Halfway There

Well, it’s the end of the year and I have reached the milestone that I set myself – I am now halfway through the first draft of the novel. It’s also an important moment for my protagonist. She started off rather naive and a little selfish and I’ve now put her through a number of events which have caused her to reflect and move forward. This is good as she will need some strength to get through the next few chapters. She does get a break around chapter twenty seven but there’s a way to go yet.
I’ve really enjoyed the first year of the PhD. Not only have I got fifteen chapters down but I’ve also: read thirty one novels; read numerous books and journal articles for my thesis; carried out research at the archives; attended five training events; attended one academic conference, an exhibition, seminar and two plays; had four tutorials; and visited the Somme battlefields. Next year there will more of the same. Plus my day job and training for a half marathon!
For anyone who reads my blog and who is currently engaged in a writing project or about to start – just write a little every day. It doesn’t matter what but please write. The days go by so quickly and writing is one of those things which seems to easily be displaced by other activity. Once you get something on the page or screen and it begins to grow then you feel a real commitment to it and you can no longer leave it alone. It will keep tugging at your mind and demanding attention. The key is to get started.

I'm Still Here

I'm conscious that I haven't posted anything for a while. The reason being is that I have two milestones that I want to reach before 31 December and I have been working hard to achieve them. Firstly, I want to finish Chapter 15 (and therefore the first half of the novel). Secondly, I want to finish reading and 'de-constructing' the thirty or so novels that I allocated to this year. I'm getting there but am also aware that I can't let some of the work around my thesis slip. I attended a couple of events last month - Theses and Open Access Papers (how to find them) and the 12-24 month PhD event. In my spare time (!) I have been cross referencing bibliographies and interrogating databases to ensure that the resources I use for my thesis are comprehensive. It doesn't help that the tendons in my wrists and hands are playing up and I'm waiting for physio. Anyway, I'll keep pushing and hopefully be able to start 2012 having got to where I want to. Novel writing is one of the most challenging things I have ever done but I love it for that.

Novel Approaches to History

This is the title of a conference that I attended this week, at the Institute of Historical Research in London. The aim was to explore the relationship between academic history and historical fiction. The conference was opened by a session with Hilary Mantel and Dr David Loades. The former was a very engaging speaker. Dr Loades set out the three different ‘types’ of historical novelist: those who use an historical period as a canvas where the narrative content itself is pure fiction; those who understand the broad historical context and create fictitious characters alongside actual characters; and then those who only ‘invent’ where there are gaps in the history. This, of course, is mirrored by the spectrum of academic historians, including popular historians. Hilary Mantel focussed on the importance of detail as well as the understanding of intellectual history. She reminded us of the importance of honesty and how building on untruths can lead to farce.
The following day comprised a range of plenary sessions as well as a key note speech by Alison Weir. Key themes throughout the day included the ability of the historical novelist to provide insight, difficulty in the use of language, the need to look at history from fresh angles for a new audience and not to recycle well worn images (often inaccurate themselves) and the relative importance of accuracy, authenticity and plausibility.
The event will continue as a virtual conference next week – details can be found at http://www.history.ac.uk/historical-fiction
In terms of my novel, this week I finished Chapter Thirteen. I really missed writing over the last couple of days and can’t wait to get back to it.

Get Closer

This week I had my fourth tutorial. It was very positive but there is a key area that needs work. On the plus side, my tutor is happy with the content and the structure and feels that there is a strong story. I am relieved as the last thing I want to do at this stage is start deconstructing the chapters that I’ve written so far. In addition, if I’m not telling a strong story I’m in trouble. Although my tutor is content with the characters and understands their motivation etc I still haven’t got to grips with the voice. We think that the main reason for this is that in my day job I have been required to write in a very objective way; stripping out all opinion and emotion. Interestingly, I seem to have no problem with dialogue and letters from my character. That’s because I am right there in her mind. As soon as I go back to the third person I become too distant from her. We discussed going back and writing her in the first person but this is too restrictive for the story that I’m telling. We then discussed my writing her in the first person and then changing it back. I have now started to do this and it has made a difference.
This week Emma Darwin has been blogging about this very element of writing. http://emmadarwin.typepad.com/thisitchofwriting/2011/10/point-of-view-narrators-3-external-narrators.html
She also suggests the approach that I describe above. Although I wish that I could have achieved the right voice from the start, I do feel that I have learnt something. If I were able to get the story, plot, narrative, characters, dialogue and voice beautifully from the start then I would have been extremely lucky!

Busy Week

This has been a really productive and varied week. I have worked on Chapter Eleven and am three quarters of the way through. I am now at the beginning of the second of three ‘acts’. For me, the middle of the novel is the most exciting. I have laid the foundations of my protagonist’s world and can now really put her through the various scenarios that build on each other and make her a different and better person by the end of it. I struggled when I started the chapter. It is a bridge between her old world and the new but the writing felt naive and lacked something but I was not sure what. I came back to the basic question; what does she want? Even though I was describing her new world it wasn’t enough. There needed to be conflict, however low key that maybe. Once I answered that question, a secondary/tertiary character came forward, the dialogue almost wrote itself and I learnt more about my protagonist. She came alive again. Creating something from nothing is extremely hard work but when it starts to happen it is a wonderful feeling.
I also attended a training session on exploiting electronic journals. It’s great that they are available electronically but finding what you need is not necessarily easy. I am now looking forward to setting a day aside to play with the various databases.
In addition, I have read a lesser known novel by Mrs Humphrey Ward – ‘The War and Elizabeth.’ I absolutely loved it. It did something that novels rarely seem to do for me anymore; it moved me.
Finally, I want to a fantastic seminar run by the Western Front Association. There were four speakers whose subjects ranged from Ploegsteert Archaeology (a subject close to my heart as my Grandfather was there and I have spent many years in all weathers working on an archaeological site albeit pre-historic) to women war artists and the representation of women in WW1 art. It was so good to get out of the study (and my own head) and meet like-minded people.

Review, Plan and Keep Going

I’m back from holidays and have spent the last week or so editing chapters six-ten. I had several things in mind when doing it: is my protagonist driving every chapter?; is it clear in every chapter what she wants and what is stopping her?; use of secondary characters purely to bring out my protagonist’s character; and then language, historical accuracy, balance between dialogue and description etc. Finally, I wanted to ensure that it was working on a macro level. The latter is the part that was most interesting. Each chapter is a scene but it was the joining of the scenes and running threads between them and leaving them set up for future chapters that is my latest challenge. This has meant the adding of another character which not only provided more confrontation for my protagonist but who will also turn up later and cause trouble. I have now sent it off to my tutor ready for a tutorial at the end of next month.
This morning I sat down to start chapter eleven and reviewed my novel plan (in spreadsheet form which I have discussed before). Immediately it was clear that the macro issue needs resolving here before I can start writing. When I did the initial plan I didn’t know my characters as well or much of the detail of their world. I have now commenced going through all my research and linking it with the general plan that I currently have. This is already sparking ideas as to how my protagonist can move through the events that I want her to. I will then review the plan in terms of the other characters and create as many situations for my protagonist that bring out the different sides of her and make a good page turner. I have also decided that I will probably have to give in and have a ‘romantic’ element but there is no way it will turn into a romance. In actual fact, I will probably end up breaking the poor woman’s heart...
I am feeling excited about the next ten chapters. The first ten set the scene and now the action really begins.

Stewing

A couple of weeks ago I finished Chapter 10. This also marks the close of the first ‘act’ of the novel. It’s finished in one sense but it seems more like the beginning of the real work. I intend to leave it to stew for another fortnight while I go away on holiday. When I return I will spend a few weeks editing before moving on to the next ‘act’. Editing is yet another skill in its own right. During my MA and the commencement of this novel, I have improved my ability to read my work objectively and have learnt what my strengths and weaknesses are. For example, I know that I tend to write economically and not fully develop key scenes. This is normally because I feel the need to get something down, as well as a desire to edit long pieces to ensure balance. I have recently come across two interesting web links. The first is from Mslexia http://www.mslexia.co.uk/magazine/features/feature_49.php. This relates directly to editing. The second is a useful post by Emma Darwin on scenes/chapters and how they are linked. http://emmadarwin.typepad.com/thisitchofwriting/2011/09/making-a-scene.html.
The latter is something that I will need to consider when editing. Of course, there is also editing in terms of historical research, continuity etc. It should keep me busy but it reminds me of the advice given by many established authors – if you want to write a novel then get on and write. You can do a great deal with a draft but absolutely nothing with a blank page.

Juggling Balls, Spinning Plates and Other Metaphors

I feel that I am definitely into the PhD now. I keep oscillating (with a degree of panic) between the thesis and the novel. In terms of the thesis I need to read a significant number of novels; thirty five published pre-1930 and thirty six post-1930. I am hoping to read all the pre-1930 novels before Christmas and am already fourteen down. I am also busy sourcing them all as cheaply as possible (preferably free). Then there are the critical theory sources to track down and read and I am also making good progress on that. I had a wobble last week because the draft framework for the thesis just wasn’t correct. I had drafted it as part of my application but of course subsequent research has impacted on it. I have re-cast it slightly and can now sleep more soundly.
In terms of the novel, I am going through a very interesting phase. I have now drafted 21% (yes that extra 1% is important) and am therefore becoming comfortable with the tone, characters etc. The most interesting aspect is that there appear to be a plethora of accepted motifs, structures etc related to WW1 fiction. I am referring primarily to novels of the time. These novels are, in turn, closely related to memoir. I have just finished re-reading Paul Fussell’s The Great War and Modern Memory (I love it and strongly recommend it) and it would seem that I have already incorporated some of these motifs etc in my draft so far. This is presumably because I have been totally absorbed in the subject matter. I am seeing my novel in a new way. It is story supported by a detailed narrative but it can also be read in different ways depending on the reader’s knowledge of the socioeconomic, political and cultural context. Whereas I previously felt that I was creating something in a fairly linear fashion, I now feel as if I am weaving a mesh. Research for the novel regarding what my characters could and could not have done was necessary but extensive reading around the place of WW1 novels in a cultural context has been invaluable. What does this all mean to a contemporary writer attempting a WW1 novel? Well that takes me back to the thesis...

Graduation

I graduated yesterday with my MA. It was a really lovely day and it was great to have my parents there. It was strange graduating while still studying but I have to say that the various speeches and seeing the PhD students spurred me on.
At my last tutorial, we agreed a deadline of next July for a first full length draft. I have found this very helpful as I was aiming for almost twice that length of time. This week I have drafted a further 3,500 words and now feel that I am in the world of my novel.

Tutorial Three

I had another tutorial today. I was a little nervous, to be honest. It is hard to maintain confidence in your writing when you work alone for most of the time. There were two main areas of feedback. Firstly, I am still guilty of 'telling not showing'. The main reason I seem to keep doing this is that I am trying to get a first draft down and intend to go back and then start looking at it paragraph by paragraph, adding layers of detail. This is all very well but must be very frustrating for my tutor. Secondly, my protagonist is passive. Apparently this is not unusual for a new writer, particularly a woman writing about a woman. Again, I knew that I was doing this – I mentioned it in my post Journey’s End. Why, then, did I not address it before submitting it to my tutor? I had taken that chapter away with me on holiday with the phrases ‘What is her goal, what does she want?’ written in large letters across it but something was just blocking me. Anyway, the tutorial seems to have unlocked something. I came home and wrote five hundred words in half an hour, purely about her. I feel that I really met my protagonist this afternoon.
I have now reached the 10,000 words mark which is helping me psychologically. My tutor asked if would have a first draft by the end of this year. I must have looked rather stressed and we ended up agreeing on a first draft by next July. I really have to push now that the first six month ‘bedding in’ period is over, which included the bulk of the research. The only problem is that there is the small matter of the thesis. I have to keep the work on that going as well. Thankfully I am so enthused about the subject of my novel and thesis that I can put in the hours and still love it.

The Somme

I’ve just returned from a trip to the Somme. It was an incredibly moving experience. Not only was it research for the novel but also family research; my grandfather served in the RAMC. In terms of the memorials and cemeteries, it didn’t matter how much I had read and seen on the internet there was no substitution for actually being there. Particularly those cemeteries that mark advanced dressing stations where my grandfather worked. The scale of the losses is really brought home when standing at Thiepval or the Pozières Cemetery. There has been an impact on my writing in several ways. Firstly, there are some minor changes to be made in terms of the plot – visits to various museums highlighted some things that my protagonist just would not have or could not have done. Secondly, the novel has come alive for me. Although some of the villages I visited were completely destroyed, some of the towns further back still retain some buildings that my protagonist would have seen. But it’s more than that; there is something about the essence of the place. Finally, I am aware of the responsibility of writing about this period. There is a fine line between story, memory and memorial.

Talismans

In every issue of Mslexia (a writing magazine), one of the featured writers is asked to describe their writing method. I normally read this section out of curiosity rather than a need to find a method to employ; everybody is different. However, the writer featured in the latest edition – Mary Hoffman – drew my attention more than most. For the first time I came across someone who I can relate to; “you wish you could find an expert to consult for every aspect,” “...you compulsively check e-mail and Twitter, sometimes mid-sentence,” “you find blue ink disturbing,” etc. She mentions something else that applies to me and that is having a talisman that represents the book that I’m writing on. On my desk I have a WW1 postcard with a scene that represents the central scene and title of my novel. I also have a number of photos that I have collected via e-Bay which are close to hand whenever I want to be reminded of what my protagonist is likely to have looked like. Does anyone else have a talisman related to their writing project?

Journey's End

This week I went to see a production of R.C. Sheriff's Journey's End produced and directed by David Grindley. I cannot praise it enough. The staging and the acting was wonderful and I just about managed to keep it together before the lights went up. It is a very emotional exerience. I've found that going to the theatre often helps me to see my writing from a different perspective. Every one of the characters in Journey's End is very distinctive and I found myself reflecting on chapter three of my novel; the chapter that I re-worked this week. It is based on dialogue and due to research the character that my protagonist meets is well developed. However, I was writing that chapter through my protagonist rather than about my protagonist meeting this character. As a result it is unbalanced. I need to go back and make sure the balance is redressed. There is no point my novel being full of interesting characters if my protagonist becomes invisible.

It’s All Academic Really

This week I attended a Post Graduate School induction for new researchers. This is all very new to me (although I have a BA (Hons) and MA I have been in the world of work for years), so I found it very useful. A Creative Writing PhD is a bit unusual as although there is a thesis, there is also a novel to produce as well. This means that the academic element e.g. presenting papers at conferences and submitting posters is not at the forefront of my mind. To be fair, though, I have only been going at it for five months. Spurred on by the induction, I have now joined Academia.Edu which facilitates networking between researchers. I have also researched upcoming conferences but have to say that due to the subject matter of my studies I have drawn a blank. I have hopes for next year. This week has also been busy in terms of study. I have finished the further background research on chapter three and redrafted the latter. I did eight hundred words today which is a record for me. I also went to the Imperial War Museum and spent another day with the sound archives.

And the Winner is...

Not me. I was put forward for the Curtis Brown Award this year but didn’t make it. Still, I must keep pushing on. The last couple of weeks have been steady and I have made progress. I have read two novels (William – An Englishman by Cicely Hamilton and The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West) and drafted Chapter Four. I have also read an autobiography of a woman who appears as a character in Chapter Four (there are only four copies in the UK and one library willing to lend it) and now need to work this into a second draft of that chapter. I have also started drafting Chapter Five and ordered archive material for next week.

Chapter Three

I am pleasantly surprised to have finished chapter three this week. The bulk of it is dialogue,which I really enjoy writing. I sketched out the key points that needed to be covered and then ensured that the links between the ideas followed a logic that would make the dialogue totally natural. All I then had to do was write it (I say all but there were a lot of rests, head rubbing, distraction activity, staring out of the window and flapjack). A great deal of research has gone into it; so much of which is now on the writers equivalent of the cutting room floor but was necessary.

Once Upon a Wartime

Due to Easter and the Royal Wedding, the UK has virtually been on holiday for the last two weeks. All very nice but it means I haven’t done much writing (although reading and research has continued as I can do that with someone else in the house). In an attempt to mix holiday with study, I went to the Once Upon a Wartime: Classic War Stories for Children Exhibition at the Imperial War Museum. This features five stories: War Horse (Michael Morpurgo), Carrie’s War (Nina Bawden), The Machine Gunners (Robert Westall), The Silver Sword (Ian Serrailier) and Little Soldier (Bernard Ashley). It is an exhibition designed for both children and adults and includes information on life at the time of the novels to provide context and objects (e.g. a letter from some children to Kitchener begging that he let them keep their horse as well as Kitchener’s reply – no he didn’t take it). One of the most exciting things for me were the objects relating to the authors themselves, everything from Robert Westall’s typewriter to the actual sword that inspired Ian Serrailier and the painting of a horse that hangs in Michael Morpurgo’s kitchen. There were also original typewritten manuscripts complete with scribbled comments from the editors. The ideas for the stories as well as characters were also set out. Carrie’s War and The Machine Gunners were key stories for me as a child so this exhibition was a treat.

Osterley Bookshop

I've had a quiet week reading 'The Well of Loneliness' by Radclyffe Hall and enjoying the unseasonable sunshine. I also made another trip to one of the most gorgeous secondhand bookshops - the Osterley Bookshop in Chiswick, West London. It is in a building that was once a Tube station, crammed with books on an incredibly diverse range of subjects and all at very reasonable prices. I picked up John Buchan's Greenmantle in a lovely 1950's Penguin print for £3.50. Not only do they sell books but also bric a brac and jars of honey. It was wonderful to crawl round on the floor going through piles of old books, listening to the pigeons cooing while the sun came in through the ivy covered windows. Maybe I could become their writer in residence - all I need is coffee, cake and an old desk.

Progress

This week I had my second tutorial. I had submitted the first two chapters of the novel to my tutor and then focussed on research and the thesis. I didn’t want to continue writing until I knew that I was going in the right direction. The feedback I have now received is very positive so I can now start chapter three with confidence. After three and half months of working on my own, it is good to know that all the effort has been worth it. Only another 96,000 words to go!

In Their Own Words

This week I was back at the Imperial War Museum. I have now moved from documents to sound archives. The experience was very different. The documents have been incredibly valuable but it can be time consuming (deciphering handwriting), people tend to write in a different tone to the way in which they speak and you don’t get to ask questions. The oral history I worked with yesterday was in some ways the opposite of this. I could sit back and listen and just like a radio programme, fall into imagination without distraction. After a while the room disappeared and I was somewhere (and some time) else entirely. Once they got over the initial stilted delivery, the interviewees used their own ‘voices’ rather than the more formal communication of a letter. In addition, the interviewers were excellent at asking the right questions and drawing out examples.

Free Books

My current bibliography is rather extensive and somehow I don’t think I have identified every book that I need to read. Also people have a habit of continually publishing them. This means study can be expensive and any savings are always welcome. The majority can be found through the library system but I just wanted to highlight Project Gutenberg and archive.org with regard to novels. These sites are fantastic in that the novels are free and I can search the text and copy and paste quotes, which makes things a lot easier. It also means that it doesn’t take a great deal of effort to check out books that might be useful but then aren’t. The only problem is I am an old fashioned book lover and so reading on screen isn’t a pleasurable experience. This week I gave in and after reading the most beautiful book (May Sinclair’s Tree of Heaven) from Project Gutenberg, I caved in and bought a physical version. The recent publishing runs of it are expensive but I managed to find a 1918 edition for under £10. I know I’m missing the point but I loved the book and nothing can replace the feel and smell of book that is nearly one hundred years old.

Dear Diary

Many books and websites on writing often recommend the keeping of a diary or journal. This can range from the recording of ideas and overheard conversations to a record of your actual life. I am always interested in this piece of advice as I have kept a diary for the last twenty two years and have some diaries going back further than that. This week I took them out and had a look through them. The first thing that I found was a constant thread relating to my desire to write and I was also amazed at the number of books that I got through as a child (I have always recorded the books that I have read but not reviewed them - that would be too detailed even for me!). I was also interested in the amount of decription relating to my feelings. I don't remember writing that much but it seems I did and it took me straight back there. Some of them made me cringe but I won't ever throw them out. If anyone finds them when I'm gone then I won't be in a position to care.

A New Chapter

I took leave from work last week, as well as study, in order to get the house and garden clean and tidy now that spring has arrived. I am one of those people who cannot relax when I know there are jobs to be done and this can be difficult when I’m at home writing for most of the time. Now the major jobs are done, I can get by with flicking a duster round for the next few months as well as pulling out the occasional weed.
I did manage to get a bit of reading done and finished reading Ian Hay’s The First Hundred Thousand (1916) and Carrying on after the First Hundred Thousand (1917). These were the fourth impression and first edition respectively that I picked up really cheaply in New Zealand. They are barely disguised autobiographical accounts of training prior to embarkation and then life at and just behind the Front. Although it could be argued that they are not novels, they are still addictive reading and full of well drawn characters.Today I started Chapter Two of my novel. I knew that I would struggle with it as it’s a bit of bridge before the next piece of ‘action’ but it’s needed in order to show the protagonists’ motivation. In addition, it isn’t an action packed thriller and there need to be periods of reflection. Starting on a Monday morning with a difficult chapter is not a good idea. Basically, the main character needed to write a letter and I started to describe in two or three sentences that she was sitting at a desk etc but it was dull. In those first few sentences I needed to be clear about what I wanted to say about her. This brought me back to the key issue of point of view. I am writing in the third person but how could I use that to best effect? Rather than use the third person in a very neutral way, I have developed it subtly (I hope!) to reflect how the narration would sound if in the first person. I need to be careful with it but it does create a more distinctive voice rather than a ‘he said,’ ‘she said’ approach.

Bits and Pieces

It's been a busy week or so. I've finished Chapter One and won't be looking at it for at least a week. I have also read one and a half novels related to the period I am writing about, read two literary criticism books and been to the Imperial War Museum to do more research. Are these distractions? No. I not only have to write a novel but also a thesis (hence the lit. crit. and the novels). It may be just indicative of the historical novel but even if I weren't doing a thesis I would need to do both of things in some measure in order to write to a good enough standard. So far this week I have learnt the following about WW1 novels (pre-1930): their polyphonic nature; the common basic pattern of a single protaganist; the balance between the diarist, the novelist and the historian; and personal specifics versus the epic. I don't have to follow the direction they point to but it has given me a greater understanding of the structure of my novel. I have addressed some of these areas almost instinctively but it is good to be able to articulate it. I don't have to produce a writer's journal for my PhD but as I mentioned in a previous post, I continue to do so as best practice.

Once Upon a Time...

Today I started chapter one and have managed just over seven hundred words. This is a considerable amount considering the way in which I work; self drafting as I go. I had planned on starting last week but it ended up becoming a brainstorming session on the finer detail; the curse of the historical novel. It also meant an emergency dash to the library and a crash course in Futurism, purely for the sake of one paragraph. Today was one of those days where I was in the right frame of mind and felt that I was able to communicate the ‘vision’ in my head. I will probably review the draft in a week and change this opinion but it’s a good start. It is incredibly hard work but I love it.

Private Peaceful

I am taking every opportunity to immerse myself in the world in which my novel is set. This week I went to see a stage adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s Private Peaceful. The novel is written for children but the play is equally aimed at children and adults. Private Peaceful (acted superbly by Mark Quartley) spends the night before his execution for cowardice, looking back over his life. Once again, I come back to the importance of story. It sounds so obvious but if you are going to write a novel you must have a story; a strong and beautiful thread that leads the reader through the world that you have created so that by the end they have a sense of satisfaction about the place in which they end up. Every incident that Morpurgo uses from Private Peaceful’s childhood is used to illustrate an aspect of that character but they are also subtly linked to create the story; otherwise it would just be eighty minutes of reminiscences.
Morpurgo is a previous Children’s Laureate and the author of War Horse, the stage adaptation of which is the most incredible play that I have ever seen. If you ever get the opportunity to see it, please take it.

Day at the Museum

When I drafted the novel plan last year, I had to carry out a fair amount of historical research; bringing together my two loves. Now that I have my detailed chapter plan, it is time to get into the really detailed research. This week I have been to the Imperial War Museum and worked through diaries, letters and documents. Some of the accounts are very matter of fact and provide information on the processes that my character would have gone through. Others are descriptions of experience and are written in the most beautiful language. I became completely lost in one collection of letters: the minutiae of their daily life; their innermost thoughts and feelings; their closest friends. It was as if I were reading a novel. I haven’t finished going through them yet and am looking forward to going back. As I stated in a previous post, I do not want this novel to be filled with page upon page of historical detail. To be honest I would be overwhelmed at the task of faithfully recreating every feature of that time and place. It is not a history book. Rather, this research is intended to assure the accuracy of the narrative framework and find those beautiful gems that help to make real the world I am creating. I have a few more visits to go as there are also sound and film archives to go through. I cannot wait.

Grid

In my last post, I wrote that I was working on translating my novel plan into chapters. As someone who likes organisation, planning and spreadsheets I was intrigued by Emma Darwin’s post on using a grid to plan a novel. Please see the post at the following link. http://emmadarwin.typepad.com/thisitchofwriting/2010/05/help-yourself.html I don’t normally follow the different ways in which writers approach the technical side of writing; I believe you need to find your own way rather than become a Frankenstein of different methods. However, this grid fitted with the way that I work. I now have a grid of thirty chapters, setting out the characters, the detail of what happens, the theme and any relevant background. The beauty is that I can now see where there are areas that deaden the pace (although quieter chapters are needed to allow the reader to take a breath and reflect), where there are too many chapters focussed on one character etc. Today I had that lovely feeling of being able to make subtle links between events and characters due to the fact that I was able to see the novel in its entirety at one time.

Hovering

I couldn’t get to sleep the other night. I was thinking about how I am going to take the novel plan and translate that into a narrative. The plan, drafted for one of my MA modules, is written in the first person. As I lay there it was frustrating me that it felt very linear and constrained. I was only seeing the story through the eyes of the lead character. Then I started to view it as if I was hovering above it and all of a sudden the other characters came rushing forward, clamouring to be heard. The lead character is an unreliable narrator and this will come over more effectively if I can see her from the perspective of the characters that she interacts with. Yesterday I started to break the plan down into chapters and examine each character in turn. Instantly it feels more comprehensive and there is more material and depth. So, that is the question of point of view answered.

First Tutorial

I had my first tutorial this week. There is good news with regard to my MA dissertation but hopefully more of that in later posts. In terms of the PhD, one of my concerns was the ‘chicken and egg’ question with regard to research. I have a propensity to want to complete a piece of work almost as soon as I have begun it but that is not possible with something that is designed to take three years. My tutor made me feel better by telling me it was ok to go and just read for a few months before starting the novel. I am still going to make a start on it next week but I feel the pressure is off.
Although the novel is planned in terms of the story, I have not yet decided on the point of view. My initial feeling is that it should be first person and linear. But can I hold the reader’s interest? Again, my tutor took the pressure off and told me to simply play around with it, try different approaches until it feels right.
I do have a good feel for the tone that I want to create. Although it is an historical novel, I want it to feel contemporary. I want the focus to be on the characters and not too much historical detail. The aim of a good historical novel is to help the reader explore contemporary issues that are perhaps still too raw or that have not yet had a line drawn under them; an ongoing social discourse. I have read Frederick Manning Her Privates We (1929) and Rose Macaulay Non-Combatants and Others (1916) this week and am struck by just how contemporary they feel.

New Start

Today is my first day of studying. When my other half left for work this morning I felt guilty at being off work. When you do a taught degree it becomes real from the first lecture and the fact there is a term deadline. I am now in the wonderful but frankly scary position that I am in complete control of what I do and when, there are are no specific deadlines and no regular lectures where I can share thoughts and concerns with others. What I have got is a timeline on Excel and a tutorial on Monday. I spent today reading the first of many novels on the list and marking relevant pages ready for inputting into my research framework. I am not even touching the novel until next week. The good thing is it's already planned and that plan has been graded as part of my MA. You will have noticed that I have already started blogging as a distraction...Right, back to the study!