Who said you learn more by listening than by talking? Was it Einstein?
At Writer's Holiday in Wales every writer had a story to tell, about the delights - and horrors - of their own life.
I don't have permission to tell their stories, so I shall give them made up names.
One author, who I have known many years, 'Penny', told me about her success with a book. Before I had time to continue, congratulating her, feeling envious, or getting useful tips on marketing, at a later meal she told me she had not written much recently because her son had died. He was born diabetic and 'didn't look after himself'. He died after he had both legs amputated.
She heard that he had died from another member of the family. He had not been speaking to her (his mother) nor most members of the family.
She only found out after he died the cause of his grievance against her. He was angry that a grandchild was not named after him with a family name as a first name. Like the royal family's Charles, (King Charles 1, and his successor Charles II, not to mention Henry VIII, and seven other kings confusingly called Henry).
The son who died had also fallen out with several former friends. I wondered whether the illness had made him morose and angry.
Although they were not on speaking terms, it was a shock. 'Penny' said, "I was upset for several months. I've still not recovered. That's why I haven't been writing. But I come to Writers' Holiday to see all my friends."
As a writer, and as a human being, I am always looking for causes and prevention of deaths and mishaps. The classic definition of a plot is that one event causes another.
You can write your life story as a series of events. I tried this. My story did not hang together. My late father said, "It's not a novel or a story. The incidents don't hang together."
To keep the reader interested, they want to know how the hero or heroine raches their goal. A single, over-riding goal. The goal could be a single person seeking a happy marriage. (As for romance, the classics are usually about poverty-stricken and abused singles, such as Cinder-ella finding their rich and loving Prince Charming.)
Dealing With Drama
At Writer's Holiday in Wales every writer had a story to tell, about the delights - and horrors - of their own life.
I don't have permission to tell their stories, so I shall give them made up names.
One author, who I have known many years, 'Penny', told me about her success with a book. Before I had time to continue, congratulating her, feeling envious, or getting useful tips on marketing, at a later meal she told me she had not written much recently because her son had died. He was born diabetic and 'didn't look after himself'. He died after he had both legs amputated.
She heard that he had died from another member of the family. He had not been speaking to her (his mother) nor most members of the family.
She only found out after he died the cause of his grievance against her. He was angry that a grandchild was not named after him with a family name as a first name. Like the royal family's Charles, (King Charles 1, and his successor Charles II, not to mention Henry VIII, and seven other kings confusingly called Henry).
The son who died had also fallen out with several former friends. I wondered whether the illness had made him morose and angry.
Although they were not on speaking terms, it was a shock. 'Penny' said, "I was upset for several months. I've still not recovered. That's why I haven't been writing. But I come to Writers' Holiday to see all my friends."
As a writer, and as a human being, I am always looking for causes and prevention of deaths and mishaps. The classic definition of a plot is that one event causes another.
You can write your life story as a series of events. I tried this. My story did not hang together. My late father said, "It's not a novel or a story. The incidents don't hang together."
To keep the reader interested, they want to know how the hero or heroine raches their goal. A single, over-riding goal. The goal could be a single person seeking a happy marriage. (As for romance, the classics are usually about poverty-stricken and abused singles, such as Cinder-ella finding their rich and loving Prince Charming.)
Dealing With Drama
Jane Austen used humour.
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Charlotte Bronte used Drama.
Both Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte pioneered the feisty heroine who won't settle for second best, in a first marriage. Even if she is the second girlfriend. In Daphne Du Maurier's novel, Rebecca, the heroine is a shy second wife, leaving the reader wondering if the husband has killed wife number one.
The modern fairy tale is about the abused, divorced wife. To make a readable book, you need a hero or a heroine with an aim, setbacks, enemies, self-sabotage, thwarting people or events, redoubled efforts, determination to succeed, possibly a mentor or faithful friend and supporter, final triumph.
With authors this pattern is often evident in their writing career, which has its ups and downs. Some authors, would be novelists, start with poetry, because you can focus on one incident, present a completed work to proclaim or have an audience or a critique. They say they are trying to sort out their life into a readable book. Too many incidents. Too many other things to do, looking after children, sick children, grandchildren, sick grandchildren. Their own health problems and setbacks.
I have met authors who asked me to refrain from telling their stories because they wanted to write their own book and if I wrote the story, even briefly, it would be a spoiler for their incidents and their surprise ending or endings.
Ghost Writer Or Editor
Another lady asked me, "Do you edit?" She meant, would I edit her book, maybe not completely ghost-write from a recording, or series of recordings.
Editing is extremely time consuming. As a teacher, a home tutor, I would spend at least half an hour, even up to an hour with an O level or A level pupil on one A4 page of writing.
Every sentence can be full of ambiguities. Is 'it' referring to the subject of the sentence or the object? Or a floating it or there. For example, 'It was lucky he had a gun.' it does not refer to the gun in the previous sentence. Is 'he' referring to the dead victim or the policeman?
For a happy end story, see my previous post.
About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer. Author of Quick Quotations.
Please share links to your favourite posts.
Both Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte pioneered the feisty heroine who won't settle for second best, in a first marriage. Even if she is the second girlfriend. In Daphne Du Maurier's novel, Rebecca, the heroine is a shy second wife, leaving the reader wondering if the husband has killed wife number one.
The modern fairy tale is about the abused, divorced wife. To make a readable book, you need a hero or a heroine with an aim, setbacks, enemies, self-sabotage, thwarting people or events, redoubled efforts, determination to succeed, possibly a mentor or faithful friend and supporter, final triumph.
With authors this pattern is often evident in their writing career, which has its ups and downs. Some authors, would be novelists, start with poetry, because you can focus on one incident, present a completed work to proclaim or have an audience or a critique. They say they are trying to sort out their life into a readable book. Too many incidents. Too many other things to do, looking after children, sick children, grandchildren, sick grandchildren. Their own health problems and setbacks.
I have met authors who asked me to refrain from telling their stories because they wanted to write their own book and if I wrote the story, even briefly, it would be a spoiler for their incidents and their surprise ending or endings.
Ghost Writer Or Editor
Another lady asked me, "Do you edit?" She meant, would I edit her book, maybe not completely ghost-write from a recording, or series of recordings.
Editing is extremely time consuming. As a teacher, a home tutor, I would spend at least half an hour, even up to an hour with an O level or A level pupil on one A4 page of writing.
Every sentence can be full of ambiguities. Is 'it' referring to the subject of the sentence or the object? Or a floating it or there. For example, 'It was lucky he had a gun.' it does not refer to the gun in the previous sentence. Is 'he' referring to the dead victim or the policeman?
For a happy end story, see my previous post.
About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer. Author of Quick Quotations.
Please share links to your favourite posts.
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