Who's influenced me?

One of my favourite books when I was a child was by Pamela Brown who, as a teenager, wrote a book called ‘The Swish of the Curtain’ about some stage-struck children who formed their own amateur theatre company. Another was Ruby Ferguson whose ‘Jill’ books (about Jill and her pony adventures) enthralled me – I desperately wanted a pony at the time! One of my early stories (actually it was novel-length), was an amalgam of theatre and ponies! I wrote it when I was about 11 or 12, called it ‘We Wanted a Theatre’ and I loved writing it.

Looking back, I’d probably say that a major influence in my life was not a writer but a young history teacher at my High School. She introduced me to ‘real’ history when I was about 13, not just boring facts written on the blackboard (yes, we still had those in my time) and to authors like Anya Seton and also Josephine Tey’s ‘Daughter of Time’ about Richard III. She also passed on her passion for drama and the theatre. History became my profession and drama/theatre, particularly musical theatre, became one of my major interests (hence my novel ‘His Leading Lady’ which is set in London’s West End theatre world)

I have devoured books all my life. I tend to get a ‘craze’ on a particular author at different times and read everything of his/hers that I can find. I don’t think, though, that any author has particularly ‘influenced’ me – except that Sharon Kay Penman’s wonderful historical novels have put me off ever writing a historical! Her research is amazing – meticulous and accurate (I can vouch for that!), and she has the ability to get inside the skin of so many characters from medieval British history. I could never hope to emulate her, so I shy away from historical novels or even historical settings, despite my love of history.

The one time I WAS influenced by a writer was when I met Harlequin best-seller Linda Lael Miller on a Civil War battlefields trip in 2008. I confess I hadn’t heard of her before that, but during the week we spent touring the battlefields in Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, I got to know her. In between visiting the sites, we started to talk about writing. At the time, I had been writing fan-fiction for about a year and getting good feed-back. Linda said, “Why not try writing a novel again? If you enjoy writing, you might as well get paid something for doing it!’ I came home, dug out a couple of old manuscripts from about 20+ years ago that I’d never finished. ‘His Leading Lady’, one of those, is due for release next June. So thank you, Linda!

Influence of Art upon the Soul

I have always loved paintings. It stems from my grandmother’s home. Granny had these magnificent paintings of dramatic country scenes. Rushing waterfalls, jagged rocks, birds in flight over a lake. I wish I knew what happened to them.

Coming from the city and living in an area of streets of terraced houses with no tree in sight, these paintings conveyed another world for me and stirred my imagination. I dreamt of fairies and princesses being rescued. I remember seeing the picture of Ophelia in Millais’s painting and being entranced by the beauty of it. The visual arts have always awakened something magical inside me.

A painting that always inspired me was the one of his sisters by Branwell Bronte (National Portrait Gallery). Every time I went to London I had to go and gaze at this painting. It’s quite good rather than very good (that’s my opinion) but it was the sitters who intrigued me. If any writer influenced me as a young and untried writer it was those sisters.

I was fortunate enough, when I was about fourteen, to go and stay for several weeks at an Aunt’s in Halifax, Yorkshire. The moors were not far away, and each morning I would set off with the dog and we would wander at will. I was always a Bronte sister in my mind, hoping to run into Mr. Rochester or Heathcliffe. I only met the odd sheep as it happened.

Of course the movies had a great influence on me too. I went at least three times each week, and often with the help of friends, produced, directed and starred in scenes from the films. My cousin Stuart, often reminds me of how frequently we played scenes from the film “Tycoon” He would be John Wayne and I would be Larraine Day, while a friend was always the character Curly, who was hurt in a mining accident, and had to pretend he was on a stretcher dying. Hardly a grand part but he always did it willingly.
Of course, I never stuck strictly to the script and would improvise. It has all been grist to the mill for me.

There you have it – art has influenced my craft – I am not sure about my soul!

Influence of Art upon the Soul!

Haven’t we all at some time in our lives let ourselves become so immersed in a novel that people can talk to us, make faces at us, and still we remain oblivious to their presence. Well, I have, even if you haven’t.  I can remember my mother once said that if the house caught fire I wouldn’t notice until I actually felt the heat. ;) 

I’ve spent moments of snatched bliss with mediaeval knights and soldiers of fortune throughout the ages. I've adored secret service agent types, and best of all, fell in love with countless romantic heroes: mostly men in suits or uniform. But of all the books I’ve read, and of all the wonderful authors who brought characters alive for me, not one can I say has influenced my writing.  My taste in reading is eclectic at best and if my writing ever inspired by such, I think all my novels would resemble chaos.

Imagine a mediaeval knight on a quest for the Holy Grail galloping his brave mount through a wood. Add a contemporary secret service agent concealed behind a tree expecting a drug baron-cum-weapons dealer to show up for a meeting with some low hood. Now think of a couple in a car looking for a quiet nooky spot. Who gets the first drop? The knight sword to belt, the secret agent gun to holster, and what of the innocent couple who witness events?  I guess, on reflection, this sort of sequence could quite easily appear in the TV drama Midsomer Murders: the county where murder is a daily hazard and bizarre plots order of the day. But in a book this theme would only pass muster as paranormal fantasy involving parallel worlds.

So No, no one author has inspired or influenced my writing.  Artwork inspires my novels, so I guess you could say artists influence my writing by their artistic imagery. In effect my conscious mind sees the image in art gallery. I’m prone to ponder over people portraits  - what they might be thinking and who they really are behind the artistic mask - and even when the artist has drawn from his/her own imagination I still ponder who and what the people are.  The subconscious then plays devil’s advocate with overnight dreams in which portraits come alive and reveal character stories. I then feel compelled to re-paint their stories in words.  

Drama lessons in my youth involved the art of scriptwriting, so scene setting and time frames comes easily per scene take and soon fit with overnight dream sequences. The hardest part is the time it takes to get every scene running smooth to next and down in Word format. ;)       

Whose shoulders am I standing on?

We weren't allowed a television, so I've been an avid reader for as long as I can remember. I wasn't keen on Dick, Jane and Spot, but I adored Ramona Quimbley. I loved L. Frank Baum's Oz books. In school, we read the classics, but at home I reveled in Robert Heinlein and Isaac Asimov. A cancelled airplane flight led me to Bertrice Small and the world of romance. I knew I'd found my literary home.

3-Act story structure is what I would have learned if I hadn't tried to be a physics major in college. Or a mother, wife, gardener, wage-earner in real life. It's never too late, though. This winter I've studied Syd Field and Larry Brooks, and I now understand how a plot should unfold.

The craft of writing serves many masters. I just finished writing the text for my CSA's new website, and am editing web copy for my soup business' new home party plan. These don't have plots, but they have purpose. And players, and dreams, and needs, and hopes. I will have done all I can to generate work for the employees who depend on me.

And I'll be able to get back to my WIP.

Welcome to Margaret West

Born in England, Margaret moved to the Kent countryside five years ago to get away from the busy life in London. She is married with two grown up children and has worked in various fields of work. She is a Clairknowing medium, Crystal Therapist, Parapsychologist and Psychic Development tutor. She has been writing for over 20 years and has numerous short stories, novels and articles published. Margaret writes romance and paranormal romance, incorporating her spiritual experiences into her books

Her love for literature extends from writing to reading and she is always willing to embrace new ideas and philosophies. She likes nothing more then to sit with a good book in the quiet realms of the countryside, with her dogs, Odin and Chester. A true animal lover, Margaret’s warmth and sensitivity is reflected in her writing.

Her latest release is Abigail Cottage, a dark paranormal romance where love and honour clash with deception and terror. When Abigail falls in love with Justin she can’t begin to know the world of hurt she is heading into. Gorgeous, kind, rich – he’s the man we all dream to meet. BUT, all is not what it seems because Justin is a true demon from hell, disguised as a mortal being. He wants her and will do, kill or maim anyone who tries to stop him. Namely Shaun the real hero, who wants Abigail more! So what does a mortal man do against a demon? He enlists the help of a gypsy of course. But not any old gypsy. Rosa knows Justin very well and has the powers of the spirit world on her side to fight him. Using crystals as a powerful weapon, the light of the spirit world to lead them, they embark on a battle with the whole of the underworld. Many loved ones will lose their lives. This isn’t a book where everyone survives. In real life, bad things happen. In Abigail Cottage, terrible tragedies occur too. Believe... not every story can have a happy ending.
You can order it here:
http://www.hedge-witcherybooks.com/page18.htm

Today Margaret gives us some great advice about writing dialogue:

If I could write a book on the amount of questions that I’ve been asked with regards to dialogue – it would be an epic! Realistic dialogue doesn’t always come easily to everyone. But I can’t tell you how important it is. Dialogue advances a story and fleshes out the characters while providing a break from straight exposition. But, nothing pulls the reader out of a story faster than bad dialogue. It takes time to develop a good technique, but here are a few guidelines that I use which might help.

Listen to how people talk. Don’t become a stalker or anything! Just eavesdrop and scribble down phrases you like. The right words can bring a character to life. Likewise, the wrong word/phrase can destroy the reader’s belief in the character. For instance, it’s unlikely that a builder would say “goodness me” or a solicitor will say “blimey. Dialogue should read like real speech. But, in saying that, real speech has words and sounds that would be distracting if included on a page. Words like “uh” and “oh” makes does not make dialogue sound more realistic. These extraneous words will make your work look unprofessional.

Now comes the tricky part. Cut words and phrases out that don’t serve the conversation’s purpose. What I mean by that is, any dialogue should move the story forward while bringing your characters to life. If it doesn’t, you don’t need it. It’s easy to slip down the slope of providing too much information at once through dialogue. It should never be obvious that you’re communicating information; otherwise you run the risk of info dumping. Give no character more than three uninterrupted sentences at once. You can trust the reader to remember details from earlier in the story. Make sure you break up dialogue with action, because physical details help to break up the words on the page. In other words it allows the reader to visualise the scene you are trying to set.

Tag lines, goodness me. What do we do with these? Either there are too many, or not enough. The really can be the bane of writer’s lives to write and read. The secret is, don’t try too hard to vary them. Veering too much beyond “he said/she said” draws attention to the tags. Readers tend to skim over them anyway. I know I do. If you write “interjected,” or “he sighed,” you’ve now drawn the reader out of the action you’re trying to create. If your dialogue is working, you won’t have to say any of these words in the tag line. Most of all, punctuate dialogue correctly. Nothing is more distracting to a publisher/Editor than a writer who doesn’t know how to use punctuation. A polished MS is no good if it’s covered in punctuation errors.

It’s a tough world for writers out there. I wish everyone the best of luck.

Thank you so much for being with us today, Margaret. We wish you continued success with your writing.

Margaret can be found at:
Website: www.margaretwest.net
Writers Blog: http://margaret-paranormalromanceauthor.blogspot.com/
Paranormal Blog: http://magsx.blogspot.com/

What Will They Remember?

I think the most memorable couple I've ever read about in a romance is Mariah Calloway and Ford Dunning in the book Mariah by Sandra Canfield. This book was released in the 80s through the SuperRomance line at Harliquin. I've read this story so many times I've memorized many of the passages and my copy is as dog-earred as they get.

Mariah is a wanderer, a been-there-done-that kind of person. Ford is a non-conventional minister. Theirs is a beautiful love story. And the best part, is after their happily-ever-after, I get to peek into their lives to see what happens afterwards, as the book is the beginning of a series: Calloway Corners. It continues with stories about Mariah's sisters: Jo, Tess, and Eden. (All written by different authors, but continuing the threads begun by their fellow writers in each of the previous books.)

By the time I read Mariah I already knew I wanted to write a romance someday. But what this book inspired me to aim for was a series of books, each featuring their own hero and heroine, but connected through the characters who appear in each as secondary characters.

It's a dream come true to be writing the third in my series right now. I hope that I, like Sandra and her friends, can create not only characters my readers relate to, but a world they want to return to again (and again) to find out what happens after the happily ever after.

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

What do I try to achieve?

Going back to the original topic for this week of what I try to achieve: for me, it’s not just memorable characters, but the satisfaction of knowing that I’ve created the very best story I can.
Once the really hard work (for me anyway) of actually creating the plot with its conflicts, high and lows, is over, I enjoy concentrating on the detail. When I first start writing the story, my characters are shadowy and undeveloped. By the time I finish the first draft, I know them inside out. I can see and hear them, I feel their happiness and despair, I empathise with my heroine and I’ve fallen in love with my hero. Now I have to find the right words to show exactly what they are experiencing (and check out the over-used words, of course!). I also have to ensure that the story flows - hence my current work on my WIP which has involved changing some events around and creating more interaction between hero and heroine, rather than involving secondary characters too much.
I once read that the words ‘That’ll do’ should never be used by a writer, and I agree. Instead, the writer should say be able to say ‘I’ve worked damned hard to achieve the very best I can produce.’
And yes, I also want to be published. Not for any glory or money though. Even in my Mills and Boon/Harlequin heyday in the 60’s and 70’s, I didn’t earn anywhere near enough money to allow me to retire from my real-time work (although the six-monthly fairly large cheques were very welcome, of course!). My sole reason for wanting to be published is to have the approval of my writing by a professional editor. Something I wouldn’t have if I self-published.
Having said that, when I was writing my fan-fiction stories and ‘publishing’ them on a West Wing yahoo group and then online fan-fiction sites, it was gratifying to get a lot of positive comments from readers. Not just the friends in the yahoo group, but total strangers who read my stories on the two fan-fic sites where I published them. To get a message that someone has added my story, or me as an author, to their ‘favourite’ list is always a big boost to my morale! I even got a couple in the last two days, so people are still reading my stories and enjoying them. Which leads me on to:
What do I want to achieve for my readers?
Simply to enjoy my story - that’s enough for me!
Writing a best-seller and making pots of money so that I could buy one of those very nice houses I saw at the beautiful Zuma Beach in California or maybe a cottage on the west coast of Ireland would be good, but I have no illusions about that ever happening. Anyway, I’m happy enough here in my small house!
In the early 70’s, one of my novels was serialised in about 10 parts in a women’s magazine here. About three years later, I happened to be talking to someone who said she bought that magazine each week. So I just ‘happened’ to mention (like you do!) that my story had been in the magazine. She asked what it was about, I told her it was set in the Lake District, and she said ‘Oh yes, I remember that one, it was a great story.” And I knew from what she went on to say that she really did remember it. Maybe the fact that I can recall that small incident (from over 30 years ago) shows how much it meant to me. For that person, at least, my story had been memorable. What more can I ask?