Ten Rules for Writing

As stolen/inspired from Daniel Carpenter's debut blog post ( thank you Dan!).... it got me thinking about my own personal rules that I write to. I'm not saying that this is the way everyone should write, it's just a few thoughts about how I go about writing.

 In no specific order:

1. Write. And if you can't write, think about writing. And if you can't think about writing, read, read, read, read, read until even the act of making a cup of tea feels like a story.

2. Go out. See other writers, poets, performance artists. I take most of my inspiration from listening to and reading other writers work, so go out to your local events and pay attention to what is happening around you.

3. Listen. I've heard some of the most interesting, heartbreaking, funny and unbelievable stories from talking to colleagues or overhearing conversations. I once heard a drunk man on the tram telling his nephew how to survive in prison.

4. Experiment. I recently picked up a horror novel for the first time since I was fifteen and ended up writing my first horror short story. It has now become one of my favourite pieces. Don't be afraid to experiment with genre.

5. Relax. Stress is one of the biggest killers of creative inspiration. When I'm stressed I get a black block at the front of my head that stops ideas getting through. Go to the gym, take a walk, have sex, water some plants, do something active that will de-stress you but keep your mind active.

6. Ask for criticism. One of the best ways to improve is to pass your work to an honest critic who feels your work isn't at its strongest, and the test out their methods and ideas of how to improve. It may not work but it will get you reflecting on what other readers like to read.

7. Talk. Talk about films, stories, novels, articles, documentaries... Constantly be analysing and looking at storytelling tools. Me and my partner are always pulling apart a film we've just watched reflecting on what worked and why or what partronised us or what bored us. This makes me reflect on the same mistakes I make in my writing and why they don't work.

8. Submit. Apply to competitions, magazines, websites, zines. It will help you to build a portfolio of work but regularly writing to spec and the knock backs will help you improve.

9. Enjoy. Enjoy writing or what's the point?

10. Support. Your peers are not your competition, they're your colleagues. Support other writers, help them succeed, celebrate their successes. We should learn from each other and be one big happy family. (sorry for the cheese)

So yeah, that's it. Just a few thoughts about my writing patterns and what helps me. I wonder how different each persons rules are? Thank you Dan for letting me steal from your blog, and goodnight :)

Long time no see

Hi! I've been so caught up in work that I've had absolutley no time to think of writing, or even having creative thoughts at all. Spending all day sinking under a pile of paperwork and listening to grumpy managers and engineers who want your response 'right now!' is not what I call creative inspiration. On the other hand I am desperately trying to change the situation and have new projects to focus on.

First thing is the Bad Language book launch which is now happening on Wednesday 2nd June at The Bay Horse in the Northen Quater. Finally! We had a few issues with dates and venues but have finally settled on a date and I refuse to move it any more, even if the Queen came to beg me to move it. Not that she would. Bad Language are also working on their next event which will be a literature quiz night filled with many surprises!

Also, next week, on the day after my birthday, is the exciting Unsung Festival which I have been looking forward to for a long time! A whole day of cider, music, literature and art, at least I hope there's cider. I'm going to treat it as my real birthday seeing as I have to work all day on my actual birthday. Work is even less fun at the moment as I'm covering someone who usualy has so much work to do of their own that they do 30 hours over a month on adverage. I have to pick that up and maintain my own workload! Anyway, enough of work rants. More fun planned...

The next project is the World Cup Special with Bad Language. We're looking for short pieces of fiction or poetry centered around the World Cup, which I have to admit is quite hard when you're not into football. But then again, it was Joe's idea, who is a football enthusiast. The first piece has already been posted to the Bad Language blog, which gives you a taste of how you can write about football when you're not that enthusiatic about it.

The next personal piece I'm working on is the inspiration from Russell Morgan's picture, as mentioned in the last blog. I've been throwing ideas around for a while but have been waiting until my words have stopped drying up from work. I'm working on a very short micro fiction, or extract, about a dead girl who is stuck in a man's mind due to his memories. She cannot move on until the man stops thinking of her so much, and also faces much frustration as he changes and manipulates both their memories into something that isn't truth. This may prove to be quite a complex idea to fit into a short piece, which is why I say extract.

I've started reading The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers, which makes my skin tingle. It follows the story of a mute man and his relationships with the people around him. I am up to the moment when he allows a lonely, lost, drunk man to move into his home and share his life. I find the ideas about how satifying the protagonist finds the relationships in his life romatic; the rhythms and patterns in McCullers language is like reading a song. 

I'm also reading Watchmen, old skool I know, but I have been reading it on and off since the big craze about it started. I'm not really into superhero comics but I enjoy the relationship side and the idea of how focusing on the negative side of society can make you corrupt. It's quite a fun novel but I also enjoy how it's influenced by real life events and the philosophical ideas behind the plot.

That's all I've got to say for now. The short piece about Russel Morgan's art will follow shortly, and I am also writing interview questions for my first two artist interviews. I hope to see people at the official book launch where you'll hear readings from the performance poets/writers featured in the new book, visual/audio literature, art work and possibly live music. Also, if you're in Manchester next weekend please make it along to Unsung, that looks to be set to tickle your artists taste buds. Farewell for now!

Writing from Home

Following an interview with Bad Language about how writers are affected by their environments it got me thinking about my own writing identity and what has effected this. Or indeed, what it is?

Although others felt that their home had a relation or presence in their writing, I'm sad to say I don't think mine does, at all. I think one thing that was so disappointing for me growing up was that there wasn't any inspiration about the place I grew up. Not even out of hatred, I didn't even passionately dislike the place, I was just bored. One of the things that drew me to Manchester in the first place was the fact that it seemed to have an identity; I've never been part of somewhere that has a collective identity.

To me, Essex is flacid; it's got no collective identity or atmosphere, people leave Essex to find the activity. Something that is so refreshing as a writer is that Manchester is full of activity; built on atmosphere. Perhaps it is the conflict element? The fact that a city will always have conflict, whether it be crime, or the buzz of a collection of different people in the same place, but a city will always have conflict. I guess, in a depressing way, that is inspirational. It creates something to write about. Happier, calmer places are harder to write about because there's less of a story to be resolved.

It's interesting moving to a city how the environment has started to creep into my writing. I've tried in the past to force my hometown into my writing, unsuccessfully. I've tried writing in dialect which I have no true connection to. The story had no truth. I've tried writing about memories, places I've been. But my memories have no excitement, at least not enough to drive a piece of fiction. Is fiction lively then life? I guess in my case it is. So it's a change to move to a place where people do feel that connection to their environment and allow it to influence their writing in an organic manner.

Continuing on from the idea that I find it hard to write about a place I have a memory connected to, I find it inspiring to see a place I have no connection to. There are so many more stories in the unknown than in the known and in that I find creative freedom. In Manchester, for me, there can be anyone or anything. It's a fresh story everytime I leave the house. In that sense, perhaps I have no true writing identity. Only that of other, imagined roots.

However, it's only once you leave a place that you can see it's true identity. For me, when living there, Essex had no identity. Since leaving, I can recognise someone from Essex, through their mannerisms, speech, reservedness. I can sometimes even place which part of Essex they're from. I find now, from a distance, I can start to define and find my identity in my roots and how that has affected me. Standing in the middle, it's impossible to see.

Which leaves me with the question: As I writer, can I ever take on another idenity in a new place? If I now start to write stories about Manchester and organicially grow to have a Manchester writers voice, will that make me a Manchester writer? Or will I always be an Essex writer? Perhaps, despite the fact that I can't see it, others will think that my writing carries an essence of Essex. Perhaps, it is impossible for writer's to move away from their root identity. 

Obviously this debate doesn't only apply to rural vs city but it's a simpler definition of how an environment can effect your writing. My environment affects my writing on a subconsious level, until I've stepped away from that place and can start to reminisce. There is more creative freedom in the unknown or past known, than the now. Is that depressing?

As writers, is it impossible to write in the present?

Ian McEwan at the Royal Northern College of Music

The whole team of Bad Language went on a visit to the Royal Northern College of Music yesterday to see the lovely Ian McEwan reading from his new book Solar.

I have to admit I've never read an Ian McEwan book before but I was curious to see him speak and now I am burning to read his new book. He opened by stating that this novel was a character piece; he had a strong desire to create a piece that only revealed the characters past in the last 100 pages. He said that he found it interesting to explain a characters past after we have got to know the character and his actions.

An interesting discussion that came up was how important it is for a writer to be accurate with details? I believe that Ian McEwan spent 5 years researching the topic of his new novel; Climate Change. Despite this he claimed that he is still expecting complaints from readers of supposed inaccuracies. He used an example of one of his past novels where he placed a character in a car and described the action of them changing gears. From this minor detail he got a letter of complaint stating that his details we're inaccurate and the chosen car would not change gears in this way. He always raised the question: How easy is it for writers to point to facts in novels? Is it indeed risky business.

Despite this Ian McEwan stated that he loves writers who give the taste, feel and look of details. Perphaps this is what has lead to his need to get details correct and spent a long time researching the topic of a novel.

How powerful is poetry? This is a provocative question that a member of the audience and I was curious to know his answer, although I doubt that the answer to this question can ever be given a definitive answer. Ian McEwan doubted that poetry ould make anything happen on a national level, or change an issue such as climate change. But he did seem to point towards poetry having the power to change an individual, not a nation.

Ian McEwan is quite a witty man. Here is a few sound bites from him following his reading:

'If it ended too quickly it's because you're reading too fast.'

' The novel would be dead if women gave up reading.'

'With first person writing you have to do a strange rhetorical trick; it doesn't let you off the hook with writing well.'


If that still hasn't made you feel like reading his books, here's a few words that his audience related to his writing; sinister, 'blokey', sparse and carefully chosen. I wonder what words he would use to describe he own writing?

A delayed response to the Writing Industries Conference.

This is my very delayed response to the Writing Industries Conference which took place on Saturday the 6th March in Loughborough.

The day opened with a key note speech by the wonderful Graham Joyce who gave an honest discussion on the end of the print age. Although the future of the print age seems dark, Graham Joyce argued that the future of writers, however, will prosper. Provided that writers can become adaptable and learn to write in various forms. My favourite point in this key speech was the idea that society will always need stories, no matter what form they come in:)

I had two favourite panels of the day. The first was the 'Community Journalism, Blogging and Finding New Relationships' panel chaired by James K Walker, John Coster, Al Needham and Susi O'Neil. The best advice I took from that panel was to do with being honest and direct when blogging - the audience need to know what to expect from your blog and who is speaking. As expected though it was hard to define how running a blog can assist a writer financially although there was a concensus that it definitely helped in building an audience.

My second favourite panel was the 'How does public funding support the development of writers' chaired by Henderson Mullin, Jonathon Davidson, Farhana Shaikh and Kate Wilkinson (standing in for Steve Dearden). The concensus was that writers can't expect funding for their writing only; they need other skills which will advtantage the public in some way as well as themselves. The most interesting idea I took from this panel was that funding bodies do not only have to be literature intended companies; places like the NHS/Walking companies, organisations outside the box can be a possibility if you can explore how literature relates to the companies aims.

Writers need to treat themselves as businesses and find new ways to reach new audiences; whether that be through building an on-line presence, taking part in community projects or finding ways to relate their work to the public. At the end of the print age writing is losing its solitariness; writers will need to have more of a public presence. It's no longer onyl about sitting at home and writing, writers need a face as well.

If the Writing Industries Conference is to run next year I would like to see more opportunities to network and discuss individuals work; perhaps a reading lunch where writers can have an open mic to read their work. I would also like to see more indepth panels that explore already tried and tested ways to build an audience for a writer. There was a lot of general advice and it would be good to see more specific advice aimed at writers who are already networking have a presence in the community and how to push this further. Perhaps this is the hardest thing to define as it is not straight forward.

I would love to see more events such as The Writing Industries Conference around the country to bring writers and literature development activists together. I'm looking forward to the next one:)

Book Review - The Wind Up Bird Chronicle

The Wind Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami has been part of my life for a while now; I've spent months savouring every moment in the hope that the story will last longer if you read slower.

The story at the heart of The Wind Up Bird is a simple one; a man who loses his wife and will do anything to get her back.A classic tale of love. The novel is spun into a series of intertwining stories set off by one seemingly meaningless event; the disappearance of a cat. My favourite thing about this book is the fact that it is enriched with stories within stories within stories.

A downfall of the book is a 2-D character called May based on a 14 year old girl who's dropped out of school. Although I believed in the character's persona at first, the novel never seemed to break through the '14 year old girl profile' and develop into a deeper person. This is emphasised later in the novel when May continues to write letters to the lead character, revealing pivotol information; which is withdrawn at the end when you realise the letters were never read.

The Wind Up Bird is full of Murakami's usual queer reasoning; where he never answers a question but always find a resolution; which is a quality in Murakami which you either love or hate. I enjoyed the journey of query after query after query until the final two chapters, when I feel Murakami uncharacteristically tried to find a satisfying resolution. It's not the resolutions that I disapproved of but the characters' actions which seemed against their personality in the final moments.

I have enjoyed having this book as being a part of my life and as a result will always sleep with a baseball bat beside my bed from now on....

Coffee is an unwelcome distraction...

...when you're trying to write. This week has been my first experience of writing full time and I think I may have developed a coffee addiction. I inherited a nice new cafetiere from the landlord which I'm sure by the end of this year will be the death of me.

In between brewing coffee, drinking coffee, reheating coffee and pouring more coffee, I have been trying to structure a nice shiny submission for the free agency one-to-one for the Writing Industries Conference: http://writingindustries.com/1-2-1-guidelines/. To submit you need the first three chapters of a novel, a synopsis and a letter explaining your achievements and future goals as a writer. I'm sure my printer is feeling the end of the week blues as I decided the best way to edit my novel would be to print it off and scribble obscene and belittleing notes to myself. What I'm finding hardest is to define my achievements and my future aims. I know where I'm pointing for but I want to be realistic about where my arrow will land. Doesn't it sound corny to say to 'I want to be published'. Isn't that what everyone wants?

Anyway, I guess at the end of this week it's made me realise that I could write full time; in the sense of having the motivation, getting the work done (between coffee) and not driving myself crazy with my own company. But how does one going about achieving this goal between paying the rent? Despite the rest of the world being under water (I've developed an ear infection :( ) I have been for a few job interviews this week and have managed to find some disillusioned employer that wants me to start Monday. Which is great. But what about my writing?! Being a dedicated, serious writer along a full time job is so tiring! Of course I'm not complaining, that's what it's all about isn't it - having the drive to keep going when others would give up? But at what point does writing stop being a second hobby and start being a realistic goal? At what point do you find the balance to stop worrying about the rent and give yourself the time and space to write. Isn't that what it's all about too? Isn't that what we're all missing? Time and Space. To do the things we always really wanted to do, but never got round to.

On a more important note, I've decided from my watery brain, to stop drinking coffee for a week, before I lose any more sleep!

How to get lost in the city

I spent an hour walking around the city this morning, after attending an appointment, trying to remember which direct I lived in! At what point does a home become your home? I have signed up to everything I need now; doctors, dentist, library, registered myself to live here, bills, everything you need to declare that you now, officially, live in this place. But how long does it take until the place becomes part of you?

Due to losing my job on Friday, which I guess is a blessing in disguise because it was the most mind-numbingly boring job (also I was covering a woman who was sick which means she is better, which I guess is something) I have been spending the morning job hunting. It is my first time alone in the new flat and despite it being city centre, it is SO SILENT! Except, of course, for the monotonous hum of the fan which I am told has to be on constantly. One thing that I can't help but think is; Where have all the creative jobs gone?! It makes sense for there to be a decline in creative jobs due to the recession, creative arts is always the first thing to go as it is deemed as less important as say, academic jobs, but where does that leave creatives? Either I apply for a underchallenging office job where I am forced to have the following daily routine repeating itself in my mind; staple, print, staple, print, staple, photo copy, photo copy, staple, scan, print, print in colour, scan; and if you're lucky you get to re-arrange a filing system and have a whole cabinet as 'your responsibility' (and yes I am talking from experience), or you figure out a way to work for yourself. I assume there are other options out there but right down they aren't making themselves prominent to me. One other option, of course, would be to study, but in a climate where higher education is now so accesible and is often little about the academic gain and more about the journey of going, where will that get me? I already have a degree which is proving less of an asset then I thought it would be; where could furhter education take me from here?

In a climate where funding for creative jobs is being restricted more and more, where does that leave creatives?