Sara Jayne Townsend's Blog, page 52

Family Ties

My dad and his siblings have an arrangement to get together with their paternal cousins about once a year. This arrangement apparently came about when they realised they were only ever seeing each other at funerals. There are no surviving members of my grandparents' generation, and my dad's generation didn't want to get to a stage where they were next reunited at one of their funerals, so they now get together annually. I had occasion to join the last of these gatherings, which took place at the end of October last year, to get to know all these people who share my genes, but are mostly strangers.

I find the concept of genetics fascinating. I have gone through my life prizing the fact that I am unique, and yet the more I learn about my family tree, the more I come to understand that many of the peculiar quirks that I thought made me an individual are actually family traits.

There's no doubt that my dominant genes are those from my father's line. It's evident I am my father's daughter. The philosophy of being myself, no matter what others think, I get from him. My inherent lack of interest in clothes and fashion also comes from him. It seems my dislike of vegetables and fondness of all things sweet and fattening is also a family trait. As we all tucked into our food at our family gathering I noticed I was not the only one loading up on the desserts – and no one was tackling the vegetables with any enthusiasm.

One of my grandfather's brothers had a colour cine camera a long time before such a thing became commonplace, and his vast collection of cine film has now been converted to DVD. This footage spans an era from 1948 through to 1977. It's fascinating to watch as a snap shot of Lancashire life through the decades, along with the changing fashions and hairstyles – most evident in what the brides were wearing. Only the family matriarch, "Grandma Townsend" – my paternal grandfather's mother – looked the same at every wedding, wearing the same style coat and the same hairstyle as the years rolled on.

She died when I was about six. I have vague memories of visiting my great-grandmother when I was a child. She lived in a little terrace house in Ashton, characteristic of the Victorian-era houses that are commonplace in Northern towns. I found her quite intimidating – but I was very young and she was very old.



There's some brief footage of me near the end of this family film archive, aged about five, jumping around in my grandparents' garden with my sister and my cousin. The attached photo is of me, at around that time. Note the 1970s anorak – a good indication of just how old this picture is!

It's always been important to me to retain my surname – through insisting on being published under my own name, and not changing it when I got married. It's hard to explain sometimes why it was so important to me to keep my name, but learning more about the family history has given me a better understanding of why I've been so proud of this name I bear. We may not be perfect – what family is? But now I understand what it means to be a Townsend, and why I should be proud to be so.

What I Learned From My Editor #2 – "Show, Don't Tell"

(cross-posted from the WriteClub blog)

If you've ever watched "Star Trek – Next Generation", you will be familiar with their writers' technique of using the 'personal log' voice-over to set a scene. But although this might work on "Star Trek", you can't get away with it when writing a novel. When the voiceover says, 'Worf's personal log. I have discovered what ship my brother Kern is serving on. I have arranged to meet him', it smacks rather too much of "telling, not showing".

This is a cardinal sin in the writing group and I am well aware of this. That doesn't mean I never do it myself. I'm a linear sort of person. I like beginnings, middles and endings, and I like narratives to follow a chronological line. I have a bad habit of indulging in the urge to over-explain things to my reader, especially when I'm writing in first person.

One aspect of this is the "Too Much Information", syndrome I talked about in the first post in this series. But I've also had to learn to "show, not tell". If my character is angry, I shouldn't need to say so. She should be stomping around slamming doors or throwing things.

Writing about emotion can be difficult. A character who slams doors is one thing, but how do you show your character falling in love? Well, I'm still struggling with this – at least on paper – so I'm not the best qualified person to offer advice here. But it seems that what a character does and says in the presence of another character, if written well, can make it very evident that these two people are falling in love, without anyone having to directly refer to it.

I think as far as characters are concerned I'm better at doing "angry" than "love". But working on the edits of DEATH SCENE, my editor advised me to to work a bit more on the relationship between my MC and her love interest, so I was obliged to get in a bit of practice. And judging by the direction my character's been taking in the second book in the series, I suspect future books about my amateur sleuth are going to offer plenty more opportunities for further practice….

Sick Leave

When I was a kid, I was never allowed to shirk school unless I was really sick. The definition of "really sick" was "not able to get out of bed".

So, on the days when I decided I was too sick to go to school, I was obliged to stay in bed for the rest of the day. In those days I didn't even have a TV in my room, let alone a games console. Staying in bed got rather boring rather quickly, and generally I decided I was well enough to go back to school the following day.

Of course, I was lucky enough not to be a sickly child. Apart from the usual childhood illnesses and the occasional bad cold, I didn't really get sick.

This mindset has stayed with me into adulthood. I feel guilty about calling in to work sick. Generally, if I wake up feeling rotten, I will attempt to crawl into the shower anyway. If I'm feeling sort of OK after that, I'll struggle into work. And then, I figure since I'm at work, I may as well stay there, since I got that far.

Generally I don't have a lot of time off sick. Until the time I had bronchitis, three years ago, and was signed off work for nearly a month, I'd averaged maybe three days off sick a year.

However, times change. I'm no doctor, but I'm convinced the viruses are changing, too. Once upon a time you got a cold virus, you felt rotten for a couple of days and might be sniffly for a week, but unless you had flu you could generally go about your day. Not so anymore. I think as we develop these anti-bacterial agents that kill 99% of all germs, the 1% that survive evolve to become tougher.

I've just returned to work today after a virus that floored me for a week. It started as all viruses do – sore throat, sneezing, cough, stuffed up nose, foggy head. This kicked in the weekend before last, and I was off work on Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday I went into work, as I thought I felt a bit better. By the time I got there, it was evident I didn't. I came home at lunch time, and ended up off sick the rest of the week. I spent my week wrapped up in a duvet on the sofa. Only the SyFy channel's daily dose of "Buffy" and my significant "to be read" pile kept me sane. I couldn't even spend the time at home writing – my head felt like it was stuffed with cotton wool and I couldn't concentrate on anything.

Today I feel rather better so went back to work. I'm still coughing and blowing my nose constantly. However, I've spoken to quite a lot of people who've had this virus this winter, and it seems these symptoms hang on for rather a long time. Viruses spread quickly amongst commuters – no doubt it's down to being packed in to tube carriages like sardines.

You'd think, in the 21st century, modern medicine advances would have developed a cure for the cold virus in all its mutations. But it seems not. You can waste a lot of money on cold remedies, but ultimately all that can be done with a virus is to rest and keep warm. And drink fluids.

Well, I did all that for a week, and I think maybe my antibodies are winning the war. But there's still a few guerilla germs hanging on in there. I'm consuming Echinacea pills and vast quantities of Vitamin C in an attempt to beat off the stragglers. Begone, germs. Don't you know when you're not wanted?

Review of "Tron: Legacy"

I don't normally review films on this blog, but the last film I saw had quite an impact on me and I would like to do a post about it.

I didn't see "Tron" when it first came out. I wasn't gaming nerd or sci fi geek in those days. In fact, I wasn't interested in sci fi at all until I saw "Star Wars" (which was in late 1982, on video), and after that I could be more accurately described as a Star Was fanatic instead of a sci fi geek.

Anyway, it happened that "Tron" was on TV a few months ago, and the day after we saw it, we went to the cinema to see "Resident Evil – Afterlife" and "Tron: Legacy" was trailered there. So, our interest piqued, we went to see it when it hit the cinemas.

"Tron: Legacy" is part remake, part sequel.  Set twenty years on, Sam Flynn, son of the original main character Kevin Flynn, tries to find out why his father disappeared without a trace, and discovers that Kevin was sucked into the 'net' – or at least what the idea of the 'net' was in the 80′s.

The film makes no attempt to update the computer graphics of the film from the basic pixels that we had in 80′s video games, but it couldn't really do otherwise, if it wanted to remain true to the original film.  The best special effects, I have to say, involve the creation of a CGI Jeff Bridges. The real, aged, Jeff Bridges turns up later in the film and you know the younger version you've seen earlier has to be a CGI creation, because frankly Jeff Bridges just isn't that young anymore. But it's so real that you do start to wonder if maybe somehow you have gone back in time – and that, in essence, is the spirit behind the whole film.

I couldn't decide when I saw "Tron: Legacy" whether I liked it or not.  It's a film with one foot in the 80′s and one foot in the 21st century.  But this is precisely what it sets out to achieve.

The best and worst parts of this film, to my mind, are actually the same scene.  Sam Flynn, in his hunt for his father, returns to the video arcade, Flynn's, that was featured in the original film.  It's been closed up and abandoned for 20 years, and yet when he turns on the power, all the retro computer games flare into life.  I find it hard to believe anyone thought to pay the electricity bill in an abandoned building for the last 20 years.

When the power comes on, however, the juke box starts playing – at an incredible volume – Journey's "Separate Ways".  This song is so indicative of the 80′s, and so appropriate a soundtrack for the themes in "Tron" – and such a powerful reminder of why Journey sum up the decade of the 80′s – that I was willing to forgive the whole issue of why the abandoned arcade still had electricity.

If you're an 80′s kid and a sci fi fan, you'll find things to love about "Tron:  Legacy", in spite its flaws.

This film's power to take me back to the 80′s is the reason it had such a profound effect on me. The "Separate Ways" soundtrack was part of the impact, and for that reason I leave you with the video – available on Youtube – of this song. Music, outfits, hairstyles – it's just so wonderfully 80s in every way.

[image error]

When Characters Misbehave

(Cross-posted from the WriteClub blog)

Sometimes no matter how carefully you plan, your characters refuse to follow the path you've set for them. And if they are insistent on misbehaving in this way, it often means you have to rethink your plot structure accordingly.

When I created my amateur sleuth, I had in mind she'd be a single, independent minded girl. I didn't want her tied to the obligation of a committed relationship.

In truth, I am not a big fan of romance in novels, and I don't like writing about romance. But it is difficult to keep characters perpetually single, because relationships are such an integral part of humanity and if you want people to relate to your characters, you have to ensure that they relate to other characters.

So, in DEATH SCENE, the first of the amateur sleuth series, my single female sleuth does have a bit of a 'fling', with a fellow actor. I never imagined that this was going to be a serious relationship. I thought he was only going to last the first book. I also didn't plan on her being in love with this character. I think she has a problem with commitment.

As we progressed through the editing process of DEATH SCENE, my editor advised me to make a bit more of the relationship between these two characters, as the 'love interest' was coming across as being a bit two-dimensional. So I worked on this a bit, trying to suggest that he was perhaps falling for her – though I was adamant I didn't want my sleuth falling in love with him. I also chickened out of adding any sex scenes. There were certainly places to put them, but I am the sort of person who skips over sex scenes in novels, looking for something more interesting going on (a bit of murder or mayhem, for instance). I didn't think the sexy details would add anything to the story, so it all happens "off-page".

I've recently finished the first draft of the second novel in this series. And what did I find, as I got to the exciting bit at the end? Suddenly I discovered my amateur sleuth was full of regret for the cavalier way she treated the love interest of DEATH SCENE (who I was convinced was out of the picture by the beginning of Book 2), and seemed to be hankering after rekindling her relationship with him. Granted, she was tied up in a damp dark basement in fear of her life at the time, and such situations lend themselves to a degree of self-reflection.

But this all came as a bit of a revelation to me. I had my amateur sleuth pegged as the type of girl who would move from lover to lover without a second thought. It seems that maybe she's not that kind of girl at all.

So, if my sleuth insists on my bringing back her ex for Book 3, that's really changed the story arc and I'm going to have to think about where I go with this.

Not only that, but it was at this point in the manuscript that I also came to the realisation that I'd pegged the wrong character as the murderer. Which is going to require some serious re-writing for Draft 2, as the actual murderer doesn't actually make much of an appearance in the first draft.

Pesky characters. It really throws a spanner in the works when they go and do unexpected things. A writer's life would be so much simpler if they did what you told them to. But the story would probably be far less interesting, so I have learned that it pays to listen when your characters are trying to tell you where you're going wrong.

Guest Bloggers Wanted!

I have decided to open this blog up to guest bloggers. A lot of people have been generous in letting me post on their blogs, so I am returning the favour and inviting people to post on mine. I think cross-pollination of blogs is an excellent promotional tool for writers.

My plan is that the guest blog posts will be on Mondays, under the title of "Monday's Friends". I would be happy to hear from writers of any genre who want to post, and you can write about anything vaguely writing-related, including plugging your latest book or your own blog.

So, if you're interested in a guest blog slot on "Imaginary Friends", let me know.

Guest Blogging at Julia Knight's Blog

Author Julia Knight is running a series of guest posts on her blog, "Turnips at Dawn", on the subject of "How to…" for writers.

Today, I am the guest blogger with a post regarding what I've learned about "How to Keep Your Editor Happy".

Happy editors make for happy writers…

"The End"

(Cross-posted from the WriteClub blog)



These are the best words a writer can write. "The End" means the first draft is finished.

Even if the first draft is rubbish, which it generally is, it is something to celebrate. A completed first draft means that the rest of the writing process doesn't involve staring at a blank page. The foundation is in place. All you have to do now is build on it.

And even if the worst case scenario occurs, and you end up tearing that foundation down – well, you've still got the hole.

So finishing the first draft is a reason to celebrate.

And I am celebrating now because I have finished the first draft of the second book in the amateur sleuth series (working title is DEAD COOL, but it's also known as THE CASE OF THE DEFENESTRATED ROCK STAR). Yes the first draft, at less than 48,000 words, is ludicrously short. Yes, it's full of plot holes. It's woefully short of sub-plot, and character development, and the plot lurches about all over the place as I changed my mind about the way it was going.

There was also a radical revelation from the main character that she wanted to go off in a completely different to that I had envisaged, and an epiphany that the killer actually turned out to be someone I wasn't expecting it to be towards the end of the book, both of which are going to require some major revision to the plot arc.

But even, in spite of all that, there's still reason to celebrate. The first draft might be rubbish, but it's done. Everything else can be fixed in the rewrite.

Lots of work to do in draft 2, of course. But before I go there, I think I'm going to turn my attention back to the other WIP, the urban fantasy. It's been calling out to me of late, and I've neglected it far too long.

Guest Post at Natasha Bennett's Blog

I am blogging today on author Natasha Bennett's blog, as part of her "Author Blog Month", talking about crossing genres. Take a look here.

Somebody's Sitting In My Chair

I've mentioned that when I have my writing mornings at Starbucks, I always sit in the same chair. Writers are creatures of habit. I also mentioned, in my last post, the madness of writers.

I arrived at Starbucks yesterday morning for my writing session, to find someone else sitting in my chair. This annoying fact was exacerbated by the fact that apart from this interloper, the place was empty – of all the chairs to sit in, he happened to choose mine.

Feeling rather put out, I bumbled around for a while trying to decide on an alternative chair. And sitting elsewhere clearly affected my productivity. Usually I manage at least 900 words in my morning writing sessions. I did less than 700 yesterday.

I channelled my murderous intentions inwards and started to imagine what would happen if I took vengeance on this unsuspecting Starbucks customer. I don't carry much on my daily commute that could be used as a weapon. I could hit him over the head with the NetBook, but that would probably do more damage to the NetBook.

I could smash a chair into his face, while explaining why it's a bad idea to sit in a writer's seat. Once he'd finished picking his teeth up off the floor, he would apologise and beat a hasty retreat. More likely, though, he'd call the police, having been subject to an unprovoked attack by a mad woman. Trying to justify this action to the police would be difficult. It's a public place. There are plenty of empty chairs. What's so special about this one? Somehow, I don't think my explanation of, "I write better in this one" was going to wash.

Happily, though, since all this played out in my imagination, the unsuspecting Starbucks customer left unmolested, and none the wiser. I do hope he's a passing tourist and isn't going to make a habit of occupying my seat in Starbucks on Friday mornings. Then I might be obliged to explain to him for real why it's a bad idea to sit in a writer's "writing spot." And then, things might get ugly.