tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23242571335680102752024-03-13T21:11:22.390+00:00 JEN BLACKHistory, Romance and Adventure ~ books to love!Jen Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628305777383099281noreply@blogger.comBlogger1753125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324257133568010275.post-79750068224316482042024-03-05T10:03:00.006+00:002024-03-05T10:03:31.562+00:00To my shame...<div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglmPW6mWNFWJoFUjjLoo27H84s-KO1WU08iJ5WmeUZQLYSEXD78BSAIy7y8cl-rFGfG1jC-ZBqPCzdsKJ5BHLlg8K1q-2s6IemsHWm3FuEDzbdbg47xJRLWkA72U0o3v_O-BM9wjyWQ9EGMhBSaBF7WqoypMMyqnnipynb8Y6QNe33QkXaXe5VLI8KzrE/s2560/DSC00047.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglmPW6mWNFWJoFUjjLoo27H84s-KO1WU08iJ5WmeUZQLYSEXD78BSAIy7y8cl-rFGfG1jC-ZBqPCzdsKJ5BHLlg8K1q-2s6IemsHWm3FuEDzbdbg47xJRLWkA72U0o3v_O-BM9wjyWQ9EGMhBSaBF7WqoypMMyqnnipynb8Y6QNe33QkXaXe5VLI8KzrE/s320/DSC00047.JPG" /></a></div><p><b><i><span style="font-size: 17.5pt; letter-spacing: 0.35pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Best Books of 2023: Historical Fiction</span></span></i></b></p><br /><br />(according to Waterstones.)<br /><br /><br /><br /> <br /><br /><i>The Fraud by Zadie Smith </i><br /><br />Taking inspiration from a real-life nineteenth-century imposture trial, Smith's immersive first historical novel weaves together the stories of a Scottish housekeeper with a novelist cousin, a formerly enslaved valet unexpectedly thrust into the limelight of a legal case and the missing heir to the Tichborne baronetcy. <br /><br /><i>North Woods by Daniel Mason </i><br /><br />A novel with the quality of a spell, this mesmeric tale takes a single house in the woods of Massachusetts and those who inhabit it across four centuries to explore the countless ways in which the past lives on in nature, memory, language and the human heart. <br /><br /><i> Victory City by Salman Rushdie </i><br /><br />A luminous epic that spans a quarter of a millennium and begins in fourteenth-century India where a girl is tasked by a goddess with giving women agency in a patriarchal world. <br /><br /><i> The Glutton by A. K. Blakemore </i><br /><br />In this rich and absorbing tale of depravity, pleasure and class, Blakemore serves up another glorious evocation of the past, as a hungry peasant embarks on a curious crusade in revolutionary France. <br /><br /><i> Sharpe's Command by Bernard Cornwell </i><br /><br />Another unputdownable entry in the mega-selling Sharpe series as Britannia puts her faith in our maverick hero to defend her troops from French forces in early nineteenth-century Spain. <br /><br /><i>The New Life by Tom Crewe </i><br /><br />A tender and powerful tale of passion, progress and personal freedom that re-imagines the lives of the two men who published the first English medical textbook on homosexuality, Crewe’s beautiful novel is filled with nuance and forensic insight into love. <br /><br /><i>The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff </i><br /><br />A tour de force of historical storytelling, as a fleeing servant girl finds herself adrift in a world she can scarcely comprehend. <br /><br /><i>The Armour of Light - The Kingsbridge Novels by Ken Follett </i><br /><br />A sweeping story of industrial unrest, oppressive government and the spectre of revolution in the tinderbox of the late eighteenth century <br /><br /><i>Wolves of Winter - Essex Dogs by Dan Jones </i><br /><br />The siege of Calais and pirate ships spell new dangers for the Essex Dogs as the Hundred Years' War rages on in the second part of the gripping trilogy from the popular historian and broadcaster. <br /><br /><i>Atalanta by Jennifer Saint </i><br /><br />The bestselling author of Ariadne and Elektra brings the formidable Atalanta and her adventures amidst the Argonauts to vivid life in another sweeping re-imagining of Greek myth. <br /><br /><i> Weyward by Emilia Hart </i><br /><br />A woman fleeing an abusive relationship heads for Weyward Cottage and makes a startling discovery about her ancestors in this bewitching debut perfect for fans of Bridget Collins. <br /><br /> Well, there you go. The first ten and to my shame I have to say I have not read any of them! <br /><br />Jen Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628305777383099281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324257133568010275.post-13119587178692773052024-02-16T09:52:00.004+00:002024-02-16T09:52:30.799+00:00How popular is historical romance?<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNVl1O8gwxCUhutEpWOUKxDNsxYRihKRuxROAOngQv2CkzN1KDF4sGzWHSpYkRCN3aYQ4xDaaMOtPkqOajDsb3v_ICRbHKQZ1MR_GonMyKN0dlmJztGb4wXVq_3uYIGTYm18s72bNEIxgZYs6sKNfzIi8EIQ1j8DwOrR8WGe8xWEKFLmoL_TzgJqOHq6g/s768/Matfen2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="530" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNVl1O8gwxCUhutEpWOUKxDNsxYRihKRuxROAOngQv2CkzN1KDF4sGzWHSpYkRCN3aYQ4xDaaMOtPkqOajDsb3v_ICRbHKQZ1MR_GonMyKN0dlmJztGb4wXVq_3uYIGTYm18s72bNEIxgZYs6sKNfzIi8EIQ1j8DwOrR8WGe8xWEKFLmoL_TzgJqOHq6g/s320/Matfen2.jpg" width="221" /></a></div>Historical romance is a broad category of mass-market fiction focusing on romantic relationships in historical periods. Walter Scott began it all in the early 19th century. with books like Ivanhoe and Rob Roy.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Some say historical romance dominates the romance genre. Others disagree.</span></span></p>Historical romance novels set in particular time periods usually offer rich character development plus descriptive prose. Some say that anything in a setting prior to 1950 is categorized as historical though those who were born before that date beg to differ! <br /><br />The most popular eras are: <br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>· Medieval Period</li><li>· Viking Age</li><li>· 17th Century Scottish Highlands</li><li>· Colonial America</li><li>· Regency England*</li><li>· Victorian England</li><li>· American Civil War</li><li>· American Western Expansion</li><li>· Early 20th Century </li></ul>*Regency historical denote stories between the time period of 1811-1820, during the Regency Era of England, sometimes expanded to 1795-1837. The emphasis of the story is often on the society of the times and usually imitates the dialogue habits of the time, but like the entire genre, swirls around a relationship that has a happy-ever-after conclusion. <br /><br /> (This list from the internet has taken American sales and habits into consideration, and because of the massive population in that country, they tend to swamp the lists.) <br /><br /> Kathleen Woodwiss and her book <a href="https://amzn.to/335nUAM">The Wolf and the Dove</a>, which I read many years ago, is an example of the common belief that historical romance is full of women in corsets desperate for love in a patriarchal society. Older book covers of the genre have done little to help. Covers today tend to focus on the heroine wearing an exaggerated ball gown and do offer a heroine who has more on her mind than finding love<br />.Jen Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628305777383099281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324257133568010275.post-50849854951669468642024-02-04T10:27:00.001+00:002024-02-04T10:27:04.910+00:00How popular is fantasy?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipS_UirND0IZSC1ITK3D2qe1FxRWjpmykSro8hf0J5U9Lpxiv5U6vcEDmuZVEP_-WKkdv_GANGFzzsDTZK7st3VwYRV3k2ht4pANT4ZK9-a0kiSJXLHMMEKxHtZFCi8jzQM7uRoIBiZ9S_06bISVQENL0g0tf1wayjFwxOi_hEEI2lj3z6QSXY7GY2GLM/s6000/IMG_0878.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipS_UirND0IZSC1ITK3D2qe1FxRWjpmykSro8hf0J5U9Lpxiv5U6vcEDmuZVEP_-WKkdv_GANGFzzsDTZK7st3VwYRV3k2ht4pANT4ZK9-a0kiSJXLHMMEKxHtZFCi8jzQM7uRoIBiZ9S_06bISVQENL0g0tf1wayjFwxOi_hEEI2lj3z6QSXY7GY2GLM/s320/IMG_0878.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> As an ex-librarian I used to read the Bookseller.<p></p><p>Part of the job, and book selection was always a good part!</p><p>But now I find it is hiding behind a subscription wall just like the Guardian, Publishers Weekly and many more. So my attempt to discover the Top 20 books of fiction in 2023 was foiled. It's not desperate, but a trifle annoying. I can get a list from Amazon with no bother at all, but I suspect the titles will be vastly different.</p><p>I wanted to check and see how many fantasy books were now making inroads in the historical fiction market. Time travel and time swap novels have grown considerably in the last year or two. I read my first Urban Fantasy series last month, and thoroughly enjoyed it and I'm tempted to add fantasy elements to the story I'm attempting now.</p><p>I did this once with Magician's Bride and it didn't have a riotous reception. One reader said she thought it was more suitable for the children's market. Well, maybe that was because there was no sex in it as far as I recall and it appears sex has to be in everything these days. Whole generations seem to be hard wired for sex and it is hard to avoid (should you wish to do so!) on tv and in adverts. </p><p>Not to worry. I shall continue to try and find a list that I can access and see what I discover about historical fiction plus fantasy.<br /></p>Jen Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628305777383099281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324257133568010275.post-60885771715616021342024-01-26T10:32:00.004+00:002024-02-04T09:44:31.007+00:00It's a puzzle<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #455f7c; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKqApK9GATcw4FPeyd2P8BLorQdy1R-TopLuH_7EpybOGogJ34WnxnmgEBcQeIES-yTUutp1M-hhEOS1cIoEJlAtVcbl__PYe8RBD9vFg9f8jBZkJKU1hf5lRPrfTm7Sx9WQsgsQ87ralujEPjM5oV9CoxYEuj-FgK-b78T0xJjQ7kb3jf3dEh9K0oBpE/s2736/PICT0004.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1824" data-original-width="2736" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKqApK9GATcw4FPeyd2P8BLorQdy1R-TopLuH_7EpybOGogJ34WnxnmgEBcQeIES-yTUutp1M-hhEOS1cIoEJlAtVcbl__PYe8RBD9vFg9f8jBZkJKU1hf5lRPrfTm7Sx9WQsgsQ87ralujEPjM5oV9CoxYEuj-FgK-b78T0xJjQ7kb3jf3dEh9K0oBpE/s320/PICT0004.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />It sometimes puzzles me why we have so many charities in the UK.
Avoiding the heart-rending appeals during tv advert breaks has become almost
impossible without a lot of channel flicking. There are charities to whom I
donate a couple of times a year, but I do not sign up to give money weekly or
monthly.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<br />In 2023 168,850 charities were registered in England and Wales. The average amount which people give to charity per month was 27 British pounds, compared with 24 pounds in 2019/20. <br /><br />Those most likely to give are women, and the most charitable age group were those between 65 and 74. What also puzzles me is why people are so against increased tax in this country. If they are prepared to give all this money to charities, why not give via income tax? Perhaps it is a matter of choice, but it seems to me that extra pennies given by the taxable population would be far more efficient method than randomly selecting a charity. I suppose such a move would mean many charity workers would lose their jobs, but then, when I donate to charity I hate to think of my money going to support some very highly paid Chief Executive of whichever charity, just as I also hate to think of those rich folk who pay almost no tax because they deal through off-shore accounts and the like. And then there are the workers who come here and send the bulk of their income “back home” where it does no one in this country any good at all. <br /><br />There is a lot that needs sorting out in this country.Jen Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628305777383099281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324257133568010275.post-54864099410318651352024-01-10T10:41:00.004+00:002024-01-10T10:41:56.598+00:00"Goodreads is broken."<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Saw this today:</span></p><p style="color: #44484a; font-size: 16px; margin: 1.12em 0px; padding: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlLGiA_8HkLIP8v4aMPbCr4CpDoeq8Ws0lN0CHce_dhrtt364JeRUdjSxvsfLMvDfB0G7CDEHO_XAJxLkX5VllqelDd_i20zanaZ3JI03zCGvqQqqjy2zx4A8HhtwbHnwpy0PE2LX-ubtjliWgH5T-aSRFVurz4vRtM4NSYgd_AejV-rbzO7Ylu76fIdc/s5007/IMG_0213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2656" data-original-width="5007" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlLGiA_8HkLIP8v4aMPbCr4CpDoeq8Ws0lN0CHce_dhrtt364JeRUdjSxvsfLMvDfB0G7CDEHO_XAJxLkX5VllqelDd_i20zanaZ3JI03zCGvqQqqjy2zx4A8HhtwbHnwpy0PE2LX-ubtjliWgH5T-aSRFVurz4vRtM4NSYgd_AejV-rbzO7Ylu76fIdc/s320/IMG_0213.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">"Goodreads is broken. What began in 2007 as a promising tool for readers, authors, booksellers and publishers has become an unreliable, unmanageable, nearly unnavigable morass of unreliable data and unfettered ill will. Of course, the internet offers no shortage of bad data and ill will, but at its inception Goodreads promised something different: a gathering space where ardent readers could connect with writers and with one another, swapping impressions and sharing recommendations. It’s an idea that’s both obvious (the internet is great at helping like-minded people assemble) and essential (reading is a solitary activity, but there is great joy in talking through a book afterward). In fact, Goodreads is still an essential idea — so much so that it’s worth fighting to fix it...</span></i><p></p><p style="color: #44484a; font-size: 16px; margin: 1.12em 0px; padding: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="text-align: right;">Source:</span><span style="text-align: right;"> </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/24/opinion/goodreads-books-reviews.html?unlocked_article_code=1.K00.77lL.wXD1_BkT-_WP&hpgrp=c-abar&smid=em-share" style="color: #646a19; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: right;" target="_blank">New York Times (free access)</a><span style="text-align: right;">" </span></span></i></p><p style="color: #44484a; font-size: 16px; margin: 1.12em 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I have to say I never got to grips with Goodreads. I never understood how to use it to my advantage as an author. But then, I was unaware it was never designed (as the article says) as a tool for authors but only as a place for readers to talk about books read. </span></p><p style="color: #44484a; font-size: 16px; margin: 1.12em 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The site still displays the old covers I had for my self-published books because although I have much better covers now, I didn't find a way to change them on Goodreads. Essentially, I gave up trying to do so</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">, thinking I needed a Master's degree in IT. It would be nice if Goodreads </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">morphed into something I could use. Here's hoping!</span></p><div class="textright" style="color: #44484a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: right;"> </div><div class="textright" style="color: #44484a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: right;"><br /></div>Jen Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628305777383099281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324257133568010275.post-14849855636164052862023-12-15T09:59:00.001+00:002023-12-19T10:26:48.610+00:00Raunchy Readers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19mKwebCz2gZP4a7Adz-la0VUNCyYFBUpjiprjKgQsQiav_npoqFxZpcUBDhiLye7b7oSldcPRRsn3sdthLIo45tc9QHr50X3q85tlOinQCdhZRm0gxzkrZQ3Ur1uztkibohvCRuB9qQQTD3EtrsQei-6OZldVhh0CmG7fjU8EqNpzpbhrCf5PDhtCEM/s3072/DSC03372.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3072" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19mKwebCz2gZP4a7Adz-la0VUNCyYFBUpjiprjKgQsQiav_npoqFxZpcUBDhiLye7b7oSldcPRRsn3sdthLIo45tc9QHr50X3q85tlOinQCdhZRm0gxzkrZQ3Ur1uztkibohvCRuB9qQQTD3EtrsQei-6OZldVhh0CmG7fjU8EqNpzpbhrCf5PDhtCEM/s320/DSC03372.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Spotted
an article I thought many writers and readers might find worth reading, especially if they remember (and enjoyed) books that came out in the eighties. I
know I did! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Jilly Cooper has a new book out this year, and though for me football
is not such an attractive topic as horse riding maybe if I read the book, I
might change my view!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Clare
Thorp says:</span></p>“If the covers are iconic, it's what's beneath them that has made Cooper one of Britain's most popular and biggest-selling authors for the last four decades. Cooper writes irresistible sagas of sex and shenanigans among England's rural upper-middle class society, featuring dashing cads, ambitious women, and a supporting cast of horses, hounds and huge country houses. The behaviour is bad, the sex copious, the parties raucous and the overall mood… well, rather jolly. Her characters manage to be deeply melodramatic, while never taking themselves too seriously.” <br /><br />“Turner – who plays Campbell-Black – <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/aidan-turner-interview-poldark-fifteen-love-jilly-cooper-rivals-gqvbwf7km">has said making it has been the most fun he's had on any job in his career</a>. A dose of pure pleasure is what many of us are craving at the moment, and, thankfully, it looks like Cooper will be spreading joy for some time yet.” Regrettably, Aidan Turner’s words are locked away behind a subscription wall but some of you will be able to read them.<br /><br />Read the whole article : <a href="https://www.bbc.com/culture/author/clare-thorp">By Clare Thorp</a> 10th November 2023<br /><br /><a href="https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20231109-riders-to-tackle-the-raunchy-books-britain-loves">From Riders to Tackle! – how Britain loves Jilly Cooper's raunchy novels - BBC Culture</a>Jen Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628305777383099281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324257133568010275.post-60707723665733694212023-12-01T16:19:00.000+00:002023-12-01T16:19:11.805+00:00Conflict can be simple<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjehWEhkjZhYbKkP2yOR4DQUaMtfLGKquUyunratTGOoEy_vVswiXsOCrx3MD4DuGUqL0PfDJ8llNEjUXIia1U8x6SnhkDQUJWReSlsKplZscJferDiLdzY3z0TaOCOIBflYitJ80SHEhKHF_26fbdn0h-bzkOJOhyphenhyphenxn8UbMWUWRxUwwvoUgPvC1lmF2rE/s5794/IMG_0215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3213" data-original-width="5794" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjehWEhkjZhYbKkP2yOR4DQUaMtfLGKquUyunratTGOoEy_vVswiXsOCrx3MD4DuGUqL0PfDJ8llNEjUXIia1U8x6SnhkDQUJWReSlsKplZscJferDiLdzY3z0TaOCOIBflYitJ80SHEhKHF_26fbdn0h-bzkOJOhyphenhyphenxn8UbMWUWRxUwwvoUgPvC1lmF2rE/s320/IMG_0215.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Ever wondered about conflict in creative writing?</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">It's important. Without it, a book is boring.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">There is conflict in action and everybody can see when two characters come to blows or the Indians attack the cowboys. There can also be conflict that is only implied or suggested, even hidden.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">People rarely agree about everything, no matter how good a friendship is. Little things niggle and become an irritant, and can lead to big blow-ups which may seem to be about one thing but are often due to something completely unsuspected. Those conflicts make life really interesting! So often these spats show what people really are and what makes them tick - or explode.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">My dog and I have conflict. She wants to dart from side to side at great speed, following every last smell but I want her to walk sedately by my side and not drag me into a hedge or a cowpat. We struggle. Eventually I win, and she loses interest in the smells. (Not really, but she stops dragging me to them!) Sometimes I can be patience itself with this behaviour but sometimes I am dangerously close to shrieking at her and since she's deaf, it doesn't help. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The shrieking can be because several small incidents have happened to me that particular day, and it is the cumulative effect that tips me too far over the edge. This can happen in fiction, too. It doesn't have to be one word, or one phrase, but it might be several comments from different characters spread over a day. Conflicts can be simple or they can be complex. Writing conflict is wonderful.</span></p>Jen Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628305777383099281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324257133568010275.post-31224101703731439412023-11-14T13:16:00.004+00:002023-11-14T13:16:23.213+00:00What is pacing?<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicxUo6kdZidL0-n__ywoWHOS-sTbu5SOCCJL7EdT6KUl3dU2QAt1rDk0-PbNp4Otc390qusufzRd7WX2CXK2rtWCPOpF5WxpBBBvYRhW9JoifEy_dbVqz1-4egS2qIzhGwwcOgT13kDcH-jH4b5D1l0a5yuqLSgTCQQ4Pk0x0snEYwVhhuj5wc7gaJikM/s3807/SAM_2636.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3123" data-original-width="3807" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicxUo6kdZidL0-n__ywoWHOS-sTbu5SOCCJL7EdT6KUl3dU2QAt1rDk0-PbNp4Otc390qusufzRd7WX2CXK2rtWCPOpF5WxpBBBvYRhW9JoifEy_dbVqz1-4egS2qIzhGwwcOgT13kDcH-jH4b5D1l0a5yuqLSgTCQQ4Pk0x0snEYwVhhuj5wc7gaJikM/s320/SAM_2636.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />What you
may well ask, is pacing?<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">It can
refer to the rhythm of the novel, the rate the reader reads, the speed at which
events take place in the story. Usually, it refers to the latter.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What
speeds up the pace? Dialogue. Every good book begins with the protagonist
wanting something.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">S/he might
not know what it is s/he wants on page one, but s/he had better have found out
by page 30, and 20 would be even better. Everything that follows should lead to
the achievement of that goal. Other characters have their own particular goals,
which often prove to be obstacles to the protagonist.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">If there
are two conflicting goals for the same character, then the battle is within that
character. Each goals is a plot arc. The main arc should open at the beginning
of the story and close at the climax. Smaller arcs can open and close along the
way and stay relevant to the particular character by showing their motivation,
agency and desire.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Pacing,
therefore, refers to the length of time between moments of conflict.</span><span style="font-family: Bookman Old Style, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Jen Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628305777383099281noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324257133568010275.post-72404757934762435082023-11-07T09:35:00.004+00:002023-11-07T09:35:59.710+00:00The Big Unanswered Question<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLQ5UNb4vJ9wAAiFSHQDhTMEmRE2ue6OdA1FBzBwnsvUY2FWOVP7Zb0pHBHJ7pXqkcMT6jFs91v3mQerJGh3rEAK8u-1Tn9HZQPvTEyqV5Ttavv4dR9NbC5sJIGqzI235tTiajcOmAt54hMKP6jdXcrxFMnGamVtqme8zbQnGb42JxgE5-j1Zr7M4JM34/s2483/Acover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2275" data-original-width="2483" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLQ5UNb4vJ9wAAiFSHQDhTMEmRE2ue6OdA1FBzBwnsvUY2FWOVP7Zb0pHBHJ7pXqkcMT6jFs91v3mQerJGh3rEAK8u-1Tn9HZQPvTEyqV5Ttavv4dR9NbC5sJIGqzI235tTiajcOmAt54hMKP6jdXcrxFMnGamVtqme8zbQnGb42JxgE5-j1Zr7M4JM34/s320/Acover.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Novels begin with a big unanswered question, also known as BUG.<p></p><p>Sometimes it is easy to think of one, but right now my mind is absolutely clear.</p><p>Not a single BUG in sight. So I'm taking this time as a holiday and enjoying it.</p><p>Doesn't stop me thinking about it though. Once you have the BUG, then the novels flows easily enough as the protagonist tries to answer the question or solve the puzzle. Conflicts occur as the author builds toward the climax or the answer to the BUG, and here it is as well to remember that "things happening" is not necessarily conflict. </p><p>I recently read a police procedural in which there were lots of things happening that were, in my view, simply page fillers. Meals described, quiet evenings at home, sorting one's music collection; stuff like that.</p><p>In Rebus stories, the music mentioned (and only mentioned) is always relevant to the story going down. </p><p>In the book I've just read, it was an author enjoying showing off his knowledge of music. I soon learned to skip the music bits. The moral of the story is keep the story moving forward. Always.<br /></p>Jen Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628305777383099281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324257133568010275.post-87634674375084208352023-10-28T14:34:00.001+01:002023-10-28T14:34:18.104+01:00Curiosity will keep me watching<p> I've been watching The Crown on disc. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9nt_117bAa5UgQ4gUO0OnBvX0sjUFtb2XBzlyUbK6EAKm_4xWFGVq0DbG4aGnoRZFC7ykkT1IxtxtxOPi1xn121M7AkKgA1EPh0zMooPtBBeoakibxoq9D2PM-fwEa8b0oGKv1txuFMtR0ctVavhZUprOZjNg0oFYDOejarAR3ArgBWOCw9gBJOs3kBE" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="158" data-original-width="228" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9nt_117bAa5UgQ4gUO0OnBvX0sjUFtb2XBzlyUbK6EAKm_4xWFGVq0DbG4aGnoRZFC7ykkT1IxtxtxOPi1xn121M7AkKgA1EPh0zMooPtBBeoakibxoq9D2PM-fwEa8b0oGKv1txuFMtR0ctVavhZUprOZjNg0oFYDOejarAR3ArgBWOCw9gBJOs3kBE" width="320" /></a></div>So far only up to the end of Series 3. For me, it is like watching a potted history of my life, but this time from the inside looking out rather than outside looking in. There are one or two bland spots but most of it is interesting and certainly looking at the palaces is entertaining. I am surprised the rooms are so very dark, when they have such huge windows. They are often mist-filled, though given the way everyone smokes, that is not a surprise. I can remember walking into rooms where a blue-yellow fug filled the air.<p></p><p>Another surprise is the way everyone, bar Margaret, sits bolt upright. No one seems to relax into an easy chair. My memory of the queen will consist of Claire Foy and Olivia Coleman staring into camera with a fixed blankness no matter what is said to them, and I wish they had relaxed a little more. They do say the Queen had a wonderful sense of humour, but I've seen little of it in this production. Of course, as my husband keeps reminding me "It isn't true, you know. It's all made up stuff."</p><p>Well, yes, I know that, but there is enough "truth" to keep me watching. Even as a child I had some instinctive aversion to the Queen Mother and watching her in this production has done nothing to change my view. Charles has my sympathy and I can't help feeling that Charles Dance would have made a better Prince Philip than Tobias Menzies, brilliant actor though he is. Dance, I suppose, was too old to play him.</p><p>Listening carefully, I hope to identify when they began to lose the upper crustiness of their accents. Comparing the way the queen spoke when in her twenties to how she spoke when in her eighties, it is obvious she lost the sharpness. Was it deliberate, I wonder? </p><p>Is it good drama? I suppose so. The production is less tacky than I expected. Will I keep watching? Certainly. Curiosity will ensure that, if nothing else. <br /> </p>Jen Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628305777383099281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324257133568010275.post-3867611783561225332023-10-24T10:15:00.001+01:002023-10-24T10:15:11.972+01:00It's frowned upon now<p> </p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdS_upQWf428hmtzjdh4QAxr_Kof-ndqd1LGV9sEtt8iDh3S8RueBMzz2eoSrIriBg9bNFdSsEoOXzOqAaOf8sR6Q_RWqmBVJ8LbqQDsHrUNmuo-9BV0_72e3wYwMwpYNbPO9rAWSAMi7kIh8A3d88KOTG5jhEdYExWzYvE_P1kHfJIjZr95FVHb13UtU/s3264/IMG_1229.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdS_upQWf428hmtzjdh4QAxr_Kof-ndqd1LGV9sEtt8iDh3S8RueBMzz2eoSrIriBg9bNFdSsEoOXzOqAaOf8sR6Q_RWqmBVJ8LbqQDsHrUNmuo-9BV0_72e3wYwMwpYNbPO9rAWSAMi7kIh8A3d88KOTG5jhEdYExWzYvE_P1kHfJIjZr95FVHb13UtU/s320/IMG_1229.HEIC" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />People
talk of the rhythm of the novel. It may be consistent, going in and out regularly like the tide but occasionally a strong wind comes along and the waves become a menace? Others worry about the rate a reader reads.
Sometimes it’s all about the speed at which events occur in the story that
excites people. Every readers’ experience of a novel is unique. There were
people who found the Da Vinci Code exhausting because it never let up the pace and
that was precisely what other people loved about it.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Some
readers love description and want more of it. Others find it boring and skip
over to get to the next bit of action. I suspect the latter<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>group are the ones who talk of pacing as
being paramount to the success or failure of a novel.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Pacing
certainly keeps the story moving forward. (Or it should.) Nowadays there is a
tendency to shorter sentences and shorter words and I imagine the brain
stutters a bit when trying to switch gear and read any of the old classics. Not
that it can’t be done, but the change is real. A fast pace makes the reader
feel more emotion, more caught up in the action. Back story and “telling” are
now frowned upon in the first few pages of a book and in some cases, the whole
story!<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Jen Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628305777383099281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324257133568010275.post-30095295751041878292023-10-12T09:18:00.001+01:002023-10-12T09:18:38.468+01:00A Breath of Fresh Air<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">We spent a happy
week in the fresh and bracing air of the Moray coast, very close to Gamrie Bay.
Far out in the distance we spotted the spidery outline of an oil rig, and Nala
had a wonderful time loping about the beach. Sheltered by such high cliffs, the
beach was warm and pleasant and we ambled along wishing we had her energy.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">It amazes me that
some winter storm has not battered some of the houses into bits. They stand so
close to the shore and the waves come right up to the sea wall in summer. What
must they be like in winter?</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKs5IFJGbWXZYczO3tL0j3MqmlXq1m2myzeNx-nVKpLEc3HIUsneWAfvwqMr_ORc8rUa5M9jDW35nWuvnrqiYqSQuyrE_S9liB5R1H7KJYdEoRTn88uqqecNChzoEq4lbiUCQcXg9nyAlZkSjbmX7p6gFu6mtY9dkgQSzt8vGqE6UgC6NxE2RP4C9eWa8/s6000/IMG_0884.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKs5IFJGbWXZYczO3tL0j3MqmlXq1m2myzeNx-nVKpLEc3HIUsneWAfvwqMr_ORc8rUa5M9jDW35nWuvnrqiYqSQuyrE_S9liB5R1H7KJYdEoRTn88uqqecNChzoEq4lbiUCQcXg9nyAlZkSjbmX7p6gFu6mtY9dkgQSzt8vGqE6UgC6NxE2RP4C9eWa8/s320/IMG_0884.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX7A09lhJYVDQEp0zxBVIvYwZySZnZ9dG2TvXjRF3dtBjm4mkTvEXZZOeNcmhPYJjc7orxCh6hfStwt_4VXDZymrtH6UocgpqbAe1Qdpxb-3AUfUBDrk88S02SEJr3AKdE-_4IPGyDZU2zy0nphGGw8Pg1tQxTNpheqOABf8k3wPMCnJSnsHvpnMc3PNE/s6000/IMG_0878.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX7A09lhJYVDQEp0zxBVIvYwZySZnZ9dG2TvXjRF3dtBjm4mkTvEXZZOeNcmhPYJjc7orxCh6hfStwt_4VXDZymrtH6UocgpqbAe1Qdpxb-3AUfUBDrk88S02SEJr3AKdE-_4IPGyDZU2zy0nphGGw8Pg1tQxTNpheqOABf8k3wPMCnJSnsHvpnMc3PNE/s320/IMG_0878.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The ruin of St John's church stand high on the cliff and there is a path up from the beach if you've the legs to make it!<p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Built in 1513, so they say. If the people of Gardenstown and Crovie used it, then they must have been fit. There is a lane down from the road, but that seemed a longer route. I'm ashamed to say we did neither! The village of Pennan is just beyond Crovie and they filmed parts of Local Hero there, or in Arisaig on the west coast.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdPbrO3pBPfzHF1eJCd3_45P5TwG_8U9I9bwN41qbXEbW04uxyXQPc2keyH0OtYIdnacXjgedugl6hHFev5Vebc6474osjPTVnMFS_h7VQ6Kx02UZUuVk91TfqEnrbCBhiTDsMCI4eg1cnLv4tQTkK3IENAgAiwt-F9ME2_MLzokmjD7LniPkIPsA4da8/s6000/IMG_0857.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdPbrO3pBPfzHF1eJCd3_45P5TwG_8U9I9bwN41qbXEbW04uxyXQPc2keyH0OtYIdnacXjgedugl6hHFev5Vebc6474osjPTVnMFS_h7VQ6Kx02UZUuVk91TfqEnrbCBhiTDsMCI4eg1cnLv4tQTkK3IENAgAiwt-F9ME2_MLzokmjD7LniPkIPsA4da8/s320/IMG_0857.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>Jen Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628305777383099281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324257133568010275.post-59345459801338058642023-09-22T09:33:00.002+01:002023-09-22T09:33:25.587+01:00The influence of Dunnett<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9QfCrr-ahquFb7YRpqpjwek_t98-UwG9WqW461PiWn416CIaVydwnlBsa8uoYg-o8v2bwhaFS9WaJhjsHa2hBXqrv9ocKciGENZoVyAAkU9EC4D_LgIcX_qb9LWuBAVEQAp6QWnstqjVCS0GzSi-DHsAL42kuiQXT2dCGwkHrvTXqyFa6ONW9wa5FagA/s2264/DSC01006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2264" data-original-width="1616" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9QfCrr-ahquFb7YRpqpjwek_t98-UwG9WqW461PiWn416CIaVydwnlBsa8uoYg-o8v2bwhaFS9WaJhjsHa2hBXqrv9ocKciGENZoVyAAkU9EC4D_LgIcX_qb9LWuBAVEQAp6QWnstqjVCS0GzSi-DHsAL42kuiQXT2dCGwkHrvTXqyFa6ONW9wa5FagA/s320/DSC01006.JPG" width="228" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><br /><br />The years prior to 1960 provided pretty solid reading in the historical fiction department of public libraries: Elizabeth Byrd’s Immortal Queen in 1956, followed by Serge et Anne Golon in 1957 with Angelique: The Marquise of the Angels. I had taken Game of Kings (1961) from the library for my mother to read, and when she handed it back to me with the words, “You will enjoy this,” she had no idea what she was doing. <br /><br />I read it with growing delight because suddenly dialogue was not sprinkled with forsooth and pray, my lord, and pages were not filled with exposition and political backstory, nor was there any head hopping which was common back then. Instead, intelligent conversation that often had a sharp and witty edge to it. She had me hook, line and sinker by the time Buccleugh “stopped listening and went for a crowbar” in Chapter 1.<br /><br />I looked for other books like it and found very few, if any. Like Dorothy Dunnett, I dallied with the idea of filling the gap by writing a book myself but hung back, unsure that I could do it.<br />Work and bus travel took up a lot of time, and relationships with the opposite sex were important, but the idea sat in the back of my mind all through the publication of the six Lymond novels. I studied her writing, and loved how she was precise in her use of grammar.<br /><br />There was never any doubt over who was speaking or thinking, as there often is today in popular novels. I also liked the way she broke up long sentences – introducing three words, adding the dialogue tag and then completing the sentence. She didn’t always use dialogue tags, but action tags did the job superbly.<br />Her settings were so real that one holiday in France my husband and I trudged around Blois on a very hot day tracking the Dame de Doubtance to her lair on the Rue de Papegaults. We did something similar with the drum tower of Amboise and the traboules of Lyon, and the cisterns of Istanbul.<br /><br />The characters Dunnett creates are unforgettable and almost real. Like everyone else I checked the history of the “real” characters and MacBeth from King Hereafter became the starting point for my first book in which a certain Daveth mac Finlay allies with Thorfinn to secure the throne of Alba.<br />Margaret Douglas became my next focus and the Scottish Queen Trilogy has dear Meg as a major player in her struggle to stay safe and achieve a secure marriage. Dunnett has her as an evil influence on Lymond, but once I read her life story, I understood Meg walked a tightrope her entire life. It began with her mother, who chose to stay with her son, the future King of Scotland, and handed Meg over to her father the Earl of Angus, whose lands had been confiscated by the Crown.<br /><br />Dragged up by Douglas relatives all over the borders until her aunt Mary (Henry VIII’s sister) invited her to the English court, Meg had no one to rely on when Aunt Mary died in 1533. Desperate to marry, she was thrown in the tower when Henry discovered her affairs. Without heirs himself, he did not want Meg to marry and have children who could very well claim the crown. She was, after all, his niece and the granddaughter of Henry VII. He was a very real influence on her life choices.<p></p>Jen Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628305777383099281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324257133568010275.post-29597412638828416362023-09-13T10:02:00.003+01:002023-09-13T10:02:54.945+01:00Endings are difficult<p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: center;">The biggest fault with story endings is when they are predictable.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1sapY4jGB1_NE9KDiBV-mD4bG921SOvL1QV0ReTGw2nKi4pFuqiPR0ueGS5bCFYq8nck64RBJ9x081ec_WWV0JAuGbMSNsdSsYcAp7LHI_cEQOh2XvczPmbv2PbQWHldRVlNbSRBmG19zF25f0jFNloIDH88vSosIVsOTKV-j5Go0w0U4RRNdbWsNxEQ/s2592/IMG_1096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1936" data-original-width="2592" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1sapY4jGB1_NE9KDiBV-mD4bG921SOvL1QV0ReTGw2nKi4pFuqiPR0ueGS5bCFYq8nck64RBJ9x081ec_WWV0JAuGbMSNsdSsYcAp7LHI_cEQOh2XvczPmbv2PbQWHldRVlNbSRBmG19zF25f0jFNloIDH88vSosIVsOTKV-j5Go0w0U4RRNdbWsNxEQ/s320/IMG_1096.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />How
often have you heard someone say, “It was good but I guessed the ending by page
5?” Good stories have the reader guessing right up to the end.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Not all
plots come together as well as Maass would have us believe: he says inner (emotional)
and outer climaxes (plot related)must come together at the same time. The
writer may forget the emotional slant in the rush to the end, and that is a
mistake. It can also be overdone. There are one or two Jack Reacher scenes
where I think, oh for Heaven’s sake, get on with it!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Maass
recommends making failure look likely, too. Everybody, except maybe Jack
Reacher, has doubts.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Snyder
uses the phrase A whiff of death, or All is Lost, and says this must occur in
every thriller before the final moment.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<span style="font-family: georgia;">Fiction genres come with predetermined expectations. Romances, for example, usually have a nice, happy, upbeat ending with Hero and Heroine in a happy-ever-after-clinch. Mysteries and thrillers depend on plot twists that keep readers turning pages to find out who done it, or why. “Expect the unexpected” is the motto here. Open or unresolved endings are not good in this genre. The reader wants to know if the murderer goes to prison, escapes, or dies trying? Was the truth uncovered?<br /></span>Jen Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628305777383099281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324257133568010275.post-59358298326605141472023-09-05T09:57:00.000+01:002023-09-05T09:57:12.762+01:00Mixed genres<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhID7lLRSlaDMBCjZx5bRuCzPlFwQ9vXj9cLCTjI2GQHOIPVFYOC_XoZ9jJszkG7acai35Qqqc3-fW0hLCn8S6f3shN4ZGPH-P9TcCLHemlkwNNRE-satQbj4bvbpX69aXlfvAxBL3oQiVflIL3i1k_JtKiyRYmwlx42fn11xkKO7-71UeQea72gWt1LnE/s2736/PICT0011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1824" data-original-width="2736" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhID7lLRSlaDMBCjZx5bRuCzPlFwQ9vXj9cLCTjI2GQHOIPVFYOC_XoZ9jJszkG7acai35Qqqc3-fW0hLCn8S6f3shN4ZGPH-P9TcCLHemlkwNNRE-satQbj4bvbpX69aXlfvAxBL3oQiVflIL3i1k_JtKiyRYmwlx42fn11xkKO7-71UeQea72gWt1LnE/s320/PICT0011.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me in days of yore</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Nearly finished the wip.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Except that the word count is not what I want it to be. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The main protagonists didn't get it together in the way I wanted when I started out. In fact they didn't get it together at all. And I haven't written the final chapter yet. Why haven't I? Because I can't decide what the ending is.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">This isn't a historical romance. In that genre, it is usually pretty easy to decide when the end is actually the end. But my current experiment is perhaps a cozy mystery, or perhaps a gentle police procedural (if such a thing is possible) or maybe just a murder mystery. I guess the end is when the murderer confesses all and the reader knows "whodunnit."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Alongside all that, there are the usual editing moans of glitches and typos, double spaces instead of single and three periods instead of one, never mind the comma <i>and</i> the full stops splattering the the whole thing. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">All that plus the usual misspellings, plot holes and characters misnamed. It's a this point where I long to move onto something else, something new and different because to be honest, I'm bored with reading and re-reading searching for things to correct. I'm bored with making the hero more romantic and wondering if I've got my genres mixed up. Is it possible to mix genres? Mash-up romance and thriller? Doubt it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The only answer is to get on and finish the thing. Then I can be free of it ....<br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #e0e7c1; color: #222222; font-family: "Droid Serif", serif; font-size: 20px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #e0e7c1; color: #222222; font-family: "Droid Serif", serif; font-size: 20px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #e0e7c1; color: #222222; font-family: "Droid Serif", serif; font-size: 20px;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>Jen Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628305777383099281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324257133568010275.post-59690760433163943602023-08-24T08:23:00.003+01:002023-08-24T08:23:35.646+01:00To tag or not to tag?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS6o4tumG1jNm3f_2lhIApi5wcfHq1modh1swKz2acTOLvLwSkkqdjil5fzs3sE6XjE93Hkg6Qjg-eEI8CAz60mPoyC4PPgf-yG_dH9jqJV1PkaUVZX5LDrUtJNrFvYNCviDPqAHLW4qpB4nPqCgZT7ktAlBaeI8dyP3uuXXes2Zic8aXL6aZaswTQHoM/s4032/IMG_0149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS6o4tumG1jNm3f_2lhIApi5wcfHq1modh1swKz2acTOLvLwSkkqdjil5fzs3sE6XjE93Hkg6Qjg-eEI8CAz60mPoyC4PPgf-yG_dH9jqJV1PkaUVZX5LDrUtJNrFvYNCviDPqAHLW4qpB4nPqCgZT7ktAlBaeI8dyP3uuXXes2Zic8aXL6aZaswTQHoM/s320/IMG_0149.JPG" width="240" /></a></div> <span style="font-family: georgia;">What do other writers think of Dorothy Dunnett?</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">You may or may not have heard the name, but she wrote several historical series that garnered many, many fans. <br />Check out this link: <a href="https://dunnettcentral.org/centenary/the-writers-writer/">The Writers’ Writer – Dorothy Dunnett Centenary (dunnettcentral.org)</a> and find out. You will find my comments there along with a dozen or so others.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">They make interesting reading. Currently I am going through my latest wip and trying to tie up all the loose ends. The easiest thing in the world is to add "said "after every line of dialogue, but oh! it does make for boring reading. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">So now I have struck out many of those dreaded words and let the dialogue stand alone, or I have add an action tag to make life interesting. Often I tie two separate sentences together to make one graceful, more interesting sentence. It seems when I'm writing the first draft I go for the simplest language and often employ phrases like "and then she...."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Not good. Second time is when the editing brain goes into action and re-writes all those awkward constructions. </span></p><p><br /></p>Jen Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628305777383099281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324257133568010275.post-79072218977454575522023-08-15T09:04:00.003+01:002023-08-15T09:04:22.517+01:00Never use a verb<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #121212; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk8xmx7-sAI7PZhp02OuVZ4Dk824uX3m4AnZgxPJnFZQpa8cv7_5cu93K0Q3sgl94gdhu-34C8zLVBwuTicusmqAd1YxT7hMfMA1NnuDl-pdXqyqBPrYfEew9A_67RWGbhop9cVmzC7Rs5tiW5224_SwNkSBby7R_s-buwDk4fJx0k1OGAiAIRaqp1bNI/s640/treeJ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="478" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk8xmx7-sAI7PZhp02OuVZ4Dk824uX3m4AnZgxPJnFZQpa8cv7_5cu93K0Q3sgl94gdhu-34C8zLVBwuTicusmqAd1YxT7hMfMA1NnuDl-pdXqyqBPrYfEew9A_67RWGbhop9cVmzC7Rs5tiW5224_SwNkSBby7R_s-buwDk4fJx0k1OGAiAIRaqp1bNI/s320/treeJ.jpg" width="239" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />“Never use a verb other than "said" to
carry dialogue. The line of dialogue belongs to the character; the verb is the
writer sticking his nose in.”<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #121212; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I saw Elmore Leonard’s piece about creative writing
and liked the sentence so much I read the rest. (I have read it before and
agree with most of it.) Other authors say similar things, and sometimes they
way they say it is entertaining.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #121212; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">It took me a while to know when I needed to use the
verb “said” at all. So many times, particularly if only two characters are in
the scene, the tag is not needed. I think I’ve got it now. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #121212; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Sometimes I long to go back and re-edit all my
earlier titles, but will have to stay as a record of my learning process. Ten
times 70k words is 7ook and to read through that lot with a correcting pen
would take maybe longer than I still have on earth!</span></span><o:p></o:p></p>Jen Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628305777383099281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324257133568010275.post-9847414697853121772023-08-08T09:36:00.001+01:002023-08-08T09:36:13.647+01:00Time to take note<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKhQpxt2-icwcJTZGjLaNlouzNp-cVkEe-n0q9vlHni0NoZYyXWDXhfERs28r5MgZUzD_ZS-2U78tDPz5R7onaJyWkErvqPTCqTc-IZUAMHZ-YxRzmR7gJysNGP2QyHKmqTANJHw3uTdP1MxI_dWX9LsqI80BG4_WQBIsNN6rx-coV0Yb7EZGLsaAjwBc/s1632/IMG_1098.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1224" data-original-width="1632" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKhQpxt2-icwcJTZGjLaNlouzNp-cVkEe-n0q9vlHni0NoZYyXWDXhfERs28r5MgZUzD_ZS-2U78tDPz5R7onaJyWkErvqPTCqTc-IZUAMHZ-YxRzmR7gJysNGP2QyHKmqTANJHw3uTdP1MxI_dWX9LsqI80BG4_WQBIsNN6rx-coV0Yb7EZGLsaAjwBc/s320/IMG_1098.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Do workshops help writers write?</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The one given by Mari Hannah helped me.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">She writes Police procedurals/crime fiction, and since that is the genre I have recently decided to attempt, I just had to attend. It would have been criminal not to! There was much good information and I saved her talk, and think this is worth taking about: she mentioned four things that she advises everyone to do: </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Keep a timeline. It is so easy to lose track of things and exactly when they happened. I came home and starting reading my own work from the start. Glad I did, for I found several instances where I'd got things a) repeated or b) out of sequence. So now I follow Mari's advice and keep a timeline on a separate document.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I n my read through I also looked for what she calls "a raised action." Evidently police keep a log of every order/question and someone is in charge of that sheet. When I went through my story - you can guess I found orders I had directed someone to do and then forgotten about them.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">A Setup/Payoff sheet. This sits next to the Raised Action sheet, possible on the same document. in my pc. Things discovered in the investigation go in here so they are not forgotten or worse - ignored!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The fourth list she recommended I already do, and I suppose most writers have a character list. How detailed you wish to make it is up to you. I like to note hair and eye-colour so I don't have to sit and try to remember what I said about the character the first time I mentioned them.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">So thank you to Mari for an excellent talk. Much appreciated.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Jen Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628305777383099281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324257133568010275.post-45988826174758661762023-08-01T12:53:00.000+01:002023-08-01T12:53:03.901+01:00A deadly place<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjDpddu6nkUrrArkDjgyFj7i-tjKQdyha_dkV1FQdddQKfPFoGCq3UlkzbDU70WUt6w4JKJuBTH8DsCvUFNN0YUiM5_afHLLUDlo3AoW1zMrLoAVjEIzUCtFco8HOj0lcj88ToDepije1oBS5boUcTzZcNbnGEKrZCcxbpkSPymL3ufBHdIuwm8PC1u_E/s2560/DSC02117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="2560" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjDpddu6nkUrrArkDjgyFj7i-tjKQdyha_dkV1FQdddQKfPFoGCq3UlkzbDU70WUt6w4JKJuBTH8DsCvUFNN0YUiM5_afHLLUDlo3AoW1zMrLoAVjEIzUCtFco8HOj0lcj88ToDepije1oBS5boUcTzZcNbnGEKrZCcxbpkSPymL3ufBHdIuwm8PC1u_E/s320/DSC02117.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> <p></p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Odd to read that someone who vanished thirty-seven years ago has been discovered on a thawing glacier near the Matterhorn. He failed to return from a hike in September 1986. In June this year climbers crossing the Theodul Glacier “discovered human remains along with several pieces of equipment.”<br /><br />Even odder to think that it is an area where we’ve skied many times over the last thirty years, though I don’t think we were in any danger of skiing exactly where he died. I hope not, though we must have been pretty close. It seems the melting ice is bringing lots of bodies to the surface. Otzi the iceman was just the first!<br /></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We were in Zermatt in January this year and we walked a lot around the village but we did not venture up into the high mountains. Our days of tearing down mountainsides at high speed are well and truly over but I have to say there is nothing quite like it - and the memories of a beautiful and possibly deadly place remain so very clear.</span>Jen Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628305777383099281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324257133568010275.post-80592017386941414692023-07-26T08:19:00.001+01:002023-07-26T08:19:15.969+01:00It can be easy or it can be hell<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPRwPMQKmsQ6Q9BpvCHL2J70NLAc4XimhNCoAKbxAd1eAFHfE1obHLRFawNU_27fvkvkoKIKiP-Te5UEMLOEzXW2Vn_HAVg9ZUjubHZCGtcT5jov_gfUhF2kZ_dozwvd_4ZUevVOUvf9t5PlCtKp1lCCja-Zy337UUzdT0ETpiTAZJij012jejHLNRsDo/s2592/IMG_1106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1936" data-original-width="2592" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPRwPMQKmsQ6Q9BpvCHL2J70NLAc4XimhNCoAKbxAd1eAFHfE1obHLRFawNU_27fvkvkoKIKiP-Te5UEMLOEzXW2Vn_HAVg9ZUjubHZCGtcT5jov_gfUhF2kZ_dozwvd_4ZUevVOUvf9t5PlCtKp1lCCja-Zy337UUzdT0ETpiTAZJij012jejHLNRsDo/s320/IMG_1106.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">My characters are
talking to each other. They are a team, so they have to. <o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Dialogue can be
easy or it can be hell. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">And how to make
them all sound different – more like themselves and not like the other guy. It
ain’t easy. The ideal is that you should be able to tell who said what without
the dreaded he saids and she saids. Nice work if you can manage it, as someone
once said.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I usually get the
words down and then add necessary tags so that we don’t get totally lost about
who said what to whom. Then I look to make it more interesting and that means
adding some action. What are they doing while they have this dialogue? How are
they feeling? Is that coming across in what they say, or have I got to resort
to telling readers how my characters feel? Maybe I can get away with saying she
is angry if I say <i>“her anger rose until it boiled over in a splurge of
boiling hot words.” </i>(A bit wordy but you get the idea.)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I like to add
northern dialect to some of my characters, but its easy to go overboard with it.
I know what they’re saying, and I hear it around me most days but dialect may
not carry to the far corners of the world. Sometimes I toss in a glossary at
the end and leave it at that.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">It’s a balancing
act I find entertaining. Once I’ve done
my best shot, I leave it and go back a day or two later when I do a read
through. I have to do this. This time I’m glad I did because I’ve found
characters talking about something that hasn’t happened in their world. I know
it’s going to, but they shouldn’t know about it yet. So easy to get confused
with time lines. They almost deserve a post to themselves.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Jen Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628305777383099281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324257133568010275.post-46006583678541190472023-07-15T12:59:00.001+01:002023-07-15T12:59:55.059+01:00A new Rebus?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJVdtcXVeKs6YgLfF_HffYvG83vtmGiUMOyoZQrE3BswIzbXC2iE3cwWrJNEZQmkcon1upoO0em0YfjkvnTf7yWiceyTD1Dn_ykNNOGO4UBW2BH_oUPd8K7m7olmjWVdAYWc4CctZt0PX7JWqp16-p-dgvW34L-RjqTTLlbWjP_N4F9ITtrnkPubriiE/s427/image.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="401" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJVdtcXVeKs6YgLfF_HffYvG83vtmGiUMOyoZQrE3BswIzbXC2iE3cwWrJNEZQmkcon1upoO0em0YfjkvnTf7yWiceyTD1Dn_ykNNOGO4UBW2BH_oUPd8K7m7olmjWVdAYWc4CctZt0PX7JWqp16-p-dgvW34L-RjqTTLlbWjP_N4F9ITtrnkPubriiE/s320/image.png" width="301" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"> I caught a snippet this morning because my dog woke me at 3.30AM! (Chewing her feet in that noisy way she has developed during this grass pollen season). Had she not, I might have missed the news that Viaplay, a Scandinavian streaming giant, is filming Rebus.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Ian Rankin dropped this snippet, so I assume it is true. Richard Rank of <i>Outlander</i> fame is to play a re-imagined, 30-year-old, recently de-moted Sergeant Rebus in modern Edinburgh with modern day stories.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I adored Ken Stott's portrayal and frankly I can't see it being bettered. I'll be keen to watch it when the new version is released in the UK in 2024.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Stott's voice was so distinctive it was recognisable anywhere.</span></p>Jen Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628305777383099281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324257133568010275.post-66423861092776391382023-07-06T10:29:00.004+01:002023-07-06T10:29:23.594+01:00Hexham as a crime scene<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHKKm2Sz2xDQNKSWAWD3-RTFIV3fkJ8Yv7bukN2C3a9yd2D7gMgxsR8NhiFZUL1vJXh2v0ttrsj9twbiVXDJ7g6Uyb6Bdz7Q6k3l6-9hDXtHiADXqx0rgVsP-lObeAlsiiye9tIptEo10KfKKFA7cr3uE9XobSEuP2vkPbNv3AtBEAKSRJykLBQrjOKXg/s640/IMG_0806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHKKm2Sz2xDQNKSWAWD3-RTFIV3fkJ8Yv7bukN2C3a9yd2D7gMgxsR8NhiFZUL1vJXh2v0ttrsj9twbiVXDJ7g6Uyb6Bdz7Q6k3l6-9hDXtHiADXqx0rgVsP-lObeAlsiiye9tIptEo10KfKKFA7cr3uE9XobSEuP2vkPbNv3AtBEAKSRJykLBQrjOKXg/s320/IMG_0806.jpg" width="240" /></a></div> <p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Is atmosphere of
place important in crime writing?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I’ve just
finished the latest Rebus and I wonder if I’m the only one who checks the
locations on my ipad as I read? I used to know Edinburgh fairly well. As a
young person I linked the city to Mary Queen of Scots and thought it terribly
romantic. A cousin of mine, only a few years older, remarked dourly that it was
a grim, dirty city. A friend who trained as a town planner did his work
experience in Edinburgh and took me to see some of the desperate council
estates that tourist rarely see.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">If you read Ian
Rankin’s books, and I own most of them, then Edinburgh is revealed in splendid
misery. The town itself seems to breed the crimes that go on inside its
buildings and has done for centuries. The history reeks of witchcraft, murder,
grave robbers, back stabbers and their stories seem to rise out of the sooty
stones of the city.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">So yes, I think
place is important and I’m wondering if Hexham is appropriate as a setting for
murder. Has there ever been a murder in Hexham? It seems there has. Records of
murder in the twelfth century, and more through the ages right up until Holly
Newton died in January this year. I doubt there’s anything I can do will to make
the pretty little market town of Hexham seem as grim as Edinburgh. There are ancient buildings, such as the Old Gaol, built in 1333 from stones taken from the Roman site at Corbridge. Surely those stones have memories? Maybe they can be made to give them up...<br /></span><span style="font-family: Bookman Old Style, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>Jen Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628305777383099281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324257133568010275.post-71891869607642881832023-07-01T08:52:00.000+01:002023-07-01T08:52:00.885+01:00Throwing in the towel<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJGQ8EZKs1eburCRXhpHPOhex8jJpuoMNXg4Hli96YVGx1qo2tkWwAuAYhu0_phDWYlzo8vPhiQYBlcD-fvK4o9Nz5g7Gfn2Y1OVtVW_C6_uO0sMI36ijZI2iuBmgIIL44yJFf5h0RpdZS0Tvyv5-49gBK8W38yWnljg9cGojB-7CvV9IvJ_rxwZGLX78/s3264/IMG_1052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJGQ8EZKs1eburCRXhpHPOhex8jJpuoMNXg4Hli96YVGx1qo2tkWwAuAYhu0_phDWYlzo8vPhiQYBlcD-fvK4o9Nz5g7Gfn2Y1OVtVW_C6_uO0sMI36ijZI2iuBmgIIL44yJFf5h0RpdZS0Tvyv5-49gBK8W38yWnljg9cGojB-7CvV9IvJ_rxwZGLX78/s320/IMG_1052.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Indie writers have so many things to do.<p></p><p>Write. Edit, edit again, get a cover, publish.</p><p>Promote, endlessly promote.</p><p>So I'm wondering if blogging is really worth the time it takes.<br /></p><p>I've suspected for some time that Blogger Stats are off the wall. When between one day and the next they shot into the thousands of users per day, I seriously thought of throwing in the towel.</p><p>But then, there are so many memories, personal memories, that I've recorded and so many photographs I may not have anywhere else that I hesitate to delete it. </p><p>So maybe I'll keep it going a little longer....</p>Jen Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628305777383099281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324257133568010275.post-81916149336328615322023-06-24T08:50:00.000+01:002023-06-24T08:50:03.678+01:00All those boring things<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYuPazOM3qwsuS80MA9YMCkT1R55QYt2BRGUddENwz9hadjUjqlHYJt0RZpPZ_6DuemPqGFcvkurv21lDRw-BtSTHtpyyF8CEua2QU_KGIzkltHmlRk25MZq2hXhGWz1JXfHOziEhMN217D-983o8iiPL-Js0QS3GXOtePJr2P1FKs6TPHP14OurBYOsc/s3264/IMG_1007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYuPazOM3qwsuS80MA9YMCkT1R55QYt2BRGUddENwz9hadjUjqlHYJt0RZpPZ_6DuemPqGFcvkurv21lDRw-BtSTHtpyyF8CEua2QU_KGIzkltHmlRk25MZq2hXhGWz1JXfHOziEhMN217D-983o8iiPL-Js0QS3GXOtePJr2P1FKs6TPHP14OurBYOsc/s320/IMG_1007.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> <span style="font-family: georgia;">Back in England after three weeks in France.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Those three weeks were hot weeks, usually 28-32 degrees around midday. At that point we retreat into the shade of the bolly, or lounge on the balcony on the other side of the house where there is some shade to be had. By evening, the sun is fully round and the balcony becomes the place to enjoy a drink after dinner.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Right now I'm in the throes of catching up on laundry, re-stocking the fridge and all those perfectly boring but necessary household things.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>Jen Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628305777383099281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324257133568010275.post-79941028808840434242023-06-15T13:22:00.006+01:002023-06-15T13:22:00.156+01:00My crime shows<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzmflp2Y9q61E9GE9BKYstBz8cj0j6HbZyYLx7ZEa3eTqub6KVs5LajucSLjYtJhQdfiV0ueceO34NOkD9_8KBKl_HXKSY6MTltG3J9L88MeCdHZjDnL5w3SmA7aZ4oL-N5fcJfClyK21rKxWsIV6aTwKkwbdZUBycWp9wkQVE7Hkq327g-HeV0JeF/s1485/DSC05341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1485" data-original-width="1262" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzmflp2Y9q61E9GE9BKYstBz8cj0j6HbZyYLx7ZEa3eTqub6KVs5LajucSLjYtJhQdfiV0ueceO34NOkD9_8KBKl_HXKSY6MTltG3J9L88MeCdHZjDnL5w3SmA7aZ4oL-N5fcJfClyK21rKxWsIV6aTwKkwbdZUBycWp9wkQVE7Hkq327g-HeV0JeF/s320/DSC05341.JPG" width="272" /></a></div> <span style="font-family: georgia;">This is where I confess which crime shows I watch.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">This won't be in any particular order. In other words, its random, but I suppose how quickly the particular show comes to mind indicates something about its effect on me. So, here goes:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Wire in the Blood, </i>fictional Bradfield near Manchester</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Blue Lights,</i> set in Northern Ireland</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Happy Valley,</i> set in Halifax area</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Line of Duty, </i>presumably London, but I never really knew</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Unforgotten</i>, in London</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>The Bridge,</i> Copenhagen - Stockholm</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>The Fall, </i>Northern Ireland. No fan of GA, but Jamie Dornan scared me silly.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Broadchurch,</i> Kent</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Shetland </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Geri/Hadji </i> a Japanese detective. Not sure where it was.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Then of course there are the old favourites always worth a re-watch - <i>Morse, Lewis, Endeavour.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I watched <i>Silent Witness</i> when Amanda Burton was the lead player but not much recently.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I'll watch <i>Vera</i> if there's nothing, absolutely nothing else on, but I'm not keen. The settings are local, which makes me curious. I often watch just to say - OH, look there's....</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">No element of <i>Slasher</i> movies in my list, but some of them were horrific in the sense that things happen to people that should never happen. The young policewoman in Happy Valley, for instance. But it was hardly gore.</span></p><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Jen Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628305777383099281noreply@blogger.com0