When the writing gets tough....

I am fascinated by the way writers tackle difficult subjects. It is crucial that they do.
A story about two people getting on really well for 2,000 words can tend to be a touch on the boring side. Introduce something spiky into the narrative and your story comes alive.
Another reason writers tackle tough subjects is because their words can have an effect on those who read them, that they can, in some small way, challenge the way people view the world.
It is not the same for every writer - some stories are there purely to entertain, to make the reader laugh, to make the reader smile, without challenging them at all.
But for those who do tackle difficult subjects, there is one rule above all: keep it real. It makes sense to write about what you know. If you have not got that experience, research you subject before you start writing.

John Dean

Getting a reaction

Continuing my recurring theme of evoking reactions in your reader, I think that good writing is about triggers - words, phrases, images, places, sensations - that reach deep into the reader’s mind.
That reaction will be based on something the reader has actually experienced, or maybe something that the reader dreads ever having to experience. It is why horror and ghost stories work so well.
Yes, you are messing about with the reader’s head, yes, you may be forcing them to confront difficult truths, but isn’t that sometimes what writing is about?
If every story, every book, was about sugary-sweet people in lovely situations, then writing could never really move the reader as it should.
So, yes, writing can, on occasion, make the reader feel uneasy, uncomfortable, scared even, but, let’s be honest, isn’t that sometimes the way we feel in our daily lives anyway? It’s simply art reflecting reality.

John Dean

Writing science fiction

Occasionally, I work with science fiction writers - but what makes good science fiction? Here are some thoughts:
* The best science fiction writers create fantastic worlds but write about them as if they were completely normal. You need to do so as well
* Make sure the reader is able to suspend disbelief. The plot and events need to be believable
* Base your ideas on good science - that is what makes the best sci-work, it could happen.  If a story comes over as impossible, you are moving into fantasy rather than sci-fi
* You have to explain more
* Science fiction must evoke a sense of wonder in the reader. They must want to be in that remarkable world, to meet aliens, to travel in time and space
* Be visual - you can see what is happening, make sure we can as well
* Awe and wonder is all very well but what is also needed is a command of writing: a hatful of bug-headed aliens does not negate the need for skilful writing

What makes bad science fiction?

The great Science Fiction editor John W Campbell said that a science fiction writer should never put beings into a story that are so far superior to Man that we cannot understand their motives, we cannot overcome their will or we cannot meet them face to face in a fair fight. It’s a rule that stands true today
Don’t try to re-create popular sci-fi stories - we do not need another Star Wars. You can be more original than that!
Make your aliens alien - be original, it’s not enough to give them a pointy head. Think it through, make them realistic
No, it wasn’t a dream - keep loyal to the genre, no one waking up to discover they were in bed all the time!

John Dean

The unreliable narrator

I recently taught a course part of which focused on the unreliable narrator, a character who tells a story that the reader cannot take at face value. Now, I am working on a novel using a similar approach, which is proving great fun.
The technique has been used for many centuries but only became known as such in the 1960s.
Sometimes, the narrator is unreliable by the nature of the character, such terrible people that they cannot tell their stories objectively and resort instead to lies and deceit.
There is another type of unreliable narrator. This narrator is unreliable due to having incomplete or incorrect information, although initially neither the narrator nor the readers is aware of this.
Or the unreliable narrator may simply be deluded, suffering perhaps from an illness which clouds judgement (dementia is becoming a popular theme for many writers).
All are terrific techniques but there are dangers. For a start, readers do not always understand that a narrator is unreliable. To counter that, the unreliability of the narrator can be gradually revealed as part of the resolution. It is important to plant clues along the way to ensure that the reader understands and perceives the situation in a way that the narrator does not.
How can a writer do this? There are a number of ways, including showing the reactions of other characters, thereby telling the reader that all is not as it seems.
Although usually, the unreliability of the narrator is gradually revealed, some writers opt for a revelation at the end which shocks the reader.

 

John Dean

Mentoring and online workshops for writers

Novelist John Dean is running an online mentoring and writing workshops programme for aspiring authors.

John, who is based in Darlington, in County Durham, North East England, and has had twelve crime novels published by Robert Hale, of London, is a co-director of Inscribe Media Limited, which is running the programmes.

John, who also runs creative writing courses in Darlington, said: “Writing can be a lonely pastime and our programmes help writers tackle some of the many challenges that it throws up.

“We focus on major issues, such as how a story hangs together, what characters are doing or could be doing, what is hurting a story’s momentum and what story elements are not pulling their weight.

“We identify the differences between good and great writing and point out an author’s strengths and weaknesses so that they become more confident.

“We help authors establish good processes and writing goals and suggest markets for their work.”

The programme includes long-term mentoring and short writing courses.

More information is available at http://www.inscribemedia.co.uk/writing-courses---bespoke-mentoring.html

You can also access a free downloadable writing guide here at www.inscribemedia.co,uk and find free tips on the blog at the site.

The golden rules of writing

It’s worth pausing occasionally to consider the golden rules for writing. These are mine.

* Consider the reader - do not write for yourself, always write for the reader.

* Be disciplined - you may wish to pack lots of information in but does the reader need it?
* You may not have put enough information in - you can imagine where a scene is set but have you given the reader the information they need? You may have drawn a character but can your readers see them?
* Be brutal - if you have overwritten, chop out the fat
So what are your golden rules? You can tell us at our Facebook site www.facebook.com/inscribemedia

John Dean

Snow Birds is published

The latest thriller from Roger Barnes has been published as an ebook.

After a number of high profile drug related deaths from pure cocaine supplied through London clubs to their patrons from the Financial Sector, Political Elite and ‘A’ list Celebrities the authorities realise something out of the ordinary is happening and must take action.

A team set up to investigate and deal with the threat immediately realise it relates to a planned terrorist attack using biological weapons. The situation becomes increasingly more complex when it’s later found that similar attacks are also planned for New York and Berlin. 
The team, comprising Special Forces personnel, a retired Police Officer along with representatives of the British, American and German Security Services, establish the drugs’ route from Bolivia to the targeted cities. Subsequently they discovered where the biological weapons are being produced and put in place an operation to eliminate all those involved. With the deadline for distribution fast approaching it becomes a deadly race against time to stop the attack and the disastrous consequences.
The final resolution is hampered by the indecisive action of Politicians, who while they themselves are being targeted are more concerned about their own image then the welfare of the citizens that elected them. 
Roger Barnes is from Darlington in North East England and the ebook can be purchased from http://www.amazon.com/dp/B016AKL49O 

Roger’s previous works, also published through Inscribe Media, are White Gold and Lost Souls.