Sep 2010
Finishing with Francis
19/09/10 21:21 Filed in: Reading
My romp through the novels of Dick Francis is at an
end. I closed the cover on his final novel,
Shattered, last night. Yes, at least one
more novel has since been published with Dick listed
as a co-author with his son Felix but I don't
consider that to be pure Dick Francis so any such
books don't count.
I enjoyed Shattered quite a bit but I don't think it can compete with Francis' best. First of all, there's not much horse racing in it and, second of all, the villain is too cartoonish to be truly believable. The novel works, however, thanks to a strong main character, a decent love subplot and a dose of fascinating information about glass-blowing and glass-making in general.
This completes my re-reading of Dick Francis' novels. I continue to be impressed with his consistent production and quality. Yes, some novels stand out while others are clearly weaker (Second Wind would take my vote as his worst by far) but, when you figure the man basically wrote a novel a year for more than 40 years, you can't help but be impressed.
My next reading project will likely be Douglas Adams' The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy trilogy (with additional novels), followed no doubt by another visit to the world of J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter. I know I should be more adventurous and read something completely new but... These are old friends I just have to see again.
And I may add in The World According To Garp, John Irving's classic. We just watched the wonderful film version of the book starring a very young Robin Williams and equally young Glenn Close. It certainly made me wish to re-read the novel I so enjoyed when I was younger.
I enjoyed Shattered quite a bit but I don't think it can compete with Francis' best. First of all, there's not much horse racing in it and, second of all, the villain is too cartoonish to be truly believable. The novel works, however, thanks to a strong main character, a decent love subplot and a dose of fascinating information about glass-blowing and glass-making in general.
This completes my re-reading of Dick Francis' novels. I continue to be impressed with his consistent production and quality. Yes, some novels stand out while others are clearly weaker (Second Wind would take my vote as his worst by far) but, when you figure the man basically wrote a novel a year for more than 40 years, you can't help but be impressed.
My next reading project will likely be Douglas Adams' The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy trilogy (with additional novels), followed no doubt by another visit to the world of J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter. I know I should be more adventurous and read something completely new but... These are old friends I just have to see again.
And I may add in The World According To Garp, John Irving's classic. We just watched the wonderful film version of the book starring a very young Robin Williams and equally young Glenn Close. It certainly made me wish to re-read the novel I so enjoyed when I was younger.
Making Progress
16/09/10 06:59 Filed in: Writing
The excitement of revising my novel hasn't worn off.
The only thing that is holding me back is time. Life
is so busy right now, it's hard to find time to
write.
I spent two hours in the middle of the night the other day stitching together two scenes into one. It's an interesting process and one which, for the first time, produced slight frustration with the limitations of the netbook computer I currently use for all writing work. On our "big" computer, I could have opened up both scenes and set them side by side on my screen, making it easy to move between them and knit them together. On the netbook, with its tiny screen, no such luck. I had to block and copy the two scenes one after the other into the same file, then scroll up and down.
Still, the work went well and I think I've created a much more vibrant, fast-paced single scene.
I have a great deal of work yet to do. The trial scenes will need to be expanded somewhat without losing any of their energy. The biggest job, however, will be to wind the two plots into each other: in the original version, the hunt plot more or less takes up the first half of the novel and the trial plot the second half, before coming together finally at the end. My goal is to create increased tension, consistent pace and significantly higher levels of suspense by flowing seamlessly between them. I want them to develop together, to rise towards their climaxes in a balanced way, to complement each other as they grow.
And that will involve a great deal of careful work. Most of all, however, it will require the commitment of time, large blocks of uninterrupted time.
I spent two hours in the middle of the night the other day stitching together two scenes into one. It's an interesting process and one which, for the first time, produced slight frustration with the limitations of the netbook computer I currently use for all writing work. On our "big" computer, I could have opened up both scenes and set them side by side on my screen, making it easy to move between them and knit them together. On the netbook, with its tiny screen, no such luck. I had to block and copy the two scenes one after the other into the same file, then scroll up and down.
Still, the work went well and I think I've created a much more vibrant, fast-paced single scene.
I have a great deal of work yet to do. The trial scenes will need to be expanded somewhat without losing any of their energy. The biggest job, however, will be to wind the two plots into each other: in the original version, the hunt plot more or less takes up the first half of the novel and the trial plot the second half, before coming together finally at the end. My goal is to create increased tension, consistent pace and significantly higher levels of suspense by flowing seamlessly between them. I want them to develop together, to rise towards their climaxes in a balanced way, to complement each other as they grow.
And that will involve a great deal of careful work. Most of all, however, it will require the commitment of time, large blocks of uninterrupted time.
Stripping It Down
11/09/10 09:03 Filed in: Writing
I feel like I'm stripping down an engine. I know some
parts are running very well and don't need any work.
I know some other parts are okay but could do with a
little oil and polish. And then there are the parts
that just aren't working at all: those I have to rip
right out and replace with new ones.
And, to get the engine running even better than it was before, I have to add superchargers and other nifty new bits.
It's not a bad metaphor for the process of taking a completed manuscript and doing a complete revision in accordance with feedback received. And it's what I'm doing right now with The Silent Goodbye, my latest Phillip Gold mystery.
The most amazing fact is, I'm enjoying the process immensely. I feel very free and invigorated. I'm recognising that no section, no scene, no character is sacred and, if it will improve the novel, I'll change anything.
I've been trying to figure out why this process has become so fun rather than a chore. I'm also trying to figure out where the freedom has come from. I've spoke with other writers and we've agreed that, when you're writing an extended piece, you become enchanted by your own work, you lose objectivity for certain scenes and characters, you have such a strong sense of how much energy and passion you've invested in certain bits and pieces that you just can't see that, as the piece of writing has evolved, they simply don't work any more.
Two things have happened to me. First, since I finished the first rough draft of the novel many months ago, I think I've gained some of that precious objectivity about my own work. Not enough to allow me to see, on my own, where the problems lie but just enough for me to start seeing and accepting the wisdom of my third-party readers.
Second, there are the comments I've received from the publisher. If the goal is to write a great book and get published, he is the one who is best placed to help me to accomplish the former and to allow me to accomplish the latter. This publisher was kind enough to be absolutely clear about what was working and what was not, what pieces of the engine needed refurbishment or replacement and what pieces should be maintained and even enhanced.
So I feel free. I have a clear idea of where I'm going with the revision and I have some confidence in the belief that the work I am doing now is truly going to make the novel a better piece of fiction.
And, to get the engine running even better than it was before, I have to add superchargers and other nifty new bits.
It's not a bad metaphor for the process of taking a completed manuscript and doing a complete revision in accordance with feedback received. And it's what I'm doing right now with The Silent Goodbye, my latest Phillip Gold mystery.
The most amazing fact is, I'm enjoying the process immensely. I feel very free and invigorated. I'm recognising that no section, no scene, no character is sacred and, if it will improve the novel, I'll change anything.
I've been trying to figure out why this process has become so fun rather than a chore. I'm also trying to figure out where the freedom has come from. I've spoke with other writers and we've agreed that, when you're writing an extended piece, you become enchanted by your own work, you lose objectivity for certain scenes and characters, you have such a strong sense of how much energy and passion you've invested in certain bits and pieces that you just can't see that, as the piece of writing has evolved, they simply don't work any more.
Two things have happened to me. First, since I finished the first rough draft of the novel many months ago, I think I've gained some of that precious objectivity about my own work. Not enough to allow me to see, on my own, where the problems lie but just enough for me to start seeing and accepting the wisdom of my third-party readers.
Second, there are the comments I've received from the publisher. If the goal is to write a great book and get published, he is the one who is best placed to help me to accomplish the former and to allow me to accomplish the latter. This publisher was kind enough to be absolutely clear about what was working and what was not, what pieces of the engine needed refurbishment or replacement and what pieces should be maintained and even enhanced.
So I feel free. I have a clear idea of where I'm going with the revision and I have some confidence in the belief that the work I am doing now is truly going to make the novel a better piece of fiction.
An Amazing Experience
08/09/10 04:21 Filed in: Writing
I have purposely not been blogging about my novel
submission since I sent it to the publisher last
Monday. I don't know if it was some kind of
superstition that stopped me from doing so, or
perhaps fear that I might blog something that would
come back to haunt me.
I'm pleased to say that the experience, for all my anxiety and self-doubt, was a thoroughly rewarding one. No, I don't have a publishing contract in my hands. That was always the longest of long shots and, though it's nice to dream, most successful authors tell stories of dozens of rejections, rewrites and further rejections before they got their first novel published.
But no, I also did not receive a blunt, bald rejection either.
I sent the submission package for The Silent Goodbye by Priority Post last Monday. I then sat back, expecting to wait a long time for a response.
I got an e-mail back from the publisher early Wednesday afternoon, asking me to send the complete manuscript via e-mail. Wednesday! Most books I've read on the submission process suggest that weeks, even months will pass before you hear anything. This publisher got back to me the same day he received my package. I don't want to overuse the underline function here but I find that absolutely amazing.
Needless to say, I was thrilled to be invited to send the entire novel. I reviewed it carefully again and then e-mailed it, with the same mix of excitement and anxiety I had felt about the original submission package.
I figured there were three basic kinds of responses I could get: outright rejection, a one line e-mail saying, in essence, "Thanks but no thanks"; supportive rejection, a paragraph or two setting out some strengths and some weaknesses in the book; or acceptance, the long shot, the dream.
Sunday afternoon (Sunday afternoon! Just three days after I sent along the entire manuscript) I got my answer. But it was so much more than I had expected.
First, the publisher had read the entire novel. That in itself was a real positive. I can imagine how much reading he has to do in his work so, for him to read my entire manuscript like that, I'm taking that as a good sign.
Second, he actually took the time to read some of this blog. Quite a bit of it, it seems, since he commented about something from an April entry in his e-mail to me.
Third, he did me the honour of sending an extended note on my novel. When I printed it for easier review, it came out to a full page, single spaced.
Yes, the note included some fairly blunt criticism of my writing. And yes, that was hard to read. Most importantly, he told me I need to toughen up my main character, Phillip Gold, to make him more proactive and effective. He said he felt my action scenes were weak and lacking in credibility (ouch). He told me to cut out most of the first part of the novel and get to the trial scenes more quickly.
But the publisher was generous enough to identify some real strengths as well. He felt the trial scenes were well written, for example, and he liked the more shadowy characters like Alexandre Pim and his nemesis, Natasha. He also pointed out certain other scenes that he said were very effective and, as a nice touch, indicated that he liked the fact that Gold didn't charge the widow any fees in the end.
Following a disclaimer that, even if I did make all the changes and improvements he was suggesting, there was no guarantee that he would agree to publish the revised version, he gave me clear advice on how to make the novel stronger.
It was a very fair, honest e-mail. After the first moment of sadness at the realization that I won't be immediately published, I recognised the opportunity I have been given. I now know what an actual publisher thinks of my work. I have a clear idea of what stands between my manuscript and possible publication, what needs to be changed, edited out, rewritten to make it better.
So I have now committed myself to a serious rewrite, in line with the comments he's made. I will enhance the aspects that he felt were strong and address the deficiencies he's identified. I know that doing this is no guarantee that I will be published but I would be a fool not to follow up on this unique opportunity.
In fact, I've already started. And I think the novel is already better.
All in all, this has been an amazing, energizing experience. Now it's on me. I know what I need to do. And it will be the quality of the writing I do over the next little while that will decide whether or not The Silent Goodbye ever makes its way onto the shelves of your local bookstore.
I'm pleased to say that the experience, for all my anxiety and self-doubt, was a thoroughly rewarding one. No, I don't have a publishing contract in my hands. That was always the longest of long shots and, though it's nice to dream, most successful authors tell stories of dozens of rejections, rewrites and further rejections before they got their first novel published.
But no, I also did not receive a blunt, bald rejection either.
I sent the submission package for The Silent Goodbye by Priority Post last Monday. I then sat back, expecting to wait a long time for a response.
I got an e-mail back from the publisher early Wednesday afternoon, asking me to send the complete manuscript via e-mail. Wednesday! Most books I've read on the submission process suggest that weeks, even months will pass before you hear anything. This publisher got back to me the same day he received my package. I don't want to overuse the underline function here but I find that absolutely amazing.
Needless to say, I was thrilled to be invited to send the entire novel. I reviewed it carefully again and then e-mailed it, with the same mix of excitement and anxiety I had felt about the original submission package.
I figured there were three basic kinds of responses I could get: outright rejection, a one line e-mail saying, in essence, "Thanks but no thanks"; supportive rejection, a paragraph or two setting out some strengths and some weaknesses in the book; or acceptance, the long shot, the dream.
Sunday afternoon (Sunday afternoon! Just three days after I sent along the entire manuscript) I got my answer. But it was so much more than I had expected.
First, the publisher had read the entire novel. That in itself was a real positive. I can imagine how much reading he has to do in his work so, for him to read my entire manuscript like that, I'm taking that as a good sign.
Second, he actually took the time to read some of this blog. Quite a bit of it, it seems, since he commented about something from an April entry in his e-mail to me.
Third, he did me the honour of sending an extended note on my novel. When I printed it for easier review, it came out to a full page, single spaced.
Yes, the note included some fairly blunt criticism of my writing. And yes, that was hard to read. Most importantly, he told me I need to toughen up my main character, Phillip Gold, to make him more proactive and effective. He said he felt my action scenes were weak and lacking in credibility (ouch). He told me to cut out most of the first part of the novel and get to the trial scenes more quickly.
But the publisher was generous enough to identify some real strengths as well. He felt the trial scenes were well written, for example, and he liked the more shadowy characters like Alexandre Pim and his nemesis, Natasha. He also pointed out certain other scenes that he said were very effective and, as a nice touch, indicated that he liked the fact that Gold didn't charge the widow any fees in the end.
Following a disclaimer that, even if I did make all the changes and improvements he was suggesting, there was no guarantee that he would agree to publish the revised version, he gave me clear advice on how to make the novel stronger.
It was a very fair, honest e-mail. After the first moment of sadness at the realization that I won't be immediately published, I recognised the opportunity I have been given. I now know what an actual publisher thinks of my work. I have a clear idea of what stands between my manuscript and possible publication, what needs to be changed, edited out, rewritten to make it better.
So I have now committed myself to a serious rewrite, in line with the comments he's made. I will enhance the aspects that he felt were strong and address the deficiencies he's identified. I know that doing this is no guarantee that I will be published but I would be a fool not to follow up on this unique opportunity.
In fact, I've already started. And I think the novel is already better.
All in all, this has been an amazing, energizing experience. Now it's on me. I know what I need to do. And it will be the quality of the writing I do over the next little while that will decide whether or not The Silent Goodbye ever makes its way onto the shelves of your local bookstore.
See Ya Later, Earl
04/09/10 18:31 Filed in: Personal
It's now 6:30 p.m. and outside we've got bright blue
skies, sunshine and strong winds. It looks like we've
taken the worst ol' Earl could dish out (at least to
us, I think Nova Scotia is getting it a lot worse)
and survived.
Nasty moments, though. At 3:43, we heard a bang that sounded like a bomb went off somewhere nearby and all the power died. I stepped out onto the street to find neighbours looking at each other, at the hydro poles and wondering. Fortunately, the rain had tapered off by then so, instead of bemoaning the loss of TV tennis coverage, we decided to take advantage of the dry spell to take Marlee for an extended walk.
Got back just in time for the winds to kick it up a notch and the rains to return, so we had a cold snack and sat in the living room chatting. A nice way to spend the late afternoon, to be honest.
Two NB Power trucks rolled up to the hydro pole across the street from our house at about 6 p.m. and, by 6:10, the power came back on and we were back in business. It might have taken them 135 minutes to get here but they fixed the problem in just 10 more minutes so I'm not complaining.
I just checked the weather radar on the Environment Canada website and it looks like we're through the rain for good. So now we have cooler temps, less humidity and bright blue skies. I guess I should simply say, "Thanks, Earl, for dropping by and taking care of the heat and humidity. We're glad to have had a chance to meet you!"
Nasty moments, though. At 3:43, we heard a bang that sounded like a bomb went off somewhere nearby and all the power died. I stepped out onto the street to find neighbours looking at each other, at the hydro poles and wondering. Fortunately, the rain had tapered off by then so, instead of bemoaning the loss of TV tennis coverage, we decided to take advantage of the dry spell to take Marlee for an extended walk.
Got back just in time for the winds to kick it up a notch and the rains to return, so we had a cold snack and sat in the living room chatting. A nice way to spend the late afternoon, to be honest.
Two NB Power trucks rolled up to the hydro pole across the street from our house at about 6 p.m. and, by 6:10, the power came back on and we were back in business. It might have taken them 135 minutes to get here but they fixed the problem in just 10 more minutes so I'm not complaining.
I just checked the weather radar on the Environment Canada website and it looks like we're through the rain for good. So now we have cooler temps, less humidity and bright blue skies. I guess I should simply say, "Thanks, Earl, for dropping by and taking care of the heat and humidity. We're glad to have had a chance to meet you!"
An Hour With Earl
04/09/10 14:46 Filed in: Personal
2:45 p.m. and Earl is with us. A kinder, gentler Earl
than we expected. Lots of rain, a little bit of wind.
Nothing major.
Since our dog doesn't like to go out when it's raining, I had to cajole her into the back yard to get her to do her business and stop bothering me. So I threw on a light pair of shorts, a quick-dry tee-shirt and my flip flops and braved the torrent. Actually, it turned out to be quite fun. I wish our bathroom shower had that kind of force. And, after all the recent heat, it was fantastic to be drenched with cool water. I spent an hour out there and finally got Marlee Marie to play fetch with me for a while. And, thankfully, to do other things as well.
I had thought I'd try to take some photos of the storm to post here but it's not all that dramatic. Any pictures I'd take would look, well, like my yard on any other rainy day.
Oh well. I guess we'll stay inside for the rest of the day and wait it out. Or, maybe, I'll go for another romp in the rain.
Since our dog doesn't like to go out when it's raining, I had to cajole her into the back yard to get her to do her business and stop bothering me. So I threw on a light pair of shorts, a quick-dry tee-shirt and my flip flops and braved the torrent. Actually, it turned out to be quite fun. I wish our bathroom shower had that kind of force. And, after all the recent heat, it was fantastic to be drenched with cool water. I spent an hour out there and finally got Marlee Marie to play fetch with me for a while. And, thankfully, to do other things as well.
I had thought I'd try to take some photos of the storm to post here but it's not all that dramatic. Any pictures I'd take would look, well, like my yard on any other rainy day.
Oh well. I guess we'll stay inside for the rest of the day and wait it out. Or, maybe, I'll go for another romp in the rain.
Waiting for Earl
04/09/10 08:30 Filed in: Personal
It's 8:31 a.m. here in Freddie. I'm sitting in a
slowly cooling house, listening to the wind in the
aspens in our backyard, waiting for Earl.
Hurricane Earl.
Environment Canada says I should expect him to arrive at around 9 a.m., now just 28 minutes away. They also tell me he's less scary than expected and has veered a little east, meaning we won't see quite as high winds but more rain.
The possibility is for up to 70 millimetres of rain to fall in the Fredericton area in the next 24 hours.
We're ready. We're excited to know the temperature and humidex will finally fall off after a sweltering week. We've packed up everything in the backyard (stacked the patio chairs, flipped the table so that it won't blow, tucked them into the car port, things like that) and we've got the right windows open and the right windows closed.
We have no plans for the day. So blow, Earl, blow.
I'm happy to watch the rain, listen to the wind and read my books. Can't expect the satellite signal to reach our TV, though, so watching the US Open or the golf may be out of the question.
Oh well. Okay, it's now 24 minutes to Earl and the birds outside are raising a bit of a ruckus. Lots of chirping and "picking". I guess Earl's really coming.
Hurricane Earl.
Environment Canada says I should expect him to arrive at around 9 a.m., now just 28 minutes away. They also tell me he's less scary than expected and has veered a little east, meaning we won't see quite as high winds but more rain.
The possibility is for up to 70 millimetres of rain to fall in the Fredericton area in the next 24 hours.
We're ready. We're excited to know the temperature and humidex will finally fall off after a sweltering week. We've packed up everything in the backyard (stacked the patio chairs, flipped the table so that it won't blow, tucked them into the car port, things like that) and we've got the right windows open and the right windows closed.
We have no plans for the day. So blow, Earl, blow.
I'm happy to watch the rain, listen to the wind and read my books. Can't expect the satellite signal to reach our TV, though, so watching the US Open or the golf may be out of the question.
Oh well. Okay, it's now 24 minutes to Earl and the birds outside are raising a bit of a ruckus. Lots of chirping and "picking". I guess Earl's really coming.