Lian Tanner's Blog, page 7

Shortlists

The very first of my books to appear on a shortlist was Museum of Thieves, in the 2010 Aurealis awards for Australian fantasy/science fiction. It was wildly exciting seeing it there, and even more exciting when it went on to win (even though they mistakenly named it as The Keepers on the award itself).

The following year, City of Lies (The Keepers #2) was also shortlisted, and also won. Which made me a bit cocky, to be honest. So I was disappointed when, a year later, Path of Beasts (The Keepers #3) DIDN’T make the shortlist – though my eldest brother kindly put it in terms of ‘letting other people have a turn’.

Shortlists like this are so important in terms of recognition (and feeling appreciated), and I never get tired of finding myself on one of them. So I was really pleased to see Secret Guardians (The Rogues #2) on the 2018 list.

And now I’m setting out to read the other books on the list. Most of these authors have either won the Aurealis at least once before, or been shortlisted for it, so it’s a good field, and a good way of finding out what’s going on in Australian speculative fiction.

I noticed yesterday that the shortlist for the New South Wales Premier’s award has also come out. I’m not on it, but my fellow Tasmanian Julie Hunt is, with her latest children’s book Shine Mountain.

Julie’s books are bighearted and beautifully written, and Shine Mountain is no exception. I hope she wins.

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Oops!

A couple of months ago, the bloke who designed and built my new website sent me a message with a link showing me how to use Mailchimp to send emails to people who’ve subscribed to my blog. I’ll read it later, I thought, and I got on with whatever I was doing. Writing, probably. Or brushing Harry, in the vain hope that he wouldn’t get quite so many furballs.

And then I forgot about it. The link, I mean. I didn’t forget the subscribers – I just assumed that by some mysterious technological process, they were receiving my blog posts.

But the other night, round about 2 am, it suddenly struck me that that might not be the case. (A lot of things strike me at 2 am. Story ideas. Bits of dialogue. The words of half-forgotten songs.)

So I checked back to Jin’s message – and realised that I was supposed to set up the mysterious technological process, and I hadn’t, so no one had heard a word from me.

Which is why ‘oops’ should also read ‘my apologies’. I have a bad habit of not reading instructions.

But I’ve read them now, and if you get this as an email and everything’s working the way it should, it must mean I followed them more or less accurately.

Phew.

Please let me know if anything’s not working the way it should.

 

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More on plotting

I realised at the beginning of this week that I’ve got four books on the go. Which is occasionally confusing, but mostly enjoyable.

Haunted Warriors (The Rogues #3) which I’m waiting to get back from my editor, so I can do the copy edit.
Alley Hunters, which my publishers have just received and will hopefully read soon. (And will hopefully LOVE!)
Secret Project X, which is in its second draft, and which I’ve put aside for a little while to get some perspective on.
Secret Project Y, which I started months ago but didn’t get very far with, and which I’m currently plotting.

Here are the notebooks for each one, in order, top to bottom. (Notice how I have cunningly positioned them so you can’t see more than a snippet of the working titles of X and Y.)

It’s a weird thing, plotting. It’s hard to just sit down and do it, because it depends on inspiration and ideas and other nebulous things. So I find it a bit frustrating. Because I like to come out of the morning feeling as if I’ve really achieved something.

And that just hasn’t been happening with Secret Project Y. I pretty much know what happens in the first act, and about half of that is written already. I think I’ve got most of the second act sorted out – in terms of plot, not actual writing.

But the third act is being stubborn. And the fourth act is a total mess. Which means I’m flitting between notebooks and butcher’s paper and anything else that might come in handy, and going for lots of walks, and staring into space with a vacant expression.

But I learnt something interesting last week – what works best is to sneak up on it. Halfway through the afternoon, maybe. Or after dinner. Just a half hour here and there, rather than trying to fit it into a morning’s work.

So that’s what I’m doing this week. Sneaking.

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The generosity of others

My sister-in-law is teaching at a small primary school in Torres Strait, almost exactly halfway between Cape York and Papua New Guinea. She was down in Tasmania over Christmas, and was telling us about the lack of appropriate books in the school. She had bought a certain number herself, but there weren’t nearly enough.

Which set me to thinking – I’m a children’s author; surely I know people who could donate some books?

Of course, it wasn’t just a matter of any books. They had to work for kids growing up in a village-based culture, with English as a second language. Because of this, my sister-in-law was particularly looking for picture books, early readers and chapter books. (One of her students’ current favourites is Roald Dahl’s The Enormous Crocodile.)

So last week I started sending out emails to other children’s authors, asking if they had any spare copies of their own books that the school could have. I started with the Tasmanian ones, and got a terrific response that usually went along the lines of, ‘Yes, definitely. And have you thought of asking X, Y and Z?’

Then I started on the mainland writers I know, and some of the publishers. Again, the replies were enthusiastic, particularly from Allen & Unwin and University of Queensland Press.

This week, I’ll try some more people. But it fills me with delight to know that there are already several parcels heading for Torres Strait, with my sister-in-law’s name on them.

People are so generous.

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Plotting

I’ve been asked to present a workshop for the Tasmanian Writers Centre this year, on a subject of my choice. And I’m pretty sure I’m going to do one on plotting.

Plotting one of those things that divides writers into two camps. Do I map out the story before I start my novel, or do I just begin writing and see what happens? The latter is also known as ‘pantsing’, as in ‘writing by the seat of my pants’.

I fall very definitely into the plotting camp. I’ve tried pantsing it, and it works for the first couple of weeks. But then it sends me into such a state of anxiety, worrying about what I’m going to write tomorrow, and where the book’s going and if it’ll ever get there, that it’s just not worth the effort. Plus the story falls apart more and more, so that by the end of my first draft it’s a horrible, knotted thing that I can hardly bear to look at.

Writers who are dedicated to pantsing tend to think that it must be boring to write a novel which you’ve already plotted in some detail. ‘There are no surprises,’ they say. ‘It’s like painting by numbers. How can you bear it?’

To me, this is a bit like saying, ‘It must be boring exploring the west coast of Tasmania if you’ve got a map.’ Because the thing about maps (and plots) is, they only give you an outline. They tell you where you are, and where you might go next. They tell you there’s a cliff somewhere behind you, and the ocean half a kilometre away.

But they don’t tell you about the breathtaking view from the cliff, or the size of the ocean swell, or the crabs scuttling sideways across the beach. And when you see that view, or the swell or the crabs, you can always change your mind about where you’re going next.

Like maps, plots only tell you a certain amount. And they’re not set in stone. I plotted Haunted Warriors (Rogues #3) in considerable detail; it was probably the most thought-about plot I’ve ever built. But halfway through the actual writing, I suddenly had a glorious idea that changed everything.

It wasn’t in the plot, and theoretically I could have ignored it and still come up with a decent book. But that would be boring. So I scooped up that glorious idea and re-plotted the book to incorporate it.

Your journey isn’t tied to one particular route, just because you’ve got a map. And creativity/inspiration/surprises don’t stop happening just because you’ve got a plot.

So that’s what the workshop’s going to be about. Plotting as a tool for inspiration. Plotting as a map, not a compulsory journey.

Now all I have to do is write it.

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Thinking on paper

I’ve been reworking the plot of Book X this past week. My initial plot was a pretty dodgy one that I threw together quickly just so I could start writing the story. So I knew I was going to have to go back and look at it at some stage. And sometimes that’s easier to do once I’ve got a first draft.

But working out what’s wrong with that first draft, and how to fix it, always requires a lot of thinking. And I think best on paper.

I don’t mean so much for smallish ideas, like ‘my heroine is trapped – how is she going to escape?’ I usually take that sort of problem to the beach, and let it solve itself while I walk. But with big issues, like ‘how do I fix the structure?’ or ‘what happens in the third act?’ I need to write stuff down and draw diagrams.

I don’t have one particular way of doing it. In fact, for any one book I usually jump between butchers paper and notebooks and scraps of paper, just trying to make sense of it as best I can.

But this time I also had a new tool – sketch noting from the workshop I went to. It turned out to be a really nice way of thinking on paper. It’s a little bit meditative because of the drawing and painting, so my mind can wander while I do it. Plus it’s fun, which is always a bonus.

So the story is making more sense now, in terms of structure. This week I’m going to write out the plot in detail – more scrap paper, more sketch noting – then start work on the next draft.

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Sketch noting

I went to a workshop yesterday, run by AGDA, the Australian Graphic Design Association. It was called ‘sketch noting’, which is using a mix of drawing and writing to record – um – anything.

The woman who ran it was a copywriter who wanted to get into the habit of doing more drawing. So she started keeping a visual diary when she travelled. She had really good ideas about where to start and how to get some kind of overall style for our pages. And she was very forgiving of the fear of the blank page!

We talked for a while, then went out to draw/write. My first couple of pages were fairly abysmal, because I was trying to draw people and they kept moving. And besides, I’m not very good at drawing people.

So then I went back to where the other workshop people were sitting, and set to work drawing their shoes. That was more fun, though it was really just drawing rather than sketch noting, and I had to ask a couple of them not to move their feet.

Of course part of doing this well is having some sense of design, which I have never had. But like most things, I’m assuming it can be learnt! Maybe that is part of 2019 – learning some design elements.

So I really like this as something to do while travelling, because in my experience I NEED something to do while travelling – something that allows me to retreat inside my head for a while. But I’d also like to incorporate it into my book plotting somehow. I’m not sure how yet, but I’ll have a bit of a play with it this week and see what happens.

What am I reading?

For YA. Murder, Magic and What We Wore by Kelly Jones. This was a really delightful mix of Regency spy mystery and magic, which has been done before (e.g. Mary Robinette Kowal), but not for young adults, as far as I know. It was a little repetitive in parts, but generally good, with plenty of humour and without all the angst that accompanies so much writing for YA.

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Happy New Year!

So, 2019 is upon us, but only just. I hope the year began well for you, and if it didn’t, I hope it begins to improve very soon.

I love this time of year in Tasmania, because a whole lot of people are on holiday and nothing much is happening. No one wants anything from me, there are no schools to visit, my editor is silent (probably at the beach) and I have no deadlines to meet.

So I can work or not, as I choose.

For this week, I choose not.

Of course the world doesn’t stop entirely. A very nice parcel arrived in the post, with copies of the Spanish edition of Accidental Heroes.

As you can see, they have kept the Australian cover, which is both pleasing and disappointing. Pleasing because it’s a beautiful cover. Disappointing because I was looking forward to seeing what Xavier Bonet, the illustrator who did the Spanish covers for the Keepers trilogy, would come up with.

As if he had heard my disappointment, Xavier (@xbonetp) posted some pictures on Instagram of the character drawings he had done for Pounce, Goldie and Mouse.

Aren’t they gorgeous? I love the way different illustrators can come up with such different work, and yet somehow they still capture the essence of the characters.

What am I reading?

For adults. The Fated Sky, by Mary Robinette Kowal. This is the second book in the Lady Astronaut duology, an alternate history built around the premise that a meteorite hit the earth in the nineteen fifties, creating climatic chaos. As a result, the space program was ramped up, in the hope that colonies could be created on other planets, to save humanity.

Elma York is a pilot and mathematician who is uniquely suited to being an astronaut. But the sexism of the era works against her, at the same time as the racism is working against anyone who isn’t white. The first book, The Calculating Stars, focuses on Elma’s fight to get into space, and to the moon. I really liked it, but I liked this second book more. Now she’s on her way to Mars, and the stakes are much higher.

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Merry Christmas!

Here it is almost the end of the year, and I’m taking stock of what I’ve done with my writing over the last twelve months, and where I’m going next year. As always, the former is much easier to work out than the latter.

There are so many possible paths, that’s the thing. So many books that nibble at me, wanting to be written. That’s one of the reasons why my plans for 2019 don’t include starting a new trilogy.

I love trilogies – I love how you can do so much with a story and send the characters over such a vast journey when you’ve got three books to do it. I love living with familiar characters for three years or more. I love starting the second and third books already knowing who the main characters are, what the world is, and what the magic systems are.

But during that three years, any number of other ideas crop up, and I have to say to them, ‘Not yet.’ And when they reply, ‘So when?’ I have to answer, ‘It’ll be at least another two years.’ Or ‘Another twelve months or so.’ At which point they wander off in disgust, looking for a writer who will treat them better.

So no trilogies next year. Instead, I’m intending to write (and am already well on the way with) a couple of shorter books. I’m always aware when I go into schools that the length of my books is a challenge for some kids. They’re fine for good readers, but 60,000 words can look pretty intimidating to someone who is not entirely sure of their reading ability.

Plus a 30,000 or 40,000 book seems so quick to write in comparison. So that’s what I’m aiming for. I’m not saying that I won’t write any more of the longer books – I’m sure I will. But for the next few months at least, I’m giving myself something a bit easier.

I’d also like to get another picture book finished next year. Once again, I’ve got any number of ideas – it’s just a matter of seeing which one/s I can make work to my satisfaction.

But for the next week or so I’m eating a lot, reading a lot, and not much else. Harry is doing the same but without the reading. We both wish you a very merry Christmas, with friends, family, much loved pets, or much loved books.

What am I reading?

For children, young adults and adults. Wonder, by RJ Palacio. I’ve heard people mention this book, but have only just got around to reading it. It’s the story of a boy with a very deformed face going to school for the first time, and the challenges he faces. It’s also about the challenges of the people who befriend him. It’s gorgeously written, wise and kind, as well as funny. Thoroughly deserving of its reputation.

For adults. Educated, by Tara Westover. This is an extraordinary memoir about the relentless grip one’s upbringing can have, and how hard it is to escape, even when the intellect knows better. It’s also a fine explanation of how a lack of education can become multi-generational, and the effect of this on people’s credulity and beliefs. The story itself is chilling – her brother’s violence, her father’s mental illness, and her family’s ability to deny those things and blame the victims, while holding themselves up as chosen by God, are disturbing to read, but fascinating.

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The Girls in the Basement

I had a good reminder about trust this week. It’s a huge part of writing, particularly with something as long and complex as a novel. Even starting on a novel requires trust that you will be able to finish it, that it will make some sort of sense (after a number of drafts), and that it’s worth doing.

But there’s a deeper sort of trust as well, and it crept up and belted me over the head on Thursday.

I’m writing the new book (henceforth known as Book X) and I’ve got the beginning and the end plotted. But not the middle, which is always the hardest part. Normally I wouldn’t start writing until I’ve got the whole thing done, but this story was gnawing away at me and I really wanted to get started, even though I knew I’d have to stop at some stage and finish the plotting.

So I was up to about 6000 words, and really enjoying it, when something started niggling at me. The heroes were escaping from the villain in the middle of the night, and in my plotting I’d had them hiding somewhere in the town while he (the villain) stormed past. But an insistent voice inside me said it wouldn’t happen like that, because the villain owns DOGS. And surely he’d use one of them to find the runaways?

Except I didn’t want to follow that particular path, because I couldn’t see how the heroes could possibly escape if there was a dog on their trail. There was no convenient stream for them to paddle through, or any other way of putting the dog off the scent. So they’d get caught again, pretty much straight away, which would send the story right back to where it started.

For a little while, I ploughed on with the story I had plotted. But that annoying voice wouldn’t shut up.

American author Jennifer Crusie calls this voice ‘the girls in the basement’, which is the best name for it I’ve ever come across. You could also call it the creative instinct or the unconscious mind, but they sound sober and sensible, whereas ‘the girls in the basement’ has a certain craziness about it. A stubbornness. A sense that if you don’t listen to them, the girls are going to sneak up the stairs and start throwing plates around.

Which they did, this last week.

So in the end I gave in and listened. Then I went back over what I’d written and added one of the dogs, following the scent of the runaways. I had no idea how they were going to escape, not with this ferocious dog (and ferocious man) on their trail.

But as I kept blindly writing, it came to me. Courtesy of the girls in the basement, who, by this time, were sitting around nodding their heads and saying, ‘I told you so.’ And it was way better than what I had originally plotted. What’s more, it foreshadowed the climax of the book in a really interesting way.

It was a good reminder. You’ve got to trust that nagging voice when you’re writing. Because the girls are always waaay ahead of you.

What am I reading?

For children. The Storm Keeper’s Island, by Catherine Doyle. I’m not sure if this is the first part of a trilogy or a duology, but it’s a gorgeous book, beautifully written, full of magic and well worth a read. Here’s the cover and the blurb:

‘When Fionn Boyle sets foot on Arranmore Island, it begins to stir beneath his feet … Once in a generation, Arranmore chooses a new Storm Keeper to wield its power and keep its magic safe from enemies. The time has come for Fionn’s grandfather, a secretive and eccentric old man, to step down. Soon, a new Keeper will rise. But, deep underground, someone has been waiting for Fionn. As the battle to become the island’s next champion rages, a more sinister magic is waking up, intent on rekindling an ancient war.’

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