More than Writers

  Wednesday evening, I finished my first historical novel. It’s not very long, more a novella, and it’s actually far from finished, and as I sat back on the sofa celebrating with Goldie (as I’m in our caravan in Somerset by myself for a few days,) I thought about what was so different this time. I realised the most important difference is that this is the first ever book I planned ahead. I knew what would happen, and yes, there were the odd characters suddenly popping up out of the woodworks, but no major plot twists and surprises for me. As it’s a historical novel, I was drowning in research, and didn’t want to get halfway through the story, realising that I had no idea what the scene should look like. I was planning to start this novel whilst on the writing retreat in Scotland, so I wanted to get as much research done beforehand as I could, as I find research so intriguing that five hours pass without me even blinking. So the storyline was set, there were scenes I had imagine...

Image Credits:  Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay images. AI images avoided. Do you control your characters or can they, at least sometimes, control you? I like to know my characters’ main traits before I write their stories because that gives me ideas as to what they are capable of and what would drive them to the actions which will be in the story. Motivation matters. But can characters surprise you and develop their own life? Oh yes. When this happens to me, I step back and look at why this happened. I then often spot something in their main trait which would cause the surprise. I shouldn’t have been surprised. The capacity for the character to act in this way was there. I hadn’t fleshed them out well enough here. This is useful. It acts as a wake up call to ensure I do know my characters well enough going forward. When a character comes out with something you couldn’t have foreseen, look at why. Is there back story here which will influence the outcome? If your previou...

                                                                                                                              Photo by   Elisa Ventur   on   Unsplash How do you handle overwhelm? I’m not convinced that I do a particularly good job. My default mode is to ignore the important to make way for the urgent. I will often prioritise domestic tasks over my writing, or respond to other people's requests for help. If I’m not careful, a whole week can go by, and I’ll be frustrated at my lack of progress. Jesus was a man with a clear sense of purpose. He knew instinctively when to withd...

We are asked to step out and walk in faith. We don’t necessarily know the destination, yet we still must act in faith. So, as you have stepped out to write in faith, where has the journey brought you? Maybe you have published several novels - a series? Perhaps you are still researching and considering the concept of your first book? Whatever stage you are at, as Christian writers, we are not alone. We have the Holy Spirit, God within us, the power to create and succeed. We also have each other – our fellow Christian writers. This is a winning combination, so long as we keep an open (to anything) mind. My journey has brought me right back to where I started (more or less). In 1986, I met Jesus, and He started to pour rhyming words into my head. What an incredible experience that was. I used the rhyming skill as a Christian Rap Artist and recorded two albums. After 25 years and spreading the Gospel message to thousands of young people, I considered myself too old for running around...

 Names matter. Getting the right name for your character makes a huge difference to how you feel about them, how you write about them, and how your readers respond. There are a number of ways to find good names for fictional characters. For my historical novels, based in my home county of Caithness, I trawled through the 1911 census for people who would be the right age, in the right occupation, or have the same status as my character. Then I counted the number of entries for each name so I could see whether it was a common name or a strange, unfamiliar one. I wanted 'normal' names for my characters and once I had a small number for each, I was able to choose the one that 'felt' right. You'll guess correctly that I enjoy research and nailing down facts! Another way to find excellent and appropriate names for characters is a wander through a local graveyard reading the gravestones. You'll soon find plenty names to choose from. Names in the UK carry more than simp...

  How are you with deadlines? 👉Are they a necessary evil, something that you’d rather live without, but accept are part of a writing life? 👉Are they the only thing that drives you to complete a piece of work? Or even start it! 👉Or do they fill you with anxiety and dread, to the extent that you can’t actually produce anything at all? I’m the last one, without a doubt. My second year exams at university didn’t go as well as hoped because I was ready too soon. I didn’t know how long it would take me to learn two years worth of history notes and I dreaded running out of time, having to try and cram information into my brain in the last few hours before an exam; ‘doing an all-nighter’, which a lot of my friends swore by. Even the idea of it still makes me hyperventilate.      To avoid this nightmare I started revising early, too early. By the time the exams came round I was bored of the Roman emperors, I’d overthought the causes of the Chinese Opium wa...