C.C. Hogan's Blog, page 9

She says, he says

Trying to get dialogue perfect in any kind of writing can be hard work and is something I often fight with, even though I love doing it.

In my mind, dialogue should be natural and flow, which probably means it is not natural at all. What a conundrum!

Can a man write convincing female characters?

As a bloke, unless I decide to write a book exclusively about men, I have to write female characters. But sometimes men are criticized for not really understanding what a woman is, let alone being able to get to the depths of the character.

Is this fair? Can a man write a convincing female lead?

Jessica Lorenne interviews me!

The fantastic Jessica Lorenne has very kindly interviewed me for her blog and you can see the result here:

http://jessicalorenne.weebly.com/blog...

A World Called Dirt

Johnson Farthing shifts Dirt for a living. That is his lot. The bottom of the pile with no future, no expectations and no reason to think anything is going to change.

And then, his sister is kidnapped and his world is turned on it's head.

Free OneNote Novel Template

I have decided to clean up and release the OneNote notebook template I use for planning Novels.

OneNote is perfect for this kind of work and is now free - how kind.

The Joy of losing the plot

Whatever the publicists tell you, writing should always be primarily selfish - if you are not writing for yourself, then what is the point?

Part of my fun is letting myself fall into the trap of a sub-plot or an aside; a little journey away from the main thrust.

The Stink is Here

Yep, I have finally published my first full length novel, so here is the lowdown!



North London, 1976. The longest, hottest summer on record. The dustmen are on strike, the water is running out and the kids hate their parents. Which bunch of idiots would think it is a good idea to start a band?

Stench, Aroma, Smell, Haze and Fart might not have the sweetest nicknames in town, but these five have just finished their O-Levels and are on a mission to take their fledgling little band and get themselves a half decent gig. Songs are good, playing is getting better, Smell's voice is wicked, so what could possibly go wrong?

Aside from the National Front, smelly teens, the lead singer falling in love with the drummer and a double murder.

But this is 1976. It is not only a different decade, it is a different planet.
If you were a teen back then, you will lap up the nostalgia. If you are a teen now, you will wish you had been there.

The Stink. It was what the seventies were all about!

And where do you get it from?

http://getbook.at/the-stink-kindle

See Also the Website:

http://thestinkbooks.com

The Stink

What's in a Name?

One drawback of working on a series of books in a make believe world is that I find myself constantly trying to think up names for places and characters.

Really, I could use anything, but something inside tells me that I need to think it through a little more than that.

Great Characters are born not written

Developing great characters is the most difficult part of writing, in my mind, and is one of those things that both agents and publishers latch onto quickly.
It is inconsistent, though, and I have had agents say "Your characters are weak," and "At least the characters are really strong," all about the same characters!

So, ignoring agents entirely, here are my thoughts on not how you write about your characters, but how you find them in the first place.

We Love 1976

My new book, The Stink, is set in 1976. It was the year the water ran out, the dustmen went on strike (again) and of the Notting Hill Riots.

But I also remember it as the year when we had a huge amount of fun and grew up a lot. So, why did I chose it as the backdrop for my book?