The Three A* Poets

As some of you will know, I am a mature student studying a Creative and Professional Writing undergraduate degree course at the University of Nottingham . Sometimes we have guest speakers, and today’s were very special.

I am already lucky enough to be taught by two exceptional poets, Adrian Buckner and Andrew Graves, AKA The MulletProof Poet, but to have both them, and Alan Baker in the same lecture was brilliant. The camaraderie between the three of them was excellent.

Andrew is teaching us about the writing industries, and this session was mainly to talk about publishing poetry. When he first told us about it my first thoughts were a resounding Nooo. Poetry and I don’t gel, I don’t write it, so why would I want to know how to publish it. The session turned out to be much more than that.

Andrew is a performance poet and has been cited as 'The hardest working poet in the East Midlands'.

Adrian has been teaching me advanced editing this term. He started off this lecture by talking about his experiences of being published. He told us of his misconceptions of the presses that published poetry, how he thought that they were massive publishing houses, when most just turned out to be one man businesses. He also told us how it felt to see his first published work.

Adrian is the former Poet Laureate for Nottingham. He is a lecturer at both Nottingham, and Derby Universities.

Alan has been a publisher for the past fifteen years. His company, Leafe Press, mainly publishes poetry. He openly admitted that he set up Leafe Press in 2000 to print his own, and his friends poetry. He spoke to us about what has happened in publishing since 1997, and the importance of the small presses to poets. Alan loves being a publisher, it has become his passion. Putting the pieces together is a collaborative effort, and a very creative activity.

History of publishing
For most of the 20^th Century publishers acted as a price fixing cartel, they would not sell discounted books (The Net book agreement). This meant that they would receive the full price for each book sold, and with the profits they made from bestselling authors they could take a risk with debut authors, allowing them to publish a number of books so that they could build up their reputation. The Net book agreement was abolished in 1997, opening the way for supermarkets, bookstores etc to sell novels at hugely discounted prices.

Today, big publishers depend on bestselling authors to make their money. If a debut author’s book doesn’t sell well, it is doubtful that they will print any of their further works.

Since 2003, small publishers have adopted print on demand, with digital technology they can publish one book at a time. As it is very rare for a book of poetry to become a bestseller, the small presses are ideal places to publish their work.

Things I've learnt:

1. Small presses are just that. They are usually run by a single person.

2. If an author is published by a small press, the most payment they can, usually, expect receive is free copies of their publication. The number of copies will vary from each publisher. There are exceptions, and some are able to give an author an advance. The best thing to do is to look around.

3. Most small press authors make their money by selling books at book fairs, an at author talks.

3. Small presses can get deluged with submissions. Alan’s advice was to put work into the literary scene. Build networks, get known locally, and you will get something back. Small press owners are more likely to look at your work if they know/have heard of you.

4. Print on demand books will never go out of print, and the author can upload revisions. Printed books can’t be changed.

5. The good news is that there are a proliferation of small presses.

I was cheeky enough to ask Alan if he publishes crime fiction, but unfortunately he doesn’t.

Hope you've found this post informative.


Please feel free to post a comment, or follow my blog by leaving your email address in the box provided - That way you'll be notified of all new posts 

Link to Leafe Press-

http://www.leafepress.com/

Follow Leafepress on twitter:                 @LeafePress

Link to The Mulletproof Poet’s book-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Light-End-Tenner-Andrew-Graves/dp/1909136301/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426094875&sr=1-6&keywords=andrew+graves

Follow The MulletProof Poet on twitter:    @MulletProofPoet

Links to Adrian’s books -

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bed-Time-Reading-Adrian-Buckner/dp/190786931X/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426096855&sr=1-3&keywords=adrian+

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Contains-Mild-Peril-Adrian-Buckner/dp/1905512430/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426092889&sr=1-1&keywords=adrian+buckner

Don't tell me the moon is shining

Probably the most famous quote about show and tell ever:

 

"Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me

the glint of light on broken glass"

          -  Anton Chekov

 

 

One of the most consistent criticisms I’ve received during our editing sessions is that I often tell my readers what is going on, instead of showing them. I am trying very hard to eradicate this flaw, but still rogue sentences keep cropping up.

This led me to think about show and tell, what is the difference? And does it really matter?

Showing is active: Diane’s lip trembled. Showing allows the reader to feel the experiences and emotions of the character by expressing them in a physical way. Showing involves using the five senses, taste, touch, feel, hear, and see, as well as thought patterns and emotions.

Telling is passive: Diane was scared. Telling is giving the reader the information they need to know what is going on in the story, and where the story is up to. Too much telling can really slow a story down. Readers will feel removed from the story.

 

This is a typical example of telling, not showing:

Living on a cul-de-sac seriously prohibits your privacy, and pretty soon it seemed that the whole of the street was in my living room, fussing around me.

The narrator of the story was in the middle of labour, the ambulance had been diverted, and her neighbours had come over to help.

 

This is the same example only this time it’s showing:

Me lying prone on the couch with my skirt pulled up to my neck was probably not what Carol and Irene expected to see, when they walked in carrying towels and bowls.

The difference between showing and telling is important. Not all writing has to be showing, most writing is about telling the story, but showing is an important tool to use to give my readers a greater insight into the subtleties of a character.

 

Five things I've learnt about show and tell:

1. There is nothing wrong with telling a story, but I must be careful not to narrate every piece. Readers want to feel involved. By showing what is happening, and letting them experience it, will engage my readers much more.

2. Too much 'telling' will turn my story into a summary.

3. When reading my prose I need to ask myself: am I allowing my readers to get a sense of the action, or am I just telling them what is happening? Do the readers know how my character is feeling, or am I just telling them? Are my characters telling the reader what they are doing? Is there a way I can show any of this?

4. Showing is important, but it is just as important for my readers to know what’s going on in the story, so I need to be able to tell them.

5. For an engaging story it is important to get the mix right.

 

 



 

 

The Girls - Flash Fiction

Usually she came in from work and sat with us while we ate, but this one night Mum walked in and immediately cleared the table. We sniggered when she said the ‘girls’ were coming over.  Girls? Marion, Clare, and Lillian were at least Mum’s age, and Mrs Williamson had long grey hair, and a weak bladder. Mum frowned at us. 
        ‘What’s so funny?’ she asked.       
        ‘Nothing Mum,’ we cried in unison.
        ‘Well in that case take these into the kitchen, and start the washing up.’
My sister and I took the plates off her and did as we were told, otherwise she’d tell Dad and then we would be in trouble.
        Dad was working away so Mum had invited the ‘girls’ over to play cards. After that the ‘girls’ came over at least once a week, more if they could get babysitters, not Mrs Williamson of course, she was too old to need the services of a babysitter, she had a grandchild!   
        We were happy that the ‘girls’ were coming because Mum said we could go into the front room, and the front room was where the TV was. 
        Mrs Williamson came in and patted us both on the head,
       ‘Such pretty little girls Jane,’ she said, ‘You must be very proud.’
Mrs Williamson’s husband had died, and she only had a son. Mum said he was a git because he’d moved to Scotland, and Mrs Williamson was all alone. So Mrs Williamson frequently came to our house, and left a puddle on our settee.
        Lillian was very glamorous despite being large, all the women on our street were large, except mum; mum was skinny but that was because she went to work. Lillian had brought a jug of beer from the pub. Mum got the glasses out of the kitchen and put them on the table. My sister smiled at me, ‘if we’re lucky,’ she said, ‘when we clear the glasses up later there’ll be some in the bottom for us to taste.’ 
        Clare had big teeth and made funny noises when she laughed. She lived next door. My sister and I took the mickey out of her when she wasn’t around. Mum heard us once and made us stay in. After that we were careful to make sure that Mum was nowhere in sight. 
        Marion had made us a strawberry mousse each. She gave them to us in dirty dishes that smelled funny. As soon as she was settled in her chair we sneaked into the kitchen and wash them down the sink. 
        My sister and I sat watching the TV but we could only think about the beer, wondering what it would taste like. Finally the ‘girls’ left, and we raced to get the glasses, they were empty bar some yucky lipstick stains.  
        ‘Come and get a drink you two,’ Mum called.
        Snatching the glass of milk, my sister sat down in a huff, but quickly jumped up. 
        ‘Mum, Mrs Williamson’s done it again,’ she squealed, pointing to the wet patch on the back of her nightdress.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I DO want to write

Four years ago I saw a poster in my local library advertising a talk by John Harvey, a crime writer whose books are set in Nottingham. As a fan of crime novels, (Agatha Christie, PD James, John Patterson, and Sue Grafton had been my bed partners for many years), I was both intrigued and interested. Why had I not heard of this author before?

A Nottingham Crime Writer. I knew I had to go. Five minutes later I was leaving Angel Row library with my ticket safely stored in my purse. The date was 2^nd March 2011, I know because I still have the ticket! Yes, I’m aware of how sad I am, but this was one of those epiphany moments.

On the day of the talk I left work at dinner time, and walked the short distance to the library. I had never been to an author talk before so I was not sure what to do. I sat near the back of the room, ready to make a swift exit if I didn’t like it. I needn’t have bothered I was transfixed. It was brilliant, I even asked a question, but I can’t remember what it was now. John spoke about places I knew, and made me laugh with his anecdotes. I was a little disappointed when I found out he wasn’t actually born in Nottingham, but, at least, his novels are based here. It was over far too soon.

I bought a copy of one of his books, and he very kindly signed it for me. We talked about writing. Many years ago I had written a novel. I never approached a publisher because it was more of a cathartic exercise after a really bad break up. I wrote short stories too, but had given up because of the number of rejections I’d received, (I didn’t realise that was a normal part of the process). I suddenly realised I missed writing.

When I went into work the next day I told my co-worker how great it had been to meet an crime writer. She told me about a festival she had attended at Harrogate. It sounded really good, so I looked it up on the website. I noticed that they also ran Creative Thursday, a creative writing day for aspiring writers. I went and it was fantastic. How many writers can say they were taught by Stuart MacBride, Alan Guthrie, and Dreda Say Mitchell. It was also at Creative Thursday that I met some very great friends, and we went on to form the Crime Warp blog, but more about that on another post.

Listening to John Harvey made me realise that I wanted to write again; I just didn’t realise how much it would change my life!

Have you had a life changing moment?

The Death House by Sarah Pinborough

What can I say about this book... I loved it.

Image a place where everyone under the age of eighteen has to have a regular blood test. The test is designed to show up a certain defect. Anyone with the defect is taken away to the Death House.
The defectives have an incurable disease, and in time they will begin to change. Toby is one of the unlucky ones, he has tested positive, he is one of the defectives. Unaware of his test results, he arrives home from school, is torn from his family, and taken to the Death House. The Death House is a remote place, where he, and other defectives are forced to live. Separated into dorms, they are monitored daily by the matron and her team of silent nurses for any sign of change. The defectives are resigned to their fate, then a new arrival upsets the status quo.

Fear dominates the defectives existence, they know that once the change starts to happen they will be ostracised by the others, and transported, in the dead of night to the terrifying sanatorium. No one returns from the sanatorium.

I loved the way the character of Toby and the others developed. The author completely captures the power struggles between the dorms, and how friendships survive, or are destroyed by the changes.

The plot moves at a good pace, and there are plenty of twists.

The novel wasn’t quite what I was expecting, it was better. It’s about fear, friendship, coming of age, love, and the power to change the unchangeable. The story is very poignant, and the writing is lovely.

It’s one of those books that you have to keep reading because you have to know what happens.

The narrative is chilling. How would you live knowing that you could change at any time, and be transported away in the middle of the night. Could you cope with not knowing what’s going to happen to you, because you've never seen anyone completely change, and no one has ever come back from the place you are going to.

I would have liked to know more about the changes, but maybe not knowing is worse, the imagination is a powerful thing.

Be prepared for some heartbreak, I must admit to shedding a few tears.

The book is haunting, and stayed with me long after I read it.

I thoroughly recommend it.


The Death House can be purchased from Amazon the ebook costs just £1.99, the Paper Back version is £7.99 or in Hard Back for £14.99

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Death-House-Sarah-Pinborough/dp/1473202329/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1424959851&sr=1-1&keywords=the+death+house

What's in a name?

A writer friend of mine asked us to edit a piece of prose she had written. Her characters were all of Indian descent, but she had taken the conscious decision to anglicise their names so that her intended audience, UK readers, could pronounce them, and therefore relate to them more. This got me thinking about names, are they that important? Should we have to panda to the whims of the few who find pronunciation difficult? What makes us choose our characters names.

I once sent in a chapter of my book to an editing group. I had a problem with one of my characters. I mentioned that the reason I wasn't 'getting Dana,' was because I had changed her name. When I first wrote the piece she was called Sharon. Crime writer Sharon Bolton wrote under the name of S. J. Bolton because she felt stigmatised by her name, and wondered whether anyone would read a novel by a writer called Sharon. Sharon was a stereotype for a working class woman, she decided to end the prejudice and now calls herself Sharon Bolton. I read this and decided that if I kept the name Sharon I was perpetuating the prejudice. However, I wasn't getting a clear picture of the character with her new name. So are the names we chose for our characters significant to how we, the writer, perceives them?

I have a picture in my head of my characters, I temporarily lost that picture when I changed the name of my character, but I made a conscious decision not to change it back, and now I can’t see the character with any other name but Dana. I have come to realise that names are very important.

I feel that It is essential that we give characters suitable names. An upper class woman wouldn't be called Gladys, and a working class woman wouldn't be called Phyllida. The same is true with male names, Sid is typically a working class name, whereas Rupert is definitely upper class.

Names fall out of fashion, popular names change with each generation. These days it is more common to call a young girl Lacie, or Gemma than Doreen or Edna. An old man is more likely to be called Cyril or Herbert, than Kyle or Dylan.

I feel that readers have certain expectations regarding names, I certainly did when I read my friends story. I felt quite disappointed that she had anglicised her characters names. For me it ruined the flow of the story as I had to ask her how they fitted in to the narrative.

I do agree with her that some people will mispronounce names, but I feel that she shouldn't have to choose a name that she thinks a reader will be comfortable with. Readers like to be taken out of their comfort zone. Besides, a lot of people can’t pronounce Dalziel (Dee El), but did that stop Reginald Hill giving that name to his fabulous protagonist.

 

And the beat goes on...

During our editing sessions we are asked to send in stories. I sent one of mine. When I wrote the story, (for a writing exercise on another course), we were asked to write entirely in dialogue. I didn’t tell this to the group editing it, and this led, quite naturally, to the subject of beats.

Beats are morsels of action scattered throughout a scene. They help your reader to visualize the dialogue taking place. They can be used link dialogue to settings and characters, for example ‘he threw the glass into the sink’, or, ‘he wiped the smudge of chocolate from her face’. They can affect the pace of the dialogue. Beats can bring dialogue to life.

This is an excerpt of the piece I put in for editing:

‘Please Diane; don’t play games with us, you have to tell us what she said. You want your daughter back don’t you?’

‘Of course I do.’

‘Then tell us Diane.’

‘I can’t.’

‘Why, did she tell you not to talk to us?’

‘No.’

‘Then why Diane, why won’t you divulge anything.’

Do you see how fast that dialogue is taking place, there is no emotion, no sense of place. It’s a bit flat.

 

Here’s the piece again after I added beats:

‘Please Diane; don’t play games with us, you have to tell us what she said. You want your daughter back don’t you?’ the Inspectors voice echoed around the room.

‘Of course I do,’ she patted her eyes with a handkerchief.

‘Then tell us Diane,’ the Inspector shuffled impatiently in her chair, it was three o’clock, two hours had passed already.

‘I can’t,’ Diane’s gaze dropped to the table.

‘Why, did she tell you not to talk to us?’ The Inspector slammed her pencil down on the table.

Diane shot up from her chair, ‘No.’

The Inspector looked up at her, ‘Then why Diane, why won’t you divulge anything.’

Diane's shoulders sagged.

See how much better that sounds. In the second passage you get a sense of the setting, the two women are sitting down. They are in a bare room, hence the echo. There is a build-up of tension, the Inspector is getting irritated, the interview has lasted a long time. Diane is obviously in turmoil. The inspector has sparked a reaction in her, which is why she jumps up from the chair.

5 Things I have learnt about beats:

1. Beats work best when there is a natural pause in the dialogue.     The best way to find a natural pause is by reading work out loud.

2. The longer the beat, the longer the pause.

3. The dialogue still needs to sound authentic, if there are too many beats readers will become irritated, so it is best to try to strike a balance.

4. Readers don’t need every bit of the action described to them in great detail, it is better to let them use their imagination to fill in what you leave out.

5. Beats can help to vary the pace of the dialogue.

I hope you've found this post informative.

Please feel free to post a comment, or follow my blog by leaving your email address in the box provided - That way you'll be notified of all new posts