And so the work begins again with a day at the Royal Festival Hall, my space pictured left. I bumped into Jasmine Richards here, editor at OUP and author of a manuscript recently acquired by Harper Collins US as blogged about here. I told you the RFH was a haven for London's creatives!I've had feedback from my agent on my latest revision. Good news - it's a thumbs up. (Phew. So my gladiatorial fight with the lions in the arena means that my life is saved for one more day.) I have some further revisions to do, but nothing that feels horribly major. For the first time on this manuscript, adjustments do not necessarily mean rewriting half the manuscript and throwing the other half out of the window. We have now moved on to a new part of the process - something that is more housekeeping than originating. Not quite crossing 't's and dotting 'i's but a process of revision that is akin to smoothing skirts down, patting hair and adjusting collar points. Oh, and making sure that every character's story is fully told. Even support characters need back story - especially support characters. (Almost without exception, I find that writers have the most fun with their secondary characters. These characters don't have to carry the full weight of the story, which means that there's often room around them to experiment.)
Of course, there's no such thing as a 'simple' change. It's like pulling a loose thread in your favourite jumper. Things unravel. One change requires another change, implicating this scene, meaning that paragraph needs tweaking and... Before you know it, there's a dangerous pile of words and sentences scattered around your feet as you hold aloft a manuscript that has morphed into a charming new piece of origami. I exaggerate, of course, but this really is not a stage for taking your eye off the ball. Every change has a ripple effect and either you keep an eye on these or run the risk of making your manuscript look shoddy and ill-written. One more final read-through? You betcha.
On a separate note, I must send out a thank you to Margaret Carey who recently shared this link. Oh my goodness, this blog post made me think! In the world today, we are bombarded by advice for would-be writers. Sometimes it can be easy to skim read a blog entry and think, 'Yes, well, helpful but nothing I didn't already know.' This one really stopped me in my tracks with Nathan's thoughts on 'a place in turmoil'. This literary agent's theory is that a great precinct is one that is in a state of flux or change. I've never consciously used this device, but when I thought back to my different works, I could see that on occasion I'd unconsciously applied this principle. A school play that throws the school into chaos, for example. But I can't say this is true of all my stories. Is a place in turmoil necessary? A great and thought-provoking device to consider, but essential? I'm going to say not necessarily. Like Nathan Bransford, however, I love a great setting. I adore the atmosphere that can be generated just by describing things. Kept succinct, scene-setting can be a fabulous shorthand. Want to know what a novel is about? Look at the way the author describes the sky. Or a couch. This, from my all-time favourite novel, The Great Gatsby:
'The only completely stationary object in the room was an enormous couch on which two young women were buoyed up as though upon an anchored balloon. They were both in white, and their dresses were rippling and fluttering as if they had just been blown back in after a short flight around the house.'
Want to get across the unavailability of your gorgeous, rotten, beautiful heroine? Put her on a floating couch! I still love that scene.
So, I'm off to describe me some things. Beyond my windows, the world is damp and grey. In my head, I'm embracing Cornish sunlight, seascapes and glittering waves. I keep promising myself a trip to Cornwall when this novel is finished. (Ha! Great timing, Karen.) Daphne du Maurier has a house there, and I'd love to visit. Have you read 'Rebecca'? It rocked my world. Continues to. Now, there's an author who understood her characters and settings.
Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again...
Today is so - urgh! - that it has been no good at all for taking photos. Instead, I leave you with a snap I took yesterday of a jam jar of flowers left on my front door step by a neighbour. Wasn't that kind of her? Such a small gesture, and one that has generated so much happiness.
The Flowers of Happiness
That IS a great link. Like you, I'd never thought of setting like that before -- especially the idea that particular traits rise above others entertwined with the dynamic setting. Ooh, great stuff. Thanks for sharing! (And also thanks Margaret!) -- Sara OC