The Golem - my latest story.

The weather in Prague was so cold they could hardly bear to be outside. Adam Meyrink, the occultist, and his companion, the psychic Midnight Blue, stood in the Old Town Square watching the Christmas Market. Meyrink's mind was far away but Blue was entranced by the city - the lights, the brightly decorated stalls and the falling snow. The city looked like a magic snow globe and trade was booming on the Carousel and people bustled round the stalls selling Czech mulled wine - svařák. To go with their wine or their beer, the crowds bought sausages with mustard and sauerkraut, tinsel, candles and sparkling lights.

"You know they call Prague the magic capital of Europe - the City of Alchemists," said Meyrink. He would have gone on, but Blue said, "We need to get inside somewhere. I've lost the feeling in my toes."

What's left to say? Click the click.

British English is Wrong for American Readers

Just a short note on my observations. After getting various reviews from American readers that the stuff I'd written was full of "grammatical" and "syntax" errors, I took a close look. Notice they didn't say "spelling" errors. But when I looked, I couldn't find any errors of grammar. I even ran the text through Word's grammar checker and that picks us some weird and wonderful things, but not here.

Kinder reviewers were pointing out that the author was British and that his use of English would differ from what Americans are used to.

I guess that because of movies like The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, many Americans are very used to standard British English in its spoken form. And when I've been in the States apart from a very few times, I don't have a problem being understood. When people say "Excuse me?" in the USA they mean "I didn't hear / understand what you said," not "please get out of my way" like it normally means in British English where "I didn't hear/understand what you said," is normally "Pardon?"

Despite their familiarity with spoken British English, I made the mistake of presuming that the average reader (not the New York Anglophile who only reads the work of Evelyn Waugh and his son Auberon) is familiar with British spelling, at least to the extent that they would go "Ah! That's the British spelling." But no, they just think it's wrong.

So now I write color and harbor and realize and sympathize and I smolder rather than smoulder.  British readers readily recognize the American spelling (see what I did there?) so why give American readers grief?

I think to grief means something different in the States too. I certainly know skit does.

Pantsing

I have just finished another story. Let me just get a link in here.

I think it was the hardest story that I've ever written. I had a few scenes in mind and I had the main characters in mind - Adam Meyrink and Midnight Blue - and I had the city in mind - Prague. But, it was the devil's own work to get the thing to come together. I felt like a butcher carving up a carcass and then realising I'd done it wrong. Maybe more like a person making a patchwork quilt, looking the the squares and thinking, 'nope'. But I have finally beaten it into shape, I think.

The shape is helped by Blake Snyder's 15 beat structure and the genre. I have written it like a Whydunnit? However I started pantsing it (as you can tell) and ended up plotting it. I wonder if you can see the stitchwork? Is it as obviously sewn together as Boris Karloff in Frankenstein I wonder?

Take a look and let me know.

Changed my Biog

This is my new one. Do I come over as a dick? Be honest! I'll change it if I do.

When I wrote my first novel aged 21, I thought that would be it: sit back and begin the career, but it didn't happen like that. I had to work for a living! But on the plus side, that has given me lots of material. I have been a waiter, a drummer in a punk band, a linguist, an intelligence officer. I've worked with birds of prey in Wales, London Underground in London (in London? really?) British Coal overground not underground. I've been a student more times than I care to remember. I've run historical, music, matchmaking (yep) and pirate events. I was the leader of a ghost tour company for a number of years. I've been a nurse and that has given me lots of enriching experiences that most people don't get (they're probably glad!)

I love words and languages, places and people and I'm fascinated by philosophy and psychology and magic. I studied all of these and they will be evident if you read what I write.

Hard lessons learned in writing - don't give up! It's a craft as much as an art and you have to learn it (I still am). There are kind and generous people who will help you with their words of support, but there are also people who with a n off-the-cuff put down sentence can ruin your day - your week and maybe your month.

As Eliot said,

Fare forward, travelers! not escaping from the past
Into different lives, or into any future;
You are not the same people who left that station
Or who will arrive at any terminus.

All you have is now; enjoy it.

Here's the new cover. I think it's better.

Beats

I've heard of beats before, mainly from 'Write, Publish, Repeat' by +Sean Platt  and +Johnny B. Truant which I would very heartily recommend.

 

I'm also familiar with story arcs etc, but kinda pantsed most things. I quite enjoyed the feeling that things would just emerge from your characters and the situations you were in. However, with the story I'm writing at the moment, I got stuck.  I must admit I did take on the criticisms of my one star review (have I mentioned that before?) that the story lacked direction.

So I found Save the Cat by the late Blake Snyder.



I have gone back through my current story and revised it in line with Blake Synder's suggestions and I think it has improved it. There is a lot of discussion of beats out there. I have enjoyed +Jami Gold 's blog and she usefully discusses whether beats lead to formulaic writing. That's here.  Massively useful to me as someone who barely understands, but loves what he knows of Excel spreadsheets - are the spreadsheets she uses to give your story its shape and length. Maybe not for you, but I like 'em. They are here

More good words on Blake Snyder's beats by +Tim Stout here and by Pitr here

On a personal level, I have had some lovely emails and some great reviews for the Haunting which made me feel a whole lot better.

I also messed with the cover for the Exorcist which I think is now a whole lot better, though it isn't showing up yet on Amazon unless you buy the story.

Anyway, it's sunnyish here now and I am going to get my slumbering teenagers up and make them walk up a a hill. I am prepared for defeat.

Mysteriouser

Well I continue to struggle and travail (not sure if you can use that as a verb in English) with reviews and writing. One of my books is doing enormously well - 1375 (free) copies out since 1st April. We'll see if it continues to sell after it goes to 99 cents.

Regarding the Haunting - I have had 2 positive reviews on US Amazon. One looks like it's a put up because it's so good, but it wasn't. On Goodreads the ratings have been pretty ok 5stars, 4stars, 1 3 star. But on UK Amazon I got a 1 star (I think I mentioned this) and that gutted. Then yesterday I got a really awful 1 star. The book has now gone free even though it's not free anywhere else - because someone ratted on me that I had a free promotion on Smashwords. Idc about that. So this woman (I suspect it might be the same woman...) wrote a terribly horrible review. Given it's free she couldn't even say "don't waste your money" but resorted to "don't waste your time". The review is entitled Don't Bother!  I don't think I deserve that.

This is a hard game to play. If anyone loves me I'd be grateful for a positive review on UK Amazon for the Haunting; that is if you feel you can. If you can't, just email me and break it to me how bad it really is.

Weirdly I look at the good reviews, am pleased, but they don't go in. I say "it's just because the people are nice" -  I only believe the bad reviews, though I think the people are nasty! I wouldn't just trash someone. I've read some bad stuff, but I just leave it and move on.

Anyway, yous all have a great day.

Tony