Fran Macilvey's Blog, page 41

Recently I was asked to contribute

Recently I was asked to contribute.

Recently, I was asked to contribute to an anthology of memoir.

I thought this sounded great, so I readily agreed, knowing that the editor will be reading all the contributions she is sent and selecting those she thinks are most likely to appeal for publication.

And I’ve written the first page, the first of ten pages or three thousand words.  It is not a bad page.  It encapsulates, in words I have not assembled before in that order, some of the pain and awk...

Time for a change

Time for a change.

I’ve been thinking it’s time for a change, and wondering where that might come from.  Then it hit me.  (Not literally, but another few pieces of the jigsaw slotted neatly into place, and the picture became a bit clearer.)

To change my mind is remarkably easy.  Not because I am easily swayed one way or the other on the international situation or the state of the environment….but

When something goes the way I don’t expect it to – Today, I prefer not to say, ‘goes wrong’ – I’v...

Make Believe

Make Believe

When we write, anything can happen.  Literally.  The Martians could land tomorrow. The sky could turn black and the clouds could hail frogs and pennies from heaven, refrigerators, even.

By Мавланов Бахт – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org

 

That is some power we have, and I believe in it so strongly, that, especially as I get older and feel more acutely the impact my words and feelings have on others, I find myself shying away from angry, sinister or brutal pl...

Realism in writing

Realism in writing

Realism, what is that? When we write stories, is it simply the accurate recording of circumstances and events, the faithful rendering of our characters’ personalities and ways of speaking? Or is it more to do with accurately reflecting what happens in the world, and being a faithful channel for wonderful characters who are very keen to see the light of day, who are longing to have their say?

Currently, I suppose, I tend to the view that realism is what we want it to be. I...

Wish Fulfilment

Wish Fulfilment

For me, the ultimate thrill of authorship is wish fulfilment.

‘I wish I had a million pounds….’ Well, maybe I don’t quite yet, but, with a bit of hope, a bit of a decision to think big, who knows?

I was brought up with the saying, ‘Seeing is believing’ and I suspect that most of us were. But if we turn that round to ‘Believing is Seeing’, then we really have a scenario in which whatever we believe – whatever we put our energy into – can come alive for us.

So say I write about...

Is it a thriller?

Is it a thriller?

I like books, of course, and I used to say I liked thrillers. Edgy, exciting, with narrow escapes, a bit of luck, coincidences to make the hair stand on the back of my neck, a nice bit of calculation to keep the grey matter going.

But, whether it is a current trend – in what, apparently is called genre fiction, which is supposed to stand in opposition to literary fiction – though I think it is pointless to take such distinctions literally – increasingly, the thrillers I rea...

Ideas will come

Ideas will come

I have learned that the most important part of any endeavour – any plan, idea, thought or wish – is to admit the idea and make a start with it. Because – and here is why – when we make any start with anything, our commitment brings up new ideas that – Wow! – we would never had thought of, if we hadn’t made that start, decided to allow any sort of beginning its space to blossom.

To give an example, I’m writing a series at the moment on the Joys of Writing, which, I’m surprise...

Five go for afternoon tea

Five go for afternoon tea.

Yesterday afternoon, an unseasonably warm Sunday, five authors from all over the UK met to start 2017 in fine style.

Claire Wingfield, the author and editor who has been instrumental in helping me organise my books and for keeping me motivated over many years, (read our interview on her blog here) thoughtfully suggested our get-together and arranged a table for us at the Signet Library restaurant in Edinburgh. (Think mirrored tables, fine tableware and thousands of...

The Joys of Writing

The joys of writing are – obvious, right? They include, having fun, enjoying the power to be a creative genius who dreams up new worlds, or finds wonderful new ways to present ever-popular themes.

For example, it looks as if the Tudor theme – mad kings, several hapless wives, beheadings, the search for the elusive male heir and lots of illegitimate siblings…. is set to run and run, but how would it be if we re-wrote that context with a twist, (as Robert Harris wrote ‘Fatherland’ supposing tha...

My plans for 2017

My plans for 2017

Last year was in so many ways such a memorable, challenging and often heart-breaking year.

Now, after the enthusiasm for new beginnings that follow New Year celebrations, I find myself lifting the blinds in the bright morning light of 2017 with a peculiar blend of emotions – relief, trepidation: who apart from another broken-up far eastern guy trying to get into my computer system, will be phoning? What will the news be? Good? I sincerely hope so.

Plans for any year are oft...