writing

Waiting and writing, then waiting and writing some more

February 16, 2018 by Karen Comer 6 Comments

While I’m waiting to hear news about my first book which is under submission to a publisher, I’m working on my next book.

My first book has taken about five years to write, starting from when it was initially a picture book. I will never, ever, ever write a book like that again! I had an idea, wrote it in two sittings as a picture book. Then I grew it into a middle-grade book by writing 500 words a day at 5.30 in the morning before the kids woke up. I had no idea where it was going, I didn’t know anything about my characters before I started and I had no knowledge about how to structure a book at all.

So this time, I’m doing the complete opposite! I’m spending months daydreaming and planning. I’m going through my writing books, answering prompts on theme and setting and secondary characters. I’m drawing mindmaps and taking long baths. I’m writing lists about the things I do know and lists about the things I don’t know.

I’m hoping to finish my planning by the end of the month, then start writing. The writing is the easy part – when you know where you’re going!

This is both a daydreaming and a planning stage. The daydreaming comes about when thinking about the main character and what he wants most in the world, who will stop him and how all that will unfold.

The planning part is thinking about where all the events will fit into the structure of the book. What happens that disturbs the protagonist from his usual life and propels him into action? What happens in the middle of the book to turn everything around and surprise both the protagonist and the reader? Will the protagonist triumph over the antagonist at the end?

I’m having a great time because it’s so creative. Some days I write pages and pages of notes, some days I reread a writing book. Every single time I move my story forward because I have a flash of insight about why a character is behaving a certain way or I have an idea about where I could place a particular scene. And even though at times it seems like I haven’t achieved anything – I can’t say I’ve written 1,743 words today – this book is starting to take shape, even if it’s all in my mind and notebook at the moment.

Character arc – in fiction and life

October 13, 2017 by Karen Comer 6 Comments

Although the word ‘journey’ has become synonymous with reality television shows, it’s an important part of stories.

The journey a character goes on during the course of a novel is often what attracts us to the book. How does a man who has lost his memories reconnect with the people in his old life? What does it take to climb a mountain or move cities or open a cafe? We urge friends on in real life, and in a similar way we want the protagonist to overcome all obstacles. We want to support them in the hard times, and celebrate with them during the good ones.

In most novels, the character will change during the book. Donald Maass in his book, The emotional craft of fiction, defines character arc as ‘the change or changes that a character goes through over a novel’s length.’

I’m sure we all know someone going through an awful patch now. Perhaps it’s a divorce that involves betrayal, children, selling the family home and negotiating childcare access. Maybe it’s a loved one’s unexpected death or terminal illness. If this were a book, her life would be at the midpoint of the book – right when things seem worse.

And yet, we all know, after reading many books, that the dark night of the soul is yet to come, about 80-90% in, when the character really hits rock bottom. She has to make some tough choices, gather all her courage, bring together all her inherent skills and talents in order to become her true self and overcome the antagonist.

I’m working on the character arc of my story now. At the beginning of the book, my twelve-year-old protagonist, Freya, had her normal world disrupted. At the beginning of the book, she’s hurt and vulnerable – which she covers up with anger. She’s also curious and sporty and competitive. At the end of the book, she’s still curious and sporty and competitive but she’s lost her anger and she’s gained more confidence in overcoming her greatest fear.

Actually, like most characters, she has two greatest fears. (That doesn’t sound grammatically correct but bear with me!) Freya has an outer, physical, nameable fear. But underneath, she has an inner fear which she’s not even conscious of at the beginning of the novel. In her character arc over the course of the book, she moves forward to overcome both her physical and inner fear.

So easy to analyse a character’s arc or journey in a book, isn’t it, like dedicated English literature students? It’s a bit harder in real life, when we can’t flick ahead to the end of the book to see if the protagonist moves to Paris with her long-forgotten love or reread a chapter to make sure we’ve understood the symbolism of the red umbrella in chapter three!

Revision checklist

September 15, 2017 by Karen Comer 2 Comments

‘I’m making a list, and checking it twice …’ No, I’m not pretending I’m Santa. I’ve drawn myself up a checklist to revise my children’s novel before I send it into a publisher next month.

I’ve finished going through it scene by scene, working through about 5,000 words a week with my writing friend. That’s taken up the last six months.

Now I want to go through it in sweeps, checking the whole novel for different aspects. My checklist looks a little like this –

Dialogue – Does the dialogue sound natural? Does it either reveal something about the character or move the plot along?
Secondary characters – Are my secondary characters personalities in their own right, not merely props for my protagonist?
Setting – Am I looking at the setting through my protagonist’s eyes? Does the setting add to the mood I’m trying to evoke? Setting includes the physical environment as well as things like weather and sounds.
Scene building – Does each scene have a hook to entice the reader, plus a high moment?
Tension – Is there enough tension in each chapter, enough to keep the reader turning the page?
Pacing – am I speeding through the story or rambling on?
Emotion – what’s the emotion I’m trying to convey in each chapter? And what’s the emotion beneath the emotion?
Show, don’t tell – There’s a big difference between the tell sentence – Liz was sad – and the show sentence – Liz blinked away her tears and turned away.

The above list is useful for students editing a narrative piece, too.

Of course, this isn’t the only list in my life. There’s the birthday list for Miss 10, now known as Miss 11, the list of things to do before the school holidays begin in a week, the list of paid editing work and the list of things the kids would like to do in the holidays.

What lists are you working on now?

Van Gogh – ‘arrive at the truthful’

July 7, 2017 by Karen Comer 4 Comments

Last weekend – because there was no sport in the school holidays – hooray! – we all went to the Vincent van Gogh exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria.

It was beautiful and crowded. Beautiful because the paintings were amazing. I loved seeing the brush strokes and the vivid colours.

I must admit, I didn’t enjoy hearing the commentary from all the other people looking at the same paintings. ‘Oh, that’s a nice one!’ seems a little banal when discussing van Gogh.

I didn’t take any photos of the paintings but I did take a photo of the following quote from van Gogh.

One must work long and hard to arrive at the truthful. What I want and set as my goal is damned difficult, and yet I don’t believe I’m aiming too high. I want to make drawings that move some people … Whether in figures or in landscapes, I would like to express not something sentimentally melancholic but deep sorrow. In short, I want to reach the point where people say of my work, that man feels deeply and that man feels subtly.

As a writer, it’s one of the hardest things to ‘arrive at the truthful’, to create fiction that tells the truth about how we feel about things and what matters. It’s an odd dichotomy that art can reflect ourselves better than reality sometimes.

We have a picture book called Camille and the sunflowers written by Laurence Anholt. The story is told from Camille’s point of view. He’s a young boy, who with his father, a postman, befriends Vincent. Vincent paints portraits of Camille’s family and a wonderful painting of sunflowers, based on a bunch which Camille gave him.

There’s a brief animation and a reading of this book here, if you have kids who are interested.

There’s also a book by Laurence Anholt called Anholt’s artists activity book about a few artists, with ideas for kids to create their own artwork based on these artists’ techniques. The van Gogh one is about painting a portrait.

The van Gogh exhibition closes tomorrow – hurry!

In the margins

June 16, 2017 by Karen Comer 4 Comments

I stared at the file in dismay. My words from my middle-grade manuscript had been kindly and meticulously edited by my friend Renee. There were almost 5,000 words in four chapters. Renee’s comments were in purple. She’d given me quite a few ticks, but there were more suggestions and deletions than ticks.

Out of the four chapters, the one she liked the best was the one I wrote in a café the day before. I had suddenly realised I needed a scene where my protagonist apologised to someone she had hurt. (Because it’s good to make twelve-year-old characters do things they don’t want to do, and no one likes to admit they’re wrong!) A chai latte, an hour, about 1,000 words – done. Renee gave me lots of ticks for that one.

At first I was really disappointed. I knew the chapters weren’t singing yet but I didn’t think they were THAT bad. Then I became analytical. Why was my fresh, raw new chapter better than the ones I’d spent hours crafting?

It’s partly because the olds ones had been written about a year ago and I’m a better writer now. I’ve absorbed all the many books on writing I’ve read, and the many writing podcasts I’ve listened to and the hours spent discussing the finer points of writing with friends.

And it’s partly because we think that it’s easier sometimes to work around the edges, polish a few sentences and it’ll do. But sometimes a blank page and an hour offers no limits and no preconceived ideas.

I spent some of last weekend editing grade four stories for a writing workshop, and went into their class this week to talk to them about their stories. I showed them a few of my pages which had been reviewed by an editor – all the comments scrawled in the margins, the lines crossed out, suggestions written in between the lines.

‘This is a good thing!’ I told these nine and ten-year-old students, when I gave them their edited pages. ‘It means someone is responding to your work, and that’s what you want as a writer.’

I think I need to listen to my own advice. Sometimes illumination happens in the margins.

Words, words, words, I’m so sick of words!

March 17, 2017 by Karen Comer 6 Comments

I’m feeling a bit like Eliza Dolittle in My fair lady, when she tells Freddie that she’s over all the words surrounding her.

This week I have been surrounded by words in the following ways:

submitted a few thousand words of my middle-grade novel to a publisher
sent many, many emails in my volunteer role as a coordinator for basketball teams
had a lovely five-hour dinner at a restaurant with a friend and discussed the matters of the world
listened to Miss 10 talk non-stop about everything from cello lessons to the latest DIY panda bear whiteboard she’d like to make
sat with friends at our dinner table and talked about both the highs and the lows of life
had a writing meeting to discuss our next ten pages worth of words
had an unusually long, unusually uninterrupted conversation with my husband because there was time over the long weekend
read a couple of middle-grade books
proofread an essay for Mr 13
flicked through a new cookbook, noting all the ingredients in the different sections

So all these words are swirling around in my head, a cacophony of words from all the different parts of my life. Think I might need a few days of instrumental music or the sounds of silence. Or maybe I might just watch My fair lady!

The first ten pages

February 24, 2017 by Karen Comer 12 Comments

Yesterday I had coffee with my immensely good-natured friend, the writer Renee Mihulka, to discuss the first ten pages of our middle grade fiction books. We are both attending the KIDLIT festival in May at the Victorian state library, and have elected to submit the first ten pages of our books to a publisher for some feedback. We’ll receive written feedback in a fifteen minute session. Gold!

So, naturally, our ten pages have to be the most sparkling, eloquent, page-turning, engaging, meaningful, action-packed pages of our manuscript. And as publishers, editors and agents usually request the first section of a manuscript, it makes sense to work on our first ten pages. But do you know what the first ten pages of a book must do? Let me tell you – you will never think lightly of a first chapter again!

The beginning of a book must:

introduce the likeable yet vulnerable yet courageous protagonist whose need for the love of her life/a community to belong to/a meaningful life/a reunion with his estranged father must be subtly communicated
briefly ground the story in a setting yet not bore the reader with long nineteenth-century-like scenic descriptions
set up the opposing force or antagonist – the boss’ wife or the destructive avalanche or the jealous sister or the dragon in the cave
start in the middle of the action – no lengthy explanations of the history of the protagonist’s family, please
have a killer opening sentence to hook readers – It was the best of times, it was the worst of times from Charles Dickens. Or perhaps – Ava fell in love the night the Nazis first showed their true faces to the world (‘The beast’s garden’ by Kate Forsyth. Or how about – I don’t know how I died (‘In the quiet’ by Eliza Henry Jones. Or – On the day of the miracle, Isabel was kneeling at the cliff’s edge, tending the small, newly made driftwood cross (‘The light between oceans’ by M. L. Stedman).

Hooked by Les Edgerton and Writing the heart of your story by C.S. Lakin contain lots of relevant, helpful information to help writers begin well.

Renee and I dissected each other’s work, cutting the dross, ticking our checklists, questioning every word and whether it had earned its place in the first ten pages. Renee pointed out that I like to say the same thing, in the same paragraph, in three slightly different ways. (But I have to make sure my readers really understand my point! I mean, they have to understand it! Let me check they’ve really understood it!) I tried to argue my way into keeping one fragment of a sentence because I wrote it with Mr 13 in mind. But my readers won’t care about Mr 13, and the fragment wasn’t consistent with how my protagonist speaks. Deleted – you were right, Renee.

I have been flicking through my books, both adult and children’s, rereading the first chapter. I loved The light between oceans, The beast’s garden, When you reach me by Rebecca Stead. It’s hard to stop immersing myself in the story and be analytical instead, but when I realise I’ve escaped into a story, that’s when I know I need to analyse it because it’s that good.

Which books have you read which had you hooked at the first chapter? I’d be grateful for some more books to add to my research pile.

My week in books

February 10, 2017 by Karen Comer 14 Comments

How many books have you read, skimmed, touched, discussed, borrowed or bought this week? I decided I would tally up mine!

Read

The secret scriptures by Sebastian Barry – this was my bookclub book and and it was my turn to host. Half of our bookclub had read it, half had started it. We all agreed it was a very slow start. It’s a dual narrative with both sections written in first person. Roseanne is a one-hundred-year-old woman who has been a patient at a mental hospital in Ireland for many, many years. Dr Grene is her psychiatrist. I enjoyed Roseanne’s story more because she was the more interesting character with a strong voice. When I read Dr Grene’s sections, I had to remind myself that his story was current – his tone was quite formal for a contemporary voice.
Becoming a writer by Dorothea Brande – this book was published in the 1930s, but is still relevant today, despite the 1930s tone. I reread this book because the writer discusses the two personalities of the author – the rational or conscious side and the dreamy or unconscious part. I’m interested in this at the moment because I’m trying to balance writing a logical outline for my book so I can see where the problems lie, as well as use my subconscious to solve the problems. Wish me luck!
When the teddy bears came by Martin Waddell – this is a gorgeous picture book which is a perfect present for a toddler about to become a big sister or brother. I put all my kids’ much-loved soft toys in the washing machine yesterday – 34 degrees! – and hung them on the line to dry by their ears or tails. They looked both bedraggled and comical, and the lines of teddies and penguins and dogs reminded me of Waddell’s book, with its collection of teddy bears.
The last painting of Sara de Vos by Dominic Smith – I have only started this book but am really enjoying it so far.

Skimmed

Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi – I’m doing a cooking class next weekend with a friend, based on Ottolenghi’s recipes. I didn’t know much about him at all so I borrowed my friend’s cookbooks. We are having caramelised fennel and roasted eggplant with lamb mince for dinner this week – yum!
Information is beautiful by David McCandless – my kind brother gave me this book – I did cook him a decent dinner and agreed to be interviewed for his business! Its pages show different ways to present information, trends and statistics from different types of fish, carbon usage and the connection between facial hair and the number of people one has killed! It’s a visually stunning book – would be an asset to any marketing department. I have only flicked through it but can already see how I’ll use it as a resource for inspiration, marketing and storytelling.

Touched

One by Sarah Crossan – my friend Tess, a remarkable young woman, is going to start a bookclub with some university friends and wanted some recommendations for books on feminism, female empowerment and gender roles. So this section is for Tess, as I went through my bookshelves for options for her. One is a young adult fiction book about conjoined twins – definitely empowering.
The poisonwood bible by Barbara Kingsolver – four sisters who leave the US with their parents to live in the Congo. Different directions, different choices by the sisters in this novel.
All that I am by Anna Funder – set in Germany during the Second World War, this is a fictional account of two female cousins who work against Hitler. Chilling.
Speaking out and The fictional woman by Tara Moss – two non-fiction books by an Australian model, author and activist. Powerful reading.
The wife drought by Annabel Crabbe – this book covers the same old ground about the division of duties at work and home between men and women. A fiery read.
Motherhood and creativity, the divided heart by Rachel Power – a series of interviews with creative women who are also mothers. While the emphasis is on creative careers, many of the stories can also be applied to the business world.

Discussed

The beast’s garden by Kate Forsyth – I lent my copy to one of the lovely baristas at my local cafe because she is an avid reader. She’s just started it, so I’m looking forward to hearing what she thinks of it when she’s read a little bit more.
Zen habits by Leo Babuto – I also lent my copy of this book to another lovely barista at the same cafe because he wanted to stop procrastinating and this book has fabulous tips for creating habits to do the things that you want to do but just can’t. However, he has been procrastinating reading it so we haven’t had any conversations about it yet!

Browsed

Big magic by Elizabeth Gilbert – I love this book, and pulled it out to flip through because I wanted some tips and tricks on how to be more creative. Will probably end up reading this one cover to cover again.
Zakka compiled by Rashida Coleman-Hale – Miss 10 and I are on a sewing project roll at the moment – we made lavender sachets in the holidays. I have found a little project in this book we could sew. Now to choose the fabric from my stash – blue flowers or blue butterflies?

Borrowed

Goodbye stranger by Rebecca Stead – my friend Renee suggested I read this as apparently Stead’s style and subject matter is similar to what I’m working on with my book. Just borrowed it yesterday from the library so I’m looking forward to a good middle-grade fiction read.
Anansi boys by Neil Gaiman – because he’s Neil Gaiman and this book happened to be lying by itself on the library shelf. Need I say more?
Fabric pictures by Janet Bolton – love a beautifully photographed craft book and the cover had me at hello!

Bought

Zero! I have a Christmas book voucher which is begging to be spent but I am trying to hold off for a little while longer.

I hope you have had an equally bookish week with fiction, non-fiction, cookbooks, children’s fiction – let me know about your week in books, please.

Glimpse of greatness

September 16, 2016 by Karen Comer 17 Comments

As a reader, we want the protagonist of our story to be interesting but not perfect. We want them to reach their goal or follow their quest. They need to be vulnerable, so we can identify with them. And we want to see a glimpse of greatness – not too much because that would make them too perfect. But just enough to make us believe in their ability to reach their goal.

Last weekend, I went to a course run by Faber and Faber with Allen and Unwin – Getting published as a writer for children. Susannah Chambers, commissioning editor, was a wonderful presenter, giving us specific details about publishing proposals, editorial meetings and pitching. She explained that for Allen and Unwin to publish a book, the editors must catch a glimpse of greatness in the writer.

We all had a chance to pitch our novel to her, as well as receive feedback on the first chapter of our work in progress. Susannah’s encouraging presence made this daunting task seem possible! This kind of individual attention to aspiring authors is what sets Allen and Unwin apart from other publishers. I’ve been to many writing courses over the last six years but there’s not many that offer this kind of feedback. Susannah’s passion for books and her instinct for what worked and what didn’t work rang true throughout the whole workshop.

We also listened to Chris Miles, a children’s author, talk about his road to publication. A couple of non-fiction books, a couple of Zac Powers books, and then his children’s novel, Spurt. He reminded us that there are many opportunities out there, even if they’re not the opportunities we’re dreaming of.

We heard from Ann James, an illustrator of many, many, many picture books. She showed us her dummy books, her sketches, her finished work for books like Lucy Goosy, I’m a dirty dinosaur and Audrey of the outback. She spoke to us about the importance of ‘finding books that remind us of possibilities’. I have been to Ann’s bookshop, Books Illustrated, and I’m looking forward to visiting their new location in Albert Park one day. Now that is a place full of possibilities!

Apart from the discount Readings voucher, the discount offer on subsequent Faber and Faber course, the useful handouts and the gift of an Allen and Unwin book – yes, apart from all of that goodness! – Allen and Unwin also encourage Faber and Faber graduates to send in their work via their Friday pitch.

One of the best things about going to the Faber and Faber workshop was that my creative energy was renewed, my commitment to my writing strengthened and I felt just so delighted to be in the company of people who care about writing and publishing beautiful books.

So, my first book in my four book series for middle grade is almost complete. I’m working on a last structural edit, moving scenes around, adding in a few new ones. I’m checking my characters’ motivations, making sure I’m showing and not telling. I’m colour coding elements like setting and external goals and internal goals and tension so I can see the pacing more clearly. My writing group have offered to read another draft – thanks, team! It feels like I’m holding a woven piece on a loom, tying all the loose threads, making sure the patterns are there in the light of day, that the colours shine through, that none of the threads slip and become lost.

I’m chasing the glimpses of greatness in my protagonist, so I can send my manuscript to Allen and Unwin later in the year.

Turning conversations into stories

July 22, 2016 by Karen Comer 10 Comments

I shamelessly eavesdropped in on a conversation in a cafe this week because it was so intriguing with tones of disapproval, judgement and underlying worries. I was also part of a bookclub conversation around a table which led me to a new idea for a short story. And I had a conversation at the supermarket which left me thinking about all the small, daily stories which are invisible to us.

So if I were to write these conversations into stories, here’s how I’d start. Original material first, my spin later.

1. Judgement in a cafe

At a local cafe, I sat at a table next to three women in their eighties who were sipping coffee and nibbling pastries. Once I realised what an interesting conversation these women were having, I surreptitiously listened closely and typed as fast as I could – obviously I’ve missed a bit – there are lots of gaps!

First lady: And they think they’re going to be married after the baby comes along… well, as if that is going to happen!

Second lady: Young people and their ideas of relationships…

Third lady: I like couples to be married before the baby comes along…

Second lady: It’s the way they’ve been brought up…

First lady: He got thrown out of the congregation…

Third lady: It’s nice to celebrate in the proper order… but you can’t tell them… no responsibility, no commitment to anything…

First lady: I heard on the radio…

Second lady: I did organise to have the carpet cleaning done… it was nearly three years ago

Third lady: The bicarb soda absorbs the stain, then you vacuum it up…

First lady: So at my first consultation, she said Medicare would pay half… it’s the least of my worries at my age!

So how juicy is that? Who are these young people who dare to start a family without a marriage certificate? And what relationship do they have with the women discussing their future? Who was thrown out of the congregation? What on earth did he do? And I am a big fan of bicarbonate soda for cleaning so I am totally aligned with the third lady! What sort of procedure is the first lady having? There’s not one but many stories here.

2. The jeweller’s talent

At my bookclub meeting this week, we discussed the relationship between the two main characters, the husband and wife from The other side of the world by Stephanie Bishop and agreed that there wasn’t much in the book to describe how they felt about each other in the beginning. One of my friends told us that a work colleague’s husband, who was a jeweller, claimed that he could tell whether a couple buying an engagement or wedding ring would stay in their marriage.

Fascinating! I am already taking notes to write a short story around this. It’s like a crystal ball, isn’t it? How many heartaches could this man have saved by refusing to sell a ring on the basis that he felt their marriage wouldn’t last? In a village in the past, would this man have been respected as an elder with great wisdom? What if he were wrong and advised a pair of soulmates not to marry? I’m not sure where I’m going with this story yet, but there are many possibilities.

3. Supermarket story

Yesterday at the supermarket, I spoke with the lady at the cash register. She sometimes goes to the same pilates class I do, and she has a slight disability. We chatted about her work at the supermarket. She told me that she worked four days instead of five because her eighty-year-old mother lives with her, and requires moving and medication every three hours – day and night. So she stays up late, then sets her alarm twice in the middle of the night to help her mother out of bed, walk her around and give her medication. Then she spends eight hours standing at a cash register.

That’s a quiet story for you. And the thing is, there’s a story like that within many families where carers and parents face every morning with quiet grit and smiling determination. These stories are worth telling.

I’m wondering if you have overheard any conversations or heard any interesting stories recently?

PS. I missed writing a blog post last week because I was sick – fine now.

PPS. The women in the photo for my bookclub story are not the women in my bookclub – we are far more glamorous and gorgeous-looking!