Time for a quick review of reading and writing in 2010.
From a writing perspective, I had hoped to complete 2 books this year, but actually only finished one. My plan for next year is to not set myself a target... what gets written gets written.
Not that I haven't started another book - I have. In fact, I've started four more books, but that then got horribly confusing so I tried to concentrate on only one - which is fine until a story chunk from one of the others keeps you awake late at night and you have no option but to get out of bed and write it before it gets forgotten.
I guess my only wish for the oncoming year, then, is to finish something or, at the very least, make such significant inroads into one of the stories that I can actually see a potential end...
As regards progress of the completed books, they all fall into the "still waiting" category. It's frustrating but not exactly unexpected. I did, however, submit one of them for the Terry Pratchett Prize - short list for this won't be announced until the end of March 2011 so there's a bit of a wait until I'll know whether it's going anywhere.
Although I seem to have done less writing this year, I have done significantly more reading. It's an accepted fact that you can't write unless you read, but with only so many hours in a day it can be difficult to get the balance right. It's important, though, to not view reading time as wasted time. Reading may not advance my word count, but I do find myself much more critical of books I read now, constantly on the lookout for typos, poor grammar, cliches, lazy writing etc., and all of those can only help my own writing.
And so, without further ado, I'll announce my books of the year!
For me, I'm considering books I read this year, regardless of when they were published.
The "Non-Fiction" category only had a couple of nominees, but they were both outstanding. Without a doubt, though, the most stunning non-fiction book was "The Greatest Show on Earth" by Richard Dawkins. Every time I read anything Dawkins writes, I always learn something, and this was no exception. An absolute must-read.
Special mention, though, goes to "The Writers' Tale: The Final Chapter" by Russell T Davies and Benjamin Cook. A thoroughly enjoyable, deeply honest, read, a "must" for writers and Dr Who fans and hugely recommended for anybody who has even a passing interest in the creative process.
The fiction category is a little harder. I've read a decent amount this year, across many genres and there have been some amazing, hard-to-put-down books there.
The winner, though, was never in any doubt. It's such a clever book, a book that I would have been proud to have written, and a unique one too (which just happens to use a plot-device that I had considered but had thought unworkable: this book proved otherwise).
My fiction book of the year is "Wasted" by Nicola Morgan.
And there we have it. I suspect I'll be reading even more in the coming year, and much of that will be in ebook format. The days of e-publishing are well and truly here, a good five to ten years earlier than many publishers seem to have been expecting. E-readers such as the Kindle may not be quite perfect but they are only going to get better and once the pricing structure settles down (and I hope, as a reader, that it settles to a sensible level, because I certainly will buy more books if that's the case) and the public large understand just how convenient having one device is, e-readers are going to do for books what the iPod did for music - make them accessible, convenient and always at hand.
Tuesday, 28 December 2010
Wednesday, 1 December 2010
The Hating Game
I'm delighted to be able to offer my assistance to a Twitter friend (in full and frank knowledge that I will probably do the same as and when my book gets published) on the day of e-publication. So, without further ado, I give you:
Help Talli Roland's debut novel THE HATING GAME hit the Kindle bestseller list at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk by spreading the word today. Even a few sales in a short period of time on Amazon helps push the book up the rankings, making it more visible to other readers.
Amazon.co.uk: http://amzn.to/hNBkJk
Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/hX2ieD
No Kindle? Download a free app at Amazon for Mac, iPhone, PC, Android and more.
Coming soon in paperback. Keep up with the latest at www.talliroland.com.
About THE HATING GAME:
When man-eater Mattie Johns agrees to star on a dating game show to save her ailing recruitment business, she's confident she'll sail through to the end without letting down the perma-guard she's perfected from years of her love 'em and leave 'em dating strategy. After all, what can go wrong with dating a few losers and hanging out long enough to pick up a juicy £2000,000 prize? Plenty, Mattie discovers, when it's revealed that the contestants are four of her very unhappy exes. Can Mattie confront her past to get the prize money she so desperately needs, or will her exes finally wreak their long-awaited revenge? And what about the ambitious TV producer whose career depends on stopping her from making it to the end?
Sunday, 7 November 2010
Firebrand - Gillian Philip
I'm in a somewhat privileged position of being friends -albeit online friends - with a small number of authors, and thus am inclined to read their books when they are released (though I don't do so slavishly). I have, therefore, read a number of books which are outside my usual fare, most notably YA.
This puts me in a slightly difficult position. What if I don't enjoy the book? Do I lie and gush effusively? Do I remain tactfully silent? And, then, what if I really enjoy a book? Does my enthusiastic review of one book damn another by the very lack of such a review?
Yes, I know, I'm over-thinking this.
I've read a bundle of books this last year or so that would never have normally appeared on my radar and, without exception, have enjoyed every one. Not that there haven't been flaws or issues with many of them, because it's a rare book that doesn't have some flaws, but I cannot think of any where the flaws have spoilt the actual story. Inevitably, I've enjoyed some more than others, though.
I also have a bit of an issue with anything that is too hyped - for me, that means it has to strive even harder to achieve my own personal approval rating. In other words, I try not to be a bit of a sheep - I won't rave about a book just because others do (the same, incidentally, applies to films, TV etc). Firebrand is receiving the level of plaudits which made me more than a little apprehensive: Best Fantasy of 2010, for example.
So I was actually a little nervous about reading Firebrand. I've read another of Gillian's books - Crossing the Line - and loved it, but Firebrand is a very different book. Also, I don't read a lot of fantasy, and what I have read recently was a very hard act to follow: Graceling and Fire by Kristin Cashore (brilliant books, by the way, thoroughly recommended).
I won't go into the story (so, not much of a review, then!) as it's easy to find that detail in the many other reviews online. What I will say, is this:
It starts brilliantly. Crossing the Line did the same - Gillian is clearly the master of the first chapter. Then, for some reason, it failed to completely grab me for a while - I'm not sure why, perhaps it was the choice of names, the use of Gaelic, which jarred a little (more on names in a moment). Then, suddenly, I found myself utterly absorbed.
There are a couple of genuinely shocking moments, the sort that leave you staring at the words in disbelief, and then compelling you to turn to the next page. Once you hit the first one, there's no going back; it's got you, hooked you, drawn you in.
And therein, I think, is the brilliance that has been so lauded. There are a number characters that really get under your skin (once you get used to their names!), that you genuinely feel for and, inevitably, a couple that you really, properly loathe (imagine the chorus of "Boos" had this been a play). Here, though, is my one other gripe: the Queen is called Kate. Kate? Really? Amongst the Eilis and Orachs and Sionnachs, now that I'd become used to them, Kate seemed wrong (and still does, even after the event).
But I'm splitting hairs. Odd to criticise a difficult to read Gaelic name, then foist the same criticism on a too-easy English name.
Perhaps the biggest compliment I can pay, though, is to question why it's shelved in the YA section. Not that YA is, in any way, a problem, but this doesn't feel like a YA novel and I fear there is an audience of fantasy readers who will never discover Firebrand because it's sitting on the wrong shelf.
And that would be a real shame.
This puts me in a slightly difficult position. What if I don't enjoy the book? Do I lie and gush effusively? Do I remain tactfully silent? And, then, what if I really enjoy a book? Does my enthusiastic review of one book damn another by the very lack of such a review?
Yes, I know, I'm over-thinking this.
I've read a bundle of books this last year or so that would never have normally appeared on my radar and, without exception, have enjoyed every one. Not that there haven't been flaws or issues with many of them, because it's a rare book that doesn't have some flaws, but I cannot think of any where the flaws have spoilt the actual story. Inevitably, I've enjoyed some more than others, though.
I also have a bit of an issue with anything that is too hyped - for me, that means it has to strive even harder to achieve my own personal approval rating. In other words, I try not to be a bit of a sheep - I won't rave about a book just because others do (the same, incidentally, applies to films, TV etc). Firebrand is receiving the level of plaudits which made me more than a little apprehensive: Best Fantasy of 2010, for example.
So I was actually a little nervous about reading Firebrand. I've read another of Gillian's books - Crossing the Line - and loved it, but Firebrand is a very different book. Also, I don't read a lot of fantasy, and what I have read recently was a very hard act to follow: Graceling and Fire by Kristin Cashore (brilliant books, by the way, thoroughly recommended).
I won't go into the story (so, not much of a review, then!) as it's easy to find that detail in the many other reviews online. What I will say, is this:
It starts brilliantly. Crossing the Line did the same - Gillian is clearly the master of the first chapter. Then, for some reason, it failed to completely grab me for a while - I'm not sure why, perhaps it was the choice of names, the use of Gaelic, which jarred a little (more on names in a moment). Then, suddenly, I found myself utterly absorbed.
There are a couple of genuinely shocking moments, the sort that leave you staring at the words in disbelief, and then compelling you to turn to the next page. Once you hit the first one, there's no going back; it's got you, hooked you, drawn you in.
And therein, I think, is the brilliance that has been so lauded. There are a number characters that really get under your skin (once you get used to their names!), that you genuinely feel for and, inevitably, a couple that you really, properly loathe (imagine the chorus of "Boos" had this been a play). Here, though, is my one other gripe: the Queen is called Kate. Kate? Really? Amongst the Eilis and Orachs and Sionnachs, now that I'd become used to them, Kate seemed wrong (and still does, even after the event).
But I'm splitting hairs. Odd to criticise a difficult to read Gaelic name, then foist the same criticism on a too-easy English name.
Perhaps the biggest compliment I can pay, though, is to question why it's shelved in the YA section. Not that YA is, in any way, a problem, but this doesn't feel like a YA novel and I fear there is an audience of fantasy readers who will never discover Firebrand because it's sitting on the wrong shelf.
And that would be a real shame.
Monday, 1 November 2010
NaNoNoTa
Today, November 1st, marks the beginning of NaNoWriMo (that's National Novel Writing Month for the uninitiated - although National has now become International, but InNoWriMo obviously doesn't sound as good).
The aim is to write a 50,000 word novel (or novella, really) in 30 days. To be fair to the organisers, it's supposed to be a bit of fun, a way of sparking the creativity, a challenge. Nobody, realistically, expects a complete masterpiece at midnight on 1st December.
There are some, however, who frown upon NaNoWriMo, perhaps even consider it "beneath them". I'm sure some participants really do believe that bashing out 50k words is all they need to do to be published, and I'm equally sure literary agents the world over dread the potential influx of not-really-ready work to land in their InBoxes during December. But, for the most part, I think the detractors are missing the point.
I tried NaNo a few years ago. I think I managed about 15k words in ten days, so was roughly on target. Except for one thing: it was dreadful. Truly, truly dreadful. It actually had the effect of making me wondering if I was ever going to actually write a book at all; maybe that "everyone has a novel in them" adage really didn't apply to me. Having reached that conclusion, I gave up and have never felt the need to write again.
But, and this is important, that only applies to me. It's not that I can't write at that speed - I know I can. THE LONG SECOND was written in exactly 2 months and, at 115k words, meant that on at least one of those months, I wrote well over 50k words. And (in my opinion), it's actually a decent story.
And that's what was missing from my NaNo attempt: a decent story.
I now have three "decent stories" under my belt, and two of them took much, much longer to write. The fourth is proving equally protracted, but that's my focus for this November, to move this story along. Not at 1500 words per day, maybe not even at 1500 words per week, but at whatever pace feels right, at whatever pace the story reveals itself to me (and it's coming, it really it, after a bit of a "eureka!" moment last week).
So: if you're taking part in NaNoWriMo, I wish you good luck, and hope you enjoy it. Just remember that when you've finished writing, you haven't finished the book. If, like me, you're not taking part, then please don't look down on those who are - and I'd like to assure my many friends that (should my message be misunderstood, especially on Twitter, with its character limits) I'm definitely not looking down on them, and any use of the #NoNaNo tag (or similar) is not a protest against those who are taking part, but more a gathering place for those of us who might, actually, be feeling a little left out!
The aim is to write a 50,000 word novel (or novella, really) in 30 days. To be fair to the organisers, it's supposed to be a bit of fun, a way of sparking the creativity, a challenge. Nobody, realistically, expects a complete masterpiece at midnight on 1st December.
There are some, however, who frown upon NaNoWriMo, perhaps even consider it "beneath them". I'm sure some participants really do believe that bashing out 50k words is all they need to do to be published, and I'm equally sure literary agents the world over dread the potential influx of not-really-ready work to land in their InBoxes during December. But, for the most part, I think the detractors are missing the point.
I tried NaNo a few years ago. I think I managed about 15k words in ten days, so was roughly on target. Except for one thing: it was dreadful. Truly, truly dreadful. It actually had the effect of making me wondering if I was ever going to actually write a book at all; maybe that "everyone has a novel in them" adage really didn't apply to me. Having reached that conclusion, I gave up and have never felt the need to write again.
But, and this is important, that only applies to me. It's not that I can't write at that speed - I know I can. THE LONG SECOND was written in exactly 2 months and, at 115k words, meant that on at least one of those months, I wrote well over 50k words. And (in my opinion), it's actually a decent story.
And that's what was missing from my NaNo attempt: a decent story.
I now have three "decent stories" under my belt, and two of them took much, much longer to write. The fourth is proving equally protracted, but that's my focus for this November, to move this story along. Not at 1500 words per day, maybe not even at 1500 words per week, but at whatever pace feels right, at whatever pace the story reveals itself to me (and it's coming, it really it, after a bit of a "eureka!" moment last week).
So: if you're taking part in NaNoWriMo, I wish you good luck, and hope you enjoy it. Just remember that when you've finished writing, you haven't finished the book. If, like me, you're not taking part, then please don't look down on those who are - and I'd like to assure my many friends that (should my message be misunderstood, especially on Twitter, with its character limits) I'm definitely not looking down on them, and any use of the #NoNaNo tag (or similar) is not a protest against those who are taking part, but more a gathering place for those of us who might, actually, be feeling a little left out!
Sunday, 24 October 2010
Deep Breath, Dive In
It's difficult to explain why the past few months have been so unproductive as there are so many small reasons that combined into an overall feeling of "Meh!"
Between the two of us that make up the entity that is Marshall Buckley there have been a number of changes in our own households, many small, some larger but the overall effect has been a distraction from the writing.
With the nights drawing in, and things (hopefully) settling down on both sides of the Atlantic, it's time to take stock of the situation, and one thing is clear: The writing has to start!
It's been a bit of a juggling match, trying to decide which project to pursue; at one time there were three separate books being written: a hundred words here, a hundred words there, but that proved unsustainable.
I'm happy to say that the focus appears to have returned to the main project, the one that was already the most advanced and, after what seems like a real drought, the words are coming again. Not fast, not flooding out, but coming. There's still plenty of work to be done before this becomes cohesive, before the real story emerges (that's how we always write: the seeds of an idea and some characters and we watch them grow and develop), but it will emerge.
So, the other projects are sidelined one more, but they'll have their time.
I've tidied up the progress column on the right so there's only one entry for the current book (helpfully known as "Y"). At roughly 15% complete there's enough there to be going on with. Watch this (well, that) space.
At the beginning of the year I said that, ideally, I'd like to finish three books this year, but would be content with two. Barring some sort of miracle, that's not going to happen, but one complete and one in progress really isn't anything to get upset about.
I'm going to try to be more vocal here on the blog but, as always, if you really want an idea of just how much procrastination is taking place, come on over to Twitter and find me there: @MarshallBuckley
Between the two of us that make up the entity that is Marshall Buckley there have been a number of changes in our own households, many small, some larger but the overall effect has been a distraction from the writing.
With the nights drawing in, and things (hopefully) settling down on both sides of the Atlantic, it's time to take stock of the situation, and one thing is clear: The writing has to start!
It's been a bit of a juggling match, trying to decide which project to pursue; at one time there were three separate books being written: a hundred words here, a hundred words there, but that proved unsustainable.
I'm happy to say that the focus appears to have returned to the main project, the one that was already the most advanced and, after what seems like a real drought, the words are coming again. Not fast, not flooding out, but coming. There's still plenty of work to be done before this becomes cohesive, before the real story emerges (that's how we always write: the seeds of an idea and some characters and we watch them grow and develop), but it will emerge.
So, the other projects are sidelined one more, but they'll have their time.
I've tidied up the progress column on the right so there's only one entry for the current book (helpfully known as "Y"). At roughly 15% complete there's enough there to be going on with. Watch this (well, that) space.
At the beginning of the year I said that, ideally, I'd like to finish three books this year, but would be content with two. Barring some sort of miracle, that's not going to happen, but one complete and one in progress really isn't anything to get upset about.
I'm going to try to be more vocal here on the blog but, as always, if you really want an idea of just how much procrastination is taking place, come on over to Twitter and find me there: @MarshallBuckley
Saturday, 4 September 2010
A Bit of a Rant
Firstly, this is nothing at all to do with publishing, writing, editing or anything even vaguely related. So, if you only stop by her on occasion to hear about that sort of thing, you might want to wander away now.
But I just had to get this off my chest (a "grumpy old man moment", if you like).
Things that don't do what they are designed to do.
How many things have yo bought that simply do not perform as expected? Whether it be the can opener that opens cans so badly you are in danger of ripping your finger on the jagged edge, or the nail clippers that can't cut through the smallest of nails, or (my current rant) the vacuum cleaner whose belt snaps the minute anything gets caught in the brushes (no matter how quickly you switch it off).
All three of these are personal to me recently. Of course, every one of these has been a cheap purchase (though, of course, that's relative: a Ford car is cheap compared to a Rolls Royce, but you don't hear anyone saying "Well, you should have bought a Rolls" when your Ford breaks down, right?), but whether something costs a pound, or fifty pounds, or fifteen thousand pounds ought to be irrelevant. Does it, simply, perform the task it claims to perform?
I know the next response: take it back to the shop, get a refund (the Sales of Goods act protects you from items which are "Not fit for purpose"). It's not that simple: is it worth returning the one pound nail clippers? If not, where do you draw the line? If it's not worth the effort of returning a one pound item, what value item is worth returning? And, so long as you don't return the one pound clippers, the shop will keep selling them and the factory will keep making them.
My vacuum cleaner, subject of a few Twitter rants this morning, actually has a label on it which says "DO NOT RETURN TO THE SHOP. Call the Helpline." Really, that should have rung alarm bells right away but, in fact, it appeared to work very well. At first. Since then, however, I have spend more money on replacement drive belts that I spent on the actual cleaner. And it had to have a new brush bar after less than six months. And it needs another new one now, at just two years old.
So, buy a new one, right? Of course, but that's another £50 (for a cheap one) or £300+ (for a decent one) and no guarantee it will be any better. Price does not always equal quality. Well known brands are not always better.
Our fridge/freezer was replaced recently after four years of pain. It was a reasonably quality brand, but we lost endless fridge/freezers worth of food because of a major design flaw (the frost-free freezer would ice up, meaning the fan - which kept the fridge cool - would be unable to turn). A bit of research - after the event - made it clear this is a common fault, but the company is still selling the same (as far as I can see) design. We replaced it with 2, cheap, separate items.
I could go on and on, but I won't.
I won't name the fridge/freezer manufacturer here, since I'm not qualified to speak of the design fault (though I'll happily mention it be email if asked). Suffice to say, we recently replaced a washing machine by the same manufacturer because that failed to perform to expectations too. We still have a dishwasher, and that's faulty.
The vacuum cleaner? That one I will name, since it's fault is clearly demonstrable (and I've already named it on Twitter): It's Vax.
But I just had to get this off my chest (a "grumpy old man moment", if you like).
Things that don't do what they are designed to do.
How many things have yo bought that simply do not perform as expected? Whether it be the can opener that opens cans so badly you are in danger of ripping your finger on the jagged edge, or the nail clippers that can't cut through the smallest of nails, or (my current rant) the vacuum cleaner whose belt snaps the minute anything gets caught in the brushes (no matter how quickly you switch it off).
All three of these are personal to me recently. Of course, every one of these has been a cheap purchase (though, of course, that's relative: a Ford car is cheap compared to a Rolls Royce, but you don't hear anyone saying "Well, you should have bought a Rolls" when your Ford breaks down, right?), but whether something costs a pound, or fifty pounds, or fifteen thousand pounds ought to be irrelevant. Does it, simply, perform the task it claims to perform?
I know the next response: take it back to the shop, get a refund (the Sales of Goods act protects you from items which are "Not fit for purpose"). It's not that simple: is it worth returning the one pound nail clippers? If not, where do you draw the line? If it's not worth the effort of returning a one pound item, what value item is worth returning? And, so long as you don't return the one pound clippers, the shop will keep selling them and the factory will keep making them.
My vacuum cleaner, subject of a few Twitter rants this morning, actually has a label on it which says "DO NOT RETURN TO THE SHOP. Call the Helpline." Really, that should have rung alarm bells right away but, in fact, it appeared to work very well. At first. Since then, however, I have spend more money on replacement drive belts that I spent on the actual cleaner. And it had to have a new brush bar after less than six months. And it needs another new one now, at just two years old.
So, buy a new one, right? Of course, but that's another £50 (for a cheap one) or £300+ (for a decent one) and no guarantee it will be any better. Price does not always equal quality. Well known brands are not always better.
Our fridge/freezer was replaced recently after four years of pain. It was a reasonably quality brand, but we lost endless fridge/freezers worth of food because of a major design flaw (the frost-free freezer would ice up, meaning the fan - which kept the fridge cool - would be unable to turn). A bit of research - after the event - made it clear this is a common fault, but the company is still selling the same (as far as I can see) design. We replaced it with 2, cheap, separate items.
I could go on and on, but I won't.
I won't name the fridge/freezer manufacturer here, since I'm not qualified to speak of the design fault (though I'll happily mention it be email if asked). Suffice to say, we recently replaced a washing machine by the same manufacturer because that failed to perform to expectations too. We still have a dishwasher, and that's faulty.
The vacuum cleaner? That one I will name, since it's fault is clearly demonstrable (and I've already named it on Twitter): It's Vax.
Sunday, 22 August 2010
Quality Feedback
Thanks to the wonders of Twitter, I had a couple of very nice comments on my Friday Flash: A Very Ordinary Killer.
The Bestselling author Jill Mansell called it "Excellent", mentioning it in the same context as Jeff Lindsay's brilliant "Dexter" novels.
The hugely well-regarded literary agent, Carole Blake, of Blake Friedmann, called it "Chilling."
Frankly, I'm delighted to have that sort of feedback, and it has encouraged me to consider turning A Very Ordinary Killer into a full length novel... a little more back-story has occurred to me today.
Watch this space...
The Bestselling author Jill Mansell called it "Excellent", mentioning it in the same context as Jeff Lindsay's brilliant "Dexter" novels.
The hugely well-regarded literary agent, Carole Blake, of Blake Friedmann, called it "Chilling."
Frankly, I'm delighted to have that sort of feedback, and it has encouraged me to consider turning A Very Ordinary Killer into a full length novel... a little more back-story has occurred to me today.
Watch this space...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
