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| Home > About Minette > Advice for Writers | ||||||||||||||||||
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Advice for
writers
In adddition to questions about her books, Minette is often asked about the more technical aspects of writing. We've created this section to address some of those questions, and we hope aspiring writers will find it a useful tool as they develop their own style.
Q. I noticed, courtesy of your biography, that you had difficulty writing for a living in your early working life. I was wondering whether at school, or indeed any time during your studies, did others not appreciate your work in the way you wanted it to be? I mean, I hear about all these authors who have the most fantastic success as teenagers and cause a stir, as if they were destined to be published in the not-too-distant future, and their talents are obvious to anyone. But I've never had abundant success in writing competitions and only occasionally feel that I've written something respectable. Does this essentially deem me unpublishable, or do persistence and "hard work" really pay off in the end? A. Dear Chris: I don't recall anyone being impressed with my early work. Indeed, my English teacher told me a few years ago, when I went to visit her after The Scold's Bridle had been published, that she couldn't understand my success as I was one of the least imaginative pupils she'd ever taught! I started being published in magazines when I was 22 and it was real buzz because, suddenly, someone was prepared to pay me for something I'd created. But I wrote a lot of unpublished and unpublishable material before I got there… so, yes, I think the moral of the story is that persistence, hard work and constant practice do pay off. Good luck!
Q. I am an 18-year-old student from West Yorkshire. My favourite book has got to be either The Breaker, that was the first one that I read or The Shape of Snakes. I love reading and writing, but I just can't seem to find the right genre for my writing. Whenever I start, I try to pick the main characters, and the setting, and then the story. But I always seem to get bored halfway through, or I can't keep the story interesting long enough, and the story is too short! Do you think you have to wait until you have matured and lived life a little before you can write properly? -- Kayleigh, in the UK A. Dear Kayleigh: You're doing all the right things. Writing is like learning to play the piano. It takes a lot of practice. Not even Mozart played the piano perfectly the first time his father sat him in front of one. The more you write – the more mistakes you make – the more you understand that what you've written is boring… the better writer you will be in the future. So many people can't see that what they're doing is mediocre. But you obviously can, and that's the first step to success. Ernest Hemmingway said the only thing a good author needs is a 'built-in crapometer'– by which he meant that if you, the author, can recognise the crap amongst what's original and exciting, you will be published. My best advice is to keep reading as much as you can, and try to decide which kind of books you like best. Crime… thrillers… romance… sci-fi… general… historical… etc. Then write something within that genre/specialty. I truly believe that no one should attempt a genre that doesn't engage him/her as a reader. It's a huge arrogance to assume you can succeed in a genre that you've never been bothered to read. I do wish you every success!
*** Q. I have read Disordered Minds and The Breaker and greatly enjoyed them both. I am currently in the planning stage of writing a crime fiction novel myself which is to be set in a fictional town. One of the areas that I am having a bit of trouble with is the structure of CID in my book. When writing fiction, how important is it to remain true to the structures of "real world" organisations, i.e., police departments, governments, etc.? Obviously, I can get a "proper" structure from any police department but it's more a question of finding the right balance between the real and the fictional. A. Dear Kelsey: Authors differ on this. Some believe it's unimportant as long as the 'flavour' is there. Others, particularly those who write ‘police procedurals' take immense trouble to get the details accurate. I tend to fall into the latter group because I want my stories to be as 'real' as possible, and anything that is clearly wrong will jar with a reader. If your story centres on a fictional police force, and the CID structure features prominently because your protagonist is a police detective, then I think you need to consult with your local police station before you start. If, however, the police are incidental to the plot then I suggest you write a few chapters and ask a friendly policeman to read them to see if you've made any glaring mistakes at the beginning. In the meantime, all police forces in the UK have websites, and you can find a lot of information there. Hope this helps. *** Q. How much importance do you place on research of police procedure, and what sort of research do you do? --Question from Crime Writing Masterclass A. A lot of people worry about the research side of crime writing and in a way it's a testament to most crime writers that we do feel responsible, we have a duty to make things as accurate as we can. But you can go really over the top on research and it's so in your face when you read it, and funnily enough it comes back to the post-mortem question, because I think a lot of writers have gone over the top. So what I do is write the story and do the research afterwards, that way I can keep the pace of the story going and I know where the gaps in my knowledge are. If you want to do police procedurals, you can do no better than watch The Bill, because that has a consultant policeman who checks all the details.
***
Q. I am an aspiring crime writer and huge fan of your books. I have bought each and every book as it has been released. I would appreciate any advice that you can give me with regard to crime writing. I am 30,000 words into my first novel, and beginning to doubt my own ability, plot and characters. Did you have to deal with any self-doubt? I am a stay-at-home, mum of two who writes at least an hour every day, more if I can.
A. Dear Rachel: There's nothing wrong with revealing the murderer at the beginning. It happens every time in Colombo, and Colombo is one of the world’s most loved series. The best advice I can give you is to keep going, then be ready to redraft and rewrite. The main difference between published and unpublished authors is stamina. Most people give up at 10,000 words so you're already ahead of the game! Self-doubt is every author's friend. Without it, you will never be able to edit your own work successfully. See my comment above re: Ernest Hemingway!
*** Q.
I've just finished writing a book and am looking for advice on how to
approach an agent. I'm convinced that the usual procedure of submitting
work almost anonymously doesn't always yield the most successful response
- but not sure if I have the courage to approach an agent directly in
person. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. A. Dear Graeme: The easiest way to be taken on by an agent or a publisher is to write a good manuscript. The saying 'cream rises to the top' is as true in publishing as it is in any other area of life. I can only speak for the agents and publishers I know, but they do read everything that's submitted to them. They may take time to go through their slush pile, and if the first two or three chapters are below par - in style, characterisation, plot or originality - they won't read on, but all publishers are looking for original, new authors to keep their lists going. It's perfectly acceptable to make a direct approach to an agent - all their phone numbers and email addresses are listed in The Artist's and Writer's Yearbook - but your manuscript must be able to stand on its own. Some top banter might get you a reading, but it won't get you a contract unless you prove you can write as well! *** Q. What is the difference between a plot-driven writer and a character-driven writer? -- Mary, in the UK A. Dear Mary: The plot-driven writer
knows exactly what's going to happen. The character-driven writer is going
on an adventure with her reader, where neither knows what's going to happen
at the end. I'm definitely in the latter category because I put a lot
of effort into getting the characters and their voices right. ***
Q. I know you don't plot your books in advance, preferring to let the ideas come to you as you write, but does this go for characterisation, too? Do you have detailed character biographies written out in front of you as you write, or do you 'fly by the wire' with character? -- Graeme, in the UK A. Dear Graeme: I 'fly by wire' with the characters in so far as they certainly develop as the story progresses, however I always have a very strong and clear picture of them from the beginning. A useful tip is to give them weaknesses or vulnerabilities - loneliness, secrets, a sense of unworthiness, fragile egos - because, it will a) make them more real for you and your readers - we all wake up at 4.00 a.m. in the cold dark of morning, worrying that we're about to be found out! and b) it will make them more interesting to write about. Secrets and hidden weaknesses create suspense! *** Q. I'm about to start
a two-year MA course in Creative writing at City Uni (London), taking
the 'novels' option. I am a fan, of course, having loved The Ice House and now reading Disordered Minds. A. Dear Lesley: Congratulations on the course. I'm sure there was a lot of competition for places. I'm afraid 'how to create a novel' would require a novel-length answer, so the best short advice I can give is to find the courage to start, the toughness to abandon any idea that isn't working, and the commitment and stamina to keep going once the story starts to gel. In terms of understanding the mind of a killer, it certainly helps to read true crime books and trial reports in the newspapers. However, you also need to let your imagination loose. Thankfully, murder is the last taboo - 99% of us have never come close to killing another human being - so ask yourself what drives the 1% who do. Anger? Jealousy? Alienation? Personality disorder? Seeing the death of another as a solution to a problem?
*** Q. What would you say is the most important quality for a writer to possess? -- Cleo, in the UK A. Dear Cleo: The only thing you need as a writer is stamina because you have just got to be able to finish your book. Most people can't. That's the whole trick of it. I love writing, but it is appallingly hard work. You need a skin like a rhinoceros to take the knocks, but when someone says: "I really liked your book" ...wow!
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