Hampshire Writers' Society

Category: HWS Events

  • Comedy Writer – David Nobbs: A Lifetime in Comedy

    Report by Lisa Nightingale

    ‘Write silly!’ is David Nobbs’ truth burrowed deep in the underbelly of his work. It is truth that transcends many comedies – Dad’s Army was based in the truth of the war, Reggie Perrin’s life was so boringly ordinary that he could not cope with it. ‘Your writing can have its own truth. As long as it clings to that truth, it will go a long way.’ Recognise the boundaries surrounding your chosen subject and stick within those confines.

    May 15 Barbara and David Nobbs_0010David began his writing career at age 9 with only W.E Johns’ Biggles for inspiration. After National Service and Cambridge University, with Peter Cook, he had caught the writing bug and wrote for magazines, before moving into journalism where he wrote small articles on local issues. A writer’s first printed professional word never fails to thrill, David’s was a typo.

    The world of journalism was just not doing it for him and in his evenings, he wrote his first novel. He almost preens with pride at the memory of its doing fairly well. So he relocated to London and wrote. And wrote and wrote. But nothing sold.

    So, it was back to journalism.

    ‘Persistence can be hard work.’ he admits. It paid off though and a sketch submitted to ‘That Was the Week That Was’ was accepted.

    But, David could not stop writing novels, embellishing an unassuming body with a dash of drama e.g. The Cucumber Marketing Board with Pegasus Baines, a Nutritional Scientist, Heston Blumenthal like Chef (The Cucumber Man, 1994). It is a disappointment to David that drama has been lost from satire.

    ‘Television is made for dialogue.’ he says. Snippets of overheard conversation on a train, in a queue, at a ‘Do’ all make for material. Much of today’s comedy has replaced irony with anger and it is a shame that so many characters are not likeable.

    ‘The basic principles of Comedy remain the same. It is the details that change.’ And a move to the country provided David with his hit ‘A Bit of a Do.’ People watching at a wealth of village celebrations, from the Dentists’ Dinner Dance, to the Angling Society Awards. He used his own experiences combined with the drama created by the ongoing whisperings of the recurring guest list.

    As for new writers, David recognises the difficulties of facing a fast moving society that we now live in. Today’s news can be forgotten by next week. And that our current obsession with Political Correctness sweeps the stereotypes that can yield so many laughs under the carpet. Persist! Exploit the Radio Times and the TV Times and current comedy shows credits! The Agent/Producer issue is much of a ‘chicken and egg’ discussion, so keep sending your sketches and ideas to either. Or both. But funny and silly still rise to the top.

    Special Guest,  Cllr Eileen Berry, the Mayor of Winchester

    May 15 Mayor Eileen Berry_0011Madam Mayor Eileen Berry is a straight talking woman. It was no real surprise when she confessed to having been a rebellious writer when growing up. ‘Rebel or not – be true to yourself’ she says. ‘My writing life sustained me.’ And it was in writing that she accessed a plethora of emotions. As a little girl, she could not spell and so read a lot and read her own work to others.

    ‘Never apologise for your work.’ Criticise and criticism should be kept to the writers’ work and always remain constructive. In this sense, others can be listened to and learned from.

    Over her past year as Mayor, Eileen has accumulated riches beyond her expectations. She has always liked people and has revelled in her Mayor’s capacity to attend groups like the Hampshire Writers’ society and to meet the do-gooders that are never seen. She has not met anyone who has not inspired her.

    Madam Mayor is a lifelong poet. She was a member of the Winchester Writers’ circle and Winchester Poets.

  • Catherine King speaks to Hampshire Writers’ Society

    Report by Lisa Nightingale

    Not a Romance Novelist. Catherine King is a Professional Yorkshire Lass and Career Novelist.

    Catherine writes (and is contracted to do so) a book a year. ‘It is achievable’, she says, ‘if you are writing full-time.’ Which as this is her career, she does.

    Apr 15 Catherine KingChoose your genre and be prepared to stick to it. Eg. Historical Saga for Women.

    She researched and learned the genre’s rules. Her heroines meet its criteria – vulnerable and strong. They need to be strong, as she adds with a wicked grin, ‘because I (the writer) am going to make it worse’. But Catherine does relent – she always gives the heroine a happy or at least promising ending.

    ‘Whatever your genre. Use what you know.’

    The North is in Catherine’s blood. So, why go anywhere else? And this is where the Saga comes in. Each of Catherine’s novels is regional.

    Having settled on her genre, she needed a period. Victorian times were thrilling and industrial. But, for women times were challenging. This gave Catherine’s characters an important, enticing trait – they had to be resourceful.

    Not a Romantic Novelist – Catherine is a scientist!

    ‘Being a novelist is more fun.’

    Catherine’s education taught her the rudiments of research and what to do with it. Local libraries and museums are teeming with tit-bits. At least three times during her talk she mused; ‘I must revisit that….’ But, she does admit to evidential espionage, a Hampshire health farm which had a beautiful setting was moved up north.

    ‘Always be nice. To everybody.’

    Network! Catherine cannot stress enough the Importance of Networking. There is luck in publishing, but by Networking, you may increase your chances of netting it. Through a group of novelist friends Catherine was introduced to an agent.

    Being a Career Novelist, Catherine endures much input from her publisher. The decision of the title and cover has been relinquished to the marketing department. And the publishers have even, once or twice weaseled the plot line and period to suit what they know will sell. The up-side of this though, is that when a drop in sales does happen – it is not Catherine’s fault. And she can and does play them at their own game. A new slant on a story poo-pooed by the publishers persuades them and her plot is agreed.

    All this may sound a little stifling but it is these peoples’ business to know how to get a success and Catherine is successful. Plus being a writer is what Catherine has always wanted and she loves it.

    Special Guest, Judith Heneghan, 

    Director of the Winchester Writers’ Festival

    Apr 15 JudithWriters! Come and Play said Judith Heneghan, Director of Winchester Writers’ Festival. The Festival is a safe environment – a workshop with an experienced lecturer.

    Even for those not embroiled in their ‘big work in progress’ the one-to-one meetings are the brazen opportunity to pick the brains of knowledgeable writing doyens. Ask your questions. Gain inspired feedback.

    But, there is also Hard Graft. The Festival is somewhere where the writer can find their audience. Perhaps even their agent. Connections have been forged here and will continue to do so. Networking formal or informal at the Festival surrounds the writer with people interested in ‘what we do’.

    And after that crazy day’s workshopping and playing, join us for dinner and let the professionals do the work.

    Come to see the Keynote Speaker, award-winning, best-selling  author Sebastian Faulks. Take away new friends to sustain you through the rest of the year until you can come to the festival again in 2016.

    The festival dates 19th – 21st June 2015. More information about the workshops, talks, competitions, 750 one-to-one appointments can be found on the website. http://writersfestival.co.uk/

  • Lorella Belli – Literary Agent

     E-books, Publishing and Self-Publishing: an agent’s view

    What are the pros and cons of getting a traditional deal or choosing the self-publishing route? In this rapidly changing landscape, what is the role of the agent? Report by Lisa Nightingale

    It was Lorella Belli’s ambition to set up her own agency. She set out to know the publishing industry inside out. Her brief to discover ‘new blood’ gave her not just invaluable insider experience, but introduced her to many unpublished authors.

    Mar 15 Lorella Belli and Barbara Larrge 2_1697‘An agent works for their Author.’ Lorella says. As an agent, her primary concern and something which she feels forms a vital part of the agent/author partnership is; ‘What does the author want from their writing?’

    She is the first to declare that the agent’s role in the modern author’s career remains unchanged regardless of chosen route of publication – self or traditional. An area of particular interest is the protection and exploitation of the author’s rights and here, Lorella is well versed and undeniably diva.

    For the most part, a writer wants readers, they want to see their work in a bookshop. Equally, it is important to recognise the financial aspects of a writer’s career. Both the traditional route and the contemporary self-publishing route provides remuneration, but in different ways.

    It is her belief that an agent has a responsibility to be aware of the many platforms of publication available to authors both new and experienced, how those platforms work and therefore be able to fit the author to the best publisher.

    Lorella’s agency is vocational towards the needs of an author. There is no room for the agent’s preciousness over writing. ‘So what if the book is ‘trashy’.’ Lorella says, ‘If the writer is happy, then their readers are happy and so is the publisher.’

    An author can retain some control over publishing decisions e.g. the cover even through the traditional route. An informed agent will know to insert such clauses into their contract. Similarly, self-publishing has given the publishing houses some much needed competition – authors now have an alternative.

    However, authors must be aware that by choosing the self-publishing route, they are choosing to take on their career in its entirety and inevitably this will cut into writing time. A publishing house provides editing, a marketing department, a sales department and publicity.

    The traditional route may seem like it is taking its time, whereas self-publishing can be a whirlwind. Of course this is after the author has learned all the skills needed to be a publisher.

    One huge pro for the appointment of an agent – they get the hurtful rejections! However, an agent of Lorella’s talent will believe in the book and wants to see it published. It is that agent’s job to spot the writer’s talent and therefore their target audience.

    It is hugely important that authors remain professional. When an agent is passionate about a book and has an author that they can build on, they will stand more chance of promoting it, even if it does not appear to fit, or is the wrong length.

    Even to an agent as talented as Lorella, the next big thing is a mystery. There will always be the wild card – who could have predicted 50 Shades of Grey? However, a writer can keep their eye on publicity to hang on e.g. the Olympics.

    As a writer grows more successful, their chosen path can become more complex. Lorella suggests building a team, delegate, remember the AAA (Association of Authors’ Agents) and ask an agent for advice. That is the bottom line of their job – to work for the author.

    An agent’s website will state what they are looking for. There is no divide between male and female, it is all down to what that agent wants to feel when reading a book. For Lorella, it is what makes her laugh and what makes her cry.

    The members present were left in no doubt of Lorella’s message – the agent works for the author, no one else, not themselves, not the publishers. Just the author. They thanked her for her candid, refreshing approach and dependably constant open door.

    Special Guests: Moira Blackwell and Liz Nankivel, joint authors of the Binky Bear books

    Now on their third title, Binky Goes to London, Lizzy and Moira are completely self-published.

    Mar 15 LIz Nankivell & Moira Blackwell _1698Being a parent reader at a local school, Lizzy acquired a good feel for what children like to read. This gave the two women confidence when the traditional publishing route closed to them saying; ‘stories with photograph pictures will not sell.’

    As partners, every decision and every woe is shared. As are their venture’s financial commitments. Lizzy advised us that using grants from the European Structural and Investment Funds, they attended locally run business courses.

    The two authors keep to a strict business type functionality when making decisions. Once they settled on their chosen format things moved quickly. Within a year they were selling Binky books from a stall at Arlesford. Moira admitted to having to become brazen about their sales – marching into bookshops and asking the manager to put the book on the shelves. ‘When you’ve done it once, it gets easier’, she says. They now have some prestigious outlets including Harrods, Selfridges, Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.

    Binky Bear is one hundred percent British. He is printed using Cedar Press in Romsey and with the Union Jack branding, Moira and Lizzy now have an opening to sell Binky in Florida.

    http://binkybear.co.uk/

    Claire Fuller. Author of Our Endless Numbered Days.

    Forty-seven year old, mum of two, HWS member Claire refused to be dissuaded from writing when she was advised by a writer less than half her age, who had met her agent at a party and been signed up, that what matters is not what you know, but who you know.

    Claire is proud of her writing and enjoyed it. She began an MA in Creative Writing and Our Endless Numbered Days was her dissertation. But she cannot say that her consequent success was secured by the MA. However, she is adamant that a writer should find a good writing group who will critique constructively.

    Our Endless Numbered Days was submitted to a lot of agents, many of which Claire did not hear from at all. Her pitch letter stuck rigidly to the requirements stated on the Agent’s website. ‘See it as a job application.’ she advises, ‘If the application is asked for in one way, you would not submit it another.’ She also listed her previous publications which gave her credibility.

    The agent that Claire chose wanted a face-to-face meeting. This told her that the agent was checking her out to ensure that she was workable with. It is worth remembering that an agent must sell the author as well as the book.

    Once signed, Our Endless Numbered Days was ready for publication in 19 months. Debuts are published in the Spring. Claire’s enviable deal is for one book, so although the publisher is harassing her for book two, she can relax – book two is passed draft one.

    Claire and her publisher, Penguin will be hosting a workshop at the Winchester Writer’s Festival this year. We hope that success will not go to her head and she will return to keep us updated on her future successes.

    http://clairefuller.co.uk/

  • Anthony Riches – Writing the Novels of Ancient Rome

    Report by Lisa Nightingale

    No Roman Centurion costume from Author of the Empire series, Anthony Riches sorely disappointing some of us. But, he did let us call him Tony.

    Having experienced rejections, Tony put his writing career on hold. But a true writer’s imagination will not be shelved for long. A Riches family ‘summer holiday’ visit to wet, windy, winter in August Housesteads Fort on Hadrian’s Wall enthused the writer in Tony. Such a bleak place on the edge of civilisation was inspiration for the swords, shields and swearing series which is now on book 7 of 25!

    Feb 15 Anthony Riches_1685Tony has a lust for life. He enjoys his successful ‘Day Job’ immensely and empathised that it is hard for the writer to take themselves off to that book following a rewarding meal and glass of wine at the end of the working day. Splitting time between this and the Empire is constant tension.

    Tony subscribes to the advice; to be a writer one must first be a reader. The ‘Day Job’ brought plenty of down-time, mostly in flight and he devoured Roman historicals – fiction and non alike. Wikipedia, he advises us is a useful tool. It may sometimes be wrong, but it is great place to start your research. And it throws up many villains and murderers extraordinaire.

    Wounds of Honour began to take shape. Tony imparts a tip: Come up with your own title. If you don’t, your publisher will. You may not like it!

    A successful project manager, Tony also had a completed manuscript sculling around on a memory stick. By chance, during an extensive, dark and rainy wait for a taxi, Tony met a self-publication guru and security guard. He offered to take a look at Wounds of Honour. It must be disconsolate, discomfort that fires Tony on, because he agreed.

    Feedback, this time was positive. A succession of submissions and rejections toughened Tony’s resolve and gave us tip no.2: Take the Writers and Artists’ Yearbook with a pinch of salt!

    An agent was secured and so is Tip no 3: A writer does not just sell their masterpiece to a commissioning editor. It is to be sold to the entire publishing company.

    Tip no 4 speaks for itself: NEVER GIVE UP. Arm yourself with the skin of a rhinoceros and persist! Read and re-read the rejections. There will be something in them that will help you in your future writing and thus avoid further heartache.

    Tip 5: Historical fiction writers must be enthused by their chosen time period. The time period chosen must yield more than one book. Publishers are easily spooked. Agents and editors can become ruthless in their quest to get your work commercially viable.

    Tip 6: Watch your language! Meticulous in his authenticity, Tony threaded his way through a completed manuscript correcting one word. Had this been wrong though, the reader’s belief in the story may have been lost. And so would the publisher.

    Harsh words from his agent taught Tony to trust the publishing company. Every time a book is produced, he hates the cover. But he now recognises that they are the Sales department and as such, they know what they are doing.

    Self-publishing no longer holds a stigma. The unfortunate truth is that salacious celebrity autobiographies and cook books are a publisher’s biggest sellers. Many publishers picking up authors who are already published by themselves. So tip 7: do not diss self-publishing.

    Characters are tip 8. Historical fiction needs plenty to play with – you may want to kill them off later on!

    Tip 9: That time period must be a broad canvas to work on.

    Tony’s future? More Empire and possibly a children’s’ (YA) historical fiction novel. Go for it, Tone, you seem to like a challenge! The Hampshire Writers’ Society are all Young Adults at heart – we will look forward to reading it.

  • Lieutenant General Sir Christopher Wallace, Chairman of The Winchester Military Museums

    Report by Lisa Nightingale.

    Last night the HWS members were privileged to have as Special Guest, Lt Gen Sir Christopher Wallace.

    A scary titled person?

    Lieutenant General Sir Christopher Wallace advised us all that he felt an affinity to the Hampshire Writers’ Society. So, when asked to attend as our Special Guest, he jumped at the chance.

    So a friendly person?

    It surprised many of us that it was the Lieutenant General’s education in Latin and Greek, underpinned a life-long love of the English language.

    During commands of Battalions, Brigades and Divisions, it was the imaginative prose adopted by his mother in her letters that kept that love alive. A seemingly small intervention, a letter from a family member is often seen as a personal comment, but to the Commander, it became an inspiration to write.

    An original person?

    An appointment to the board of the Imperial War Museum, cemented the Commandant’s passion for the on-going legacy that our military leaves to us.

    As writers we are advised to write about what we know, to write what we love and produce the story that we want to tell. How lucky are we if we are able to actually do that. Well, ambition, creativity and loyalty to the people around him both family and minions paid-off. For Sir Christopher, it was time to mix business and pleasure.

    He began to write. Using his love of our language and adding what he knew best, three books followed.

    Ambitious as well?

    It was always the Lieutenant General’s aspiration to have them published just as he wanted. So, they were self-published. Each non-fiction account of military history cost around £12,000 to publish. The future commencement of his beloved military museums each set on noteworthy sites of historical importance, both military and palatial formed the motivation to keep his books exclusive to the museum shops. The costs were recuperated and over £30,000 has been raised.

    Not a scary person at all!

    Lieutenant General Sir Christopher Wallace may not have needed the microphone, but he made us laugh and seemed genuinely appreciative that his life is also his hobby.

    2015 marks the bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo. Once again, Lieutenant General Sir Christopher Wallace intends to lead the campaign. Waterloo 2015 is to commemorate Wellington’s defining moment in British military history.

    He concluded by telling members about the Battle of Waterloo Bicentenary Exhibition 2015, at The Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum, Winchester. The exhibitin runs from 26 March to 30 September.

    For more information follow the link: The Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum

  • Luke Harding, Award-winning Journalist and Author

    report by Lisa Nightingale

    It was difficult to believe that Luke Harding, confident and humorous in suit and blue suede shoes, had been the action hero link in Hollywood type investigative journalism. Perhaps, the red shoe laces were a reminder of a hidden bent for rebellion. Having been orchestrator of enlightenments on the Mafia State of Russia and WikiLeaks, he threw himself, and his team at the Guardian into The Snowden Files.

    Luke’s effortless ability to use only one or two well-chosen adverbs to build characters had the most cynical of us sold on his work. The description of his latest work, The Snowden Files that it reads like Le Carre crossed with something by Kafka may sound like the spy thriller to end all sceptics, but it would seem that it is all 100% true!

    Jan 15 Luke Harding_1682Luke promised HWS members that he had tried to recreate the constant atmosphere of paranoia in the book. His stream of anecdotes on the day to day workings of spies, emphasising the differences between the US spies, devoid of all sense of humour and the British spies educated on Monty Python kept us entertained. But his simple exercise on our very own iPhones, showing us how we can be tracked at any given time, assuring us that this information is accessed by the government and making us all question our own privacy raised an audible gasp from the auditorium.

    The complicated trail that Edward Snowden initially led the journalists on would have caused anyone less dedicated to question his plausibility. But as they kept digging, interest from both the British and the American Governments confirmed both his and his story’s credibility.

    Refreshing and convincing was Luke’s description of Edward Snowden as a young agent having become enraged by his organisation having morphed into a monster following the terrorist attacks on his home country in 2001. Adding gravitas to his words was his honest admission that it was Snowden who then had to educate the journalists on the use of encryption, computer viruses and code words.

    A very apparent threat that legislation put in place to deal with the plots of terrorists would be used to deal with the British press brought home the credibility of the research and writings of the Guardian team. A necessity for facts and names used to be checked and double checked with the limitations of legalities was adhered to at all times. Luke is able to tell us that although perhaps the President of the USA and UK MPs were not happy to confirm the findings, they complied as the laws put in place by their predecessors state that they should.

    What was Edward Snowden hoping to achieve? It was never his plan to destroy the organisation he worked for, but reformation was needed and his actions brought many secrets to the fore, causing the people they supposedly protect to question their working. While Edward Snowden is unable to return home to America, Luke advised us that, that is what he would most like to do.

    In the meantime, there is no stopping Luke and as the Guardian moves to global coverage, we look forward to more surreal truths and wonder who it is that is protecting us.

    Our three speakers knitted together well. One thing that was evident throughout was the passion for writing. Bringing characters much needed plausibility and credibility when their plausibility is destined to be disenchanted. The dissemination of research which was a mystery to many of us now makes perfect sense. And the necessity of the integrity of the activities experienced in gaining that research is what makes it unquestionable.

    Dr.Simon Jobson – Special Guest

    We were delighted to welcome Dr. Simon Jobson as our special guest for the evening. He is the newly appointed Director of Research and Knowledge Exchange at the University of Winchester  after becoming an academic in Sports Physiology.

    Simon very kindly voiced the question mostly probably simmering away in most of our minds – What is Knowledge Exchange?  It is the dissemination of research activities and the research that has been carried out.

    Simon issued a request for our help! He has written, edited and published works on the physiology of sports, particularly cycling and so is aware of many of the challenges faced by writers. How is it, that writers such as ourselves overcome these challenges?

    In his experience Simon has realised that there is much criss-crossing of the academic and the creative writer. It is a requirement that academic writing remain ‘dry’, for example, the use of such terms as ‘I’ or ‘we’ is not allowed. An issue is then created that the piece of writing is rendered unenjoyable to those choosing to read it for pleasure. And so any suggestions, ideas or just thoughts on how to overcome this problem will be most welcome.

    Regardless of the level of our writing, our knowledge and experiences are valuable to academics like Simon. It is in this way that the University of Winchester is hugely supportive of the Writers’ Society.

    Many thanks to all our speakers

  • Dai Henley, HWS Member, Author and Self-Publisher

    Unwilling to let himself dwindle after the sale of his business, Dai enrolled on an Autobiography Writing Course. Following a four year schedule of writing, reading aloud, accepting constructive criticism and advice, he published his autobiography. His own advice is to remember your passion for your writing and to stand up for it.

    As a reader of crime fiction, he found himself constantly struck by the lack of plausibility in many of the characters that he was reading. By then, he had caught the ‘writing bug’. So, he was determined to write his own crime story. At the same time a news headline caught his eye. He was incensed enough to imagine the horror of being personally involved in such an atrocity. “What if this happened to your own mother?” he says. It doesn’t bear thinking about.

    dai with his latest novelphoto2

    Well, Dai did think about it. He then embarked on a busily active and fascinating research project becoming learned in our legal system and our justice system. He likens the writing of a novel to the creation of a patchwork quilt – stitching scenes together and then unpicking and re-sewing.

    Finally, Blazing Obsession was completed. When it came to publishing, Dai applied the same in-depth research into finding the best route for him. After having quizzed various agents at festivals and talks, he came to the conclusion that the odds on achieving acceptance by one of them and then their securing publication were slim. Very Slim!

    So, Dai took the step towards self-publishing. But, he stresses, it takes investment. If a writer is chasing Best Seller’s lists and Top Tens then they must be prepared to source the best partnerships available. Satisfaction with the look and quality of his book ensured the natural step was publishing. Dai chose Matador to do this and has not looked back since.

    One thing that self-publishing has banished to bad memories is the receiving of rejections. “I don’t care how thick-skinned you are” he says, “rejections hurt”. And of course, with self-publishing there are no rejections. Dai treated the members to just a couple of five-star reviews for Blazing Obsession. And he left us with one final piece of advice:

    Invest in your writing. It is your passion.

    Many thanks, Dai and good luck, although you don’t sound like you need it.

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  • Judith Allnatt on ‘The Historical Novel’

    Judith Allnatt talks about history as inspiration, challenge and opportunity for the writer.

    Report by Natasha Orme.

    Historical Fiction is a hard one to get right and it was a joy to hear Judith Allnatt put our worries at ease. She spoke about her emotional engagement with her first novel; The Poet’s Wife and how she really had to feel for the story to come alive, it wasn’t about peopling the story with characters but more about discovering the story they held.

    She spoke more about each aspect of writing historical fiction, focusing for a moment on setting and how to immerse oneself in creating it. She highlighted the importance for drawing the reader into the story by making the place real and she felt the only real way to do that was to experience the place first-hand. She ran through the in depth research she did into the home, place of work, as well as associated places.

    Nov 14 Barbara & Judith Allnatt_1644Judith gave some good tips on avoiding contradicting facts and conflicting opinions before moving onto how refreshing the style of writing can be when aiming for authenticity. She admitted the difficulties faced when trying to approach a new dialect or even being factually correct with their vocabulary and terminology.

    Despite how hard this all seems and how much there is to remember, Judith didn’t fail to remind us all how simple an idea needs to be before it blossoms into a full length novel. She spoke about her latest novel, The Moon Field, and the simplicity of the reader finding a little tin box; something so small, yet so significant and throughout the story, the importance of the items in the tin box become apparent. This allowed her juxtapositioning of a sweetheart romance and what the main character endured through the war.

    Judith was able to give all of us plenty of food for thought as we contemplated our own current and future projects, inspiring us that it is within reach and may not be as hard as we first think. She didn’t make it sound easy but she did make it sound rewarding.

  • Andy McDermott: The World of Thriller Writing

    Report by Lisa Nightingale.

    It was whilst writing film reviews for hugely successful entertainment magazines that Andy McDermott, casual and unassuming best-selling thriller writer became inspired to take the risk of giving up his career to become a writer. “I was tired of writing about other people’s achievements” he said. To the tune of ‘you’ll be writing the review of Trisha’ from his colleagues his motivation was not to return to his employer cap in hand to beg for a return to his job. The writing had to work.

    Initially, he began writing anything from ghost stories to comedies in search of his writing voice. This, he found more by accident than design with an almost successful submission of an action thriller. Unfortunately, it fell at the last hurdle and was rejected.

    Undefeated, Andy went back to his ghost stories. He was pressed for another thriller by his agent. With a have-it-your-way desperation, Andy amalgamated all his notes and produced, The Hunt for Atlantis. A fantastical archaeological search for a mythical city with larger than life characters.

    Oct 14 Andy McDermott_1632His agent loved it. The publishers loved it. Andy was offered a two-book deal. Celebrations over, he realised he had to write another action thriller using the same characters. So, he raked through his notes intent on finding some snippet that had not already been used. On a small note he found a scribble from Wikipedia that Hercules was the only demigod not to have been dedicated a tomb of his own. And thus book two, The Tomb of Hercules was born.

    Andy was offered another two book deal, did the same thing and was offered another two book deal and so on until a five book deal was offered. Andy is now on book eleven of the series and his characters, Nina Wilde the adventurous archaeologist, her husband ex SAS bodyguard Eddie Chase show no sign of slowing down.

    Andy was keen to stress that much of his deadline keeping success is his strict, self-imposed timetable. He sticks rigidly to the hours that he worked as a journalist. In the office and writing by 9.00 am. He starts writing his first draft and does not stop until it is finished. Then straight into a process of revisions. The book stays behind closed doors for a couple more drafts. Then it is sent to his editor. Her suggestions have shrunk to almost nothing as, over the years their trust in each other has grown.

    Andy has had the same editor since The Hunt for Atlantis (he sincerely hoped someone would have found a better title. But they seemed to like that one) and they have built a good relationship. She is able to advise when Andy has provided too much technical detail, and when more is needed.

    With regard to research, Andy spends anything from three to six months on planning. He delves deep into research. Often much of this does not make it into the story, only the answer that he was searching for in the first place. However, he pointed out that often it will come in handy in other parts of the book. With a little embellishment, a story can be ‘hung’ on a tiny detail.

    Word count for Andy’s plan is often more than half that of the finished book. In stories like these, it is imperative that the characters remain pro-active. An action sequence needs almost as much planning as the whole book.

    Andy is more than happy to accept that his books are an exhilarating mix of facts and flights of fantasy. With each new project, he asks himself – What is the overall story? What is the ‘McGiffin’ that Nina and Eddie will search for? What is the issue that will test their relationship? The answers are then fitted into the time-honoured format of an action thriller. The result is the white-knuckle thriller that keeps Nina and Eddie on their toes.

    There is a strong business element to being a best-selling writer. A commercial publishing house will expect a novel that will appeal to the target audience. Andy will often find himself in marketing meetings in London.

    When asked what he would write ‘just for fun’ Andy replied; Nina and Eddie stories!

    However, one of the most exciting aspects for Andy was discussing the movie for the whole series with those described as Hot Fuzz.

    Good luck Andy!

  • An Evening of Novels, Inspiration and Other Tales with Santa Montefiore

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    Report by David Eadsforth. 

    Barbara Large welcomed everyone to the first talk of the new HWS season and said how pleased she was with the numbers of people who had turned up; and that we had a super night ahead.  Barbara welcomed Joan McGavin, the Hampshire poet, and Santa Montefiore, the novelist.

    Joan spoke about the Winchester Poetry Festival, which is to take place between the 12th and the 14th of September.  Friday begins an exciting and varied programme that will feature Slam Dunk Hants, a student showcase, Hogwords, Hampshire poets now, and the main reading comprising Imtiaz Dharker, Matt Harvey, and Brian Patten.

    Sep 14 Joan McGavin_1570Sunday will feature a city walking tour with sites of special interest, The Wilfred Owen International Poetry competition, and “Poets from Hampshire”, Edward Thomas.  Also, “Things being Various”, Christopher Reid on the poets craft.  There is a Commemorative Reading in Winchester College War Cloister, and the Main Reading will be Ros Barber and Jackie Kay.  There are also a number of workshops and competitions. Saturday will feature Young Voices; Zena Edwards and friends, “The Singing of the Scythe”, the best of World Poetry, “So Too Have The Doves Gone”, the poetry of conflict, and “Telling Tales, Patience Agbabi. There will also be “New Voices”, Liz Berry, Olivia McCannon, and Jacqueline Saphra, and “Those Timeless Things”, the poetry of John Arlott.  The main reading comprising David Constantine, Julia Copus, and Michael Longley.

    Joan encouraged us all to try writing poetry, and offered a tip: if you are getting “poet’s block”, try writing some prose.  If getting “writer’s block”, try writing some poetry!

    David Eadsforth then introduced Santa Montefiore:

    Santa was born in Winchester and grew up in Dummer, Hampshire.  Due to her mother being Anglo-Argentinian, she was able to teach English in Argentina for a year before taking a degree in Spanish and Italian at Exeter University.  She went back to work in Buenos Aires for some years before returning to Britain and marrying historian Simon Sebag-Montefiore.  Her first novels were set in Argentina and Chile, but many other countries have now provided the settings for her books.

    Sep 14 Santa Montefiore_1571Santa started by wishing everyone good evening and saying how delighted she was to see so many people.  She was not going to deliver a lecture about how to write, but would like to recount what had inspired her writing over the years.  Santa said that locations and settings were very important in her books. She found the greatest inspiration from the places she had visited.  Smells can be very evocative; Buenos Aires has wonderful scents from the flowers, and caramel from the sweet stalls – and diesel fumes from the buses.  Santa has visited everywhere she has written about, apart from Polperro, which was the one bit of Cornwall she couldn’t make, but she was able to construct a satisfactory picture from the internet and other references in the end.  (This was our secret, and we were not to let on…)

    Santa started writing at school, where she created stories for her schoolmates. These were romantic, but were not drawn from life as the only specimens to hand were spotty schoolboys; not a very suitable model.  Later, however, she did manage to include one character from real life from her school, a schoolmaster who was Scottish but who affected an Italian accent.  One day, he invited Santa and a couple of her friends to his home for afternoon tea (unlikely to be allowed these days…), and on a tour of the house threw open the bathroom door to reveal the bidet, where, he announced proudly, he liked to “boil his botty”.  He did become a character in one of her books!  Another teacher, who was a very large lady, actually wanted to become a character in one of her books.  Santa obliged, and then worried about what the teacher’s reaction would be.  The teacher loved her fictional character so much that Santa wondered if she had actually recognised which she was.

    Then there was Bernie, the family Saint Bernard, who would be let loose at the end of a garden party to herd the last of the visitors away.  On one occasion, a lady appeared to be indulging Bernie by letting him press his sticky jowls on her suede trousers.  However, when Bernie followed his “new found friend” around a corner he got a kicking for his pains.  A lesson for Santa; people who like animals are generally nicer than people who do not.  That lady turned up in a book as well, as did an early Argentinian boyfriend of Santa’s.  Argentinian men are supposed to be darkly good-looking and courteous, but this one was not.  A very controlling person, he would even check that Santa had used the soap after having visited the bathroom; the “soap-checker” also went into a book.

    Sep 14 Santa Montefiore_1572The great thing about putting nasty people in books is that they think that they are so perfect that they never recognise themselves.  Santa has noted that people who have been scarred by life’s experiences will quite often have an unattractive persona, and it can take some effort to find a more likeable nature beneath.  Santa also liked older people, and the slightly eccentric views they often hold.  She hoped that such eccentricities were not dying out but might be constantly maintained by people who, as they age, grow less inhibited and less likely to continue to follow convention.  Santa said that her novels do, of course, introduce the views of her characters, which may or may not reflect her own views.  However, many people believe that a view expressed in a novel must reflect the view of the author, so care must be taken.

    Writing at the same time as your husband can be problematical if both of you like to write to music.  Santa creates a playlist for each new book as it helps create moods and emotions.   Typically, this would be something wonderfully evocative of the location she is writing about.  At the same, “Ground Control to Major Tom” would be belting out from the next room.  Even though “Major Tom” may now be played through earphones, the problem has not gone away; her husband has started singing along to it – rather badly…

    A noisy environment can be dispiriting.  At the time she and her husband lived in a flat, a yuppie couple lived in the one above, and would often put their washing machine on late in the evening.  One night, Santa’s husband decided to tackle them about it, so went out, in pyjamas and dressing gown, only to meet an elderly lady from another flat intent on doing the same.  They knocked on the door together and were confronted by their puzzled neighbour.  They explained that it was really too late to be running a noisy washing machine and Santa’s husband added that the offending machine was “right above their bedroom and they had a baby only one year old”.  Their neighbour’s eyes went from one to the other in growing incredulity…

    Santa believes that the writing room should be a beautiful place to work; it should invite and inspire you, and for her this means flowers and candles etc.  Her advice is:  “Make your office your sanctuary – a room you long to get to every day”.  This will help you get on with the writing process.  Following the advice of her husband: “don’t get it right, get it written”, her method of working is to write the book from start to finish before revising; if you go back over what you have written and revise as you go, you will make appallingly slow progress.

    Santa happened to meet Joanna Trollope about the time she had finished her first manuscript, at the age of twenty-five, and asked Joanna for advice.  “Put it in a drawer until you have had more experience of life.” was the reply; wise, undoubtedly, but not terribly welcome!  But Santa has indeed found that the older you get, the better you write.

    After Santa had been published, a US book tour did not work out quite as planned.  On one occasion, Santa found herself in a bookstore in Chicago, ready to address an audience.  She was quite fired up by the news that Isabelle Allende had pulled a crowd of three hundred there a short while before, but when Santa entered the room there was only one man in a baseball cap, sitting at the back reading a book: and not one of hers.  But with her belief in the “stiff upper lip” she approached the man, quite prepared to devote the session to him.  Unfortunately, he was only there waiting for his family to return from shopping.  However, Santa did manage to have a chat with him long enough to sell him a signed copy of her book.  Lesson: Americans are only interested in big names.  However, this story says a lot about the kind of fortitude everyone needs to become a successful author!

    Her book tour experiences are quite different in the Netherlands, where she is very well-liked and draws large audiences, and can almost feel like JK Rowling (if one ignores the difference in royalties…).

    Santa then took a few questions.

    1. Does Santa relate to her own characters?

    Yes, indeed, but she also writes about characters who she knows she won’t relate to. This is very difficult, but often quite necessary; and a particularly challenging part of writing fiction.

    1. What is her production target?

    Santa is happy with writing one book per year.  She has to maintain this schedule to satisfy the publisher, and on completion of a book often wonders if she can write another – but she has always managed to do this so far!  If she ever found that she could not keep up with the demands of writing, then she would probably give up.

    When in the early stages, daily progress will be 1-2,000 words.  In the later stages, she will be writing up to 5,000 words per day; once the narrative has begun to progress, the writing comes easier.  Santa has a disciplined writing year.  She only writes in term-time, and hands her completed manuscript to her publisher in July, just as last year’s book is being published in hardback.  She takes the summer off then, in September, she goes through her editor’s notes for her finished book, and makes the necessary changes.  During this time she will begin planning for her next book, which she starts writing in January, the manuscript being ready for the July deadline.

    1. What would Santa liked to have been if she hadn’t become a writer?

    A singer: recalling her time in Argentina, she projected herself as singing “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina” from the balcony of the Shakespeare Room where we were all sitting.  And ultimately . . . a teacher – which was the right thing to say as the questioner was herself a teacher!  Both Santa and her questioner were keen to emphasize how much there is a ‘performance’ element to teaching, and to writing and public speaking as well.

    1. Any advice on how to end a book?

    Santa acknowledged that endings are often very difficult.  But, as a rule of thumb, if you find you’re getting bored with the story or book you’re writing it’s best to end things quickly (or even move on to another project).  This discussion of book endings was a natural place at which to bring the Q&A part of the evening to a close. Santa rounded everything off by telling one last story – a rather explicit, but highly amusing, story – about the difficulty of getting some anatomical details right when writing about the opposite sex . . .

    To conclude the evening, Barbara thanked everyone for coming and invited them to “keep writing” and to “bring a fellow writer” next time.  In October, we would have Andy McDermott, the thriller writer, so it would be worth coming back.