As my search for a job goes on I have suddenly become my family's PA, which means that anything that needs posting, buying or collecting is now my responsibility. My mother has also been on at me to clean the house from top to bottom every twenty-four hours but we all know that's not going to happen (even if I did I would never meet her high standards, she takes house proud to new dizzying heights.) But besides my new role as Ellie Rees, Family Admin Clerk, I have tried to fill as much of my time with writing my book as possible and it's all getting quite exciting!
I'm currently writing the second draft and all the anxieties and worries I had over the first are ever so slowly disappearing as I develop plots, add new ones and change my characters. My main problem is that I tend to get a bit carried away and want to cram all of my new ideas in and, a lot of the time, I don't need them or I just need to hold back until later on in the book or series (if it ever gets that far.) Sometimes I will have a sudden brainwave and solve a plot point that has been nagging at me for days so I quickly make a note of it and before I know it this new idea has spawned another twenty that I have to include, somehow. Although I do believe in writing down every idea that pops in to my head in case I may want to use it for other projects, there does come a point when you have to be strict and critical with yourself. One of the biggest dilemmas I have been facing in writing a fantasy book is that I want this world to seem as real as it can be, which means every aspect from what food is popular to what its people do for fun has to be covered if it's going to be convincing. Therefore, I feel like I need to keep adding a plethora of information in to the book so that the reader has no doubt in their mind that this place could be real. The tricky bit is knowing what to include and what not to include, something I'm learning as I continue along the writing process. Do I really need to describe how my fantasy people live in great depth or is it best to slowly reveal this over the course of the story? Which is more natural? I suppose there is an argument for both as the reader needs to know the characters' surroundings before that part of the plot can move forward but I also think that an overload of description and information can quickly become dull and boring. In any real life situation we are not given the facts all at once and straight away, we discover them for ourselves or learn about them so I think that is the best way to approach my writing. Getting carried away with ideas is a great way to get creative and open up new possibilities but I know that I also need to try and be that person who can show some restraint and can lead my reader along with enough juicy bits to keep them interested. Here's hoping!
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Once again I have neglected my blog but I have spent the last month hopelessly and tirelessly looking for a job and slowly moving back to South Wales with my parents so things have been a bit crazy!
The only thing that has been keeping me marginally sane is my writing (although I think being a bit crazy can only be good for your work) and today I realised that I had written myself in to a corner. Without going in to too much detail I've had to write certain rules for my fantasy world but there was one crucial part of my story that completely broke all of these rules and I didn't even notice it until today when I was redrafting my outline. However, one of my friends (Hi, Molly) gave me a brilliant idea that, although after some serious thinking I can't really use, seemed to solve my problems. I immediately shouted out with joy before joking that she better not sue me for intellectual property if I ever get published. Although this was a joke and I'm pretty sure she would never sue me (please don't sue me, Molly) it did get me thinking about inspiration, ideas and when it's acceptable to use other people's. I know that there are many theories about there are only a handful of stories in the world that we rehash and that some authors use other authors to inspire their work but is it okay to blatantly take another person's idea and put it in your story? I think it can be a very thin line and in my situation it is perfectly acceptable as my friend was genuinely trying to help me get out of this hole I had dug myself in to. Asking people to read your drafts and then give you ideas is only going to improve your work and if they give you the last missing piece of your puzzle then, hopefully, a dedication at the start of the book will be enough for them. Writers may be creative people but that doesn't mean we have everything defined and sorted from the start so I do not see why we should feel guilty about helping each other out. After all, if we're truly committed to our stories why shouldn't we do everything we can to make it the best it can be? Of course, taking one author's idea and just rewriting it something I cannot get on board with. There will always be similarities between books, especially fantasy ones as magic and the supernatural are always going to be prominent features across the board. I think the key is to put your own spin on it and make your own rules and stick to them in order to make your story original. There are plenty of story formulas and it can be difficult to avoid these but stealing key elements of someone else's work is dodgy to say the least. Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery but it's probably not very interesting and I'm sure you'd end up in loads of trouble. With this in mind I'm beginning to appreciate that writing is not as insular as I once thought. Without sounding too pretentious, I get inspiration from the people around me, the things I do and everything else I see in the world so my ideas can't all just be lazing around in my brain waiting for me to pluck them out. Writing isn't necessarily a team effort but I think that maybe it would be a little arrogant of me to think that everything I write is a simple result of my creativity as there's a lot more going on before the words even hit the page. What an eventful week it's been! Last night I landed in London after a few days in Barcelona and had to go straight to A and E as my foot is very swollen with a suspect rash all of it. I have no idea what it is and neither do the doctors, which is always very helpful. I can't walk properly and trying not to scratch the thing is a task in itself. On the plus side, I think this means that I can use my extended sofa time to do lots of writing and apply for jobs, hurrah!
I thought I'd write a post about Barcelona as I'm sure anyone who has ever been there can verify what a wonder it is for the eyes. I'm definitely a writer and not an artist but I now have a huge respect for Antoni Gaudi who was an architect whose influence over the city is just incredible. I thought I might enjoy his work as I've always had an affinity with the fantastical and the slightly strange and he did not disappoint. In fact, I have been so taken with his work that I'm going to rewrite some of my book as the essence of his buildings perfectly capture one of my crucial chapters. Of course, I would never dare to compare myself to Gaudi but his ideas and their creation have made me see my fantasy world in a new way. Finding inspiration can be one of the most challenging aspects of writing, particularly when you are desperate to write something but cannot for the life of you think of a decent, original idea. I haven't written even half of my book yet and I'm already doubting myself (but I will persevere!) I think that the key is to not over think these things and get too anxious about them; the best ideas are always the ones that just pop into your head. I think that you can probably speed the process up by travelling, listening to music or reading other books but I think that can still feel like a way of forcing your brain to be creative. I'm not sure if this is necessarily the case for most writers but it's just a thought from my little brain! Now I'm going to go and rewrite that chapter with my new ideas and see if it really will make a difference. |
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