Writing – number crunching

As I mentioned before, I’m busy on devoting my writing time to finishing a couple of books, so I’ve neglected blog posts.

There are certainly many subjects I’d like to write about, not least the Brexit nonsense and the definition of ‘flee’ in the European immigrant crisis reporting context. But these books demand to be completed.

Annoyingly, both Jen and I – and our daughter Hannah – have been hit simultaneously by the ‘global’ virus. It clobbered us on 27 February and reduced the word-count output somewhat. 

On Wednesday (2 March) we made an appointment to see our doctor for Thursday (3 March) and duly came away with cough mixture and antibiotic treatments. As a result, the word-count yesterday is much better than it has been for four or five days, anyway.

For what it’s worth, here’s a breakdown of word-counts:

Feb

24 – 2151

25 – 2196

26 – 1472

27 – 442

28 – 450

29 – 878

March

1 – 1336

2 – 923

3 – 2439

Despite the illness, that’s a reasonable total of 12,287 words for 9 days. Not as much as I’d planned, naturally (about 4,000 less, I reckon)!

It’s fortunate that I have a plot-plan to work to. There are still plenty of changes/tweaks on the way, but that plan helps me move forward, even when feeling less than fine.

So, my continued apologies for not posting here recently – and for a while hereafter too.

Writing tips – ‘Can be applied to any genre novel’

My apologies, but today unashamed promotion follows. [I do try not to make a habit of it..].

I’m pleased to write that my book Write a Western in 30 Days seems to be popping into the top 100 Amazon how-to books quite regularly. It has just appeared again; and for that, I must thank everyone who has bought a copy. Please spread the word if you find the book useful!

 

 

·         Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #100,287 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

   #88 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Education & Reference > Writing, Research & Publishing Guides > Publishing & Books > Authorship

E-book from Amazon com bought from here

E-book from Amazon co uk bought from here

or paperback post-free world-wide from here

On Amazon.com this book has eight 5-star reviews and two 4-star reviews; on Amazon.co.uk it has an additional three 5-star reviews.

This book is considered to be a very useful guide for anyone wanting to write genre fiction – that is, any genre, not only westerns. Those aren’t my words, but the opinion of reviewers on Amazon.

My thanks to all reviewers who take the time and trouble to post their comments.

The following three are the most recent:

Nik's enthusiasm for storytelling is evident in this accessible how-to book. While it's geared to writing Westerns (Nik cites loads of resources) the mechanics of structuring a workable (and readable) plot as well as creating engaging characters make this a must-read for any writer of any genre. I took his advice on the plot-plan (Ch. 7) and it changed the way I approach sketching out a novel. Taking the necessary time to prep makes the writing easier. It took me three days to complete a plot-plan on a story I had in mind, and just two weeks later I have already written 11,000 words of the novel. Write a Western in 30 Days will dispel any doubts that you don't have what it takes to finish a novel. If you have a story to tell, Nik's book will give you the tools you need and, better yet, get you excited about the craft of writing. – fizz8185, December 2013

When I started Nik Morton's Write a Western in 30 Days, what struck me was that this wasn't just a book of guidelines and tidbits for someone attempting a western, this is a fantastic map to anyone who wants to dive into the world of genre fiction. What Morton lays out are some of the best, common-sense rules for writing that I've ever come across - especially the chapters on plotting and structure. If you're not writing a western, it doesn't matter; what can be found in this book can be applied to any genre novel. What Nik Morton has done, finally, is to lay a solid foundation for a way for writers to follow a path to get their work done in the cleanest, most efficient way possible - and discover their best work besides. Highly recommended. – C Courtney Joyner, December 2013

 
I actually own this book in both Kindle and physical copy. I bought the physical copy to refer back to after first reading it on Kindle. I currently write non-fiction books but wanted to branch out and try my hand at a fiction western. This book clearly lays out how to go from idea to finished product in 30 days. Having an actionable plan from someone who has actually followed the steps outlined is very helpful. – DerekM, January 2014

The book uses a good number of excerpts from my novel The $300 Man to illustrate the points made.
 

The $300 Man can be purchased post-free world-wide from here

Two of my other genre books that are available are:

 

Spanish Eye

 

 

Spanish Eye, which can be purchased post-free world-wide from here

 
and the Spanish Eye e-book bought from Amazon com here

or bought from Amazon co uk here

Blood of the Dragon Trees

 

 

The Blood of the Dragon Trees e-book bought from Amazon com here

or bought from Amazon co uk here

 

Next month, my crime novel Sudden Vengeance is released by Crooked Cat Publishing.

Thank you for tuning in. Normal service will be resumed tomorrow!

Hearing voices

Writers do it, if they’re fortunate enough. Hear the voices of their characters. It doesn’t happen for every author and it doesn’t happen all the time for any author who hears those characters speaking.

When I get so far into a novel – or, sometimes, a short story – I start hearing the characters speaking to each other, resolving issues I haven’t sorted out in my plot-plan, creating conflict I hadn’t designed, and generally moving the story forward. These moments are marvellous, for if the characters are ‘real’ to me, then I just might be able to convey that ‘reality’ on the page. That’s what writers constantly strive to do, in effect: impose their reality on the reader for the duration of the story. So, from this perspective, hearing voices is a good thing.

Yes, there’s no need to send for the men in white coats. Having read some imaginative literary forays, however, it’s possible that a few critics or psychiatrists might lean towards that opinion. Gruesome murders and overtly sexual themes suggest they may be authors’ cries for help. Nonsense, of course. Whatever the imagination can conceive is never as strange as what occurs or has occurred in real life.

Sketch of the human brain - Wikipedia commons

Seriously, though, for a long time, there’s been a tendency to assume that anyone who hears voices in their head must be suffering from a hallucination. This is not a delusion, which is someone interpreting something differently from others. [A few politicians might be deluded, thinking they’re doing the right thing, perhaps.] Another example of delusion is paranoia. Whereas a hallucination is something that a person perceives that nobody else can.

Sufferers of hallucinations have been thought of as schizophrenic. Those hearing voices have been regarded with caution, concern and even suspicion. Ergo, someone who hears voices must be insane. [A few authors have thought they might be mad to continue writing when the muse, the publishers, the critics or the reading public abandon or ignore them…]

Statistics indicate that several million individuals have experienced hearing voices at some point. Opinion is divided but many consider that these voices are bad, encouraging violence, evil acts and are even sourced from the devil himself. [I’m sure authors may be responsible for perpetuating this, too, reflecting on commonplace if misguided opinion.] Yet, reality leans to the statistic that some 50% of people say that the voices they hear are positive, friendly and helpful.

Mind map - Wikipedia commons

 

According to the medical profession, notably many psychiatrists, there is a strong belief that hearing voices is a sign of psychosis. And psychosis = psychotic, insane, mad. To combat this view, a movement was set up.

In 1987 Marius Romme and Sandra Escher formed the Hearing Voices Movement. They seek to investigate and provide support for individuals with this condition. The movement is now called Intervoice and has branches worldwide.

The credo of Intervoice is: hearing voices is not in itself a sign of mental illness, and indeed is experienced by many people who have no symptoms of mental illness. The condition may be linked to problems in a person’s life history. They can develop coping mechanisms to confront the unresolved issues. Intervoice oppose the blanket use of anti-psychotic drugs.

Research shows that hearing voices is associated with severe trauma or other unfinished business in the past: perhaps an accident, divorce, bereavement, sexual or physical abuse, a love affair or even pregnancy. It seems that the voices become more insistent or stronger when the person is under stress. The voices are not the problem; it’s what they represent or bring to the surface that is of concern. Denial of the existence of the voices can actually help maintain them. [Authors write about the human condition and there is enough material here for a good number of novels, I suspect.]

Hearing voices can be distressing to the listener. A person who hears voices can become frightened, not by the voices but by the concern over control of one’s mind. Unlike fictional examples, this is not the case. There is no mind control by evil forces through voices. [There may be evil individuals who manipulate the sufferers of these voices, however; which is often the meat of fiction and screenplay writers.]

 
No demons, no evil spirit, just a troubled mind that needs the soothing balm of comprehension.

***

The above is based on the ‘Psychotherapy and the power of the mind’ column’s article ‘People who hear voices’ by Graham Milton-Jones, Costa Blanca News, February 7, 2014.

Living with Voices: 50 Stories of Recovery (2009) - This book claims to hold true for those who have been given a diagnosis of schizophrenia. At its heart are the stories of the 50 people who have recovered from the distress of hearing voices, and how they have changed their relationship with their voices in order to reclaim their lives. – Wikipedia article, Hearing Voices Movement, definitely worth reading.

 

 

Editing tips - Plot – Cause and effect

Writers will argue over whether a book should be driven by character or plot. It isn’t so black and white as that.

Plot is the story’s engine, drawing various events together and relating the consequences of characters’ actions in response to those events. Essentially, plot tells you about cause and effect.

Some stories are character-driven while others are driven by the plot. It depends on the type of story. An action-adventure tale will move at a swift pace through several twisting and turning sub-plots while a love story may linger on the dilemmas faced by a number of characters. Whatever type of story it is, both character and plot have to be in harmony.

A plot-heavy story will appear contrived and keep the reader at a distance, while a character-rich tale will pull the reader in to the point where the plot is not evident but simply obstacles faced by this character you’ve got to know.

Plots are relatively easy to think up, it seems. They must be. More than once I’ve been accosted by a would-be writer saying, ‘I’ve got this great plot for a novel. Will you write it for me?’ Well, no, thanks, I’ve got more than enough of my own to work on. Nice to be asked, though.

Some writers don’t have a plot when they start – whether it’s a short story or a novel. They have the kernel of an idea, or a theme, or even an ending in mind. Then they throw in a few characters and see how they react to their situation. It works for some. Tolkien was well into The Fellowship of the Ring when he put his hobbits inside an inn and introduced a ruffian called Strider. At that point Tolkien didn’t know who Strider was or where the book was going! They write by the seat of their pants - pantsers.

Others plan each scene in fine detail, leaving nothing to chance and revel in the constraint this imposes.

Most writers probably fall somewhere in between these two extremes. It depends on the material and that initial spark. If a particular character leaps out at the writer, wanting to be written about, then it invariably becomes a character-driven tale. Private detective Maisie Dobbs jumped fully formed into Jacqueline Winspear’s mind at traffic lights! If a clever twist on a standard theme has popped into the mind, then the test is how to lead up to that twist ending.

 

I’m biased, I believe in plotting, even for a short story. Writing is much easier if you have a plot-plan to follow. It doesn’t mean you’re in a rut. The plot-plan is a rough-and-ready road, but as the story progresses you’ll find that characters will want to take the occasional more interesting byway. Some writers let the characters wander off at a tangent and never rejoin the original plotted road; others are hard taskmasters and bring the character back in line after an interesting diversion!

Plots should stem from the motivation of your characters. So it’s vital that you get to know the people in your story. Character building is another big issue.

Invariably, you will also be writing to a theme in your story. Make sure that this central idea runs through the story and is embodied in one of more character’s thoughts and actions.

A plot without conflict is not much of a plot. Again, conflict needs another detailed discussion, at another time. Suffice to say that drama must contain some obstacle which the protagonist has to overcome.

By carefully preparing your plot-plan beforehand, you control the occasional diversions and bring everything back on track. By getting to know your characters before starting, you have a good idea how they will react to your plot-plan and how they will shape the story.

Nothing is cast in stone. On occasion I have found that the initial plot-plan was too simplistic and the characters, as they became fleshed out in the writing, suggested more logical and stronger plot directions to take. That’s fine, as long as you remain in charge and don’t let the story completely unravel.

Good plots need to be consistent, convincing and contain character interaction. Weak plots simply take the reader from point A to point B and are usually implausible – they haven’t been thought through.

A story is often about a character’s growth or change through adversity, which is brought about by facing obstacles and overcoming them. The plot provides the means for the character to evolve.

For novel-length work, it is necessary to introduce sub-plots, which can be tests for secondary characters as well as the main protagonist. Yet these sub-plots must move the story forward, serve a purpose and reinforce the theme.

Convoluted plots exist, but they often appear contrived and lose all but the most attentive reader, so it’s advisable to steer clear of complex plot structures.

Every writer enters into a contract with the reader. The writer should not cheat. If the plot requires a twist, then that should be hinted at earlier rather than just being tagged on at the end.

A lengthier version of this subject can be found in Write a Western in 30 Days. (But you saw through my plot and knew I’d say that, didn’t you?)

 

http://goo.gl/wQgSSh

 

 

 

"Works both as master course and as a refresher course..."

There's a lovely review of my book at the Western Fictioneers blog by Jeremy L.C. Jones, here:
http://westernfictioneers.blogspot.com.es/2013/09/nik-mortons-write-western-in-30-days-by.html

Excerpts:
I wish Nik Morton had published Write a Western in 30 Days with Plenty of Bullet-Points (Compass Books, 2013) 20 years ago.
...

Oh, so here’s the beauty of Morton’s pistol-whip chapters.  He has a brilliant way of condensing a great deal of information into manageable junks without sacrificing clarity or content.  The resulting book works both as master course and as a refresher course...

Chapter seven is, I suspect, the heart of the book for most readers.  Morton, by this point, has referred to the “plot plan” enough that when you finally hit page 72 you feel as though you’ve finally arrived at, if not your destination, at least one heck of a fun way station... 

 
“Writing a novel is much easier if you have a plot to follow,” writes Morton.  “It doesn’t mean you’re in a rut.  The plot is a rough-and-ready road.  As the story progresses, you’ll find that characters will want to take the occasional more interesting byway.  Some writers let the characters wander off at a tangent and never rejoin the original plotted road; others are hard taskmasters and bring the character back in line after a fascinating diversion...
 
“A story is often about a character’s growth or change through adversity, which is brought about by facing obstacles and overcoming them,” he adds on the next page.  “Though sometimes unwelcome, change is inevitable in life; in fiction, change is vitally necessary.  The plot provides the means for the character to evolve.”

The plot plan, like life itself, is a “working document” and change is inevitable. 

 
The whole chapter is like that—one beautifully rich paragraph after another.
Part of the reason why I think my 23 year old version of myself would’ve loved this book even more than the 43 year old version does is that by about the third chapter, Morton makes it clear that he has thought of everything. ..

If Nik Morton taught a course based on this book I’d be the first to enroll and I’d sit up close. 

Thank you, Jeremy!

Jeremy L. C. Jones is a freelance writer, editor, and lecturer living in his wife's hometown in South Carolina. He teaches part-time at Wofford College, volunteers at the Carolina Poodle Rescue's dog sanctuary. The son of a son of a son of teachers, Jones is the founder of Living Words, a creative writing programs for seniors with dementia, and of Shared Worlds, a writing and world-building camp for teenagers. He is currently working on a series of stories for High Noon Press about a character created by one of his literary heroes, Frank Roderus.