me.  For online poetry prompts I tend to scribble the word prompts down by hand and pick one or two on any given date that I think I can work with.  Mostly, I work them through on paper before they make it into type and onto Twitter.  Occasionally, this means I end up having to cut them down to fit the requisite number of characters! 

With photo prompts, I like to make sure I’ve taken a look at them at an early stage to allow an idea to develop itself.  If I’m really lucky, I’ll have an idea straight away – sometimes accompanied by a line of dialogue belonging to the story, which I end up writing down on paper.  Occasionally, if I’m pushed for time but have a story idea I want to see through to completion I can end up typing straight away onto the computer screen with a deadline looming!  There’ve also been a couple of occasions I’ve found myself writing towards a specific ending without necessarily knowing how I’ll get there but my favourite stories are definitely those that somehow seem to write themselves along the way and where I get to surprise myself with where I end up…

Introduction To 3 Other Writers

It goes without saying that there are any number of extremely talented writers who could feature here – and, indeed, a number have already been tagged previously – justifiably - as part of the tour.

L E Jamez

Twitter: @LEJamez

Blog: http://www.officemango.com

Laura is a fellow flash fiction writer and author of the collection of flash fiction stories "Kitchen Antics", as well as running the "Horror Bites" horror flash fiction challenge over at Office Mango.com.  She is also involved in the soon to be published flash fiction anthology "In Creeps The Night". 

Laura already has her writing process blog tour post up here.

Casey Rose Frank

Twitter: @CaseyCaseRose

Blog: http://www.caseyonpurpose.blogspot.co.uk/ 

Casey is a fellow “Angry Hourglass” contributor (and back to back winner!)   Read her wonderful winning story "Communing With Nature" here and “Farmer’s Market” here.  She writes everything from quirky humour to stories involving powerful, human emotion and I always enjoy seeing what she creates in response to any given prompt.

Ruth Long

Twitter: @bullishink

Blog: http://www.bullishink.org/

Ruth is a fellow Office Mango "Horror Bites" flash fiction contributor whose ongoing The 12th Paladin series (written for the site's prompt) I've really been enjoying.  She's also written for a number of anthologies, as well as being due for inclusion in the forthcoming "In Creeps The Night".  Additionally, she's working on an urban fantasy novella.   

Ruth already has her writing process tour blog entry up here. 

Wonderful Word Worlds

Jeff Vandermeer's Wonderbook sets its bar high, professing itself to be “the definitive road map to writing imaginative fiction of all kinds” and “unlike any other writing manual you’ve ever seen” due to its “uniquely visual approach” comprising of more than 200 images and pictorial exercises designed to stimulate the writer’s imagination.  As such, it is a pleasure to read and make use of.  The illustrations run continuously from front to back cover, varying in style and content – clearly considered with care.  Take, for example, the deliberate symmetry of the black and white cartoon style simplicity adorning the inside of the front and back pages as only one demonstration of this.

Wonderbook’s innovative journey through the wonderful word world of fiction writing aims to guide the novice or intermediate writer from beginning to end in terms of process, starting with a chapter on “inspiration and the creative life”, before turning to more structural considerations with “the ecosystem of the story” (for example, point of view and dialogue), “beginnings and endings” and “characterisation” and “worldbuilding”.  Whilst Vandermeer is clear on the fact that Wonderbook’s “default setting” is speculative fiction/fantasy, there is a great deal to be taken from the text by those who deal in realistic fiction, given all begin in the realm of the writer’s imagination and the practical nature of the information dealing with topics such as plotting and exposition.  There are also a number of contributor interviews from the likes of George R. R. Martin, Neil Gaiman, Joe Abercrombie and Peter Straub scattered throughout the book, which make for interesting reading, irrespective of one’s genre preferences.

Interactive nature of the text aside, Wonderbook’s other strength is that it is supported by a “Workshop Appendix” including a number of writing exercises (in addition to the prompts throughout the main body of the text, of which there are a number) and a website with additional materials.  Some of these – not all – are specifically flagged in Wonderbook’s text itself.  This provides the writer with more than anticipated on venturing between the covers of the book and the opportunity for further exploration of the worlds of the fantastic in fiction.  All this considered, there is much to discover amongst Wonderbook’s self-professed  “cabinet of curiosities” for those interested in the creative process.  For me, I consider it money well worth spent.   

Service Level Announcement

The observant amongst you may have noticed there have been a couple of subtle changes and additions to the blog over the last month or so.  There is now an established Features header detailing the types of review you may see on the blog from time to time and a header which will direct you to a couple of samples of my writing, should you be so inclined.  There’s also a new header for links – something I’ve been looking to put in place for a while but hadn’t previously had chance to due to competing time constraints.  There you’ll find links to fiction/writing websites which may be of interest and (in due course) advice on writing courtesy of established authors. 

Additionally, you can click the buttons in the sidebar to subscribe via RSS feed and/or e-mail, in addition to following on Twitter.  (Feel free to head over and say hello!)  It’s also possible to follow via a bloglovin’ feed.  With all that said, it’s now time to bury myself in a couple of good books…

Why I Write

I write because I always have done.  The habit crept up on me early on in life and seems to have stuck – whether I like it or not.  Sometimes characters whisper their dialogue to me at inopportune hours of the morning.  Now, I know it’s easier if I humour them and write it down with the pen and paper I keep handy for such moments.  If not, the low level whispers have a habit of becoming more insistent until their point is made and their story is told.  This makes me their conduit.  I appreciate the magic carpet ride each narrative creates; the opportunity to associate with individuals I would never otherwise have the opportunity to meet.  I am a fan of stories, whatever their guise.  Sometimes I’m lucky – sometimes the stories address themselves to me directly.  If I listen hard enough, I’m fortunate to hear them; irrespective of whether they whisper or whether they shout.  I spread their word; casting a line for an audience.  Once upon a time, someone lends an ear.

Casting The Net

Dropping in to highlight a few of the things I’ve found during my internet travels on the writing or creative front:

Publishing/Editing

Insights from Cheryl Klein into timescales within publishing

Susan Morris on how to deal with editors

Writing Tips

Justine Larbelestier on what to study to become a writer

Ten tips for getting past writer's block

Websites/Other Entries

Date a Girl Who Reads via Blitzkriegkate (highlighted by The Book Smugglers Tumblr)

Quotes of the Day

Videos

Being fond of stop motion animation, this video recently caught my eye and reminds me of what I like to see in my mind’s eye via words

Neil Gaiman’s suggestion that, above all, one should strive to make good art

Finally - Holly Black providing us with an example of her writing as a teenager (at this year’s Leaky Con)

Reflections Upon Reflections

So to speak.  As someone who has upon occasion pondered  the make-up of fiction for academic purposes and has a fascination with the writing process, I was quick to place a copy of Diana Wynne Jones's  Reflections on order, not least because she is also one of my favourite fantasy authors.  As an added bonus, this also means the opportunity to read Neil Gaiman's Foreword to the collection of papers – a treat in itself, given he knew Diana Wynne Jones personally and the wording of his contribution to the pieces reflects this in tone.  It is also poignant, given the anthology was compiled from existing manuscripts in the knowledge that Diana was terminally ill.  Her Preface confirms she envisaged them as an opportunity for readers and students alike to reflect upon both her “ideas and convictions about writing for children, writing, and fantasy generally”, in addition to providing useful material charting “the creative process itself”.  In this, she is entirely successful.

 

The contents of the collection range from literary criticism related to the shape of the narrative in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and a review of Mervyn Peake's Boy in Darkness to anecdotes concerning reading tours and information concerning the origins of, amongst others, Fire and Hemlock and The Merlin Conspiracy.  There are also hints for developing writers concerning characterisation and one of the last ever interviews conducted with the author prior to her death.  Any one of these makes the book worth reading for anyone even remotely familiar with Diana Wynne Jones’ works or of a creative bent personally, as I’ve already stated previously.

For me, one of the things which struck me most whilst making my way through the various contributions was how strongly the author’s personality came across within her descriptions of the “two kinds” of writing required within speculative fiction (i.e. writing for children and for adults and the differences between the two) and “Answers to Some Questions”, to cite merely two examples within the entirety of the text.  I was also fascinated by the biographical detail within the section entitled “Something About the Author”, given it was apparent from the brief autobiographical hints apparent within her The Time of the Ghost (US version here, for one) that Diana Wynne Jones had had what might be termed a somewhat unusual childhood.  

As a fan of this author’s works in general, this is a welcome addition to my collection and I was glad of the opportunity to familiarise myself with additional material from her; previously unpublished in a number of cases.  I’m only sad that it emphasises the fact that there will be nothing further to add to the collection and that those who value the significance of Diana Wynne Jones’ writing to the field of speculative fiction (such that she was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the World Fantasy Association in 2007) will not be afforded the opportunity for additional examples of her offbeat sense of humour, original plotlines and quirky characterisation.