At the beginning, everything is extremely vague for me. It starts with a word, a concept, or perhaps just a feeling. Inspiration comes from a newspaper story, something I’ve seen on television, or from the ether. I’m particularly creative whilst on my morning walk. There is something about strolling and letting my mind wander, that allows the creative juices to flow.
I usually tell my husband my idea. He sits patiently as I describe some bizarre scenario that ends with… and then there’s a murder. He will then smile and say “That’s my girl. A murder.”
My first book, EBB AND FLOW, came from a story that I had
My latest project, which is still in progress, and entitled EDEN'S TALE, began with a crazy thought about vestigial tales. Yes, so far, so random.
The Characters
Who will populate my story? When you meet someone in real life, you gradually get to know them. A similar thing happens when I write. Choosing a name is important, but difficult, because it begins to develop their persona. Getting the name right allows me to picture what they look like. Once that step is done, I begin to wonder what they are like. What is their major flaw? What are their foibles? It is only when I am writing that they truly become fully formed. I’ve not necessarily planned for them to be, say, stubborn or sly, but these traits become apparent as I write their dialogue.
In JUST DES(S)ERTS, Eve became a firebrand, Penny was soft,
My latest character, Eden, is a girl with a dark side. I’m really enjoying swinging between sweet Eden and dangerous Eden.
The Story
When I open a Word Doc., my preferred medium, and type the title, I usually have no idea what will come next. Eden is born with a vestigial tail, I know that much, but where can I go from there? What effect does that have on her? How does that fact launch us into a story?
Okay, what if the tail, which was removed when she was a baby, begins to grow back when she is a teenager? Now that is interesting! I’ll run with that for a while and see what happens. Next, I’ll need some more people brought into the action. A best friend and a boyfriend, for a start, and they will need names.
So, now I’m typing furiously. A sort of stream of consciousness thing. New characters are required and a better idea of what will happen is developing with each sentence. When I get to about 20,000 words, I pause. At this stage, some serious thought is required.
A novel is typically around 70,000 words. Some are shorter, many are longer. What can happen in my story which will keep the reader interested throughout? I like a tale with a bit of a supernatural edge, but it still has to make sense. Sub plots are fine as long as they sit within the main story and aren’t merely distractions. I would rather write a shorter book that is all relevant, than one padded out with superfluous detail.
The main story is now sketched out in my head. How it will all end is clear and a rough idea of the path to the denouement is there. Excellent, I can pick up where I left off and carry on with the narrative. Except there are many places along the route where the plot can change. An essential new character can demand to be included. One of the protagonists might suddenly do something unexpected.
Okay, what if the tail, which was removed when she was a baby, begins to grow back when she is a teenager? Now that is interesting! I’ll run with that for a while and see what happens. Next, I’ll need some more people brought into the action. A best friend and a boyfriend, for a start, and they will need names.
So, now I’m typing furiously. A sort of stream of consciousness thing. New characters are required and a better idea of what will happen is developing with each sentence. When I get to about 20,000 words, I pause. At this stage, some serious thought is required.
A novel is typically around 70,000 words. Some are shorter, many are longer. What can happen in my story which will keep the reader interested throughout? I like a tale with a bit of a supernatural edge, but it still has to make sense. Sub plots are fine as long as they sit within the main story and aren’t merely distractions. I would rather write a shorter book that is all relevant, than one padded out with superfluous detail.
The main story is now sketched out in my head. How it will all end is clear and a rough idea of the path to the denouement is there. Excellent, I can pick up where I left off and carry on with the narrative. Except there are many places along the route where the plot can change. An essential new character can demand to be included. One of the protagonists might suddenly do something unexpected.
In one of my other novels, a man decided to acquire a dog. Not sure where the thought came from, but it turned out to be a great addition. I type a sentence, the brain picks it up and runs with it, and I’m off in another direction.
Then there is the great idea conundrum. Just when I think it is all going so smoothly, I come up with a plot twist or a better ending (or a man buys a dog.) The result is that I have to go back and change a lot of the action to accommodate the new story.
The writing is at an end, but the work isn’t. I approach the task of editing with resignation. Picking up spelling mistakes and obvious punctuation errors as I go along, doesn’t mean that I have caught everything. This is the time to read through and do a multitude of amendments.
The main things I look for are: what needs to be added, what needs to be clarified, and what can be discarded. I admit, there have been times when I have read back a sentence and can’t imagine what I was trying to say.
It's never too late to change what doesn’t work or insert a better idea. It’s a lot of work, but if you want the best story, it is a sacrifice well made. The work is done and you sit back with a sense of accomplishment. But…
I know other writers work in a myriad of ways. I am, what is known in the trade, as a pantser. In other words, I fly by the seat of my pants. Others are plotters. The story and the chapters are all planned out in advance. The characters are all named and have a bio. Only when these things have been done, will they start to write.
I am more certain that my brain works in the same way as my fellow writers after the project has finished. The sense of accomplishment, that I mentioned before, is only a fleeting visitor. Next comes the doubt. Then I am on a roller coaster ride of, if it’s a good story, I’m a terrible writer. I love it, I hate it, why do I even bother? At some point there is what I can only describe as acceptance. I have done all that I can and it is time to release it on the world. I don’t know if this is an act of bravura, arrogance, or hope.
When EBB AND FLOW was published, my first thought was,
why am I opening myself up to the public and letting them see my work? What if people hate it? Will I become an object of ridicule? My sister in law was one of the first to read EBB AND FLOW and my question was, is it like a real book? Not exactly neutral, I still needed an opinion. She, I’m relieved to say, loved it and helped calm my nerves.
Back to EDEN'S TALE. Nothing too surprising has happened thus far. I do, indeed, have an ending which I’m happy with and I have about another 40,000 words to go. Hopefully, you will get to read about Eden and her tail before too long. I can confirm that no one in this book has yet bought a dog, although I can’t be sure that it won’t happen.
Fiona J Roberts lives in Dorset on the south coast of England. AfterThen there is the great idea conundrum. Just when I think it is all going so smoothly, I come up with a plot twist or a better ending (or a man buys a dog.) The result is that I have to go back and change a lot of the action to accommodate the new story.
The writing is at an end, but the work isn’t. I approach the task of editing with resignation. Picking up spelling mistakes and obvious punctuation errors as I go along, doesn’t mean that I have caught everything. This is the time to read through and do a multitude of amendments.
The main things I look for are: what needs to be added, what needs to be clarified, and what can be discarded. I admit, there have been times when I have read back a sentence and can’t imagine what I was trying to say.
It's never too late to change what doesn’t work or insert a better idea. It’s a lot of work, but if you want the best story, it is a sacrifice well made. The work is done and you sit back with a sense of accomplishment. But…
I know other writers work in a myriad of ways. I am, what is known in the trade, as a pantser. In other words, I fly by the seat of my pants. Others are plotters. The story and the chapters are all planned out in advance. The characters are all named and have a bio. Only when these things have been done, will they start to write.
I am more certain that my brain works in the same way as my fellow writers after the project has finished. The sense of accomplishment, that I mentioned before, is only a fleeting visitor. Next comes the doubt. Then I am on a roller coaster ride of, if it’s a good story, I’m a terrible writer. I love it, I hate it, why do I even bother? At some point there is what I can only describe as acceptance. I have done all that I can and it is time to release it on the world. I don’t know if this is an act of bravura, arrogance, or hope.
When EBB AND FLOW was published, my first thought was,
Back to EDEN'S TALE. Nothing too surprising has happened thus far. I do, indeed, have an ending which I’m happy with and I have about another 40,000 words to go. Hopefully, you will get to read about Eden and her tail before too long. I can confirm that no one in this book has yet bought a dog, although I can’t be sure that it won’t happen.
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| Fiona J. Roberts |
Wonderful having you as our guest today, Fiona.
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