Karen Ball

The London Library

2010-08-29T19:49:27Z

I've been doing a lot of this.

The writing continues. On trains, in the Royal Festival Hall, at home... And I may just have found a new location. Whilst out walking earlier in the week, I wandered into St James Square, Mayfair to check out this place:

Annual membership is not cheap but you can get a day pass for £10 if you remember to take along proof of a UK address. Then you could find yourself working surrounded by books like these:

The lady on reception was lovely and helpful and it was only the hushed tones and leather panelled tables that intimidated me. I'd like to give it a go, coming here to work one day. There's internet access and power points for laptops and 15 miles of open-access bookshelves. So if you have some research to do for your latest chapter, this place could be a gold mine! Tom Stoppard, Simon Callow and David Nicholls are all known to use this library, so you might bump into someone interesting, too.

Finding good writing locations is always difficult, but for a tenner - when some writing retreats charge £30 a day - this could be just the ticket. I intend to find out. And just in case you need the opening hours, a final snap from moi:

Getting On With It

2010-08-22T20:06:46Z

Health and Safety would have a field day.

Don't worry. I don't normally sit like this to write, but needs must sometimes. I've a lot to do and I'll grab whatever space I can to keep on top of things. This weekend I was writing on a train, but I actually like writing on trains.

I've a lot to get through:

My current project, deadline next month.

I've had feedback from my agent on my YA manuscript and need to tweak that.

I'm meeting up with my writing group soon and want to have something to show them.

You know why writing groups work? They make you feel guilty. Guilt is a great motivator for me, so I've vowed to put together some bullet points about my idea for a new novel. I really like my idea, but now I need a plot. Plots... A writer's curse? They're not easy, you know!

So with my head down, working hard, I don't necessarily have loads to report. (Though I've just started reading Catching Fire, the sequel to Hunger Games, if you're interested.)

If you want a bit of extra reading, visit The Chocolate Keyboard for her thoughts on series fiction. Now, there's a woman who talks a lot of sense!

The Naked Emperor

2010-08-17T07:15:16Z

Three new book purchases - a reflection of publishing how it is today? One of the books is 'Merchants of Culture', a hard-hitting, straight-talking assessment of publishing in the 21st century. The others are a first edition and a downloadable app. Quite a mix, huh? See what I think to all this in my contribution to An Awfully Big Blog Adventure, posted today here.

Research, Teaching Writing and Families. A Mixed Bag!

2010-08-08T06:47:57Z

As we worked hard inside the RFH, others were doing this.

Phew, it's hard work being a writer! Yesterday, I spent a full day with two other authors working to one of our gruesome schedules. It really inspired me and I got loads done (even if the RSI is playing up now). On each writing day, we treat ourselves with a yummy dinner afterwards and, my goodness, was I ready to relax.

I am writing to brief on this latest project. The plus side of this is that there's very little opportunity for authorial navel-gazing. The plot has already been outlined, so all I need to do is turn a storyline into a manuscript and bring my own inspiration to grow a flower from a seedling. And the research! How I love it. I didn't think I would ever enjoy research and now I understand how addictive it is. A few thoughts about historical research:

Don't you have to get it right?

It depends. If you want to lay out your stall and promote your book as a definitive historical work, accurately representing life as it once was then you really want to nail things. And that will mean a lot of research. It's a field of writing I have no experience of. However, if you're writing a novel inspired by a time and place but that's actually a good romping adventure, I would say do your research but then step away. Do just enough to inspire you, but don't devote six months of your life to research trips and the London Library. You have to get it right enough for the story. Beyond that? It's fiction, remember! (I should say that it's always glaringly obvious when a writer hasn't bothered at all with their research. That's not only disappointing but career damaging.)

What resources should I use?

The Internet is a marvellous tool and one I use a lot but I can't recommend enough a highly illustrated, accessible non-fiction book. Pictures, pictures, pictures. It really is true that you can learn more from a single image than a thousand words of text. This is why many writers find children's non-fiction books extremely useful. All that information boiled down to its purest essence - and with pretty pictures, too!

Post-it Notes, a researcher's friend

The devil's in the detail

I don't have a brain that will ever understand the ins and outs of Crimean War politics, but I do have a brain that can spark into life when I read about what someone ate for dinner or how they washed their clothes. You don't always have to look at the big picture; sometimes it's the tiny details that will empower you as a writer. Search out resources that throw a light on the day-to-day life of people in the past. I promise you that this will fuel your imagination like nothing else. You'll hastily put that research book aside and begin hammering away at the keyboard.

Research isn't writing

Remember, at some point you have to stop researching and start writing. It is very important to understand when to do this. To be honest, I don't have a long research period in advance. I pull my resources around me, dip into them, flag some pages with Post-it notes and then just get going. I will occasionally stop writing to dip back into my books or turn to the Internet, if I come across a scene that is just begging for some interesting authentic detail. Not everyone would like this approach, but it works for me. If you are someone who does all their research well ahead of the game, I would advise knowing when to put down the books. Writing and procrastination go hand-in-hand. For some people, research will become another form of procrastination. Make sure this isn't you. When you miss your deadline, your editor won't want to know that it's because you just had one more book to read.

I hope these thoughts help!

During the bus ride over to meet my friends yesterday I listened to a Front Row podcast that discussed the pros and cons of creative writing degrees. You can find it here. It was fascinating, with many different contributors and conflicting opinions. Naomi Alderman talked with wry intelligence and humour about the class system in Britain and how our fear of being seen to strive for success may fuel scorn for the study of creating writing. She also admitted that you either have it or you don't have it - the talent to write, I mean. And going by the construction of that last sentence, perhaps I don't have it! But listen to the podcast, I highly recommend it.

Finally, finally - a link here to a fascinating article in The Guardian by Frank Cottrell Boyce about people's ability to write and have children. Judging by some of the very successful and talented writers I know who also - shock, horror! - have a family, I think I know which side of the debate I'm on. But go and have a read, and then let me know what you think.

Have a good week, everyone!

Just because it makes me laugh.

Fun Everywhere!

2010-07-25T19:44:47Z

Well, it's all fun and games here. I've been working like a trojan on my latest commissioned manuscript. I've rediscovered the delights of researching historical fiction. God love a well illustrated reference book and the Internet. What did people do before the Internet? The library, I suppose.

I've also been reading The Poisoned House by Michael Ford, published in August by Bloomsbury. In the spirit of full disclosure, I should tell you that I know Michael and work with him. He's a brilliant writer and if I'd come across this book as a 10-year-old girl I'd have devoured it. Insights into the life of a Victorian house maid? Check. Ghost stories? Check. I'd have been tucked up in bed, reading with my torch when I should have been asleep. Yummy.

I went for a run this week and took a spontaneous new route through Wanstead Park. I came across a valley with a pond at the bottom. All I had for company was the sunshine and I felt really privileged to be here. As I left, I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd read about a valley just like this as a child. Had it been in a parable from Sunday School? But no, it didn't feel Biblical. Then it hit me. I was sure that I'd read about this valley in Jane Eyre. It wasn't until I arrived home from a day at the office that I was able to check. And there it was, a short paragraph waiting for me:

'All the valley at my right hand was full of pasture-fields, and cornfields, and wood; and a glittering stream ran zig-zag through the varied shades of green, the mellowing grain, the sombre woodland, the clear and sunny lea.'

My valley.

Isn't that amazing? A novel published in 1847, first read by me as a child, seeps back into my life because of a morning run on the outskirts of London.

Wanstead Park aka My valley

Good For A Laugh

2010-07-18T16:55:45Z

A little bit.

A glimpse of this South Bank wall art couldn't have come at a better time. I sat beneath it on Saturday morning when I'd arrived early - too early, the doors were locked! - at the Royal Festival Hall for a day's work with two writer friends. I ate my breakfast bagel in the sunshine, then made my way indoors for a hard day's word counting.

The day flew by as the three of us worked to a pre-agreed timetable. I really needed to focus, as I have an exciting project to fill the next three months. The good news: this will stop me from obsessing about the manuscript currently with my agent. The less good news: lots of busy working weekends.

This had already been a ferocious week in my office job, with a lot to get through. I'd felt glued to my desk, my body slowly freezing over into a permanent 'h', bent over a keyboard. Running helps, so do hobbies. But still, I felt drained. So with the extra writing work this weekend, I've been reminded that the life of a writer can sometimes feel like the frantic juggling of many balls. Could I be happier? Yes, if I try to find some time for the most important ball of all - messing about. Thank goodness for today's lunchtime break at a local tapas restaurant.

How do you handle busy workloads? Does tapas feature?

If you're looking for some light relief of your own, this link has been flying around the writing community this week. Do you write like Tolstoy, James Joyce or, er, Chuck Palahniuk? The answer changes drastically with each pasted extract, so I wouldn't take it too seriously. But it's good for a laugh, and we all need those!

A glimpse of the South Bank before the hordes arrive.

Happy 2nd birthday ABBA

2010-07-13T20:18:12Z

Pop over to An Awfully Big Blog Adventure, where all the contributing bloggers take the month of July to donate a Top Five list. My list is the 5 Children's Books I Wish I'd Written - see it here.

Remembering Who You Are

2010-07-11T11:55:36Z

Working hard at Charney

Some people, I'm sure, must wonder why writers bother with retreats. After all, what can be done in deepest Oxfordshire that can't be done perfectly well at a desk at home or in a library - for free! No accommodation or travel to pay for, no bags to pack, reliable Internet access... Why not just stay put, stop wasting time, and finish that draft?

Look at some of the language in those last two sentences. A no, a no and a not. Doesn't sound like much fun to me or very good for the soul. As I learned at last year's Charney Writers Retreat, courtesy of the Scattered Authors Society, these events are about much more than an individual's work. They're about nurturing the collective need to support, advise, share, gossip, eat, drink, and gossip some more. For every writer who spends a year working quietly at a solitary desk, there's one week in the summer where they can find a community of like-minded men and women just waiting to smile, chat and help. Not worth the effort? Then you're a braver writer than me.

But it's not all reassurance and hand-holding, wine and puddings. There's a busy programme of events, and this year it was invigorating. Need feedback on your WIP? Bring along an extract to the sample groups. Want advice on the festival circuit? There's a wealth of expertise if you turn up to the Tuesday evening session. My personal favourite was a morning event entitled 'We're so much more than our work'. Led by Cindy Jefferies, this talk was crucial to me. Shock, horror! Authors were allowed to discuss the good times and the bad times. Insecurities, authorial egos, inspiring poems, sensible reminders - these were all part of the debate. So many wise words in one room and lots of food for thought.

I know what you're thinking. Did you get any actual work done, Karen? I did, a bit. Emphasis on the 'bit'. But that's not really the point. Facebook, Twitter, blogs and email have all worked wonders for empowering writers and bringing them together. Seeing each other face to face, sharing laughter and sometimes tears? Now, that's a whole different ball game. Anyone can fake a jovial status update, safely hidden at home. But on a retreat, when life and commitments are pared away... You don't only connect with new friends, you reconnect with yourself. Afterwards, with identity firmly back in place, you can go back to doing what you do best. Or doing what you're pretty good at. Or are struggling with. But you return reinvigorated. There's still not a website in the world that can do that for me.

Thank you, Scattered Authors Society.

Time to stop and smell the flowers.

A Mixed Week

2010-07-04T19:00:41Z

Pass the strawberries!

What makes a good literary agent? Picnics wouldn't normally be at the top of my list but now my priorities have most definitely changed. When my agent, Jenny Savill, organised a picnic gathering for her burgeoning list of children's authors I knew that I was with the right woman. Who doesn't want to sit beneath the trees, eating strawberries, comparing notes with other writers? On Friday we gathered in the park behind the offices of Andrew Nurnberg Associates and sat on spread blankets. Twitter, Facebook and email are all well and good, but there's nothing to beat the beaming smiles and conversation that we all shared for a sunny afternoon. Thank you so much, Jenny. This was a real treat, and one not to be forgotten.

It only gets better. Tomorrow I travel to Charney Manor in Oxfordshire for the writers' retreat organised by the Scattered Authors Society. This will be the second time I attend this event and I am really looking forward to it. I'll know faces this time round, instead of being a nervous newbie. We have a great programme of events, and as the photo below indicates, we don't only talk about writing! French cricket and Pimms featured large last year. A summer ago I enjoyed a quiet room of my own, redrafting my manuscript prior to submitting to an agent (Hello, Jenny!), afternoon snoozes, tea and biscuits and the making of new friends. I look forward to more of the same this year.

Liz Kessler explaining the rules of French cricket

Did any of you catch the BBC1 Imagine programme about Diana Athill? If not, I strongly recommend trying to watch it on iPlayer. Diana Athill is my editorial heroine. A down-to-earth, unassuming and eminently sensible woman, she insists that an editor should be invisible, never looking for recognition or public congratulations. I couldn't agree more. If you're looking for accolade, don't become an editor. Not because you don't deserve it, but because that's not what you should be pursuing. An editor is a facilitator, helping someone else achieve their own dream. Well, that's my humble opinion at least, and after many years of editing.

I woke on Friday, as we all did, to pavements baking and flowers blooming. Another day, another stretch of heat. I had no idea I would also be waking to the news that Beryl Bainbridge had passed away. Oh, how I have loved that woman's novels. Slim volumes of spare prose, nary a wasted word, tight exercises in simplicity that might mislead someone into believing that what she did was easy. I loved her imaginative confidence - tackling subjects as diverse and intriguing as the Titanic or the South Pole. I also regularly read her eccentric theatre reviews in The Oldie. She would report on the comfort of the seats as well as the quality of the production, not really caring whether her piece satisfied the normal journalistic demands of theatre review. Not really caring. She didn't care what the world thought, clearly didn't give a damn. I admired that.

That Difficult Second Album

2010-06-25T18:00:25Z

(A Writer's) Life Is A Carousel

If you're lucky enough to have a book contract, there's a likelihood that your publisher has signed you up for more than one book. Even if there is no firm contract for a second novel, they may ask for first refusal on whatever you turn your hand to next. You're grateful, nay, emboldened by the fact that your publisher seemingly wants more. (Important word, that. Seemingly.) 'I've made it!'

If you want my advice, you'll take a sober moment to consider exactly what that contractual obligation means. Break out the champagne, yes. Celebrate your book deal - for sure! But remember.'More' is a two-way street. Your publisher has shown faith in you. Now, you will have to prove that their faith isn't misplaced.

And this is where things can get tricky...

Deadlines

First of all, you'll have a deadline. The langorous writing schedule of an uncontracted debut novel is a luxury you'll never have again - or not yet, at least. Work on your first book may have taken years, as you placed the manuscript into a drawer, got on with life, and then pulled the sheafs of paper back out again. It didn't matter. With no deadline in sight, you could take as long as you liked. You had the days and the energy to hone and refine, finally presenting your manuscript as polished as a pearl (hopefully). That's a lot of time spent getting things right. Time you will never have again. An aspiring writer can kick back for a weekend, with no one breathing down their neck. A commissioned writer can kick back for a weekend, sure. But too many lazy weekends and a roomy schedule becomes a tight one. A deadline is still a deadline, and you'd better take it seriously. After all, you want to show your new publisher that you are reliable. Reliable and inspired...

Ideas

You've been solidly busy on your debut novel. At the back of your head, you've often thought, 'I must get some ideas down for my second novel.' Ideas come, they go. Some work, some don't. As those ideas rise to the surface or sink, you're busy juggling lots of the other balls that have been thrown into the air with publication - revising manuscripts, checking copyedits, remembering to blog, getting yourself on the author circuit, checking in with your agent and probably still holding down a day job. Which doesn't leave a lot of time for new ideas. Make time. Because when your publisher asks, 'What next?' you want to have a good answer. You want to see that person smile.

Expectations

For the first time in your writing career, professionals are watching you. They have expectations - that you can write, will continue to write and flourish, have a talent that will sell them books. But writers are not performing monkeys. If we could pull bestselling novels out of a hat, we'd all be rich. This is the real toughie. Every new book is a learning curve, with lots of wrong paths and stumbling blocks. Easy to admit when you're officially still learning. Much harder to acknowledge when you're a contracted writer. Who do you turn to when your confidence wobbles? This is where a good agent and a good writing group pay dividends. Don't think you need an agent? When you're in tears at your desk because you don't think you can do this, you need an agent. You don't want your editor to know about your crisis of confidence and your editor probably doesn't want to believe you're capable of a crisis of confidence. Agents do not exist simply to cream off the top percentage of your earnings. They are there as an essential negotiator - not just with your publisher, but with your sanity.

Sales record

By the time you deliver your second manuscript, your publisher may have an idea of how your debut is subbing in with booksellers. Well? Bad? If your sales are modest, you will have to work hard to convince the publisher to stick with book two. You'd better make it a good'un. After all, you'll soon be hoping for another contract.

Look out! There's someone behind you.

Enjoy your launch party, because tomorrow it's someone else's. If there's one piece of advice I could give debut novelists, it's this: remember to carry your pinch of salt around with you. Enjoy the moment, smile and shake hands, pop the corks, thank all the people you need to thank (always thank the people you need to thank). Then remind yourself that there are over 200,000 books published each year in the UK alone. That's a lot of launch parties and many debut novelists. Not all of those books will sell well. Is there someone around to keep your feet on the ground? Good - hold on to them.

What's your USP?

Last time it was the novelty of being a 'debut'. You can't call yourself that any more. So what are you now? This is when a writer's confidence can take a nosedive. You've lost your identity. Or your identity has moved on. You decide.

Enough pressure?

Read all of the above, and you can see why some authors find their knees knocking at their desk. That's a lot of pressure, isn't it? Still having fun? The key to all of this is a professional attitude. Acknowledge the industry you work in. Network, read, research, talk to people. Then approach your second novel with the same industry and discipline that you apply to other areas of your life. Don't take three months off from writing, take three weeks. If you're anything like me, you'll soon be hungry to be back at the keyboard. Draw up a schedule. Even if you haven't been given a deadline yet - give yourself one. Put two very important elements into that schedule - thinking time and rewriting time. The biggest challenge authors face with their follow-up novel is the harsh reality that none of us know what we're going to write until it's been written. It's easy to tell a publisher, 'Oh yes, it will be a humorous psychological thriller set in a boarding school with sharks.' Less easy to pull off when your creative imagination begins to wander down an entirely different avenue. But if you plan enough, give your creativity room to breath, you will get to where you need to be. By this stage in your career (and in an ideal world), you will have a close working relationship with your agent, your editor is championing you and you have a readership. Jewels in any author's crown. Have faith in yourself. Work hard. Let your imagination take flight. Did I mention 'Work hard'?

It's not just rock stars who have difficult second albums. Follow-up novels can be agonising. But never forget, you're always learning - on your second novel, and beyond. This world of ours divides neatly into two: those with the humility to learn, and those who refuse to admit they have anything left to learn. If you have the humility and the talent and the work ethic, you have every chance of writing a fantastic second novel. But be prepared. It won't be easy.

Let's not be too dour. At least you won't see your work slated by a teenage NME journalist, you'll never have enough money to buy silly cars and no one will ask you to sing on a charity single. It could be a lot worse. You could be locked in a recording studio with a group of friends you've learned to hate, experimenting with some ironic country and western. You could be wearing flares...

Do you have experience of the difficult second novel? Any survival tips to share?

Gibbering With Fear

2010-06-20T19:50:45Z

A Writer's Natural Home?

This weekend I had a rare experience of what is generally recognised to be the writer's most dangerous enemy: procrastination.

I'd taken a day off work on Friday to devote to slavish polishing of my manuscript. Like most writers, I have a day job with a limited holiday allowance. So taking a day out of that limited allowance, just to be tied to another desk is not a casual decision. I should have been worked really hard, right? Wrong.

I had a lie in. Then I did a bit of sewing. Then I blogged about my sewing. Then I had lunch, an afternoon doze, and read of a magazine. At 3pm the full horror of a wasted day hit me in the face like a ton of bricks. How did I handle this? With maturity, sobriety and a philosophical shrug of the shoulders? Hmmm. Maybe. Not quite. Nothing like?

Here's a User's Guide to Writer Melt Down:

Facebook

I lunged for my netbook and posted a status update on Facebook that was a thinly disguised plea for reassurance. My writer friends came good and within minutes I was reading stories of other people's utter inability to crack on and knuckle down. Phew! It's not just me then.

Shopping

Rather than drag myself to my desk, I ran out to Walthamstow market. Darting from shop to market stall, my brain fizzing with panic, I spent money. I was doing something, wasn't I? Yes, avoiding.

Texting

I texted my boyfriend with my plight. 'Well, you've had a busy couple of days,' he texted back. Kind, but I would almost have preferred an admonition. After all, I was already flagellating myself.

An avowal to do better

This one worked. All the panic, wasted nervous energy and temptations to bust into tears reminded me how important my mission meant to me. I had a deadline! I couldn't just mess about like this! I returned to my desk bright and early on Saturday morning and worked. And worked, and worked... I spent most of Sunday working, too. There's nothing like a spot of panic to focus the mind.

But I didn't enjoy that experience. It reminded me all too much of being a teenager, gibbering with fear over revision. I'm usually much more controlled than that, control freak that I am. What made me slip up? Who knows. But it's an experience I don't particularly want to repeat.

How do you deal with your moments of procrastination? There must be better techniques than Facebook and shopping. Surely ... aren't there?

Look, Mum - I'm Writing!

2010-06-09T09:15:41Z

Writing - nothing like riding a bike

Ever wondered how authors start a new novel? Fancy taking part in a poll? Then getouttahere and take a peek at my latest blog entry for An Awfully Big Blog Adventure.

The First Ever Stoke Newington Literary Festival

2010-06-05T06:34:33Z

Stoke Newington - where people still buy vinyl

Ooh, it's years since I've visited Stokey. I'd forgotten quite what a hippie enclave it is. I suspect even the estate agents wear dreadlocks. Church Street is full of vintage clothing shops, florists, restaurant after restaurant, vinyl and bookshops and... Oh dear. Nandos has arrived. Still, moving on!

I was here for the first ever Stoke Newington Literary Festival. They've been heavily promoting themselves via Twitter and a glance at their website revealed an impressive line up. (No children's authors - more on that later.) Every one of my friends seemed to be departing London for the weekend, so I decided to go alone. I'm glad I did now. I didn't have to worry if anyone else was enjoying themselves, and it only mattered to me when my trek to the box office revealed that the people staffing it had long deserted their post. 'They've gone,' a librarian succinctly informed me. Okay. I'll just mosie on to the first event sans ticket.

Back down the length of Church Street to the Lemon Monkey, a lovely vegetarian cafe, to see Sam Taylor talk about her novel, East of Islington. The novel is based on humorous columns she's written for The Oldie about her life and friends in Stoke Newington. I read this column for years as a subscriber to The Oldie (best and most radical magazine in the world?). I have a connection of my own with Richard Ingram's magazine - I once commissioned Nick Parker, then production manager on The Oldie, to write Toast - Homage to a Superfood. That was a wonderful book experience, first germinated over a pint in a pub. The best way to chat to authors, in my opinion.

I digress. Back to Sam! And here she is (stage left), with a charming volunteer, Rebecca, who was hosting the event:

Sam Taylor, author of East of Islington

Rebecca was nervous, the lovely women on the door in their pink festival T-shirts were nervous, Sam looked nervous - I was nervous for everyone. But Sam's friends had turned up in force, along with a decent gathering of us middle-class bookie types, and we all enjoyed Sam's readings and the question and answer session afterwards. I liked her thoughts on Stoke Newington: that its radical vibe is still safe because of the lack of a tube station, and that it's a much more interesting place than its neighbour, Islington, because it can still be random. I like that word.

I did have to fight the urge to shake things up a bit at the end of the session, when Rebecca totally failed to plug Sam's book. I left having no idea who the publisher was, what the publication date was, if a follow-up was planned. But baby steps, baby steps... One day I may fondly look back on memories of the first ever Stokey Lit Festival. Ah, those were the days. So naive, that they didn't even plug the book properly. Of course, it's all corporate sponsorship and portaloos now.

I then strolled in the sunshine back down Church Street to the Stoke Newington Assembly Rooms for a talk on crime fiction entitled 'Murder in the Town Hall'. This was a four-author event with Toby Litt, Louise Welsh, Mark Billingham and Dreda Say Mitchell. Am I allowed to have a favourite author? Should I reveal such bias? Oh, sod it - I loved Dreda. From the moment she walked on stage with a huge grin, to her reading of an extract from what sounded like a brilliantly edgy and accessible book, to her fabulous stage confidence. She's an ex-teacher and it shows. There's a woman who could have a morning assembly eating out of the palm of her hand. Again I had to fight an urge: to sidle up to the edge of the stage afterwards and ask, 'Ever thought about writing someYA?'

But the event had started late and a snatched look at my watch revealed it was time to go. I left, sadly, during the Q&A session to walk to Clapton rail station. I did a lot of walking yesterday, but it was so balmy that it was a real treat. A ragged line of women in saris watched from a council estate balcony as I strolled past. A corner pub blared live music. My iPhone's battery died. What, no mobile phone?! I was obliged to gaze around me, rather than peer at the Google map route on my tiny screen. It was the perfect end to an almost perfect literary festival experience. Why almost perfect, Karen? Well, there weren't any children's authors in attendance. Come on, Stokey! All those young, groovy parents in the vicinity? It would go down a storm! Must. Resist. Urge. To. Volunteer...

Thanks, Stokey!

Tea Set. Another urge I fought: to take this home with me.

The Flowers of Happiness

2010-05-29T11:18:53Z

And so the work begins again with a day at the Royal Festival Hall, my space pictured left. I bumped into Jasmine Richards here, editor at OUP and author of a manuscript recently acquired by Harper Collins US as blogged about here. I told you the RFH was a haven for London's creatives!

I've had feedback from my agent on my latest revision. Good news - it's a thumbs up. (Phew. So my gladiatorial fight with the lions in the arena means that my life is saved for one more day.) I have some further revisions to do, but nothing that feels horribly major. For the first time on this manuscript, adjustments do not necessarily mean rewriting half the manuscript and throwing the other half out of the window. We have now moved on to a new part of the process - something that is more housekeeping than originating. Not quite crossing 't's and dotting 'i's but a process of revision that is akin to smoothing skirts down, patting hair and adjusting collar points. Oh, and making sure that every character's story is fully told. Even support characters need back story - especially support characters. (Almost without exception, I find that writers have the most fun with their secondary characters. These characters don't have to carry the full weight of the story, which means that there's often room around them to experiment.)

Of course, there's no such thing as a 'simple' change. It's like pulling a loose thread in your favourite jumper. Things unravel. One change requires another change, implicating this scene, meaning that paragraph needs tweaking and... Before you know it, there's a dangerous pile of words and sentences scattered around your feet as you hold aloft a manuscript that has morphed into a charming new piece of origami. I exaggerate, of course, but this really is not a stage for taking your eye off the ball. Every change has a ripple effect and either you keep an eye on these or run the risk of making your manuscript look shoddy and ill-written. One more final read-through? You betcha.

On a separate note, I must send out a thank you to Margaret Carey who recently shared this link. Oh my goodness, this blog post made me think! In the world today, we are bombarded by advice for would-be writers. Sometimes it can be easy to skim read a blog entry and think, 'Yes, well, helpful but nothing I didn't already know.' This one really stopped me in my tracks with Nathan's thoughts on 'a place in turmoil'. This literary agent's theory is that a great precinct is one that is in a state of flux or change. I've never consciously used this device, but when I thought back to my different works, I could see that on occasion I'd unconsciously applied this principle. A school play that throws the school into chaos, for example. But I can't say this is true of all my stories. Is a place in turmoil necessary? A great and thought-provoking device to consider, but essential? I'm going to say not necessarily. Like Nathan Bransford, however, I love a great setting. I adore the atmosphere that can be generated just by describing things. Kept succinct, scene-setting can be a fabulous shorthand. Want to know what a novel is about? Look at the way the author describes the sky. Or a couch. This, from my all-time favourite novel, The Great Gatsby:

'The only completely stationary object in the room was an enormous couch on which two young women were buoyed up as though upon an anchored balloon. They were both in white, and their dresses were rippling and fluttering as if they had just been blown back in after a short flight around the house.'

Want to get across the unavailability of your gorgeous, rotten, beautiful heroine? Put her on a floating couch! I still love that scene.

So, I'm off to describe me some things. Beyond my windows, the world is damp and grey. In my head, I'm embracing Cornish sunlight, seascapes and glittering waves. I keep promising myself a trip to Cornwall when this novel is finished. (Ha! Great timing, Karen.) Daphne du Maurier has a house there, and I'd love to visit. Have you read 'Rebecca'? It rocked my world. Continues to. Now, there's an author who understood her characters and settings.

Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again...

Today is so - urgh! - that it has been no good at all for taking photos. Instead, I leave you with a snap I took yesterday of a jam jar of flowers left on my front door step by a neighbour. Wasn't that kind of her? Such a small gesture, and one that has generated so much happiness.

The Flowers of Happiness

Interview With An Author 4, Ellen Renner

2010-05-20T19:24:58Z

I first met Ellen when we were both nervous newbies attending the Scattered Authors' Society summer retreat at Charney Manor, pictured above. Ellen was on the cusp of publication of her debut novel, Castle of Shadows, and I was anxiously working through my latest manuscript, prior to sending it to Jenny Savill as an exclusive first approach. Since then, Ellen has enjoyed a warm reception to her novel and Jenny agreed to take me on. We've both been working hard and, impressed by all the lovely people at Charney, we're going back there for a second retreat very soon.

Having heard Ellen read out an extract from Castle of Shadows, I was keen to get my hands on a copy when it was published in January 2010. Ellen is an impressive reader - I found myself charmed by her soft, lyrical voice and hanging on every word of the rich story she told. It felt only right, therefore, that after reading Ellen's novel I asked if she would kindly do an interview with me. She agreed!

Clothes are an important part of Castle of Shadows, from the housekeeper's whale bone and bombazine to Moleglass's dove grey gloves and the evil Prime Minister with his 'black cutaway frock coat, pale grey trousers and a silver and blue-figured silk waistcoat'. Our main character, Charlie, is liberated from petticoats and crinoline when she gets to dress up as a boy for the climax of the book. Which came first - the characters or what they wore!

In the Victorian period clothes defined you; they were incredibly important as a statement of social status. Also, women's clothes were diabolical - imprisoning body, mind and soul. No wonder Charlie hates her dresses! Men's top hats - with their long black crowns - were a symbol of the industrial revolution: think of all those factory chimneys.

The characters came first, of course, but the clothes were tools begging to be used for characterisation. Also, unlike Charlie, I do love clothes. If I had to choose one of my characters to dress up as, it would be Windlass. But then, who would want to wear black bombazine and a whalebone corset?

I happen to know you like fencing, Ellen. Dare I suggest that your sport influenced your fight scenes? In chapter 23 there's a moment when Windlass attacks with a sword and 'lunged until he was almost kneeling in the snow'. Did your fencing experiences help you describe the physical details of a good fight scene (something I struggle with as a writer)?

I confess to adding that scene in order to get some sword play in there somewhere. Although it is true that in the early Victorian period men did carry sword sticks as a transitional weapon of self-defence in between the eras of the short sword and the pistol. After all, one could be seen in polite society sporting a cane, whereas few men (outside the wild west) would actually carry a gun. I do like writing fight scenes; fencing is a martial art as well as a sport.

I was very impressed by how ambitious and original Castle of Shadows is. There is a significant amount of politics in this novel and even one very ripe swear word. Was your publisher always happy to push the boundaries with you, or did you have to persuade them?

Thank you for that! You're right in that it doesn't fit into an obvious niche. People have mentioned similarities to Gormenghast (which I don't know) and Joan Aiken's Dido Twite books (which I know very well). I'm flattered by these comparisons, but it is true that the books don't follow a trend: there's no magic, co-opted fairy tales or myths, no supernatural elements at all. The only fantasy element is the setting: an alternative Victorian world.

I didn't want to write a standard fantasy. Instead of a supernatural villain, I wanted my children to confront real evils: power and politics, bad parenting, powerlessness and not knowing whom to trust. My main villain is a politician. He does bad things for what he considers to be good reasons. Obviously, I needed to explore these themes within the context of a page-turning adventure. I wrote the book with levels in the hope that different people and age groups would get different things out of it. I'm very pleased that adults seem to be enjoying it too.

As for 'that word' (which is a term of abuse rather than a profanity), I did worry about it. I know kids hear much worse in the playground, but I would never use strong language casually. I felt it was necessary to the story at that point. Orchard never queried it.

The language of your debut novel feels as though it comes from a past time and there's quite a lot of vocabulary that will challenge contemporary readers. Hurrah! Do you feel that you are instinctively drawn to an era in the past?

This book was intended for 9+ readers, not beginners. I remember being that age very clearly. I loved finding new words in a book and figuring out what they meant from the context. Finding a new word didn't upset me, make me feel like a failure or make me stop reading! If you only print words children already know, how will they learn new ones?

The young readers I meet are loving the book. The adventure and characterisation are strong enough to pull them through. And again, each of the characters talks differently. Windlass has the most formal and challenging vocabulary. Tobias and Charlie's dialogue is much simpler.

As for being drawn to a particular era, no, I don't think so, although I have enjoyed researching the 1830s and 40s. It was a time of rapid social, political and technological change, with lots of parallels to our own time.

In chapter two there is a beautiful scene where the king adds the 37th tower to his house of cards. 'He glided from one scaffold pole to another, twisting between towers, skimming over crenellations.' This is such a vivid set piece - did it pop into your head well before the rest of the novel was written?

Yes it did. One day I was busy writing something else when the image of the king, hanging from scaffolding, about to place the last card on his enormous card castle, popped into my head from nowhere. Everything else followed. I love the king. He represents the failures we all feel ourselves to be sometimes as parents and adults. The image is so central to the book, in so many ways, that I still wish I been able to call the book Castle of Cards, although I understand the reasons behind the title change.

I was very impressed with your descriptions of a pneumatic railway in chapter 11 and other sections about a pneumatic messenger system! Did you have to research these and if so, what research resources can you recommend for other writers?

I heard something on Radio 4 some years ago about pneumatic and atmospheric railways and logged it away for future use. Brunel built the only atmospheric railway in Britain in the 1830s. It was in Devon between Teignmouth and Star Cross. Parts of it are in the Teignmouth museum. The railway only ran for a year. They couldn't get the seals airtight enough. They used leather and fat to seal the slot in the pneumatic tube, and rats kept eating the seals! If they had been able to use vulcanised rubber, which was invented ten years later, we might still be riding on pneumatic railways. In my world they did have vulcanised rubber.

Pneumatic messenger systems were widely used and are still in use in many places. I grew up with them: in the States you had drive in banks and put your deposits, etc, into capsules to send to the cashiers standing in their kiosks. Drive through MacBanks!

The internet was my main research resource. I researched enough of the politics, history, science and technology for my own purposes and let my imagination do the rest. That's the joy of alternative worlds.

***

Wow, Ellen, thank you so much! We've been given a fascinating glimpse of how originality, creativity, research and the mysterious - pop! - of an idea can come together to make challenging fiction that never talks down to the reader, creating a vivid world quite unlike any other I've read. I think Castle of Shadows is a great example of what happens when a brave writer is given a platform by a publisher prepared to think outside of the box.

It doesn't stop there. Ellen's follow-up novel, City of Thieves, is published in August 2010. I feel certain that Ellen already has a dedicated readership who will be queueing up to see what she does next. Good luck, Ellen, and see you at Charney!