Unspoken Words

Happy New Year to everyone.

For me, 2010 will be the Year of the Novel. I set out at the beginning of 2009 with the intention of writing a science fiction novel by the end of 2010, and soon realised that I needed to put in some effort towards catching up with contemporary novel-length science fiction, adjusting my way of thinking from short stories to novels, and continuing to develop my general writing skills.

Authors I’ve read in 2009 include Ian M Banks, Alastair Reynolds, Neal Asher, Ken Macleod, William Gibson, Eric Brown and Richard Morgan, among others. I’m still reading science fiction short stories, too, and am working my way through a bunch of anthologies as well as recent issues of Analog and Asimov’s.  The likelihood of finding someone to publish my novel is small and may well depend on me being able to get some short stories published in professional science fiction mags, so although the novel manuscript should be written and polished by the end of 2010, getting it published is likely to be some way off yet.

Oh, and I joined the British Science Fiction Association late in 2009. My first copy of the regular BSFA magazine Vector arrived recently, and as a BSFA member I’m able to nominate for the BSFA Best Novel award (and others, including the Best Short Fiction award).

Of the non-SF novels that I’ve read in 2009, two stand out as being particularly memorable. One is Rape: A Love Story, by Joyce Carol Oates, and the other is The Woman In The Dunes, by Kobo Abe, which I’ve just finished reading (and absolutely loved). Both were new authors to me.

Back in December I took the train up to London for the Ride the Word event at the Cafe Yumchaa in Soho. I’d been wanting to go to a live reading event for some time and missed the Sparks event in Brighton the previous week because I came down with a bug, and the Short Fuse event in Hastings the following weekend because of a family issue. So, it was nice to get to the Ride the Word event, where a bunch of authors who had contributed to the Short Circuit book edited by Vanessa Gebbie read. As well as meeting up with Vanessa, it also gave me an opportunity to say hello to a few people that I’ve ‘met’ online over the last few years, including Tania Hershman, Sarah Salway and Alex Keegan. I also picked up a copy of Balancing on the Edge of the World, by Elizabeth Baines.

Just before Christmas the Goldfish Bowl writing group met up in Canterbury, and Don took the prize for the best short story on the theme of The Origin of Father Christmas. Katherine Spink also brought along a copy of the short anthology that she’s put together containing a varied bunch of stories by group members.

The Critters Bar writing forum kicks off with Flash League III in early January, an all-play-all flash fiction writing competition with weekly rounds and cash prizes for those with the most points at the end.

Whatever you’re up to in 2010, I hope it’s a great year for you.

The content of my short guide, How To Survive Online Writing Forums, has been added to the blog and has its own page.  It’s still available on the Critters Bar writing forum, and a pdf version is also available for download from the blog page. All comments welcome.

The Novel

Yes, yes, yes, I know I said I’d start writing it in June.

No, no, no, I haven’t started yet.

What’s it to you, Big Nose?

I’m still reading as much contemporary science fiction as I can, and mostly enjoying it. I’m also reading up on science fact – latest theories on time travel, black holes, worm holes, parallel universes and that kind of thing. There’s some really interesting stuff out there (no, really, there is). Anyway, I consider this to be an essential part of my preparation for writing the novel and won’t begin writing until I feel that I’m ready. Right now, I’d expect that to be just after Christmas. Maybe even January 1st. But if I’m not ready then, it’ll be when I am.

However, I still intend to have the novel written and revised by the end of 2010. That has always been the case and that’s still the case, so, even though the start has slipped by months, I plan to have it ready on time. How? Well, simply put, the original plan was really lazy and assumed a typing speed of around 30 words a fortnight with time off for good behaviour, or something equally as silly. I know I can write it faster than originally planned, comfortably in fact, so that’s what I’ll do. Okay?

Critters Bar

I love that place. But I haven’t been there in over a month. What? Well, Ian Rochford has kindly taken over the admin role (thanks Ian), and I’m taking time out not only from Critters Bar but from all such writing forums and online gathering places for a while so that I can concentrate on the novel. It’s hard. I do miss the interaction. But it’s got to be done. The last 12 months I’ve managed to set myself free from all kinds of things in order to free up time for the novel, and pulling out of Critters Bar for a while was the last step. I will be back, I’m just not sure when right now.

Goldfish Bowl

Still meeting up with other writers locally every couple of weeks, and last night we had a workshop on ‘the opening’, the second such workshop as we had one on characterisation a couple of meetings ago. Anyhow, it seemed to go down pretty well and though we were relatively light on numbers the discussion was very worthwhile and we ended up over-running.

Writing

The last stuff I wrote was during the July Blast story-a-day initiative in Critters Bar, and I think I managed about 16 or 17 pieces during the month, something like that. Not quite one a day, but still. Anyway, Dogzplot Flash Fiction took one of the pieces (Chrono-something) from the July Blast recently:

http://dogzplot.blogspot.com/2009/10/chromo-something-bob-jacobs.html

and the good folks over at The Pygmy Giant recently took one (Imperfectly Formed):

http://thepygmygiant.wordpress.com/2009/10/29/imperfectly-formed/

and Every Day Fiction are due to put one up (Broken Waters) on November 26th:

http://www.everydayfiction.com/

Yes, yes, yes, I know they’re very short. Yes, yes, yes, I know they’re very simple. If you want something longer and more meaningful you’ll have to wait for the novel, which is thirteen-point-something months away from being completed (let alone published). But it’ll be worth the wait. Honest.

And those places are all worth a visit if you’re looking for some short fiction to read.

Okay. That’s all for now, folks.

You have heard of Julio Cortazar, haven’t you? Of course you have, you’re well read (you are, aren’t you?) so you can probably rattle off the title of every story he ever wrote, yes?

Be honest – can you name any?

A couple of years ago a fiendishly tempting display in the local Waterstones begged me to buy a collection of his shorts: Blow-Up and Other Stories. At the same time (and in a familiar  moment of weakness) I also bought Juan Rulfo’s novel Pedro Paramo and that was a thoroughly intriguing read.

So, did you name any? I can name two. Blow-Up and Axolotl. Remember them? I read more than just those two, but right now – miles from home and without the book to refer to – those are the ones that immediately spring to mind. Memorable is the word. Isn’t that what separates good fiction from the not so good? The good stuff is memorable. It might be memorable for any one of a number of reasons, but it’s memorable.

What about the not-so-memorable stories that you’ve read? Can you remember any of those?

Me neither.

The next time you sit down to write a piece of fiction, be it short or long, I want you to staple a piece of paper to your thumb with the word ‘memorable’ on it. When you’ve finished writing, ask yourself why what you’ve written would be memorable to your reader. If you don’t like the answer, do something about it.

I did staple my finger once, when I was 16 and working in an accountant’s office. It didn’t hurt, not on the way in at least, but on the way out was a different story (a memorable one, in fact).

At this point I should mention my son, the baby of the family, who is also now 16, and who received his GCSE results today. Great set of results, my son. Well done. And watch out for staples.

So anyway, Blow-Up and Other Stories, it’s a memorable read. Before I began writing (fiction) five years ago I barely ever read short stories. Now I can’t get enough of them. In fact, over the last few years I’ve become something of a short story reader and have struggled to read novels. That’s had to change this year as I’m making the effort to get up to speed with contemporary science fiction, so I’m gulping down novels as fast as my brain can parse them.

To do that, to read so many novels in such a short space of time, I’ve had to make some sacrifices. I’ve cleared the decks, or almost cleared them, so that I can find the time not only to read more, but to write more. In particular, so that I can write a novel by the end of next year.

The final deck clearing is just taking place. After three and a half years of looking after the Critters Bar writing forum I’m calling it a day. Two kind souls have come forward to share the responsibility, so Critters Bar will continue to provide a warm welcome to aspiring writers. I’d like to thank the members for making it easy for me to run the place for the last three years. After some teething problems in the first couple of months things really settled down and a lot of good work has been done behind the bar doors.

So, it’s goodbye to Critters Bar. Well not quite goodbye, I’m still a member and I’m sure I’ll turn up in there like a bad penny when I need a break from writing the novel, but it’s the end of an era. It’s been fun.

Something I tend to do, now that I have more time and because I’m planning to write science fiction, is read the science and technology sections on the BBC web site. All that information just a mouse click away, it’s fascinating what you come across sometimes.

Today there was an article on how some of the things we consider science fiction today could become science fact tomorrow. Such things as time travel and invisibility. Apparently neither of these is actually impossible, but we don’t have the solutions for them yet. One of the problems with invisibility, for instance, is that you’d need two holes in your invisibility cloak so that you can see out. So, you’d have these two detached eyes wandering around.

In another (unrelated) article it said that the axolotl is on the verge of becoming extinct in the wild. (You don’t think I chose randomly to talk about the axolotl do you?). The article reminded me immediately of the short story by Julio Cortazar. If you haven’t already read it, then I think you should. And Blow-Up. In fact, you could do far worse than buying the whole collection, Blow-Up and Other Stories.

But anyway, the axolotl article said that recent surveys suggested that there are less than 1200 of them left in the wild. That’s not a lot, is it. It also said that one of these surveys found just a single axolotl in the particular region under study. Blimey. Just one!

And that got me thinking. Could the two stories be in any way related? Don’t laugh. I’m serious. Could it be that the axolotl has developed invisibility cloak technology? Because that first article was very clear. It said you should be very careful about using the word ‘impossible’. I can’t help wondering whether that survey, which was looking for axolotl, missed the fact that they were being watched by thousand of pairs of detached axolotl eyes.

I know. It sounds daft, doesn’t it, but you know, we often see what we expect to see, don’t we. It’s only on closer inspection we sometimes find that what we thought we saw wasn’t there at all. Did the survey look for axolotl eyes? No. It looked for whole axolotl. I’m sure of it.

But there you go. My point is not that we sometime see what we expect to see. My point is that good fiction is memorable. It is, isn’t it. You know that and I know that. So don’t forget it. Whatever it is that you’re in the process of writing, or are about to write, read it back afterwards and ask yourself: why is this memorable?

Oh. And just in case: you can remove the staple from your thumb now.

How To Survive Online Writing Forums

Some time ago on my original blog I posted about setting expectations for using online writing forums. The post developed into a set of three short articles that lived on my web site until I recently reverted back to blogging: one article on how to take a critique, one on how to write a critique, and one on things to consider before you post your story for critique. The articles have since been posted in the public area over at Critters Bar, the writing forum that I look after:

http://www.crittersbar.com/viewforum.php?f=56

They’re also available in pdf format under the title How To Survive Online Writing Forums, and can be downloaded as a pdf file from the Critters Bar forum or from the link below:

http://blog.bobjacobs.co.uk/downloads/htsowf.pdf

Feel free to download a copy. If you like it, find it useful, or wish to pick fault with it, do come back and post your comments.

The Story-A-Day Initiative

The story-a-day initiative is still going over in Critters Bar. I’m lagging behind now, only 18 stories posted in 25 days, and the last couple of days of July I probably won’t have the opportunity to write, so whatever I achieve will have to be done in the next 4 days. Fingers crossed. And who knows, I might keep going into August.

Wordpress Blogging

The new Wordpress blog seems to be fine. The layout of the chosen theme looks a bit screwed at work, but no-one else has mentioned it, otherwise I like the look. An upgrade to the blog software has come out already, so I’ve upgraded it this afternoon and that seemed to go okay. I’ve been getting about half-a-dozen spam comments a day for the last week. None of them make it onto the blog as I have admin approval selected, but it’s an irritation to have to go through them, so this afternoon I’ve installed wp-spamfree which is supposed to kill most spam. Time will tell.

Goldfish Writers Doing Swimmingly

Congratulations to the Goldfish Bowl Writing Group that I meet up locally with every couple of weeks. Last week the group celebrated its first birthday. It’s a small, friendly bunch of aspiring writers, never short of feedback and encouragement. Big thanks to Amy for the hard work she puts in to publicise and run the group.

The story-a-day initiative is still running over in Critters Bar where a small number of us are trying to write a new story or piece of writing every day for the month of July. So far I’ve just about kept up with the daily grind and have produced:

• Goodbye, Goldy, I Love You (670 words)
• Hemingway’s Ashtray (680 words)
• Unnatural Birth (750 words)
• The Last Elephant (670 words)
• Sharing a Cell With Oprah Winfrey (200 words)
• Untitled Story Part 1 (1000 words)
• Look Away Now (890 words)
• Imperfectly Formed (140 words)
• Random Chickens (740 words)
• Island Smile, Graceful Hips (620 words)
• Can’t Get You Out Of My Head (1600 words)

That includes what I think is my first real attempt at second person (Look Away Now) which was written to meet the challenge prompt for the Goldfish Bowl writers’ group which met locally on Wednesday evening, killing two birds with one stone.

I know that I’ll not be around on July 31st to write and post and probably not on 30th either, so if I’m going to succeed at this thing I’ll need to get two days ahead by then.

Total produced so far from the eleven stories above is just under 8,000 words. These are pretty much drafts, not particularly polished, though some may end up being polished and subbed (one has already been sent out somewhere).

I’m pleased with that output. Those who’ve kept track will know that I’m planning to start writing a novel soon, and that I’m assuming a rate of just 2,000 words a week for the first draft, allowing for the day job keeping me busy. If I keep the current rate up with the story-a-day initiative I’ll have knocked out around 22,400 words by the end of July, which is the equivalent of just over 5,000 words a week, and that bodes well for writing the novel draft.

This week the July Blast got underway in Critters Bar. A small number of us are trying to write a story a day for the month of July.

Rules, there are none. You write. You post. Write. Post. You make it or you don’t. Midway through the month ideas and energy are usually getting like rocking horse shite.

Quality isn’t an issue. If you want to crash something out and post it, that’s cool. If you want to polish it before posting, that’s cool too. What matters is that you sit down and write. Or stand up and write, it’s really down to you.

Can’t write every day? No problem. Average one a day and post thirty-one stories by the end of the month. It’s a personal journey, you don’t owe anyone anything. If you make it, great. If you don’t, no-one will hold it against you.

What happens to the stories afterwards? Sometimes nothing. Sometimes they’re polished until they shine and get subbed. Some of them will almost certainly appear in ezines or magazines.

Have you written anything today?

Come and have a go if you think you’re hard enough.

Gladiatorial combat kicks off in Critters Bar this week with the return of a writing challenge known as The Arena. Each week two members face each other in a write-off. Participants remain anonymous, posting under an assumed gladiator name. Writing to a prompt, up to 1500 words, the winner of each match will be chosen by an anonymous judge. Lose, and you’re out of the challenge. 

Matches continue until only two gladiators are left, in the final, after which the champion will be crowned and a cash prize awarded. 

First match starts tomorrow. Let battle commence. 

Here’s a short advertisement for Critters Bar. 

Almost anyone who knows me knows that I’ve been running the Critters Bar writing forum for the last 3 years. It was set up when the writing forum on the East of the Web site closed down in February 2006. A whole bunch of us moved into Critters Bar, named after a fictional place that had appeared in a number of short stories in which the EotW forum members featured. 

If you’re looking for somewhere to get feedback on your writing, give Critters Bar a try. Most of us write short stories, we have a few poets in our midst, and some of us are working on a novel. New members are always welcome.  

http://www.crittersbar.com 

Most of the forums in Critters Bar are for members only, so you can’t see them from the outside, but you can find out more about the place from the posts in the public forums, and if you’re interested, just click on the Register link and create an account. 

If you’ve never participated in an online forum before, check out the posts in How to Surviving Online Writing Forums, which is accessible to non-members.