I recently saw your blog and enjoyed reading some useful and helpful bits for the assignment and how you are getting on with it.
I have been researching geography, castaways for the assignment too and found it a bit hard to begin with. I recently found that trying to get into the mind of the character helped. I wrote the name of the character and started to list details what does she like, dislike, fear, dream, ambitions, job, is she married, where did she meet her partner, any children, age, parents, where is she from, lives, pets, etc. I found this quite helpful for me to get into the mind of the person. Then I had to try to think of her partner, who is he, where's he from, etc. This I think I would probably need to do with all of them.
I think it is a bit daunting trying to do the diary trying to add so much detail of these characters plus details of the island and thoughts that they think about when there. I also need to think about where they were born, date, appearance as well and clothes they are wearing and like. So much stuff to think about.
I found the bit about structuring the story into sections, like the weeks, 3 months after that quite useful that you wrote in your blog and was something I didn't think about. This is probably quite important as it makes you think what events have happened during this time and what is the character going to be like now? Have they changed, what has changed? What did they do to survive?
Tuesday 23 February 2010
Thursday 18 February 2010
epistolary diary exercise
It is less that a month to go before our long assignment is due- out fictional diary of a castaway. I have changed my mind on this more times that I can count but i think i have now settled on a final course. I have found plotting a time line helps- deciding where at the various points (1 day, 3 months, 6 month) etc various developments will occur. Having the dates prescribed naturally reduce the burden of pace and progress as we have a skeleton on which to hang the flesh of the story.
The nature of the exercise does however have other challenges. The fact that diaries are written in the first person means that the character and their backstory needs to be well developed in the head of the writer before the first word is written. Who is this person? I have struggled to decide on the backstory of my diary writer and it is a strange archaeology. How did they get to where they are now? what are their motivations? I feel in order to have the voice of the diarist be its own voice, and not simply mine, I need to develop an entire backstory on the writer/castaway. The same applies to any other characters that might populate the story. 2500 words does not really give much scope for extraneous detail and i feel quite daunted by trying to give a sense of a fully rounded person within the restraints of the specific genre and the given the length of the project. I have also found that the more research I do on geography, era, clothes, weather etc the more the story becomes real to me. For example, when i try to work through what my castaway is wearing, this immediately alters how they walk and sit and move- how straight their back, or easy their stride. I am finding that the notes I take for purely research purposes have value that goes well beyond pure information. I would really like to hear how everyone else is getting on with the assignment....
The nature of the exercise does however have other challenges. The fact that diaries are written in the first person means that the character and their backstory needs to be well developed in the head of the writer before the first word is written. Who is this person? I have struggled to decide on the backstory of my diary writer and it is a strange archaeology. How did they get to where they are now? what are their motivations? I feel in order to have the voice of the diarist be its own voice, and not simply mine, I need to develop an entire backstory on the writer/castaway. The same applies to any other characters that might populate the story. 2500 words does not really give much scope for extraneous detail and i feel quite daunted by trying to give a sense of a fully rounded person within the restraints of the specific genre and the given the length of the project. I have also found that the more research I do on geography, era, clothes, weather etc the more the story becomes real to me. For example, when i try to work through what my castaway is wearing, this immediately alters how they walk and sit and move- how straight their back, or easy their stride. I am finding that the notes I take for purely research purposes have value that goes well beyond pure information. I would really like to hear how everyone else is getting on with the assignment....
Thursday 11 February 2010
American Authors interviews BBC Radio 4
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/front-row/american-authors/
Some really fascinating interviews here. I loved the Kurt Vonnegut one in particular.
Some really fascinating interviews here. I loved the Kurt Vonnegut one in particular.
Monday 8 February 2010
Strange and beautiful inspirations from Darfur
These astonishing pictures were taken in Darfur earlier today by my friend who works with the UN. The landscape is very desolate and the groups of people could easily be traditional castaways. I love how images can be so evocative and can really help a writer tune out all the static and just focus in a suspended moment.
Website from a writing career
www.writersandartists.co.uk
Liz recommends this site as a good portal for those of us hoping to make a career out of writing. Definitely worth a look, thank you Liz.
Liz recommends this site as a good portal for those of us hoping to make a career out of writing. Definitely worth a look, thank you Liz.
Castaway thoughts
I am have been trying to think through what it means to be a castaway. For the most part none of us has ever had that experience and as part of my "research" for the piece I am trying to access part in my history that might mirror that experience as well as try to find physical or geographical reference points on which to hang the initial thread of narrative. So far I have found the main tension is the tension between the myopic, neurotic self preservation of such a situation vs the vast openness of solitude (geographical and emotional). It is the hugeness of a desert or a sea scape or a planet vs the neurotic self obsession over how long the pencil will last and how many drops of water are left. To some extent I think this echoes more philosophical points about the futility (or not) of human progress against natural forces. If we we were to really, really think about "the human condition" the futility of our daily struggles and obsessions in the vast inevitable, unfathomable universe we wouldn't bother to try. This is why astronauts suffer from Post Orbital Depression. The sight of the earth from space reduces our lives to a nonsense. So, in terms of the castaway- what is it that drives this person to survive, even prosper? Why does the shipwrecked man, beaten and fragile, continue to try and light a fire? Why does the marooned astronaut on a far off planet try to find a way of sending messages back to earth? I suspect it is one or a mixture of these 1- basic animal survival, we are biologically programmed to seek out life 2 - hope, our human selves (be it quasi religious or humanist based) has taught us to hope and 3- habit, we wake up and move and breath and eat because that is what we do, that is what we have always done.
Last night I watched a documentary on Darfur. Years later, it is still a place of unspeakable suffering. There are emaciated families living in a pile of rubbish in a raging desert. They have escaped murder in the name of ethnic cleansing an survived rape and torture to come to this there is no reason to think this will improve. There in this dustpan of misery women are cleaning clothes and digging for roots and combing their children hair. Why? How?
I watched the Darfur program partly because the idea of a political castaway interests me hugely. Of being a refugee or an illegal migrant worker. what does that mean? to have no home, no country, no identity as "citizen" and all the rights and protections that affords you? One angle I am exploring for the assignment is that of a fictionalised diary of Winnie Mandela during her political isolation which involved over three months in solitary confinement in a cement room 3 meters by 2 meters where she was tortured almost daily, she was released only to be put under house arrest in a town where she was the only black person in a tiny farming town called Brandfort. No one spoke her language and no one spoke to her. The political aim was to isolate her "strand her", cut her "adrift" from the main land of ANC resistance. Here torturers and interrogators would tempt her with freedoms for her and her children and and offer her privileges no other black person in South Africa at the time would have had. While she was confined for more than the mythical/biblical 40 days in the desert there are parallels to th e temptations that Satan used to sway Christ. Christ is one of the original castaways during the 40 days and nights, Satan provides the trigger pojnts to move the narrative forward and we are then offered the redemptive homecoming. So I am playing with ideas around the temptations of christ and Winnie Mandela's political physical, geographic isolation. Yes I have thought about Nelson Mandela on Robben Island as an obvious alternative, but thats the point, its obvious and as less is documented about Winnie Mandela there is more scope to move from a fictional account.
Time for a dog walk across hill and vale, which I find good silent time, and the time when I do my best thinking.
Last night I watched a documentary on Darfur. Years later, it is still a place of unspeakable suffering. There are emaciated families living in a pile of rubbish in a raging desert. They have escaped murder in the name of ethnic cleansing an survived rape and torture to come to this there is no reason to think this will improve. There in this dustpan of misery women are cleaning clothes and digging for roots and combing their children hair. Why? How?
I watched the Darfur program partly because the idea of a political castaway interests me hugely. Of being a refugee or an illegal migrant worker. what does that mean? to have no home, no country, no identity as "citizen" and all the rights and protections that affords you? One angle I am exploring for the assignment is that of a fictionalised diary of Winnie Mandela during her political isolation which involved over three months in solitary confinement in a cement room 3 meters by 2 meters where she was tortured almost daily, she was released only to be put under house arrest in a town where she was the only black person in a tiny farming town called Brandfort. No one spoke her language and no one spoke to her. The political aim was to isolate her "strand her", cut her "adrift" from the main land of ANC resistance. Here torturers and interrogators would tempt her with freedoms for her and her children and and offer her privileges no other black person in South Africa at the time would have had. While she was confined for more than the mythical/biblical 40 days in the desert there are parallels to th e temptations that Satan used to sway Christ. Christ is one of the original castaways during the 40 days and nights, Satan provides the trigger pojnts to move the narrative forward and we are then offered the redemptive homecoming. So I am playing with ideas around the temptations of christ and Winnie Mandela's political physical, geographic isolation. Yes I have thought about Nelson Mandela on Robben Island as an obvious alternative, but thats the point, its obvious and as less is documented about Winnie Mandela there is more scope to move from a fictional account.
Time for a dog walk across hill and vale, which I find good silent time, and the time when I do my best thinking.
Event
Narayani has sent me this interesting link and event;
http://www.oneworldclassics.com/shop/page.html?id=11
it is a reading at Calder bookshop on the work of Muriel Spark (author of
"The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" amongst other works, she was also a poet).
Apparently this is an independent bookshop based in the Cut and to quote
from the art newsletter I received this on
"john calder himself is speaking - now in his 80s - he is a mine of
literary knowledge - catch him while you can - plus brilliant inhouse team
of actors reciting the works - not free- neither is the pub afterwards"
It is £6 to attend and starts at 7pm.
http://www.oneworldclassics.com/shop/page.html?id=11
it is a reading at Calder bookshop on the work of Muriel Spark (author of
"The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" amongst other works, she was also a poet).
Apparently this is an independent bookshop based in the Cut and to quote
from the art newsletter I received this on
"john calder himself is speaking - now in his 80s - he is a mine of
literary knowledge - catch him while you can - plus brilliant inhouse team
of actors reciting the works - not free- neither is the pub afterwards"
It is £6 to attend and starts at 7pm.
Friday 5 February 2010
Ambit Magazine Competition
Ambit does have a very good reputation. There are examples of the previous winners work on their site which gives and idea of editorial preferences. I expect competitions are somewhat ambitious at this stage but I feel its worth keeping up with what's out there.
Write 200 words of poetry or prose in any genre and any style for a chance to win £500
http://www.ambitmagazine.co.uk/200words.htm
Write 200 words of poetry or prose in any genre and any style for a chance to win £500
http://www.ambitmagazine.co.uk/200words.htm
Code of Conduct for the Blog
I am really hoping that everyone will as far as possible use this blog as a forum to discuss, assist, support and encourage one another. I am very happy and willing to maintain the blog, update it with things that I come across that might be interesting: things i've read, seen or heard or just musings that I would like to share and get feedback on. My wish is that you will all be active users of the site and make an effort to read each others comments as well as offer your own thoughts.
Here is the "Highway Code" for the blog
* Respect. Everyone's voice is valid and important. If we knew what we were doing we would have won the Pulitzer. People who have already won the Pulitzer could however, learn a thing or two from us!
* Every writer needs the support of their peers - be generous in your praise and thougthful in your criticism.
* The two day rule: if you offer to email someone else an article or send them the details of your local poetry competition, do so within 2 days or else explain why you can't.
* I like to share personal stuff in as far as I think it is relevant to the writing process. I hope you will respond with the same honesty. The fact that we are even on the course means we are people who are willing to dig deep to get to the good stuff. Please be respectful of that and go easy on each other. what happens on Virginia's Wolf stays on Virginia's Wolf!
* VERY NB- no stealing ideas. If you didn't think of it its not yours. If we are all too afraid to reveal what our process is, how we are researching characters, where we see our plot going then we can never get feed back from one another and feel free to work through problems we may be having with our plot (such as a story thats called Case Closed but ends with only 2 of the 50 dead bodies accounted for).
I feel we can really help each other out particularly with the longer pieces which are very daunting. I would like to post items on where I am in my process and where my thoughts are going but its only safe to do this if we all agree to play fair.
* Be Free - this is also a place to play and be open and spontaneous with your ideas and reactions.
* Go easy on my spelling and grammar! I write this straight off the cuff and don't have time to edit it. I am dyslexic and so often the most creative component of what I write is the spelling!
Here is the "Highway Code" for the blog
* Respect. Everyone's voice is valid and important. If we knew what we were doing we would have won the Pulitzer. People who have already won the Pulitzer could however, learn a thing or two from us!
* Every writer needs the support of their peers - be generous in your praise and thougthful in your criticism.
* The two day rule: if you offer to email someone else an article or send them the details of your local poetry competition, do so within 2 days or else explain why you can't.
* I like to share personal stuff in as far as I think it is relevant to the writing process. I hope you will respond with the same honesty. The fact that we are even on the course means we are people who are willing to dig deep to get to the good stuff. Please be respectful of that and go easy on each other. what happens on Virginia's Wolf stays on Virginia's Wolf!
* VERY NB- no stealing ideas. If you didn't think of it its not yours. If we are all too afraid to reveal what our process is, how we are researching characters, where we see our plot going then we can never get feed back from one another and feel free to work through problems we may be having with our plot (such as a story thats called Case Closed but ends with only 2 of the 50 dead bodies accounted for).
I feel we can really help each other out particularly with the longer pieces which are very daunting. I would like to post items on where I am in my process and where my thoughts are going but its only safe to do this if we all agree to play fair.
* Be Free - this is also a place to play and be open and spontaneous with your ideas and reactions.
* Go easy on my spelling and grammar! I write this straight off the cuff and don't have time to edit it. I am dyslexic and so often the most creative component of what I write is the spelling!
Haiku
As part of this weeks challenge we are as a class of desperately relevant and zeitgeist writers and poets are to write Haiku's. I remember being a severely pretentious student, (its true I may well still be a severely pretentious student) stunned by the weight of my own colossal philosophy, smoking roll ups and reading books of Basho's work. The trick to social survival in this dishonestly laid back atmosphere was to find an equally narcissistic boyfriend who himself was struggling with a Cinderella Complex so great that even his parents no longer admitted he was theirs. Hopefully he was a drama student and would read Basho to you and, because he was a drama student, he would know that right before the last line he needed to pause dramatically and then release the poetic nugget in a hushed, important tone. Of course the rest of the assembled crew would nod sagely through the smoke and say things like "Aching, Dude" and "Like, sheewow man." Ahh those halcyon days.
So anyway, back to the Haikus for the week, destined to produce no less dramatic results when we next meet up but these, I am determined, will be Hailkus for grownups. So far i have produced this one, which is all about how I can't write one as I don't find it easy to write in the present tense (yes well done, any hack psychologist can interpret that one) and the resulting anxiety.
Haiku 1
Kitchen table haiku
in present tense
- present, and tense.
I am not sure it fulfills the requirements of the form? It has position (the kitchen table) in lieu of a season. I am hoping the contrast is between "present tense" and "present and tense" ? I cant decide - ideas? Maybe I will be clearer on this if I can find a drama student who smokes roll ups to read it for me. Aching, Dude.
So anyway, back to the Haikus for the week, destined to produce no less dramatic results when we next meet up but these, I am determined, will be Hailkus for grownups. So far i have produced this one, which is all about how I can't write one as I don't find it easy to write in the present tense (yes well done, any hack psychologist can interpret that one) and the resulting anxiety.
Haiku 1
Kitchen table haiku
in present tense
- present, and tense.
I am not sure it fulfills the requirements of the form? It has position (the kitchen table) in lieu of a season. I am hoping the contrast is between "present tense" and "present and tense" ? I cant decide - ideas? Maybe I will be clearer on this if I can find a drama student who smokes roll ups to read it for me. Aching, Dude.
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