This is a term which has hit the news recently. Do we know what it is? And, as writers, how do we avoid being accused of cultural appropriation?
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Themes
I want to tell you about themes. When I first started writing (short, literary fiction), I was forever being told about themes, and about how my writing needed more thematic writing in them. I really struggled to work out what a theme was, and how I could get it into my writing without making it look clunky and hokum.
After a couple of years of very minor success, I moved onto writing longer fiction. And, since I read commercial genre fiction (crime / thriller / horror / espionage), I naturally began to concentrate on those areas – writing the sort of books I’d like to read. If they were any good.
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Focus
What does focus mean to you? Something that happens automatically when you use your modern camera or smartphone? A type of Ford car?
I’m talking about personal focus. That moment of clarity, when the fug and fog around you disappears, what’s truly important comes into view.
The life of an independent author – one who doesn’t have a traditional deal with a large or medium-sized publisher – is one of wearing two hats, almost being a Janus figure – looking both ways. Janus, the God of beginnings and transitions. The beginning is the creative side, the writing of a novel; the transition is one of becoming a commercial author.
What are you talking about, Gerald?
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The great disease of 2020
No, I’m not talking about *that* disease. This is a disease which isn’t talked about, except amongst writers, artists and other creatives.
It’s a strange disease, to do with lockdown, to do with anxiety, to do with a general feeling of unease.
And it has meant that us creatives haven’t been very … well, creative. I know, Jemima learnt to play the Flügel horn, and Benedict has been sharpening up his ancient Greek proverbs, but for many of us, we’ve just been feeling a bit … meh.
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Catching up
New Opening Pages Vlog!
I’d just like to share the fact that I’m now producing 10-minute videos (or so) where I critique the opening section of novels.
For me, the opening scenes in a new novel are THE most important sections of a novel – whether you’re trying to pitch the manuscript to an agent or publisher, or whether you’re self-publishing and you want readers to buy it.
Corruption – the story behind the story
For the third novel in my #VisionFor2020 #PublishTwelveNovelsAYear challenge, I’ve just released “Corruption – A page-turning political thriller linking big business to the heart of government”.
Here’s the blurb:
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MELTDOWN – how and why?
Welcome to another blog post, where I give some insight on how I come to write a particular novel, and where I get the inspiration.
There are a number of themes running through my thriller writing.
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Release of MELTDOWN
I have published and released MELTDOWN, an apocalyptic thriller.
“MELTDOWN is an apocalyptic thriller, bringing climate change, corruption and personal anger into a thrilling race against time.”
An ageing nuclear power station, run by a company trying to stretch out its final years.
A maintenance worker, bearing a grudge, with a new and mysterious girlfriend.
A local landowner, prepared to bend the rules in order to protect his investment.
And the heaviest rain for years.
What could possibly go wrong?
The buy links (Amazon) for the UK and USA are:
UK Ebook https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0847T8DR1
UK Print book https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0849T1P5C/
US Ebook https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0847T8DR1
US Print book https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0849T1P5C
Aims, goals for 2020
FICTION
Most of the work in 2020 will be on my #VisionFor2020, #PublishingTwelveBooksAYear. There’s plenty about this elsewhere on the blog. Here’s where I am currently