Rod Duncan's Blog, page 3
March 29, 2018
Bullet Catcher's Handbook
A short article on the Bullet Catcher's Handbook and two previously unpublished verses:
https://www.facebook.com/gaslitempire...
https://www.facebook.com/gaslitempire...
March 20, 2018
Goats Horseshoes and the Next Novel
To paraphrase a famous quote: "A novel is never finished, only abandoned." Well, yesterday I 'finished' book two of the Map of Unknown Things and sent it off to the publisher.
Out of my hands, the process will continue. It will be read, structural comments will be made. Then it comes back to me, I work on it some more, it goes back to the publisher again, the changes are hopefully accepted and it moves on to a copy editor, who makes corrections, it comes back to me yet again, I work through them, it goes back to the publisher, then on to a proof reader...
But for all that, this is a significant moment on three counts:
1) My input beyond this point is usually only a few weeks of work.
2) Sending the novel away puts the story out of my head, which feels like a great relief, since I have been carrying it around with me for the last couple of months.
3) I can now turn my mind to other things. That will include various writing projects I have not been able to think about for a while. Among them will be the beginning of book 3 in this trilogy.
Book 3 does not as yet have a title. Nor does it have a plot. I know where it is going to take place. And I know what the protagonist will have decided by the end. I also know one big secret...
The full article can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/gaslitempire...
Out of my hands, the process will continue. It will be read, structural comments will be made. Then it comes back to me, I work on it some more, it goes back to the publisher again, the changes are hopefully accepted and it moves on to a copy editor, who makes corrections, it comes back to me yet again, I work through them, it goes back to the publisher, then on to a proof reader...
But for all that, this is a significant moment on three counts:
1) My input beyond this point is usually only a few weeks of work.
2) Sending the novel away puts the story out of my head, which feels like a great relief, since I have been carrying it around with me for the last couple of months.
3) I can now turn my mind to other things. That will include various writing projects I have not been able to think about for a while. Among them will be the beginning of book 3 in this trilogy.
Book 3 does not as yet have a title. Nor does it have a plot. I know where it is going to take place. And I know what the protagonist will have decided by the end. I also know one big secret...
The full article can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/gaslitempire...
March 15, 2018
Hills Like White Elephants
A friend recently introduced me to Earnest Hemingway's short story 'Hills Like White Elephants'. It is an account of an interaction between two people at a quiet railway station somewhere in Spain. It opens with a short description of the place and then gets into a conversation, delivered with almost no interpretation.
The really interesting thing to me is the way that readers, deprived of a definitive interpretation, start to make up a story that fits. And each story is different. (We were discussing it in a group and there were many different views expressed about what was happening and particularly the feelings and motivations of the two characters.)
Hills Like White Elephants is perhaps an extreme example of something writers do all the time. We try to let the readers understand certain things unambiguously, whilst at the same time leaving other things unsaid. In this way the readers are active participants, challenged to fill in the blanks, to form an interpretation.
A criticism thrown at some of Tolstoy's short stories is the lack of moral ambiguity. There is a 'correct' way to view the actions of the characters. Thus they can come over as being didactic and preachy.
Hemingway takes the opposite approach in this story, giving so few clues that we can't even be certain what the characters are talking about, let alone take a definite stance on questions of morality.
So, how much should a writer give and how much should they leave to the reader? There is no single answer to this, just as there is no single reader. Even the same reader coming back to a text at another time may want a different balance.
My approach has always been to let the readers know what is happening, whilst leaving the inner world of emotions and morals up the the reader to interpret. If Elizabeth Barnabus is balanced at the top of a roof, I don't want the readers to be in any doubt about the physical layout of the place. But I'll probably want them to do some work in figuring out how she feels about the situation.
That's why Hills Like White Elephants was so interesting to me. It sets out to do something contrary to my usual goals. I've since had a go at writing a similarly elliptical short story and found it very difficult to judge.
Once you have read Hemingway's story, you might enjoy the comments people have made on the Goodreads page.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
The really interesting thing to me is the way that readers, deprived of a definitive interpretation, start to make up a story that fits. And each story is different. (We were discussing it in a group and there were many different views expressed about what was happening and particularly the feelings and motivations of the two characters.)
Hills Like White Elephants is perhaps an extreme example of something writers do all the time. We try to let the readers understand certain things unambiguously, whilst at the same time leaving other things unsaid. In this way the readers are active participants, challenged to fill in the blanks, to form an interpretation.
A criticism thrown at some of Tolstoy's short stories is the lack of moral ambiguity. There is a 'correct' way to view the actions of the characters. Thus they can come over as being didactic and preachy.
Hemingway takes the opposite approach in this story, giving so few clues that we can't even be certain what the characters are talking about, let alone take a definite stance on questions of morality.
So, how much should a writer give and how much should they leave to the reader? There is no single answer to this, just as there is no single reader. Even the same reader coming back to a text at another time may want a different balance.
My approach has always been to let the readers know what is happening, whilst leaving the inner world of emotions and morals up the the reader to interpret. If Elizabeth Barnabus is balanced at the top of a roof, I don't want the readers to be in any doubt about the physical layout of the place. But I'll probably want them to do some work in figuring out how she feels about the situation.
That's why Hills Like White Elephants was so interesting to me. It sets out to do something contrary to my usual goals. I've since had a go at writing a similarly elliptical short story and found it very difficult to judge.
Once you have read Hemingway's story, you might enjoy the comments people have made on the Goodreads page.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
March 14, 2018
Myth, Mind & Landscape
Do you want to hear me talking about myth, mind and landscape and their relationship to creativity and stories?
No? Well whatever you do, don't click this link:
https://www.facebook.com/gaslitempire...
No? Well whatever you do, don't click this link:
https://www.facebook.com/gaslitempire...
March 11, 2018
Flat-Pack Novel
I came away from the supermarket with a ream of paper and an ink cartridge. If you want to see what I did with it, please follow the link:
https://www.facebook.com/gaslitempire...
https://www.facebook.com/gaslitempire...
March 6, 2018
Tricks of the Light
One of the highlights of my year teaching at DeMontfort University is the time I spend working with the third year creative writing undergraduates on their publication projects.
It is a complex process with many stages, including concept design, back and front covers, writing, layout, illustrations and more. There is no doubt that it alarms them at first. But by the end most have produced something about which they can feel rightly proud. In previous years several have told me afterwards that they got more out of it than any other part of their degree course.
A couple of months ago, sitting in the Creative Writing Centre at DMU, I happened to see a pile of publications, which had come back from the external examiner. A thought came to me: this is something I should have a go at!
Tricks of the Light is a story I've written about before on here. It is a short piece, but I have continued to work on it over many years. (I have written five full novels in the same period.) It has changed from screenplay to prose story to performance piece to audio collaboration...
The full article can be found here:
https://www.facebook.com/gaslitempire...
It is a complex process with many stages, including concept design, back and front covers, writing, layout, illustrations and more. There is no doubt that it alarms them at first. But by the end most have produced something about which they can feel rightly proud. In previous years several have told me afterwards that they got more out of it than any other part of their degree course.
A couple of months ago, sitting in the Creative Writing Centre at DMU, I happened to see a pile of publications, which had come back from the external examiner. A thought came to me: this is something I should have a go at!
Tricks of the Light is a story I've written about before on here. It is a short piece, but I have continued to work on it over many years. (I have written five full novels in the same period.) It has changed from screenplay to prose story to performance piece to audio collaboration...
The full article can be found here:
https://www.facebook.com/gaslitempire...
February 15, 2018
Humble Bundle
I hadn't heard of this organisation until a few days ago. Here's what they do: arrange for a bundle of digital material - eBooks, games etc - to be offered on a 'pay what you want' basis. Part of the money goes to the writers etc. And part to charity. So it is a win-win-win. Everyone goes away happy.
They have just bundled together a collection of books from my publisher Angry Robot and the whole lot will be available for the next 2 weeks.
I'm really delighted that all three Fall of the Gas-Lit Empire novels are on offer in this package. Even if you have my novels already, this is a great chance to get hold of other Angry Robot titles.
You will find the link here:
https://www.facebook.com/gaslitempire...
They have just bundled together a collection of books from my publisher Angry Robot and the whole lot will be available for the next 2 weeks.
I'm really delighted that all three Fall of the Gas-Lit Empire novels are on offer in this package. Even if you have my novels already, this is a great chance to get hold of other Angry Robot titles.
You will find the link here:
https://www.facebook.com/gaslitempire...
January 30, 2018
Novel Plotting
Here is a short article on a planning method I've used a couple of times for complex plot sequences. I mentioned it on social media the other day and a couple of people requested details. So here it is:
https://www.facebook.com/gaslitempire...
https://www.facebook.com/gaslitempire...
January 18, 2018
Book Birthday Party
We held the book launch for the Queen of All Crows last night. The venue was Leicester's Central Library. Our hosts were Leicester Writers' Showcase. I'm really grateful to the eighty or more people who turned out on a cold Wednesday evening to give the book a really wonderful birthday party.
Here is the recording I made of the talk. (Free to stream.)
https://rodduncan.bandcamp.com/track/...
Here is the recording I made of the talk. (Free to stream.)
https://rodduncan.bandcamp.com/track/...
