Simon Hall's Blog, page 4

A wobble

I knew it would come, and thus it has.  Following the completion of the new book - or the first draft of it, anyway - I've started feeling a little low.

Part of what bothers me is that it's such an illogical reaction. I know I should be feeling proud, even jubilant at managing to knock together a hundred thousand words plus, in some form of order that might just make a passable novel.  But, as discussed in previous blogs, it's simply that the book becomes such a big part of my life that when it's gone, even temporarily, I miss it.

However! It's not such a bad slump, just a mild version, and I am coping.  The wonderful weather, so atypical of the British bank holiday tradition, is helping. It's great to see people out and smiling with the sunshine.  A few days off is very welcome too.

From experience of this emotion, I've also learnt ways of managing it.  Going to the gym (however reluctantly), and catching up with friends over a coffee or beer helps, as does preparing for upcoming writing events. There are quite a few in the next months, details on the News and Events page as they make their way along - www.thetvdetective.com/news.html

I reckon I can busk a few more days of such work before I allow myself to begin reading through the book and thinking about the edits. I usually make myself have a couple of weeks away from it, so I can come back almost as a reader and pick up any inconsitencies, bits of waffle, digression, poor writing or just nonsense.

I've never been great at taking holidays, but in the meantime, it's scarcely a hardship to enjoy  a stroll out in the sun, so that's the plan for now - here's wishing you a fine Easter break too.

Rutherford

A fine question has arrived, and it's this - why am I so very fond of Rutherford?

Firstly, I'm glad my correspondent noticed.  I am indeed hugely fond of Rutherford, and for a couple of reasons which I shall now plunge into.

The most obvious is that in the tvdetective books he's a very important character.  Dan is a bit of a loner, so he needs someone to talk to about the cases he's working on. Rutherford plays that part beautifully.

There's another motive in that he helps get Dan out into the wonderful Devon countryside when the pair take a walk, which is useful for variety in the books.  He's fun too, always causing mischief and getting into scrapes, which can be handy light relief in the midst of a very dark case.

But, as ever, there's a deeper reason for my love of Rutherford, and this is thus - for me, he's a reincarnation of the first dog I ever knew.

When I was born (in a pub, as previously mentioned, and to no one's surprise I noticed), Dad was worried about security, so went out and bought an Alsatian puppy to help guard the place. He was named Sam and I grew up with him as friend and companion.

Being a horrid kid I would poke him and pull his tail and it's family legend how he would never ever retaliate.  He also protected me throughout my childhood, always positioning himself between me and the gate to the garden when I was playing.  Even now, I remember crying for days when Sam died.

I can't have a dog of my own at the moment, the unpredictable and often antisocial lifestyle of journalist and author doesn't allow it. So for me Rutherford is my virtual dog, a friend and ally, and a way of making Sam live again in the books.

Finally, one quick aside here - when I write these blogs, some come quickly, others take longer to set down.  This one just flowed straight out and with a little lumping of the throat too. Time to go, I think before I get any more misty...

Don't forget, if you've got a question about the tvdetective books, or any areas of my writing, you can get in touch via the contact page of the site - www.thetvdetective.com/contact.html

The end...

I have, this very morning, with due fanfare and fly by of the Red Arrows etc., completed the first draft of the new tvdetective book.

The sharp eyed amongst you will have noticed I haven't mentioned a title - there is a working version, but I'm not sure it's going to be the final one yet, so shhhh for now is the way.  And no more detail about what's in it either, I'm trying to be suitably author like and mysterious!

Now, as I was saying, the final full stop on the page leaves me feeling elated in one way, and sad in another. See previous blogs for my tendency to melodrama at the finishing of a book...

Anyhow, the point of this little musing is that for a writer it's rarely the end.  The finishing of the first draft is merely the start of work on the second, and when that's done the third, and so on until the publisher loses patience and insists on releasing the thing.

Some clever person one said that writing is rewriting, and I think that's very true.  It's a smart way of pointing out one of life's broader lessons - that annoying though it may be, there's no substitute for hard work.

John Cleese was once asked why Fawlty Towers was so good.  You must be a genius, the interviewer said.  No he replied, we just had a good idea and worked at it, and worked at it, and worked at it until it was as good as it could possibly be.

That's a little story I often mention when I'm doing writing workshops, to emphasise the importance of polishing your efforts.  The tvdetective books usually take about 6 or 7 rewrites before they're in a passably fit state to publish. I know other writers who do even more.

So, as the old saying goes, not an end but a beginning... and next week I shall commence work on the first rewrite!

A final word for this blog, and it's to thank the ladies of the Devon WI for making me so welcome at my little talk in Torquay on Wednesday. I must confess to being remiss and not asking the size of the audience before I came along. I was expecting a hundred or so.

Thus it was a silence inducing moment - rare in the Hall world - to arrive and be told the number was 1400.

But you were all very lovely - thank you - and even better you laughed at the points in my little ramble when I hoped you would.  The WI is a wonderful institution in my humble view, and long may you thrive.

Don't forget, if you've got a question about the tvdetective books, or any area of my writing, or are interested in my input to an event, you can get in touch via the contact page of the site - www.thetvdetective.com/contact.html

Trepidation

After a flurry of writing this morning, I've now reached the final chapter of the new book.

You may well think this should be a cause of me feeling pleased with myself. And I am, a little, but there's more of a sense of trepidation.

Allow me to explain.  When I write a book, it's such a huge process that it becomes a part of my life. There's the planning stage, which takes months, and effectively involves me falling in love with the idea as I develop it and grow fonder and fonder of it.

Then there's the actual writing, which again takes many months - about five in this case.  During that time, the book becomes so close to me that I write some just about every day, and muse about it even more often.

I've thought hard about this, but it's not an exaggeration to say it becomes like a relationship. We spend a lot of time together each and every day, enjoying each other's attentions (well, I certainly enjoy the book's and I assume it enjoys mine as I'm writing it), and then suddenly comes a point when I can see the end approaching.

I'm left knowing I'll miss it badly, and wondering what can ever possibly replace it.  From experience of writing the other five tvdetective books, I know this can prompt quite an unpleasant slump in me. Hence the trepidation. 

I know that may all sound rather bizarre, but as I've said before I try to be honest in these blogs, and that's the truth of it.

So, when I've had a fortifying cup of tea, I shall commence work on the final chapter, with a little due tightening of the chest and a mistiness of the eye. 

Yours for now, in a slightly emotional / whimsical mood...

A little self examination

A very fine question was posed of me yesterday at the Sleuths Crime Writing Festival, and as so often it was a short and simple one -

Why did I start writing?

It's something I haven't properly answered before, and prompted a little of that uncomfortable shining of the light within to see what murkiness might be found. 

After some such, here comes the best I can manage as an answer.

Top of the list, as so often in matters concerning Hall I fear, must be vanity. I just thought I could do it so I had a go.  I didn't plough into it thinking "oh, this will be easy", but I certainly didn't appreciate the dedication and degree of hard work required to produce around a hundred thousand words of fairly coherent and cogent book.  And that while working full time for a mistress who can be as demanding as the BBC.

Secondly I suppose, came the almost equally inflated thought that I had something to say, which furthermore people might be interested to read.

And thirdly came another lovely stroke of vanity in that I had the cheek to believe I could even make my ideas entertaining.

All that from such a short, but perceptive question! 

Anyhow, I'm glad I do write, it's a hobby that these days I wouldn't know how to live without. And I'm even more glad I bring a small measure of entertainment to some of you kind people who were good enough to tell me so yesterday in Torbay.

Thanks to all who came along to Sleuths and particularly the organisers. It was superbly well run and I very much enjoyed my visit.  I wish you all the best with more such fine festivals in future.

Lastly for this blog, with the reemergence of the world from hibernation, I'll be doing quite a few events about the tvdetective books. If you're interested, keep an eye on the News and Events page -

 

 

 

 

 

Sunshine and inspiration

A beautiful morning has dawned here in Exeter, which leaves me reflecting on how much easier it can be to write when the weather is kind.

The inspiration for a book, character, storyline, or just some little quirk in a novel can strike me anytime, which is why I always carry a notebook, or at least a piece of paper and a pen.  But there are also certain ways of helping to promote some thinking.

One of my favourites is a walk around the river. I'm lucky in living close to the Exe, and it's a perpetual theatre. There are swans begging bread, ducks bustling about their busy trade, the wonderful spectacle of cormorants doing their wing spread drying thing, but I'm fondest of the gang of geese.

They're so excitable. The merest hint of a bread treat prompts a cacophony of honking - to my considerable amusement, if not that of those who live near where they nest!

A fine walk in the Devon countryside can also be a powerful source of inspiration. Dartmoor is my favourite, as witnessed in the many strolls Dan and Rutherford take in the tvdetective books. If you want a recommendation for these spring days, try the walk to the Ted Hughes memorial up on the north moor, as set out in The TV Detective. It's wonderful.

Finally for this musing, a simple way of making my errant mind work is to spend some time in my study. It's a converted attic and enjoys wonderful light.  I've got a desk and chair there, but also a little sofa, upon which I spread out and try to think.

The study is home to my vinyl collection too, going back to my old DJing days and even earlier, but that's another story!

Lastly for this blog, if you fancy something to do at the weekend, don't forget the excellent Sleuths crime writing festival in Torbay. I'm doing a couple of appearances - there are more details on the News and Events page - www.thetvdetective.com/news.html

Sleuths

A week today I'll be in Paignton, as a guest of the excellent Sleuths Crime Writing Festival.

I'm doing two events, a crime writing workshop in Paignton Library and a talk about the tvdetective books at the Another Chapter bookshop in Brixham.  This Saturday morning finds me working out what to say at both, and happily making a little progress.

The talk is fairly straightforward, just the usual list of strange Hall thoughts and bizarre anecdotes, which many of you have been generous enough to say you find passably interesting or even amusing.

The workshop is rather more tricky.  Firstly, there's the self doubt bit.  Always when I'm asked to talk about how to write a novel, I start thinking - well, who am I to say?  All I did was one day - rather vainly - decide to write a book.  It came as more than a little surprise to get published, then to be asked for more! 

However, I'll do my best, as ever, and so this is what I've decided to try.  It's going to be a quick fire session in which I'll attempt to cover all the major points of a book. We'll start with the importance of a fine opening line, then go onto characters, plots and settings, and also one of the key parts of crime fiction - how to con the readers.

All that in an hour and a quarter!  It'll certainly be a challenge...

I always enjoy these events enormously, and often because I learn as much, if not more, than the poor unfortunates in the audience.  So, if you're coming along, I'll look forward to seeing you, and if you haven't got anything planned for next Saturday (9th April), do think about a visit to the festival.  It's a great event and growing event, and a real asset to the south west.

Back to the preparations then - no weekend lie in for me!  There are more details of the festival on the News and Events page - www.thetvdetective.com/news.html  if you should fancy a visit.

A curious feeling...

I'm approaching the end of the writing of the new tvdetective book, and experiencing some odd sensations.

The first, and most straightforward, is that I'm enjoying it immensely.  It's strange to say, but I find myself wanting to find out what's going to happen.  Now, as the author, clearly I should know that, and I do!  But it's as if I want the relief for the characters, of knowing what's going to happen to them,and how the story will conclude.

The second feeling, which is more difficult to describe, is one of apprehension. 

When I write a book, I get so attached to it that it effectively becomes a very good friend. I look forward to seeing it ,being with it, writing it.  When I'm not writing, I'm often thinking about it - what's going to happen next, how I'll structure the next chapter, what a character might do in a certain situation, that kind of thing.

So now I'm starting to feel concerned about how I'll be when the last full stop is set down upon the page.  I know I'm going to miss the book, and will have to cast around for other things to occupy me, or I shall start to mope.

I suppose it's like many things in life - a mix of pleasure and pain. 

The good news is that I won't be without my friend for too long.  After the passage of a few weeks, I shall pick it up again, read it afresh and start the editing process.  So at least there's that to look forward to.

Back to the writing then, and onwards towards the end, however it might make me feel. Yours, for now, in a mixed state of emotions, this strange author...

The importance of inspiration

Some very important memories have come back strongly to me this week.

I was fortunate enough to be invited to Park School in Barnstaple on Thursday, to work with Year 8 on an Enterprise Day - a challenge to get them to think about designing and managing the London Olympics of next year.  In teams, they had to work out schedules of events and entertainments, budgets, catering, design mascots, T-shirts, tickets, a whole range of problems.

Then came the sting - they had to perform a presentation to the whole of the rest of the year, marked by 5 evil judges (including me). Nerve wracking or what?

It was a fantastic day.  I've said this before, and I'll say it again, and many times I suspect. Young people get such a panning in the press that you'd think they all carry knives and do little but mug old ladies. But the kids I met were great, so enthusiastic, full of energy and ideas, not to mention creativity.  I was hugely impressed and found it a privilege working with them.

But the point of this blog is more about the teachers and classroom assistants I had the pleasure of meeting.  Their work is so important, yet so often undervalued by society, when what they do should (in the humble view of the Hall) be held in the highest of esteem.

I've mentioned before that without the intervention of 2 wonderful  teachers from my formative years, I doubt I'd have made much of my life.  On Thurs, I saw that all over again, as a range of teachers inspired the youngsters to find a vision, believe in it, and see it through.  Now that's what I call teaching, and it took me back to when I was 14, and the way Mr Warr and Mr Lewis helped me.

So there was a little misty nostalgia (which I hope I disguised), and a great day. Thanks to one and all at Park for making me so welcome, and congratulations and commendations on your efforts.  You all deserved to win in my view!

Causing consternation

I appear to have unwittingly caused some consternation with my last blog, when I wrote about the joys of riot training and it giving me an idea for the final tvdetective book.

Firstly, I'm a tad saddened to say it wasn't the riot training part which created the worry - a grand total of no one at all has enquired as to whether I'm still ok, in one piece, a little bruised, singed by the petrol bombs etc.

No, what's caused the interest is the idea of the series coming to an end.  Let me make it clear here that I didn't set out to bother anyone in the last blog, nor was I seeking a little cheap publicity - I've always thought the books would finish some day, but I wasn't quite prepared for the reaction that's caused.

So!  A few words of reassurance, to address some of the emails I've received.

Firstly, the tvdetective series isn't going to end for a fair while yet (assuming of course, you kind folk are good enough to keep reading my scribblings).  I can't say exactly how many books are yet to come, but I've certainly got ideas for at least three, and that's before we come to the last one.

Secondly - and this is something which crops up time and again - yes, the relationship between Dan and Claire will come to a resolution.  Would I be so cruel as not to tell you what happens there?!  Yes, I do know what that resolution is going to be. And no, before you ask, I'm not saying which way it'll go.  That's one of the most common questions posed about the books and I'm staying stum!

Thirdly, yes, some of the unanswered questions about the characters will also be resolved, and I'm thinking particularly of our "leading man" here (if ever he deserves such a title).

Now, no more before I do my usual thing and go on too long. You know what I can be like.

Lastly for this entry, a mention for an event going on tomorrow night (Thurs) in Tavistock. It's a celebration of historical fiction, to mark the publication of a new book on the subject by local writer Myfanwy Cook.  Lots of Devon authors will be there, myself included, so if you fancy it, do pop along. There are more details on the News and Events page - www.thetvdetective.com/news.html