I Should Be Writing Right Now

They certainly do

It's been one week since I've come back from Swanwick, and returning to work has brought with it the infamous "Post-Swanwick Blues" - sitting at a desk wishing I was writing.

I'm going to annoy a lot of writers by making use of the phrase "I'd love to write - if only I had the time." I know, if you don't have the time, you make the time. However, I'd like to lend my own perspective on that grating phrase. I think I've established that I'm a notorious procrastinator (what writer isn't?), but if I do start writing, I can keep the ideas flowing for a while in ideal conditions.

Since I'm not published or writing commercially, I have a job; I'm an accountant by trade. It seems like a nice idea; on top of the fact that I'm earning, it gives me some insight on how people interact, which can provide some material for my work. 

Unfortunately, it's not always ideal. My previous role was four days a week - having Fridays off was great for working on writing. However, I changed jobs at the beginning of the year, and this one's five days a week in a much busier role. So, I have to make time, but if I do manage to write in the evenings, I don't get any sleep. Time's one thing, but energy's another. The busier times of year can get very numbing, and I've found that if I go too long without writing much then I often start getting night terrors.

Well, let's look at it from the other side - if I don't have a job. Those times are great for catching up on lost sleep, but then I'm being pressured to find a job. I like to ignore the phone when I'm writing, because I find it difficult to get the words flowing if I'm interrupted. If I'm looking for a job, I'm expecting calls from people, so I'm doing less writing.

So, I think a compromise is needed. Perhaps a three or four-day working week to get some income and contact with human beings, with the other days to catch up on lost sleep and get some writing done. Until then, I have the feeling that the most writing I'll be doing is posting on this blog...and a bit of sneaky workplace Twitter.

Before I go, I'd like to thank Rayne Hall for giving me permission to use the image in this post. Her website can be found here: http://www.raynehall.com/

Swanwick 2017 - Thursday: Icebergs

Advanced Characterisation

I might be bold enough to say that they saved the best for last. Thursday's short course was a look at Advanced Characterisation with Simon Hall. The basic concept taught was that every character is an iceberg - hence the title of this blog post. The first session involved making a character based on this notion, beginning with what's above the surface: appearance, clothing and props, and mannerisms.

The second session continued this by going below the surface with a structure knows as "DEEPS". This consisted of Daily life, Emotional attachments, "Euchs" (Flaws in a hero, redeemable qualities in a villain), Past, and Secrets. As before, I was applying this to my protagonist in my current WIP, and I'm hoping to apply the same thing to the other characters.

As for the evening events, we had a semi-formal event on the lawn known as the Dregs Party. After dinner, there was the Swanwick Farewell. This included an awards ceremony for the Page to Stage performances (The Swannies), and in lieu of a pantomime this year, there was a sing-song. But the most important aspect is definitely John Lamont's famous Writer's Anthem. It wouldn't be a farewell without that.

Credit to The Writer's Circle

I'd like to close this series of posts by saying it was such a great pleasure to be back at Swanwick, and to thank them for such a wonderful experience. I look forward to returning in 2018 for the school's 70th anniversary.

Happy writing.

Swanwick 2017 - Wednesday: I Need a Hero

Heroes

We all love our heroes, don't we? Wednesday's short course for me was Steve Hartley's look at Heroes. I attended Steve's course on the Psychology of Characters last year, and this one could almost be considered a continuation of that course but from a place you easily pick up.

The first session looked at what type of hero a story can have. These could be a classic hero, an anti-hero, or an underdog hero. There was a group exercise with a list of heroes from fiction, with the task to distinguish what type of hero they were. Going through, we agreed on what traits the three hero types have, and where they can overlap - whether it's their motivations, flaws and failings, or their methods. The second session took a look at the Hero's journey, looking at whether or not the hero and the situation are ordinary or extraordinary. With that in mind, there was another group activity to make a hero.

Trying to apply what I learned to my work, I've realised that despite trying to create two distinct anti-heroes who I want to see getting into all kinds of adventures, I've realised that it's actually the female character who goes through the hero's journey. And before anyone mentions, I'd like to think that "hero" can be a gender-neutral term - unless it's romantic fiction, then you would have a "hero" and a "heroine". Terminology aside, I think a POV change might work to the story's advantage.

As for the evening events, Wednesday night is the night of the Page to Stage performances I discussed previously. However, I didn't attend, as I was joining a group of other writers for a "closed mic", where we could read out our work but to a significantly smaller audience.

Swanwick 2017 - Tuesday: Mindful Procrastination

Mindfulness for Writers

Tuesday is what Swanwick refers to as Procrastination Free Day - so they don't normally run courses. Last time I went, they ran a panel on writing crime fiction in the morning, with an intense group writing session you can sign up to. The afternoons are reserved for planning and rehearsing entries for the Page to Stage contests.

This time around, they didn't run the specialist courses, but they ran short courses in the morning sessions, and I opted to visit one titled Mindfulness for Writers, hosted by Zana Lamont. This discussed living in the moment, along with the types of thoughts, concepts of self-kindness and common humanity, and some sessions of meditation. There was also a free-form writing challenge involving dreams. Although we didn't share them in the session, me and a couple of other attendees read out what we wrote to each other - which was described as 'wholesome writing'.

The rest of the day was fairly quiet - just focused on writing, and maybe a film to get some inspiration. The evening entertainment this time was the busker's night. Some good performances mixed with a few (off-side) jokes. And before anybody asks: no, I didn't sing at that one. Sorry.

Swanwick 2017 - Monday: Cold Showers on Standby

Writing Intimate Scenes

My initial plan for the Monday had been to have the afternoon off in order to work on my writing. However, I later decided it might be a laugh to attend a course on Writing Intimate Scenes hosted by Liz Hurst. After all, one of my protagonists is the archetypal rake - perhaps I could pick up some interesting advice. I'm still young. Now's a good time as any.

The first session involved some basic tips about using the senses in such a scene, but there was plenty to laugh at too - discussing The Guardian's Bad Sex Awards and making a list of slang terms for...the members. No stuffy Victorian values here. This was followed after the break with a look at "alternative relationships" (i.e. not monogamous) and existing taboos. This culminated in a writing challenge in which a character is putting on a show for someone monitoring them via a hidden camera - with the rule that no nudity is permitted. The results were interesting and hilarious.

Anyway, one cold shower later, there was a busy evening ahead - a prose open mic night and a Wild West-themed fancy dress disco. Now, I'd signed up for the prose open mic with a performance piece I'd previously written for a "story cafe" at the Gladstone Pottery Museum in Stoke-on-Trent. This time around it was to an audience three times the size (dressed as a cowboy), but I'm told that I nailed it. I'd say the overall experience was like some advert I saw once. I think it was this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bJAhIwC_8M

Have Pen - Will Travel

I'm also told it was a pretty wild night, and that my line dancing needs some serious work.

Swanwick 2017 - Sunday: Finding a Voice

My Voice will Go With You

As I was looking through the Swanwick programme, I was lamenting the fact that all the short courses being taught on the Sunday sounded really interesting. Given that I lacked Hermione's Time Turner, I eventually settled on a course titled My Voice Will Go With You, hosted by Bridget Holding.

Advertised as philosophical and psychological, this course was looking at the concept of having a unique voice as an author. This included a look at how to make writing authentic, discussing the authors who inspire us, and what we are the most afraid of writing as a means to develop this voice.

Sitting through the course, I've been wondering if I could put my "voice" to paper. Well, first of all, I have a fondness for the Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser stories of Fritz Leiber: Two fantasy heroes with a realistic chemistry between them, written to be closer to human nature than the other fantasy heroes of the time. But that's Fritz Leiber, so here's my voice: Growing up, I was often told that 17 is the age you're supposed to enjoy life. Unfortunately, this notion was dashed by doing A Levels - always an exam or coursework around the corner - and then immediately going into the world of work. So, not much time to "live" there. The kind of pressure from both, along with the seemingly "all work and no play" attitude they both convey has left me somewhat bitter, and I guess I wanted to convey this bitterness as a voice: A desire to be irresponsible, but acknowledging the destructive side of such a desire. And because I'm afraid of reality, I'll fit this in a swashbuckler series with two characters who convey both sides of the voice.

Anyway, that was Sunday's course. In the evening they had a poetry open mic night. I'm not a poet myself, but there was some really poignant verse being read out at this. Although I must admit that the main lounge does get quite stuffy after a while. Fortunately, the other evening events were moved to the main conference hall because of this.

Oh, while I'm still here, I'll mention that I didn't attend the speaker sessions after dinner. I tend not to because I find that the bar is a lot quieter then and I can get some decent writing done.

Swanwick 2017 - The Triumphant Return

It's good to be back

Well, it's August, so I once again took a trip to Derbyshire for the annual Swanwick Writers' Summer School. It was great to re-unite with the people I met last year while also making new friends. Although it has to be said that my current project may need a serious re-write.

An ideal work space

I'll say right now that I think I enjoyed Swanwick more this time around than the first time - feeling more emboldened to enjoy the experience more fully. With that in mind, I'm opting to give a day-by-day account of this year's trip - well, the short courses and the evening events.

While I'm here, I'll discuss the specialist course on writing popular fiction with Sue Moorcroft. I regard myself as a pulp writer, and figured that popular fiction is supposed to be the modern-day equivalent. Taught over the week in the morning sessions, this included pointers on the avenues of how a writer can get published, whether by traditional publishing, through an agent, or self-publishing. There were also discussions on the genres of popular fiction, how to plan a story, and even some editing techniques.

Writing Popular Fiction

Now, one of the big "popular fiction" genres seems to be romance. Given that my current project is a swashbuckler, a genre which often has a romantic element to them, I figured that I could use that particular project to work with what was being taught. Oh yeah, advanced warning: I'm going to be making references to this particular project, as I've been applying it to what I've been taught here. This is because I want it to be a long-term series, so I'm giving it my all - when I'm not procrastinating on here or on Twitter.

I'll be posting the other details of my week over the next few days, so I'll leave it here for now and see you soon.