10 Tips for Short Story Competitions from a Judge

Posted on November 22, 2014 by tthurai

As a writer I was unsure what to expect when I was first invited to judge a prose competition. My first thought was to write myself a set of guidelines which would act as a life-raft if I felt overwhelmed. Reading them in hindsight, they seem a little obvious. Yet some of the advice I gave myself still holds good and, supplemented by experience, forms the basis of the following advice for writers intending to enter short story competitions.

  1. Read the guidelines thoroughly. Don’t start writing until you have understood what is required of you. Have you been asked to write to a theme or, perhaps, respond to a work of art? It’s easy to get carried away with your own ideas but you can waste a lot of time by not giving your subject sufficient thought or planning at the outset. It’s much more difficult – if not impossible – to try and squeeze your work into a pre-set mould after it is written. The story will suffer and you will become demoralised.
  2. Be sensible. If the word limit is 3,000, then you can bet that is what the judges want. Don’t be tempted to try something radical; for instance, a short piece of 450 words. Judges need to compare like with like. By not using the full word count, you are altering the goalposts. Very short pieces avoid the complexity of maintaining a story’s pace. This will put you at an unfair advantage compared to other entrants who have struggled to write a full-length story. If your work is good, you may make it to the shortlist but it is unlikely that you will win.
  3. Prepare and research. Original ideas will make your story stand out from the crowd. Think like a journalist and try to get a unique angle on the story that everyone else is covering. Read around the subject, listen to music, look at pictures and photographs to get some inspiration. Think like a method actor and immerse yourself in the subject. Then give yourself some thinking space. Don’t start writing immediately. Just make notes of ideas and themes and work them out in your head before you start to write.
  4. Sequencing. A logical progression of thought is essential to any piece of writing. Without it, you will quickly lose the reader’s interests. The standard plot format of ‘beginning, middle, end’ is difficult to beat. It lends structure and will help you to track the progress of your story. Contemplative, lyrical prose can also be a winner but it is more difficult to write as it tends to be less structured. Only embark on this looser form if you are confident that you can make it work.
  5. Scenes. A series of short scenes separated by blank lines can really help to give a story pace. They enable the writer to switch from one place – or time – to another with greater ease and fewer tedious explanatory paragraphs. Scenes are a ‘fix’ for long, rambling chunks of prose and great for action stories. In fact, they can help to leaven most forms of short story. Just don’t overdo the number of scenes. Too many can be counter-productive.
  6. Character development. The same rules apply to both novels and short stories. Avoid laborious explanations of your characters’ psyche. Rather, drop hints about their character traits through dialogue, their mannerisms and the way they interact with other characters. Remember, no-one in real life comes equipped with a CV unless it is for a job interview. You have to work out real people for yourself. The same applies to fictional characters.
  7. Descriptive passages. While it is important to set the scene, you will probably need less text than you imagine. A sentence or two is usually sufficient. Don’t waste valuable word-count on long descriptive passages. Avoid excessive use of adjectives. Keeping your text crisp and tight will maintain the pace of your story.
  8. Don’t be over-ambitious. Remember that you are writing a short story, not a novel. A hugely complicated plot with lots of sub-themes will not fit a limited word count. Aim for subtlety rather than grandeur; the intimacy of a Flemish interior rather than a landscape, water-colours rather than oils. There are various devices that can add texture and shading: humour, irony, pathos, a cliff-hanger, an unexpected twist in the tail. Choose wisely and remember, due to the concentrated nature of short stories, the spotlight will focus relentlessly on the quality and style of your writing.
  9. Mid-life crisis. Does the middle of your story arc or sag? The mid-way point is a notorious black spot where writers often get lost and lose the plot. It is essential to stay on course, keep the structure tight and maintain pace.
  10. Edit, edit, edit. This is what separates the winners from the also-rans. Read your story aloud before editing. This will highlight lots of glitches such as plot faults, bad sequencing and duplication. Just changing the order of paragraphs or sentences will often help the flow. Ruthlessly check grammar and spelling. I have read stories that had typos in the first line!

Now all you have to do is find a competition and start writing. Good luck!

Biography

I am a novelist, historian and former lawyer. I have written two books: The Devil Dancers, a historical novel set in 1950s Ceylon and Barley Bread and Cheese, a short story collection inspired by Rochester Cathedral. I am currently editing my third book, a historical novel which explores an unusual angle of British history in World War II.

 

Follow me on Twitter: @T_Thurai

Posted in Editing, Editing tips, Fiction, SaveAs Writers, Short stories, Writing competitions, Writing Tips | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Homeward Bound: The Answer to a Riddle

Posted on November 5, 2014 by tthurai
A riddle resolved

A riddle resolved

Yesterday I posted ‘Homeward Bound’, a riddle in short story form. Here, as promised, is the answer.

The narrator of my story – and the answer to my riddle – is a very special book: the Textus Roffensis. Written in the Benedictine Priory of St Andrew which was adjacent to Rochester Cathedral, the Textus Roffensis dates from the 12th century.

Apart from a few later additions, this unique manuscript was the work of a single scribe. It consists of 235 leaves and is written on vellum, that is, sheets of specially-prepared calf-skin.

The manuscript not only records a number of charters relating to Cathedral lands (very useful for proving ownership in cases of dispute) but, more importantly, it is thought to provide one of the most complete records of Anglo-Saxon law. These include the Laws of King Aethelbert dating from 604 AD as well as the laws of other Kentish kings from the 7th and 8th centuries.

Among the ancient laws recorded by the Textus Roffensis are those grouped together under the title Iudicia Dei or Judgements of God. These refer to the ordeals by which the guilt or innocence of those accused of crime was put to the test. Most commonly these ordeals consisted of holding red-hot iron, immersing one’s hand in boiling water or of the individual being totally immersed in water.

However, there is one ordeal that has perplexed historians for centuries. It is that of barley bread and cheese: an ordeal known as corsned in Old English. How this ordeal was supposed to have worked and who was subjected to it is still a matter of conjecture. While some commentators maintain that it was reserved for members of the clergy, there is also a famous example of it being applied to a layman.

Godwin, earl of Kent, the father of King Harold, was accused of murdering his own brother. He elected to take the ordeal of barley bread and cheese to prove his innocence. Before submitting himself to the ordeal, he was supposed to have cried: “May this bread choke me if I am guilty!”

A rash challenge for Godwin choked and died.

This unusual ordeal provided both the title for a collection of short stories which includes ‘Homeward Bound’ and also the inspiration for an eponymous story in which a young historian finds a novel application for an old test of truth.

When reading a history of the Textus Roffensis, I was struck by the book’s extraordinary adventures. It was lent to various scholars and travelled up to London on a number of occasions for re-binding and copying. It became the subject of at least two custody disputes, one of which led to a legal battle in the Court of Chancery.

To add to the excitement, the book was accidentally ducked in a river (either the Thames or the Medway). Its survival on that occasion was thought to be largely due to brass clasps which bound its pages so tightly that water could not penetrate beyond the outer margins.

For many years, this wonderful old book was kept at Medway Archives at Strood. It was, undoubtedly, a safe environment; but, from the old book’s point of view, it must have been somewhat dull, devoid of  adventure, abduction and life-threatening episodes.

Detail of Rochester Cathedral (foreground) with Rochester Castle (background)

Detail of Rochester Cathedral (foreground) with Rochester Castle (background)

When writing this story, it seemed appropriate to compare the Textus Roffensis to an old person dreaming of the past and a much-loved, former home: in this case, Rochester Cathedral.

Little did I know that a new chapter of the Textus’s extraordinary history was about to be written. Last year, my short story collection Barley Bread and Cheese was launched at Rochester Cathedral with ‘Homeward Bound’ as one of the readings.

It was an unforgettable evening but the high spot for me was the announcement that next year, the Textus Roffensis will be returning to its original home at Rochester Cathedral. 2015 will be a particularly appropriate date for that event as the Textus contains a copy of the Coronation Charter of Henry I, a forerunner of Magna Carta which celebrates its 800th anniversary next year.

But there is also something to celebrate this year.

Manchester University has announced the completion of a project to convert this ancient tome to a thoroughly modern format. Scholars and bibliophiles around the world will now be able to study a digital version of the document at their desks.

Not quite as romantic as vellum perhaps, but far more accessible to lovers of history and the written word.

At last this venerable old book is waking from its slumbers and shaking the dust off its pages, ready to greet a vastly increased audience and win new admirers.

Additional notes

 

Rochester Cathedral features on the front cover of Barley Bread and Cheese

Rochester Cathedral features on the front cover of Barley Bread and Cheese

The story ‘Homeward Bound’ appears in a slightly different version in my book Barley Bread and Cheese. It is one of a selection of short stories inspired by Rochester Cathedral, its history and works of art.

Barley Bread and Cheese is available in both hardback and ebook format from Amazon. The Kindle version is available for free from Kindle Unlimited. For more information, please click here

Hardback versions of the book are also available from Rochester Cathedral bookshop and the Medway Visitor Information Centre.

Posted in Cathedrals, Fiction, History, Magical Realism, Myth, Riddles, Rochester, Short stories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Homeward Bound

Posted on November 4, 2014 by tthurai
Has this riddle got you chasing your tail?

Has this riddle got you chasing your tail?

I am sleepy now. It’s quiet in here. They still treat me with reverence and speak in hushed voices; just as they did in my old home. But there, I had more visitors. Now, I may not see anyone for weeks. Just the cleaning lady; a young girl who has music piped into her ears from a machine to drown out the noise of another machine, the Hoover.

These days, it seems that there is no place for silence; at least not the contemplative kind. That silence was filled with thought. It was companionable and could be shared with others. Today’s silence is empty, a badge of neglect; deserted streets, derelict lives. No-one wants to share that. It is something to fear, to be fought with noise: radio, television, the telephone. People drown their own thoughts in a wave of sound, creating the very thing they dread: loneliness.

Hush! I can see a light under the door. Voices. I have a visitor. It’s the doctor; a thin man in his fifties. His head is covered with wisps of rusty hair, the same colour as his corduroy jacket and the frames of his glasses. Apart from these muted highlights, he is devoid of colour. Like me he is invisible, filled with knowledge for which no-one has any use. But I like him. He has gentle hands. I tingle when he touches me, for he reminds me of another: the first man to caress my skin, the one who made me what I am.

For I have a story to tell. It is an interesting one, full of intrigue and adventure.

*

He tickled me with a bird’s feather, that first one. He scratched me too. But it was all in the cause of beauty: at least, as far as I was concerned. I was very fussy about my appearance. I would not countenance a blemish of any kind. In those days, I had the vanity of a young girl. Every mark, tattooed onto my skin had to be perfect. So I lay very still while work was in progress.

We spent many hours together; alone, late into the night, keeping our trysts by the light of a candle. A love affair, of sorts, that lasted many years. I was his work of art, that’s what he called me. He even told me once, that I was the love of his life. And him, a man forbidden to marry!

While my skin remained pure and seamless, his began to wrinkle. First, little cracks around the eyes, then the mouth. And the colour in his cheeks, once so fresh and rosy, began to fade. Our time was passing. And I grieved. But he poured his life into me. As he grew thin, I grew fat. As his energy waned, I became stronger, my body girded with leather and metal.

And then, one day, he did not return and another took up his work. It was never the same after that. No-one had his devotion. Or his touch. My first and only love.

*

I was a beauty with pride of place in the Great House, shown off to all, including kings. I alone had the power to defy royal pretenders. The possessor of many lands, I defeated their greedy schemes.

My word was law and I taught them the meaning of justice.

Criminals were brought before me for judgement and I decided the means of their trial. Water, iron or something a little more irregular: a diet of barley bread and cheese, something so subtle that even my current doctor cannot grasp it.

Yet that humble ordeal felled a mighty nobleman. Earl Godwin, father of King Harold, was accused of murder. He chose the ordeal of barley bread and cheese and scoffed at it. Yet scoffing was his downfall. He ate one mouthful and dropped down dead.

*

All men wished to possess me. I visited London on several occasions where I was measured for new clothes and my likeness recorded for posterity. I was the talk of the town, examined, admired and, although passed from hand to hand, always treated with respect. Except on one occasion.

In London, I was taken to visit a friend who was to escort me home. However, my friend was absent from his lodgings, so I was left to await his return. The landlady said she would look after me. Unscrupulous jade! No sooner were we alone, than she forced me up the stairs and began to pound on the door of another lodger.

Dr Thomas Leonard was a physician from Canterbury. The sight of me took his breath away. I shuddered as he pawed me with his greasy fingers. My beautiful skin! The doctor said that I was a rare specimen and struck a bargain with the landlady for 5 shillings. I was bought and sold like a slave-girl in a market. It was a dark chapter in my history.

After that, men quarrelled over me like dogs over a bone. I was taken to the Court in Chancery where lawyers in powdered wigs argued in a language that I could not understand. For days, they strutted about in a foul-smelling, airless room: presenting arguments, interrogating witnesses; crows who believed themselves peacocks displaying to an empty gallery.

This long-winded, meandering justice was new to me. It did not have the immediacy of the ordeal. No blood-curdling test for truth or lies. Rather the combatants wore each other down by talking. On and on they went. In a way, I suppose it was a kind of ordeal. The judge certainly thought so. Constantly yawning and rubbing his eyes, he had perfected the art of napping while appearing to nod sagely. But, occasionally, his snoring betrayed him!

At last, justice triumphed and I was taken home. And then came the final insult.

On one of my last outings, they dropped me in the river! Do not ask how it happened. I cannot remember. But as I sank through the murky depths, I thought that I had breathed my last. In the filthy mire of the Thames, I felt cold water lapping around me. Barges, cutters, ferries and row-boats: the hulls of boats passed overhead while small fish began to nibble at my skin.

It took them hours to rescue me. When they finally hauled me to safety, they wondered how I had survived. It was all down to my belt. Like any tight-corseted woman of that age, I had been so constrained about the waist that hardly any water had seeped in. All I had to show for my ordeal was a light, crystalline powder which gave my skin a delicate glow.

Once again, I was ahead of my time. It would take them over two hundred years to perfect anything like it for other women. And they would call it make-up and talk about it as if it was something new. Honestly!

But that’s all in the past.

As I said, I don’t have many visitors now. I’m in a home for the elderly. Like them, I’ve lost my voice. Few understand what I say. Only a few enthusiastic doctors who come to examine me. They’re especially interested in my tattoos. Carolingian minuscule, they call it. They say it displays unique characteristics. And they still marvel at my speech: old English with a touch of Jutish. Rather rare, I’m told.

I spend most of my days sleeping. And I dream of going home. To the place where once I lay on a bed of white linen beneath a vaulted ceiling. Perhaps, one day, a new chapter will begin.

Who am I?

Additional notes

This is a slightly altered version of one of the short stories from my book ‘Barley Bread and Cheese’ which was launched last year at Rochester Cathedral. The book is available in both hardback and ebook format from Amazon. The Kindle version is currently free via Kindle Unlimited. For more information, please click here

For information about my novel ‘The Devil Dancers’, please see my website

Posted in Cathedrals, Fiction, History, Riddles, Short stories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Trafalgar and the Passage of Time

Posted on October 21, 2014 by tthurai
Tomb of Horatio Nelson by Thomas H. Shepherd

Tomb of Horatio Nelson by Thomas H. Shepherd

In an age of instant communication, anyone researching the Battle of Trafalgar will immediately be struck by the extraordinary slowness with which the British fleet engaged its enemy, the long delay before these events were reported in British newspapers and the even longer period before Nelson’s body reached its final resting place. The following account covers some of the less well-known facts relating to the Battle and its consequences for Nelson’s mistress and daughter.

At 5.50 a.m. on 21st October 1805, the British got their first sighting of the combined French and Spanish fleet off Cape Trafalgar in southern Spain. Just after 6 a.m., Nelson’s ship the Victory gave the signal to prepare for an attack.

However, weather conditions slowed the British fleet’s advance and it was five and a half hours later – at 11.35 a.m. – when the Victory finally sent the famous signal “England expects that every man will do his duty”. (Nelson had originally wanted to send a slightly different message using the word ‘confides’ rather than ‘expects’ but was constrained by the rules laid out in the official navy manual, Popham’s signal book).

The first shots were fired by the enemy fleet at 11.50 a.m. Retaliatory shots from the British side were fired by the Royal Sovereign at mid-day.

Robert Sands, a powder-boy on HMS Temeraire, left a unique account of an ordinary fighting man’s experience of the Battle.

The Temeraire was positioned close to the Victory and, as they engaged the enemy, Nelson hailed the Temeraire ordering it to move aside so that he could forge ahead. Sands recalled that Nelson was “on the foredeck with his full uniform on” so that he was clearly visible not only to his own men but also to the enemy.

Fighting was at close quarters with the Victory ramming the port bow of the French ship Redoubtable whose crew had been thoroughly trained in the use of muskets by their Captain.

The noise of battle was deafening and visibility was generally low due to the choking smoke of gunfire which forced Sands and other sailors on the Temeraire up on deck due to the suffocating atmosphere below.

An explosion in the Temeraire’s rear magazine resulted in several men being burnt to death and Sands having to resort to the magazine at the fore of the ship.

Meanwhile, just twenty minutes into the engagement, Nelson was shot by an enemy musketeer positioned 50 feet above him in the mizzen top of the Redoubtable. Nelson and Hardy had been pacing the foredeck watching of the Victory watching the action and Hardy, unaware that Nelson had been hit, continued walking before he realised what had happened.

Mortally wounded, Nelson was carried down to the ship’s cockpit where he was visited during his last hours by his friends and comrades. Certain of his own death, he impressed on them the need to look after his mistress Lady Hamilton and their daughter Horatia. He is said to have died in the arms of the purser Walter Burke who, like Sands and some 99 other veterans of Trafalgar, came from the Medway area in Kent.

At his request, Nelson was not given the traditional sailor’s burial at sea but brought back to England, his remains preserved in a large cask of brandy.

The news of Trafalgar and Nelson’s fate reached England some two weeks after the event. The subsequent arrival of the Victory at Spithead was reported in The Times newspaper on 2nd December.

The Victory then sailed to Sheerness where Nelson’s body was transferred to a private yacht and conveyed to Greenwich where it was laid in a coffin made of wood from the mast of the French flagship L’Orient which Nelson’s forces had defeated in the Battle of the Nile in 1798.

After lying in state, Nelson was given a spectacular funeral attended by royalty. A procession of 10,000 soldiers, 32 admirals and over 100 captains escorted the coffin to St Paul’s Cathedral where it now rests, encased in a black marble sarcophagus originally intended for Cardinal Wolsey.

While the Victory was anchored at Sheerness it became a focus for sightseers, among them the artist Turner who went aboard armed with his sketchbook. The result was his painting ‘The Battle of Trafalgar, as seen from the Mizzen Starboard Shrouds of the Victory’ which replicated the position from which Nelson was shot.

Despite the public outpouring of grief, the nation failed to observe Nelson’s wishes respecting his mistress and daughter. After a spell in a debtor’s prison, Lady Hamilton fled to France with her young daughter Horatia. Nelson’s celebrated mistress died in poverty in Calais in 1815.

Lacking the legitimacy which would have allowed her to inherit from her father, Horatia lived in straitened circumstances, marrying the Reverend Philip Ward and moving with him to the living of St Mildred’s Church in Tenterden, Kent, where they lived for nearly 30 years.

For his part in the Battle of Trafalgar, the Temeraire’s powder-boy Robert Sands received prize money of £1 17s 8d. His gift to us is a detailed eyewitness account of one of the most memorable events in British history.

Sources and Additional Information:

Books and articles:

Trafalgar The Nelson Touch by David Howarth

Turner A Life by James Hamilton

Nelson’s Descendants and St Mildred’s Church – an account by Hugh Ward. Click here

Places to Visit:

Medway Archives for Robert Sands’s account of the Battle of Trafalgar and information on the Victory’s purser, Walter Burke

Chatham Historic Dockyard (where HMS Victory was built)

HMS Victory, Portsmouth

Nelson’s tomb, St Paul’s Cathedral, London

St Mildred’s Church, Tenterden, Kent

Picture attribution: “Tomb of Horatio Nelson” by Thomas H. Shepherd – http://www.nmm.ac.uk/collections/images/560/PU/39/PU3922.jpg. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tomb_of_Horatio_Nelson.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Tomb_of_Horatio_Nelson.jpg

 

Posted in History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Brideshead Reconsidered

Posted on August 3, 2014 by tthurai
Castle Howard: the setting for the TV series of Brideshead Revisited

Castle Howard: the setting for the TV series of Brideshead Revisited

Reading a book after seeing its eponymous film or TV version is an interesting experience. You may discover hidden depths in the literary parent or, alternatively, realise that a gifted director has employed alchemy to turn base-metal into gold.

Having fallen in love with the 1980s television adaptation of ‘Brideshead Revisited’ and seen the sumptuous – but less memorable – film, I finally got around to reading Evelyn Waugh’s novel this year.

My verdict?

It struck me that this novel consisted of two parts (possibly because I stopped reading it half-way through!) What had charmed me in the TV series – the Sebastian/Charles bromance, the wistful shots of Oxford, the artful nostalgia – disgusted me in the book. I quickly became bored with the effete, self-indulgent, egocentric young men portrayed by Evelyn Waugh.

However, I recently returned to the book, finished it and enjoyed what I read.

Far from being the insipid narrator of the TV version, Charles Ryder emerges as an unpleasant character; a snob, a man who feels no love or responsibility for his children, a gold-digger and someone who insists on forcing his opinions on others at the most inopportune moments. Although an artist, he lacks sensitivity, except when it relates to his own feelings.

While admitting to his own shortcomings, his honesty fails to captivate the reader – at least, this one. Charles is an intelligent, talented man who – even in his own eyes – never rises above the average. Despite his transgressions, he never completely breaks with the society in which he lives, unlike his friend Sebastian.

In many ways, Sebastian is not so much a character as a comment, an observation. He typifies a kind of exquisite human mayfly whose existence depends on a combination of ephemeral qualities: beauty and charm. With no substance to sustain him, only two options remain: death or decay.

My favourite character is Anthony Blanche. Outrageous and outspoken, he is self-deprecating, spiteful, funny and as indestructible as a cockroach.

In some respects, the book’s themes of marriage and Catholicism are outdated and difficult to grasp from a modern perspective. However, they highlight personal and moral dilemmas which reveal different facets of the characters and define their relationships with each other.

Nostalgia is a recurrent theme in the novel: Sebastian’s desire to revisit his childhood; Charles, haunted by memories of Brideshead, not only witnessing the end of a dynasty, but also the swansong of a class and the great houses in which they lived.

I wonder what elements of our modern lives would fit the phrase Et in Arcadia Ego and evoke such elegiac prose?

Is Brideshead worth revisiting?

Absolutely.

A perfect book to read under a tree on a sunny day accompanied by: a glass of Château Peyraguey (Sebastian’s recommendation), strawberries and the chiming of distant bells.

Attributions and Further Information:

Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh: click here for Amazon

Photograph of Castle Howard: Attribution: “England1 144” by Pwojdacz (talk). Original uploader was Pwojdacz at en.wikipedia – Taken by Pwojdacz. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:England1_144.jpg#mediaviewer/File:England1_144.jpg

For more information on Castle Howard, click here

 

Posted in book review, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Writing Tips 3: Editing

Posted on July 20, 2014 by tthurai

PoppyThis is the most underestimated element of the writer’s art. But it is absolutely necessary. To be a good writer, you must also be a good editor. Train yourself to edit and you will greatly enhance the quality of your work. Here are some tips:

1) Get to the end of your first draft before you begin to edit, otherwise you run the risk of getting tangled up in detail

2) Leave your draft for a while (a couple of weeks, if possible) before re-reading it. By letting your work go ‘cold’, it will become much easier to edit.

3) Read your draft aloud. This is one of the best tests for any piece of writing. It will help you to spot where the pace slackens – and why. It will also highlight errors, discrepancies and duplication. If it doesn’t sound right, then it’s wrong. It’s as simple as that.

4) Before making large cuts or additions to your work, try re-arranging sentences and paragraphs. This can work wonders. When you are writing, your ideas don’t always follow a logical sequence. They often need to be reorganised at this stage.

5) Pencil in cuts/additions to your work and leave it for a day or two. Before finalising any changes, review your work again. You will often find that any required alterations are much simpler and smaller than you initially thought. Sometimes, you may only have to change a few words rather than cutting/adding extra paragraphs.

6) Have you used too many adjectives? These can overburden text and slow the pace. Don’t clutter your writing. Keep it tight and light. Try using well-chosen verbs as an alternative.

7) Use your dictionary and thesaurus. If in doubt, always check that you have used the right word and look for alternatives to prevent duplication.

8) Do use the spell- and grammar-checks on your computer – but don’t rely on them. There is no substitute for the human eye and judgement. Always proof-read your own work several times.

9) When you are happy with your story, find someone whose judgement you trust and let them read it. Be prepared to take constructive criticism. Review your work in the light of their comments. Can it be improved? If so, amend it.  If not, don’t.

10) For competitions, check that your work adheres to the rules, especially regarding subject and word-count. Presentation is also important. Are there any stipulations as to how your manuscript should be set out? Where should you write your name and contact details? Should your manuscript be emailed or sent via the post? Is an entry fee required?

So now you’ve got some guidance for researching, writing and editing. What are you waiting for? Start writing and, above all, enjoy it.

Good luck!

 

Posted in Editing, Editing tips, Fiction, History, SaveAs Writers, The Great War, World War 1, Writing Competition, Writing Tips, WW1 | 1 Comment

Writing Tips 2: Getting Started

Posted on July 20, 2014 by tthurai

PoppyOnce you have an idea about what you want to write, try to find a shortcut into your chosen subject or theme. Think of it as a portal into the imagination. It can be a picture, music, photographs or written research – anything that will serve as a mental prompt.

When writing about Neleni, a character in my novel The Devil Dancers, I used to wear a particular perfume, the sort of thing that I imagined a woman in the 1950s would wear.

When it came to describing Sri Lankan food, I would open our store-cupboard and take a deep breath, inhaling the smell of all the fragrant spices that are used in that particular cuisine.

Before you start writing, it’s worth considering how you are going to retrace your steps when editing. This is particularly important if, like me, you rely on a lot of historical information to build up the background to your stories. It’s so easy when writing notes to paraphrase from a text-book then unintentionally to transfer that to your manuscript. If you do not leave a trail of references, cross-checking during editing will take much longer.

If you are relying on factual information to create a setting for a story, remind yourself that you are writing fiction, not a text book. You need to convey a feeling and a flavour of your chosen subject, not reams of fact. Remember: your most important resource is your imagination.

Here are some exercises and suggestions to start you off:

1) Describe a scene relating to your chosen subject in one paragraph (no more than 5 sentences). Short descriptive passages inserted into your story at relevant places are far more effective than long chunks of text which can slow down the pace of your narrative.

2) Get to know your characters. Write their CV. Who are they? Where do they come from? Where are they going? How do they interact with their surroundings and the other characters? What are their unique features? What do they think and why? What are their likes/dislikes? Like someone applying for a job, your characters have to convince you that they are worthy of a place in your story.

3) What is the plot? Work out a rough narrative arc, that is, a beginning, middle and end. How will the setting and characters help to give your story momentum and credibility?Don’t rely on pure narrative. Use the characters to tell the story and make them interact through dialogue. Make them tell the story.

4) Don’t worry if you cannot work out every detail in advance. Gaps and inconsistencies can be worked out at a later date. Just get something down and see where it leads you. You’ll be surprised how your story develops as you start writing.

5) Use your senses. Work in subtle details of how something – or someone – looks, smells, sounds. Don’t put all the detail in at once. Weave small elements into your story to give it texture.

6) To hone your skills, why not enter a competition. This will give you a theme and a deadline to guide your writing. Keep an eye open for local competitions run through literary festivals and writing groups. Writing Magazine also carries a lot of information about forthcoming competitions around the UK. You should also check out the Mslexia website and the BBC Writers’ Room.

Next: Writing Tips 3 – Editing

Posted in Fiction, History, Writing competitions, Writing Tips | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Writing Tips 1 – Get in the Mood

Posted on July 19, 2014 by tthurai

Poppy

When setting a scene, you need to create a convincing world for your reader. As a writer, you need to be able to see, hear and smell the location. While that is largely a matter of imagination, you can prompt your senses by reading, looking at photographs and visiting places that have an association with your subject.

Here are a few suggestions:

Reading

Read some contemporary writing, perhaps a family diary or more generally known works such as

Siegfried Sassoon’s ‘Memoirs of an Infantry Officer’ or Wilfred Owen’s iconic poem ‘Dulce et Decorum est’.

Museums and Online Sites

The British Library: find a fascinating essay on Owen’s famous poem by Dr Santanu Das together with a wealth of other information on the Great War here

Imperial War Museum (London): the Museum re-opened after refurbishment on 19 July and features the new First World War Galleries. There are a number of other IWM sites, including IWM North in Manchester that has a special exhibition entitled ‘From Street To Trench: A War That Shaped A Region’.

Browse the IWM website for fascinating items such as the British shaving brush with concealed information – a perfect prompt for a spy story!

Read about The Lusitania Camisole and the remarkable story of Margaret Gwyer’s shipwreck survival following a U-boat attack in 1915.

National Archives: this page provides links to various categories of relevant information, including: RAF officers, Army nurses, Merchant Seamen and Prisoners of War.

Local Museums and Libraries

There is almost certainly an exhibition near you. There may also be a war memorial or cenotaph in your town. Local churches are often overlooked but can provide valuable information. Memorial plaques can supply a surprising amount of information.

Use your local library card to access online material such as the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB) and contemporary newspaper reports.

War Artists

Seek out the works of Stanley Spencer. An exhibition is currently running until November at the Stanley Spencer Gallery in Cookham, Berkshire entitled: ‘Paradise Regained. Spencer in the Aftermath of the First World War’. http://stanleyspencer.org.uk/

There is also a display of War Artists at Sea at the Royal Museums Greenwich

Music and Culture

Podcasts featuring highlights from BBC Radio 3 programmes relating to the art, culture and music of WW1 can be found on this site

Film

For film related to WW1, including examples from the British Pathé Archive, click here

Note: These writing tips have been prepared to accompany the SaveAs Writers’ competition “The Bigger Picture – Reflections on the Great War”. Entries are invited of poetry or prose written in response to any work of art (e.g. a painting, song, poem, film or soundtrack to a film) connected with WW1. The closing date is 23rd August. For more information, click here

NEXT: Writing Tips 2 – Start to Write

Posted in Fiction, History | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

15 Top Tips for Book Festival gigs

Posted on July 3, 2014 by tthurai
  1. Take the Plunge: get a festival gig

    Take the Plunge: get a festival gig

    Be clear about your objectives. What do you want from your book festival appearance? Publicity, book sales, a chance to communicate with your readers? Use objectives to plan your strategy.

  2. Will you be paid? Be sure to discuss this with the organiser at the outset. You may get a small fee to cover travelling expenses, or there may be no payment at all. This may determine where – or if – you accept an invitation to speak. Venues close to home are more affordable than those which require an overnight stay.
  3. Ensure that your speaking arrangement includes an opportunity to sell your books. Can you offer a special discounted price? Ideally, combine your appearance with a book signing.
  4. Find out as much as possible about the venue’s facilities. Do you need a microphone, slide projector, screen? Is there someone to give technical advice and support?
  5. Ask to see advance proofs of any brochures/posters prepared by the organisers to ensure that details regarding your name, book title, time and date of your appearance are correct.
  6. Always do your own publicity.
  7. Prepare a press release of up to 400 words with your contact details. Attach a separate Title Sheet with all relevant commercial information about your book (e.g. Title, ISBN, publisher, price, summary). Include good quality photos of yourself and your book jacket.
  8. Send your publicity material out in good time i.e. 6-4 weeks before the event. Include local press, radio, TV, free magazines and newspapers. Be prepared to chase up with phone calls.
  9. If you are being interviewed, send the interviewer a copy of your book and all relevant background information in advance. The better informed they are, the easier and more interesting your interview will be.
  10. Prepare thoroughly for your talk or interview. Slides lend visual interest to any talk but don’t use more than six. Have a practice run beforehand and read your notes aloud. Most importantly, time yourself to prevent over- or under-running. Don’t speak for longer than 45 minutes. Allow 15 minutes for questions and answers. Be prepared to fill awkward silences.
  11. Any interview or talk must include readings from your book. Make these brief – about three minutes each – and two to three in total. Choose wisely!
  12. Avoid graveyard slots. Audiences get sleepy after lunch. Any suggestion that they can concentrate better with their eyes closed is generally contradicted by the sound of rhythmic breathing interspersed with snores!
  13. Make the most of the opportunity to meet your readers and attract new ones.
  14. Get a friend to take photographs or a short video of your appearance. Post these up on your website and YouTube. For example, click here and scroll down to see a clip from the Folkestone Book Festival.
  15. Important! Don’t forget to do some post-event publicity. Although often overlooked, this can provide some valuable extra coverage. Update your press release and re-submit to the media with some photos of your appearance at the festival.
    Above all, enjoy yourself.
    Good luck!
Posted in book festivals, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Kent’s illustrious exiles: Sir John Kotelawala

Posted on June 5, 2014 by tthurai
Kotelawala-Photo

A country gentleman: Sir John Kotelawala and companions

When a character, encountered only in books, suddenly steps off the page, it is an electrifying experience. Nothing prepares you for that moment when the bare bones of history suddenly acquire flesh. You do not know where the discovery will come, or when. It is so unexpected that it seems surreal. Yet one thing is certain, it is always accompanied by a frisson of excitement.

I was fortunate enough to have such an experience at a birthday party held in a converted barn only three miles from my home. I was sitting next to a local farmer – the owner of the barn – and had mentioned my interest in 1950s Ceylon, including one its Prime Ministers Sir John Kotelawala.

“Oh,” said the farmer. “My Dad knew Sir John. He lived around here, didn’t he?”

He did indeed, but I had not expected to meet anyone who recognised the name – let alone had any memory – of the colourful and pugnacious man who was Prime Minister of what is now known as Sri Lanka.

Sir John’s personal story was a remarkable one of rags-to-riches. Having been accused of murder, his father had committed suicide and the family had faced destitution. However, Sir John’s mother had staged a remarkable comeback and rebuilt the family fortunes.

Sir John must have inherited her determination, climbing the exceptionally greasy pole of post-colonial politics to become the country’s third Prime Minister after Independence (1953 -1956). Cast in the ‘old school’ mould, he maintained close ties with the British establishment, being appointed to the Privy Council in 1954 and proving himself a fierce anti-Communist.

Pathé News reels show him on several official trips abroad, including a summit of Commonwealth Prime Ministers at 10 Downing Street where he rubbed shoulders with the likes of Churchill and the Indian premier Pandit Nehru.

While Sir John is only briefly mentioned in my book The Devil Dancers, he acquired a particular interest for me when I discovered that, after losing Ceylon’s 1956 General Election, he had bought a house in Kent where he lived for a number of years.

On Saturday, 7 July 1956, The Times’s Property Correspondent recorded Sir John’s purchase of Brogues Wood estate at Biddenden in Kent. Interestingly, this idyllic village with its medieval half-timbered houses had previously provided a home for another political exile: the King of Siam.

Situated a couple of miles from the genteel country town of Tenterden, Brogues Wood was described by The Times as having “four reception rooms and four principal and three secondary bed rooms and stands in grounds of some 103 acres.”

While Sir John appears to have pre-empted an auction of the property which was to have taken place later that month, The Times politely omits to report how much he paid for it.

While his attendance at glittering social events was frequently recorded in the columns of the Court Circular, Sir John Kotelawala also appears to have taken a keen interest in local Kentish life. A number of old black-and-white photographs show him attending local fêtes, including one at Tenterden.

My meeting with the local farmer fleshed out the fascinating, but ephemeral information that I had already gleaned about Sir John’s life in Kent.

“Sir John Kotelawala and my father both shared an interest in horses,” explained the farmer who told me that his father had arranged tickets for Sir John and his retinue to attend the racing at Ascot.

“The ladies in Sir John’s entourage all wore beautiful saris,” said the farmer. “They turned a lot of heads in the royal enclosure!”

Pathé newsreel: Sir John Kotelawala meeting India’s Prime Minister Pandit Nehru and dignitaries, laying wreaths and inspecting Guard of Honour on an official visit to India.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments