HORSEBRIDGE CENTRE

I started a new writing course at The Horsebridge Centre, Whitstable in Kent yesterday.

http://www.horsebridge-centre.org.uk/?q=node/5347

It's a vibrant venue with many art exhibitions on the ground floor and workshops and a cafe on the first and second.  Full of buzzy life. Amazingly, the centre is built like an upturned boat!

So interesting to meet students of all ages, from all walks of life and listen to their varied ideas.  I have some returning students who are writing historical and fantasy  books. Another who is concentrating on trying to understand his past through writing about it. And several people who are researching non-fictional stories.

Two other students are writing children's books, geared for different age groups.

I look forward to listening to a fascinating mosaic of words over the coming weeks.

WRITING A NOVEL

People always ask me how long it has taken me to write a book. It depends on many things but the most important for me is the period in which I set a novel. Obviously if I place my characters in a past age, I need to research that period extensively.

I spent six months researching for my WW II novels as they were written before the internet became a great source of information. But not all the information you need to write a story that comes alive can be found on the internet. Diaries and letters from the period open a large gateway into the past. I knew how people felt and all the sensory details they experienced by reading personal letters and diaries at The Imperial War Museum Library. Only then did I know exactly how my characters would think, act and speak. The research took as long as writing my novels - six months each!

NEW WRITING COURSE

I'm starting a new writing course on 6th September at the Horsebridge Centre, Whitstable, Kent.

http://www.horsebridge-centre.org.uk/?q=node/5347

It's a great centre of creativity. People come from all over Kent and the surrounding areas to see art exhibitions and listen to plays, comedy and music. This is on top of all the classes that are run there.

If any of you visit the area, it's well worth a visit.

And perhaps I'll meet some of you in my future courses. I hope so.

  

EVERYMAN

I went to the Gulbenkian Theatre in Canterbury last night to see a live National Theatre production of Everyman; an updated version of the morality play written by Carol Ann Duffy. 
It was a very inventive production with prose and poetry spoken, medieval music played  and actors dancing amazing movements. 
The lead was played by Chiwetel Ejiofor who was excellent and spoke faultlessly for most of the play. I loved the character of Death played by an Irish actor with a wry sense of humour. It must have taken hours and hours of rehearsals to bring the performance up to such a high standard. The only downside for me was its length. I felt that the last half-an-hour could have been tighter. However, a small niggle in an excellent production. The play questions how many good deeds had Everyman done in his life. Sure many people left the theatre thinking how many have I done? 
Much room for thought. 

Here's the trailer for it to give you a taste.

http://ntlive.nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/50433-everyman

ADAPTATION

I've been very busy adapting the first of my WWII books into a 5 part TV series during the last few months . Hard work but fascinating.

The reason being: in a short story or novel you can enter into the mind of your character and tell the reader what s/he is thinking; you can linger over the description of a stunning sunset or a magical forest for pages. In contrast, a film is a visual medium, so when you write a screenplay you need to think in pictures; pictures that tell a story through images that linger in the mind; through the use of credible dialogue and concise, creative description. So the lingering [perhaps beautifully written descriptions ] in your novel or short story have to be edited into a few lines, but those lines can be even more powerful than in your story or novel if remember to think visually.

You can also show what the character is feeling through his body language and actions without using any dialogue. And then, if  you're famous enough you can ask the marvellous actor Eddie Redmayne to act in your screenplay and he can show his feelings merely through his eyes.

I can but dream... I'll keep you posted.

www.lindamjames.co.uk

DO WRITERS NEED TO GO TO WRITING CLASSES?

I am a published author/screenwriter who is also a creative writing tutor who knows that the writing techniques I teach my students help improve their writing skills because so many of them have been published after attending my workshops regularly.

[If you would like to learn a few of these techniques, I have a page on my website called Writing Tips which I’ll be updating which I hope will help you.]

Some people believe writing classes are a waste of time and money. They are if you have a teacher who is insecure in her ability to write well, who can’t communicate her expertise effectively, who has no sense of humour and who isn’t emphatic. All these skills are needed to nurture people who write. I realise my students are opening themselves to criticism and as we all know, criticism is hard to take if it is harsh and destructive. I always try to be constructive, but honest with my students.

Of course, there are some people who are naturally better writers than others, just as some people are naturally better pianists. But think about how many hours a day a good writer or pianist has to work to perfect his/her skills. If you have talent it needs stretching regularly.

I believe three factors are vital for a writer to achieve success: talent, tenacity and timing.

Remember what Aldous Huxley said: ‘It is not how we cope with success that makes us strong, but how we cope with failure.’

http://www.lindamjames.co.uk

AMAZON BOOK PRIZE

I've just discovered that my crime thriller has been nominated for the Amazon Book Prize which is great.

http://thebookawards.com/awards/a-fatal-facade/

I do hope you will support me by voting for it and hope you enjoy reading it.

The book explores the idea that we all show different faces to different people; especially the characters in this book.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD BOOK?

This post is for book lovers and everyone who wants to write creatively.

I gave recently gave a talk in Canterbury, Kent in October about the ingredients that make a good book. Here's a link to it.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liYD-NPOXQQ

I'm sure you'll recognize the reasons why you like or don't like reading a book after watching it.

[Do look out for the charming Italian boy who asks a question about writing at the end of the talk. A future novelist, I think.]