Back into writing again
I haven’t posted much here on this blog for quite a while. In fact, I haven’t posted much on all three of my blogs over the last two months.
One major reason is that I’ve been busy finishing off the course work for my Master of Arts in Creative Writing . That’s now finished and the final assignments were handed up last week. I almost had a period of grieving when that happened. That might sound a little strange but over the last 18 months my focus has been on completing the requirements of this course. That can be an all-consuming focus too. It has left precious little time for blogging and general writing.
Then over the last five weeks we both had illness to deal with. First, I was in hospital with kidney stone problems. Very painful but over that now. Then a few days later my wife also ended up in hospital and when she came out I had to care for her for about a week. She is now on the road to full recovery too. As if that wasn’t enough I ended up with a severe bout of flu which put me in bed for 9 days. I’m much better now – except for a very persistent cough that refuses to go away.
All through this trying time I was able to keep up with some reading – most of the time I couldn’t attempt much else.
Now I really much get back into the writing again. My major focus for the next few months is to get back into my novel. I’m in the middle of writing a novel for children which will be a major part of my thesis paper for the degree. I’ll keep you posted here on my blog as to progress.
Good writing.
What I am reading: Iqbal: a novel
My supervising lecturer let me borrow several novels to read which she thought might give me some ideas and insights about writing a novel set in a troubled country. The first of these was set in Pakistan.
Iqbal: a novel written by Francesco D’Adamo is based on the real life story of Iqbal Masih. Iqbal was sold into slavery at an early age, along with many other young children. They were put to work in appalling conditions in factories. This story follows the experiences of a hardworking group of children in a carpet factory. Iqbal inspires the other children to believe that they can be free of their slavery one day, despite the harshness and cunning of their master.
I found this book to be both inspiring and disturbing. It is disturbing because it is based on a true story. It is a fictionalized account of what actually happened. Child abuse and slavery continues today in many countries. I also found it inspiring to think that totally disempowered children can still be taught to dream – and then act upon their dreams.
While this story has no direct bearing on what I will be writing about in my thesis novel, it was still a valuable piece of background reading. My protagonist, a twelve year old boy caught in the civil war in Nepal, must dare to dream of a country where freedom and peace exist, despite the evidence of conflict all around. I need to let him dream of that place. Then I will need to engineer the plot to allow that to happen.
Reference:
D’Adamo, Francesco, 2001: Iqbal: a novel. Aladdin Paperbacks, New York.
Writing a Novel – a writer’s journal part 7
Present Tense – or Past Tense
One of the important considerations I have encountered while writing my novel is that of tense. Stories and novels are written in either past tense or present tense. (As an aside, there is also future tense but very little fiction is written this way because of the inherent technical difficulties it presents.)
I most often write in the past tense. Much fiction is written in this way. Past tense is probably the easiest – and safest – tense in which to write a story or novel.
Example: Frank walked casually along the path and rang the door bell.
I also use present tense in my writing. Many other writers also use this tense. This tense is more challenging to write, but it can bring to the story an immediacy and an urgency which heightens the tension or adds to the dramatic effect.
Example: Frank walks casually along the path and rings the door bell.
I started my novel in the past tense, third person (see my article on point of view here). On the suggestion of one of my lecturers and a fellow student, I rewrote the entire first chapter in the first person, changing it also to the present tense. I was quite pleased with the result – but not convinced that this is the way I will go for the whole novel.
In fact, subsequent chapters have been written in the third person, past tense. I keep telling myself that it would not be a huge job to rewrite the whole story in another tense or point-of-view. If I did decide to go down this track, however, I would have to guard against accidental changes in POV or tense. Whatever path I choose, I must be consistent. That’s where meticulous editing will come into play.
Related articles:
Good writing.
Writing a novel – a writer’s journal part 6
Where am I?
Over the years I have often read in books about writing: ‘Write what you know.’ Sound advice, something I’ve done on frequent occasions.
Drawing on your own life experiences can be a very powerful tool to enhance one’s writing. Sharing the familiar can ensure the integrity of your writing. It is, in a way, being true to yourself.
Drawing on what you know is an important consideration when writing a novel, for it will often determine the setting of your story. I usually set my stories and novels in Australia, and specifically South Australia. This is the part of the world I know best. It is the setting with which I feel most comfortable because I know it so well.
The importance of setting
What if you decide to write a story set in another country? Or another period of time? Or on another planet?
That was the dilemma facing me when I started out writing my current WIP, a novel for children set in Nepal. Sure, I had some knowledge of the country, but visiting as a tourist for four weeks is a far cry from being born and living all your life there. It can be even quite divorced from the impressions and experiences of someone who has lived and worked in that country for some years.
As a result of my problem, it was crucial that I either abandon the project or set to and do some thorough research. The concept of a young boy caught in the midst of a civil war would not go away. Stories have a habit of doing that. Layered upon that idea was the friendship he develops with an Australian expatriot boy whose father is working in Nepal.
I have no idea what it is like to live in another country. I have had to draw deep on being resourceful. I am rapidly devouring a series of books written by expatriate Australians, Canadians and Americans (among others) who have lived a significant portion of their lives in Nepal, and especially rural parts of the country. This has been a revelation to me, and I am fearful that the research will take over and prove more enjoyable than the writing of the novel.
It’s something I must guard against.
It’s a fascinating journey on which I’ve embarked.
Good writing.