These pieces will vary in character and subject matter, hopefully showing viewers the development in style and focus of my work over time.

I hope soon to begin updating my blog again regularly.

Thanks for your patience.

Steve

To date, some small edits and some slight shifts in emphasis were recommended here and there, but otherwise the novel received good reviews. 

Some said that they couldn’t put it down, and others that even when they should have been doing something else they kept sneaking back to find out just a bit more of what happens. And those are about the best results a writer can hope for…!

The focus of the story was inevitably not to the taste of one or two, but I think if I had to critique some of the Chic Lit out there or something on football, I might have difficulties too. Ultimately, taste is simply taste. But every reader said they had learnt something from the text. And those that said it wasn’t their sort of read, also said they were glad they had read it nonetheless.

I think when the final crit comes in I shall make any necessary changes and then – with a deep breath – push it out into the big wide world…

The price difference between companies isn’t that great though. So really, the choice is focused on quality: which company produces the best book for the price.

ISBN identifications are needed if one wants to sell books nationally or internationally. So,  I need to apply for one for the first novel. But, apparently, you can only get them in batches of ten (and not so cheaply). That seems a bit unfortunate, but I suppose the supplier wants to make the most money they can in one hit; rather than people  buying one ISBN here and another there in dribs and drabs.

I guess I should view buying a batch of ten at once as an investment. I do have enough work finsihed to comprise  about six books (of poetry and prose), so over all I shouldn’t complain.

So, what’s been happening…

Well, the teething problems with the anthology have been sorted and it’s now on sale throughout Hampshire at £4.95, which is  a good price for a quick Christmas present. The outlets are Sue Ryder Care charity shops, as the project was undertaken with them. There is usually at least one shop in most towns and cities. All proceeds go to this very deserving charity. The book is called Now Read On (which is just a logical extension of the first anthology title The Happy Reader.) I have three poems included; as with the first edition I submitted minimally, the hope being that - less is more.

The second bit of progress is that a kind friend (my ex headmistress) has  offered to proof read the final draft of the first novel for spelling and other textual errors. This is no small offer as she had already read it to determine plot integrity, etc. So many, many thanks in advance to Gill for that. (Non-writers may not know just how un-appealing it is to have to read your own work for the one hundred and tenth time…! But it is an awful prospect because, as Gill said  – you tend to read what you think you meant to write rather than what you actually wrote, becoming almost word blind, missing the errors that will be obvious to everyone else. Gill is also a writer, so she knows just how hard it is.)

Well, now it’s Christmas and it’s time to get on with all that…! I’ll be making more entries in the new year, as the program for publishing the first novel will be put into gear. Happy festivities to all my friends and other guests who read this…

I’ve been creating another website for a friend’s organisation (click Stage In Time under Blogroll at bottom right of page to learn more). Also, I started a new painting commission. 

A few weeks back I had mentioned publishing an anthology of work with several other authors. This had been going according to plan, but in the final stages we encounted some unforeseen problems. But the last of these wrinkles should be ironed out soon, and the books will be going on sale shortly. (Details to come.)

I’ve also been working on the final grammar and spell-check of the first novel before I begin the publishing process there.

So, as I say, quite a lot going on. And all this while having caught a cold and feeling pretty rough. Still, onwards and – hopefully – upwards!

The story is that of a thirteen year old lad. But showing/telling what happens through his eyes and words isn’t easy. It’s not that the dialogue is difficult to reproduce. (It’s been surprisingly easy, and his vocabulary has been recognised as the right age-group by several at my writer’s group, which is gratifying.) But with other sorts of narrative one can switch between characters, telling the tale from a variety of viewpoints. Having decided to use the first-person narrative I’m pretty much restricted to his one view point. 

I think the project is going to require all my imagination – finding ingenious ways to tell the tale…!

Writing now is slower than with the first novel. I think because with the second I’m giving more thought to what I want to say and where I want the story to go while I type. When writing the first novel I typed more in the style of a stream of consciousness. That’s more a case of geting as much written down as possible, before ultimately pruning the text retrospectively. The current writing mode is more cautious; more feeling ones way forward as one types, and editing out, or just not pursuing whatever ideas do not feel right, all in the same creative moment.

I guess it is a new way of writing for me. And although the process may seem a little sluggish at present  - in contrast with the stream of consciousness method – perhaps the product will require less redrafting in the long run.

As the text totals some 200 A4 pages this takes some time and dedication. Luckily, most of the chapters are short and require little attention. Other writers will tell you just how hard it is to keep going back over a text that one had hoped was finished.

Still, witnessing the shaping up of the manuscript is rewarding. I have studied the internal organisation of books released by mainstream publishers, and it’s not that difficult to reproduce this in an ordinary word-processor program. So, as my own manuscript nears the look it will have when it is properly printed, bound and published, my excitement grows.

Having seen the self-published work of my fellow author at the writer’s circle being bought over the counter at a local bookshop on the night of its launch I’m moved to reach that point for myself. But it’s not the sales or the publicity of the launch that entices. For me it’s simply making the most of all the effort involved in writing the book. It’s about making the thing concrete – at long, long last!

A 14 year old boy in 1980s England has a passion for ancient history. His father is an archaeology professor at the local university. The son worships his parents. But the mother is frequently absent, absorbed with the Christian church. The father is not as stable nor as admirable as he seems. Among his colleagues his lack of research progress is common knowledge. Concealed from the familiy are the threats of professional dissmissal and the debts from covert gambling. Inspired by his father’s past publications the boy makes his own archaeological discovery -  a potential delight to scholars of the ancient world. When the father realises the significance of his son’s discovery he must make a hard choice. And when a pretty PhD student comes to the family home to help the father “with his work”, again – choices must be made.

Style

The plot unfolds as told to us by the son. We hear his words, thoughts and emotions first-hand, intimately, unfiltered. But the words and emotions of the other characters we receive only through his perceptual prism, coloured by his immaturity, doubts and needs. Like him, the reader must guess or intuit the meaning and intentions of those around him. We experience at his pace his discoveries, delights and surprises. Until the approach of those matters the adult reader poigniantly sees sooner than the boy. 

Characters

Ben – the son, 14. Very intelligent but slightly autistic. He misses his mother terribly but throws himself into his ancient Britain project to please his father and his teachers. This mental intensity prevents sleep, so in darkness he climbs the nearby hill to enjoy a delight in the past that is more spiritual. Here he meets a girl who’s romantic advances inexplicably cause him to shy away. But when he finally has need for comfort there her attention may have found another focus. Meanwhile, the guidance he has always sought from his father has begun to fade.

Michael – the father, 55. Intelligent, but unfocused. Kind but emotionally awkward. He puts his energies into unhelpful areas. He has re-mortgaged the house, twice, to pay gambling debts. He has received his final warning at work to produce his long-promised new research. All while mother and son are not informed. But his hidden desperation might be soothed by the attentions of his very feminine PhD student.

Sarah – the mother, 52. Kind, warm hearted, generous. She cannot find the spirit and romance she needs at home. The church can provide the former; the latter she resigns herself to do with out. Often on long ecclesiastical courses, retreats, or missions to help others, she fails to see the developments at home.

Helen – the PhD student, 29. Bubbly, vivacious, available. She, like the son, admires the father for his intellectual skill. Believing he can help her to a position in academe she invites herself into the family’s life while Michael is too flattered to resist.

Susan - Ben’s night-time hopeful, 15. Quiet, considerate, earthy. Slightly mysterious, with attitudes and needs that make Ben feel awkward and unsure. Someone who could be a kindred spirit, a source of comfort and support, but is deflected by the events surrounding the boy and his inherited difficulties.