Just another NaNoWriMo blog post…

So, I’ve done it. I’ve taken the plunge and signed up for NaNoWriMo yet again. Why? Who knows – after last year’s attempt (and subsequent failure) I was convinced that it wasn’t for me and adamant that I wouldn’t be signing up for it again. And yet signing up is precisely what I’ve just done. Perhaps it’s the excitement surrounding it, the tweets and blogs of preparation and plotting and panicking, or perhaps it’s simply the desire to get something down onto the page again, but either way I figured I might as well.

I’ve had an idea bubbling around for a while that I’ve yet to do anything with and it’s been ages since I spent any proper time on fiction writing, and what better excuse to concentrate on it than the challenge of NaNo? (For the uninitiated, National Novel Writing Month involves participants writing 50,000 words of a first draft during the month of November. Crazy? Perhaps…)

I’ve decided that it’ll force me to do something with the idea, and as the premise of NaNo states, a few rubbish words are better than none at all. It’s a chance to get a very rough draft down (draft zero in effect) to see what can be done with it, and I’m hoping it’ll at least give me the chance to get into the habit of writing fiction again. So who knows? It could go well, it could be a disaster, I could discover mid-November that my idea is awful and I’ve come to a grinding halt. But on the other hand I could be left with a basic draft that can be worked with and turned into something with potential, and at the very least I’ll have a few thousand words instead of a blank page.

So, is everyone ready? Then let’s get stuck in – NaNo craziness awaits!

The beauty of The Tiny Wife

Last night I read a beautiful little book called The Tiny Wife by Andrew Kaufman. I’d heard a lot about it through Twitter and when I saw it sitting there in the bookshop I couldn’t resist – it’s a stunning book with a striking red hardback cover, and being smaller than most made it stand out even more. I couldn’t wait to read it, and I realised I had a treat in store when I started to delve in.

Not only is the cover beautiful, but so are the inner pages. They’re full of lovely illustrations which caught me by surprise – in my haste to buy the book I hadn’t taken the time to leaf through it – and it only added to the uniqueness of the whole thing. It’s been a while since I’ve read anything illustrated (perhaps not since my childhood?) and the drawings perfectly complemented the story, its whimsical nature captured by striking monochrome figures that made it all the more fable-like.

And the story itself? Just as wonderful. It tells the tale of a bank robbery, but instead of stealing money the thief takes from each victim the object that holds the most sentimental value. Over the days that follow, strange and inexplicable things start to happen to the victims – a tattoo comes to life, a man gets trapped by history, a husband turn into a snowman and the wife of the title slowly starts to shrink. It really drew me in and I found myself smiling throughout, with each section becoming even more fantastical.

It’s a modern fairy tale and so nice to see something of this nature hitting the shops – after reading The Tiger’s Wife a few months ago I’ve longed for more fables to come around. It’s a chance to truly step into another story, another world, and I loved every minute of it. Of course, there weren’t all that many minutes to it – the whole thing can be read in its entirety the space of an hour (less if you don’t admire the illustrations for quite so long), making it the perfect bitesize story that can be dipped into when you fancy a break from reality for a bit.

It’s beautiful in every sense of the word, for the story contained within it as much as outward appearances. I realise I’m starting to gush a bit now but it truly is a remarkable little book – it’s a quick and easy read that stays with you long after you’ve turned the final page. All that’s left to say is buy it. You won’t be disappointed.

Going Back to the Start

Last week I was talking to someone that had just enjoyed his first week of going freelance, and it got me thinking back to my own beginnings in the field. It was such an exciting time – well, exciting and terrifying – and being able to re-live those feelings made me appreciate the lifestyle even more.

I started out with zero experience and no contacts whatsoever, but in a way that made it even more exciting. It was a proper challenge, and while that may have made it even more terrifying as well, it really did motivate me. I was determined to succeed and that, combined with a desire to never work in a 9-5 office space again, spurred me on.

I loved every part of those early days, even the more mundane aspects of business management that many of us tire of once we’ve done it for too long. Creating spreadsheets filled me with joy – it was my indicator of being a Proper Professional, and I loved the feeling of being organised. And don’t even get me started on sending off that first invoice – what a thrill!

Sometimes it’s easy to get complacent about the business and the lifestyle as a whole. We can get overrun with projects, marketing can seem tiring and any setbacks feel like the end of the world. We can even find ourselves longing for the ease of a regular job where decisions are made for us and there isn’t that same level of responsibility, but really, where’s the fun in that?

It may be difficult at times but the rewards are well worth it, and being able to think about the early excitement I felt made me fall in love with freelancing all over again. Sometimes it’s necessary to take a minute to take stock of things and look back upon what’s been achieved, and while there are always things that can be improved upon, I wouldn’t change it for the world.

A Visit from the Goon Squad

There’s been an immense amount of hype surrounding A Visit from the Goon Squad, the latest novel from Pulitzer prize-winning author Jennifer Egan. I was intrigued to see whether or not it lived up to expectations, and while I don’t think it enamoured me to that extent, it’s a pretty damn good book.

The novel follows a very unusual pattern – each chapter is told from the point of view of a different character, each related to the rest in some way, and it also flips backwards and forwards through time, with a couple of chapters even taking us into the not-too-distant future. In essence each chapter is a snapshot of the individual character’s life, almost being a self-contained short story, but as we read on we can see how everything connects and how those snapshots affect the lives of everyone else.

There other interesting point is that there are several different writing styles on offer. Some chapters are written in first person, some in third, some even hinting at second, as well as a magazine-style chapter and the now-infamous power point presentation. This one actually worked quite well for me. I loved the uniqueness of it, and it fit really well with the style of the book. It captured the voice of the character perfectly, as all chapters did – each one was incredibly distinctive, and Egan managed to convey the personality and style of each character effortlessly. I felt like I was getting an intimate look into the life of each person, as if each one was speaking to me rather than their story being re-told by some vacant central narrator, and that was the part that really made the book stood out.

Egan’s writing is captivating. I was drawn into the lives of these characters and I loved it when I discovered the links between them, and the warmth and emotion of some of the chapters made me stop still. Her observations on time were poignant – things don’t always pan out as we expect, no matter how much we like to think otherwise, and sometimes we get a few surprises along the way. Although not everything gelled quite so well with me (I wasn’t enamoured with all chapters or with the music references, despite them being a lot of what the book is based on), overall I thought it was a great book that thoroughly deserves its praise. It’s impossible to go into specifics as there’s simply too much going on and too many characters to cover, so all I can say is read it – it’s an unusual book that just might surprise you.

Author events – advice, observations and musings

In the past two weeks I’ve been lucky enough to go to two separate author events, the first being with Mark Billingham and Christopher Brookmyre, the second (and also the one I was most excited about) being with Erin Morgenstern, author of the hotly anticipated The Night Circus. Norwich is incredibly lucky when it comes to author activities – our bookshops, central library (the Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Library which is, apparently, the busiest in the country) and university means that we regularly play host to high-end authors of all genres for a variety of different purposes, with readings, talks and lectures regularly being on offer (we even welcomed Alan Partridge/Steve Coogan a week ago, and rumour has it he was seen in one of the city’s clubs a few hours later – bet he’d be a blast to drink with!). But anyway, back to the events…

The first one was crime-related, with Mark and Christopher talking about their latest releases, giving readings and answering questions from the audience. They’re both incredibly funny guys which made it a fantastic evening – the audience was in stitches by the end of it, and they were both able to keep everyone captivated throughout. It was great to hear about the thought processes involved and how they went about writing their books, and it was particularly interesting when Mark talked about the process of transitioning a book to a TV series (with his Thorne novels having recently been adapted). I left feeling thoroughly happy with the evening, and then I had the Erin Morgenstern event to look forward to a week later.

This was the event that I really loved. Not only was it a coffee morning-style set up, complete with coffee, popcorn and chocolate mice (straight from the book), but I’d started reading the novel that very morning and was enthralled from the start. It was fantastic to hear Erin talk about her writing process (she doesn’t really have one – she can write wherever she is and often writes in fits and starts) as well as her love of the book and its outcome, and it was particularly fascinating because she’s a debut author.

She wrote the first draft of the book during National Novel Writing Month several years ago, and she talked about why she loves NaNo so much – apparently she always loved the idea of writing but would always write the first page then give up in disappointment, but NaNo gave her the chance to just write without having to worry. Getting the words down was the start of something, and it certainly worked for her – the novel has enjoyed huge hype over the last few months and I felt privileged to hear her speak about it, and I was even more thrilled when I got my book signed at the end. It also left me with a bit of a boost – if she used to give up in desperation but managed to create something as big as The Night Circus, there’s hope for us all!

Both events were fascinating to attend, not only to hear about the authors and their work but also to see their eloquence in answering questions. Their ability to give such in-depth answers and to talk around the questions to give even more detail really stood out, particularly in the case of Erin’s event, and whether it was their passion for the subject or their level of confidence it certainly made an impression. It also re-emphasised the point that every writer has a different way of doing things – some are meticulous and edit as they go whereas others need the freedom to simply write without the inner editor taking hold, and it was great to hear how successful authors work. Both events were really inspiring and I left with renewed energy to work on my own projects, and Erin’s event even got me contemplating giving NaNoWriMo another go…

My latest purchase (and a reminder of why I love paper books)

This weekend I went on a short holiday to the Isle of Wight. For anyone who hasn’t been, I implore you to go – it’s truly breathtaking, with picturesque villages and miles of stunning coastline that will have you captivated, not to mention it being the home of (in my opinion) the best hot chocolate in the world (pure melted chocolate topped with milk and whipped cream – AMAZING. But I digress…).

Whilst on a short stop in the coastal town of Yarmouth where we weren’t expecting to stay very long or find very much, my Mum and I happened upon a quaint second-hand bookshop that was full to bursting with beautiful old books. It was an amazing discovery. The shop covered every conceivable subject, with tomes on military history jostling for space with poetry pamphlets in the wonderfully over-stocked shelves, and as I was happily browsing a certain book jumped out at me. This one:

A 1922 edition of Darwin’s The Descent of Man. It was the striking green cover that first caught my eye, and when I saw the name on the spine I simply had to pluck it from the shelf and take a closer look. But, its beauty wasn’t all that appealed. On closer inspection I discovered that the name written inside the book was none other than John A Richards – a man that had previously owned this book had my very own surname. I had to have it.

The spookiness didn’t stop there though. When I chatted to the shop owner I discovered that I was lucky to find this book – most Darwin editions are sold within two days of arriving at the shop, but this one had been left untouched for three weeks. Like it was waiting for me. I couldn’t believe my luck – not only was this edition inscribed with my very own surname but it had been waiting for three weeks for me to arrive! It felt meant to be and was the premier purchase of the whole weekend.

It also reaffirmed my love for paper books. As I was leafing through it afterwards I was taken aback by the feel of the paper and my excitement in turning the pages, and it was particularly noticeable being a book of this age – the paper was incredibly delicate and the impressions of the type came through to give it a wholly different texture, offering a sensory experience that you simply don’t get with ebooks. I also felt that I was holding a wealth of history – the book has been through so many owners, has had so many hands turning its pages and countless pairs of eyes crossing its lines of type – it gave the impression that it could tell many more stories other than that contained within its pages.

Again, it’s something that can’t be replicated with ebooks. Electronic versions don’t elicit the same kind of emotional response and won’t be carefully stored away on bookshelves for decades and centuries to come, and in 90 years from now you won’t be able to discover a much-loved ebook waiting for you in a tiny second-hand bookshop that’s stuffed to the rafters with books that have been cared for by numerous owners. It just isn’t the same, and while I basically accept the argument that a book is all about the words, I don’t wholly agree – the words may be the backbone of the book, but for me the paper is its heart.

Blueeyedboy – Joanne Harris

I’ve been hearing good things about Joanne Harris for years, but I’m sorry to say that I didn’t take the plunge with one of her books until recently. How wrong I was to leave it so long. Blueeyedboy is fantastic – it’s written in a highly unusual way, taking the form of posts on an online journal (the modern day letter writing technique?) giving us a fascinating first person viewpoint into the lives of the central narrators, and I was left speechless.

 

The book centres around B.B, a 42-year old man who still lives at home with his controlling, manipulative and often abusive mother. He’s one of three brothers but is the only one still alive, and it’s the circumstances surrounding the deaths of his siblings (and the deaths of many others) that come into the foreground.

B.B has set up an online site called badguysrock, a place where people with a love for the darker side of life can get together and share their fictional accounts of things. Or, at least we’re led to believe that they’re fictional. We quickly learn that things aren’t always as they appear and the line between truth and fantasy becomes inexplicably blurred, and when the other central narrator, Albertine, comes into the spotlight things become even more complex.

It’s hard to go into too many details here because the narrative is so complicated – I wouldn’t want to risk giving anything away! There are twists and turns at every corner and I often found myself shocked into silence as I tried to understand what was happening, making it a hugely captivating read. I was compelled to keep going as I tried to figure out what was going on and couldn’t turn the pages fast enough – each chapter gave more food for thought. Suffice to say, the ending is just as shocking as the rest of it, and I was left with an urge to read the entire book again so I could piece it all together and look for clues along the way.

The writing itself is wonderful. There isn’t a whole lot of dialogue, as you would expect being written in this format, and the first person viewpoint gives us an in-depth look into each narrator’s head. Harris writes incredibly complex characters and really shows what they’re all about, and despite B.B’s slightly psychopathic tendencies I couldn’t help feeling empathy at what he’d suffered at the hands of his mother. Surely the mark of a good storyteller…

The fact that a central theme of the book is the condition of synaesthesia added another element to it – we were taken in by aromas, sound and taste as much as we were by the words themselves, adding another layer to the whole thing. This unique angle only added to my enjoyment of the book, and the fact that not everything was rounded off nicely meant my mind was still buzzing long after I’d put it down.

As you can probably tell, I loved this book. It’s totally different and is written in such a unique and compelling way that I couldn’t put it down, and the characterisation and thrilling pace only added to the appeal. I can’t wait to get my hands on some more Joanne Harris offerings, and if anyone’s thinking of reading this book I’ve got one word of advice – don’t believe everything you read!

Learning by example

Earlier this week I finally got around to seeing the film version of One Day, and, erm, I wasn’t impressed. For me it was nothing like as good as the book – I didn’t think it translated well onto the screen and Anne Hathaway’s accent was laughable, and overall I left feeling incredibly disappointed. But it got me thinking about why I loved the book so much in the first place and I realised that there are plenty of things to learn from it – we can learn by example or, in the case of the film, by mistakes.

• Spend time to develop believable and empathetic characters. The great thing about the book was that we got to know Dex and Em intimately, but in the film they never seemed to get off the ground. That isn’t necessarily a reflection of acting ability but rather the fact that the snapshot effect, where we get brief glimpses into their lives each year, didn’t work so well on the screen. The time constraints meant they came across rather superficially whereas the scope of the book meant we have time to really get to know them, and it made me realise how important this aspect is. Character development is vital – as readers we need a reason to keep turning the page, and unless we’re given captivating characters that simply isn’t going to happen.

• Master the art of POV. One of my favourite aspects of the book was David Nicholls’ ability to swap POVs effortlessly. We got to know the innermost thoughts, feelings and motivations of all the central characters, and despite frequent switches between them all we were never left wondering whose head we were in. For me this only added to the character development and was an impressive thing to achieve – I can’t remember reading another book that changes POV so frequently and especially not one that is so masterful in doing so, and it hammered home the importance of nailing POV throughout a novel.

• Don’t race through the story too quickly. Again, this is largely down to the time limitations of a film in comparison to a book, but when watching the movie version it felt like everything was being rushed (despite the fact that, bizarrely, it all felt rather boring). Yes, all the major points were covered but it didn’t seem like there was much feeling involved or, indeed, any point to it, and it only added to my failure to fall in love with the characters and connect with the story. This just goes to show how important it is to not race through things too quickly – of course, the pace needs to be kept up in order to keep readers turning the page, but it’s important to have a breather every now and again to give them time to reflect and to really engage with what’s going on.

These were the major points that came to mind after I watched it, and my overriding thought was that it was incredibly dull. This didn’t make much sense given how much I loved the book (and I do just have to emphasise that fact – I LOVED it but the film simply didn’t do it justice), but I think it’s just because the basic premise didn’t work well on the screen. With the novel we get to know and love the characters and therefore really care about their lives, but because everything was so rushed and we had such limited windows to see what’s going on there was no connection on any level.

But, it did make me appreciate how fantastic the book is and how a good novel can be far more engrossing and fulfilling than a film ever could be, and it reiterated some points that are easily overlooked when it comes to storytelling. It’s often interesting to look back to see how the masters have done it and to learn by their example, and I’m pretty sure that many of us can learn a lot from David Nicholls.

Bringing back memories

Monday marked the first year since my lovely Gran passed away. It was a difficult few days – my Mum and I visited the places that we scattered her ashes, and there were lots of tears and plenty of heartfelt chats. I of course won’t go into the details but I will say that I personally felt like marking the date by picking a book of hers off the bookcase (also hers) that I remembered from when I was younger. I decided upon David Copperfield and read it in one sitting, minus about 20 pages which I devoured soon after.

I loved the feeling of being transported back in time, and I could remember why I enjoyed it so much the first time round. The uplifting ending was just what I needed and as I read it I felt like I was back in my childhood – I could picture the book sitting in my Gran’s flat, and I was comforted by the thought. Incidentally, I think it’s a shortened version created for children so I would guess that the original is a bit more in-depth, but it perfectly fit the bill for the day.

There are plenty of other books I need to pluck off the shelf but there are also several more that I daren’t touch – some wonderful old copies of Little Women and The House at Pooh Corner, for example, date back to the 30s/40s and are far too delicate for me to dare turn the pages for fear of destroying them. For now they will simply stay in the bookcase to provide beautiful decoration and happy memories, and every time I look at them I can remember my Gran at her best.

RIP Claire Richards, 1931 – 2010 x x x

I want this library…

It’s always been my dream to have my very own library in my very own home, and I love finding examples of people that have done it themselves. This little cupboard library is my idea of heaven:

Ok, so it isn’t an entire room complete with shelf-covered walls and a ladder that runs around the whole thing, but I figured it’s a slightly more realistic goal (for the moment at least). And I LOVE it.

(As with so many random pictures I come across these days, I found this little beauty via Twitter. Here’s the original link. Thanks Jessica!)